Ancient One Prepared to Step Down, Lin Du Shocked Nick Fury

"Perhaps I really could consider passing my position on to the rising generation," Ancient One murmured, a relieved smile curling at the corner of her lips.

She remained where she was, her gaze passing through gaps in the crowd as she watched Lin Du from afar, busy repairing the Sanctum.

Her eyes brimmed with gratification and boundless hopes for the future.

At the sight, Mordo froze slightly before promptly understanding Ancient One's intentions.

After a moment of silence, he finally spoke in a deep voice. "Master, wherever your choice leads, we swear to follow you until the end of the world."

After all, faced with Lin Du's power to sweep through an army,

it was difficult for everyone to defy Ancient One's will,

and deep down, they even agreed with her decision.

Ancient One did not linger over her disciples' sentiments,

but walked up to Lin Du with shock written all over her face.

Seeing the astonishment filling Ancient One's eyes,

Lin Du merely responded with a faint smile.

Compared to Mordo and Wong's inexperienced reactions,

Ancient One's emotions could already be considered remarkably composed.

"Lin Du, you... you really did it."

She gazed at the young sorcerer, complicated emotions surging within her chest.

This young man had not only defeated her, but had also single-handedly resisted the invasion of dark forces and protected the Sanctum's peace.

Such strength, such an achievement, even made her, the "Sorcerer Supreme," feel somewhat ashamed of herself.

Lin Du smiled calmly, his gaze both tranquil and profound. "It was my responsibility."

He spoke lightly, as though the earth-shaking battle just now had merely been an ordinary occurrence.

Ancient One took a deep breath. The young man before her was no longer the novice he had once been,

but a powerhouse capable of shaking the balance of the world.

The shock and admiration in her heart were beyond words, leaving only a long sigh.

"Lin Du, your power has given me new hope," Ancient One slowly revealed her true feelings.

"You will become this world's new guardian."

Having said that, she looked deeply at Lin Du and said no more.

She had already made up her mind that once the matter of the Sanctum was settled,

she would pass the position of Sorcerer Supreme on to Lin Du.

Nick Fury stood before the console displaying flickering holographic maps in the S.H.I.E.L.D. command center, his brows tightly knotted.

A fierce urgency flashed in his eyes.

The information that had just reached his ears struck him like a heavy blow—Dormammu.

That terrifying titan from the abyss of darkness was sharpening his blades, preparing to set foot on Earth.

And they had yet to establish defenses in the critical areas where Dormammu's followers were stirring. The thought alone sent chills down his spine.

"How is this possible?" Nick muttered, his voice filled with disbelief and self-reproach.

He spun around sharply and ordered the assistant beside him, "Activate the emergency communications protocol immediately. I need to get in touch with Black Widow. Now, right now!"

"Time waits for no one. We can't afford to waste even a second."

The assistant nodded frantically, fingers flying across the control panel as a string of commands became points of light.

After a tense round of operations, they finally connected with Black Widow—Natasha Romanoff, who was caught up in another mission.

"Natasha, listen carefully. This is an emergency," Nick said through the encrypted channel to Black Widow.

The moment Natasha heard his tone, her nerves instantly tightened, every cell in her body entering a state of alert.

"Nick, what happened?"

Could it be that even Nick had no way to deal with Dormammu's imminent arrival? How was that possible?

Before Black Widow could say anything else, Nick continued directly, "Dormammu is about to arrive, but we've missed the most critical link."

"Those devout followers are secretly stirring, trying to open a gateway to the Dark Dimension. We must act at once and cut off that passage!"

"I understand." Natasha's mind raced.

"I'll immediately pinpoint those followers' exact locations and movements."

"Once you find them, move fast and head straight to the scene."

"I'll assemble a support team immediately and follow right after," Nick instructed, his orders brief and forceful.

"Remember, we cannot give Dormammu the slightest opening or let him have a chance to touch our world."

The image of Lin Du, Ancient One, and the others rushing out flashed through Natasha's mind, and she blurted out,

"Kamar-Taj has probably already sensed the danger of Dormammu's approach. Even Ancient One has personally gone out to face him."

Nick Fury's brow furrowed even more deeply. He knew perfectly well that cooperation between S.H.I.E.L.D. and Kamar-Taj was crucial, but the situation had just become even more troublesome.

He had to make a swift decision and fight for every second for Earth's safety.

"Natasha, contact Kamar-Taj immediately. Tell them our plan of action and have them prepare to assist us."

Nick immediately added, "Also, mobilize every available agent and put them on emergency action status."

"Kamar-Taj's people are already on the way. Their target—take down Dormammu."

After only a few words, the communication abruptly ended.

Nick turned, his sharp gaze sweeping across the flashing red markers on the holographic strategic map, which marked known gathering sites of Dormammu's followers.

He knew perfectly well that this battle would be an unprecedentedly brutal one.

Their enemies were not only the terrifying forces from the Dark Dimension, but also the followers corrupted by that dark power.

Without another word, Natasha sprang into action.

Her fingers danced across the control panel, sending out command after command at high speed.

She fully activated the intelligence network and used her exceptional hacking skills to track Dormammu's followers in depth.

Data surged across the display like a roaring flood.

Natasha's eyes moved deftly through the numbers and codes, locking onto every possible lead.

At the same time, Nick did not waste a moment, swiftly gathering the remaining Avengers teammates.

He concisely laid out the urgent situation before them and assigned each person a clear task:

Tony Stark, the suave Iron Man, would provide an unshakable technological backbone;

Hulk Bruce Banner was ready to erupt at any moment.

He was prepared to transform into that unstoppable force at any time and confront the unknown threats;

as for Thor, he was poised and ready to summon lightning from the heavens, adding thunderous force to the coming battle.

"We have no way back. We can only press forward and face the challenge head-on!" Nick's words echoed through the command room.

And when Black Widow Ava Romanoff received Nick Fury's unquestionable order,

a trace of worry, difficult for anyone to notice, passed through her usually calm brows.