Dark Crisis

The Ancient One took the two letters from Mordo. With a wave of her hand, golden light flashed, and two blood-red symbols suddenly appeared on the envelopes before dissolving into black smoke amid the glow.

"Those... are Dormammu's symbols!"

Only then did Mordo realize it. A lingering look of fear appeared on his face. "When did Kaecilius get in contact with Dormammu?"

"Most likely when Zhang Yang encountered Dormammu in the Sealed Space last time."

The Ancient One cracked sunflower seeds, handed Zhang Yang's letter to him, and continued cracking seeds. "And the memories he begged me to seal should have awakened as well."

"Those memories awakened?"

There was something strange in Mordo's tone. "Then it's no wonder he was seduced by Dormammu."

"Immortality..."

Mordo's voice was filled with an indescribable meaning—sarcasm, mockery... and something Zhang Yang did not understand.

Zhang Yang shot him a sidelong glance, then looked at the Ancient One, who was still cracking sunflower seeds and waggling her brows at him.

It was utterly speechless.

Clearly, the Ancient One had both Mordo and Kaecilius's futures firmly in her grasp.

Zhang Yang sighed and opened the envelope in his hand.

The letter was simple. It demanded that Zhang Yang hand over the Eye of Agamotto, or Kaecilius would summon Dormammu and destroy the entire world.

"Ding! A large-scale Mythic quest—[Dark Crisis]—has been detected. Accept the quest?"

After Zhang Yang finished reading Kaecilius's letter, the system suddenly popped up and gave him a quest.

A Mythic-level quest.

"Accept."

Zhang Yang accepted without hesitation.

As the Sorcerer Supreme, he had to guard against Dimensional Demon Gods anyway. Whether he accepted the quest or not made no difference to him.

Zhang Yang directly burned his letter with magic, then became curious about what Kaecilius had written in the letter he had left for the Ancient One.

"Go ahead and read it."

As if she knew what Zhang Yang was thinking, the Ancient One pushed her letter toward him. "Give me your thoughts after you finish?"

Zhang Yang said nothing. He simply opened the envelope and took out the letter inside.

There was not much in it. It merely explained Kaecilius's reasons for betraying them.

The Ancient One choosing Zhang Yang was one reason, and it was what had made Kaecilius finally resolve to betray her.

Second, just as the Ancient One had said, Kaecilius had formed a connection with Dormammu within the Sealed Space. Dormammu had broken the memories sealed by the Ancient One, causing Kaecilius to develop some rather unpleasant thoughts.

Originally, he had still been hesitating between becoming the Sorcerer Supreme and joining Dormammu. But once the Ancient One had made her choice, he had made his as well.

In the letter, Kaecilius exhausted every vile word he knew to curse the Ancient One. Only then did Zhang Yang understand why she had not opened it.

She had known all along.

"What do you think?"

The Ancient One looked at Zhang Yang with a smile as she cracked sunflower seeds. "Care to comment?"

"I'd better not."

Zhang Yang shook his head and returned the letter to her. "You should keep it yourself."

Beside them, Mordo watched the two speak in riddles and rolled his eyes before joining them in cracking sunflower seeds.

Seeing the scene, Zhang Yang stood, grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds, waved to the Ancient One and Mordo, and left the Mirror Dimension directly.

After Zhang Yang left, the Ancient One and Mordo simultaneously put down their sunflower seeds, their expressions turning serious.

"You... truly intend to give him the position?"

Even now, Mordo could not understand why the Ancient One had chosen Zhang Yang as her successor. "He is just a child!"

"I've heard that line many times."

The Ancient One shook her head. "Only by pushing him into the position of Sorcerer Supreme can the predetermined future be changed."

"I have not reached your level, so I cannot understand your intentions."

Mordo smiled bitterly. "But I will obey your orders and do everything in my power to assist him, so that he may become a true Sorcerer Supreme."

Scarlet patterns suddenly appeared on the Ancient One's face. Mordo did not dare delay and prepared to step forward to help, but she stopped him.

"Go."

While using her magic to suppress the scarlet patterns, the Ancient One pointed toward the door. "Kamar-Taj cannot do without you."

"Yes, Master."

Mordo rose to his feet. He obeyed the Ancient One's orders without question and walked toward the door step by step.

Looking back, he saw the Ancient One suppress the scarlet patterns with her magic. Only after he breathed a sigh of relief did he leave the Mirror Dimension.

When the entire space held only the Ancient One, scarlet energy suddenly appeared, and the phantom of a demon god radiating endless might manifested before her.

"Ancient One."

The demon god's phantom did not speak loudly, yet its voice carried an urge to submit. "Does the energy of my Crimson Cosmos suit your taste?"

"Too bloody."

The Ancient One wiped the blood spilling from the corner of her mouth and looked at the demon god's phantom with an unchanged expression. "Cyttorak, are you really planning to wear me down to the end?"

"No one has ever dared enter my world."

The demon god's phantom... no, it should now be called Cyttorak, the Lord of Crimson. Anger appeared on the face of this ten-thousand-year recluse. "You were the first, and you will be the last human to enter my world."

"I will not be the last."

Black smoke suddenly rose around the Ancient One, and a mysterious symbol appeared on her forehead.

That symbol was the same one that had appeared on the envelopes before.

Dormammu's symbol!

"Damn Dormammu."

Cyttorak stared at the symbol on the Ancient One's forehead, his fury burning through the Mirror Dimension as though it had substance. "That fool—does he not know that you have been drawing power from the Dark Dimension all along?"

"Of course he knows."

The Ancient One used the power of the Dark Dimension to suppress Cyttorak's phantom. "But he has no choice, just like you."

"Just wait!"

Cyttorak's phantom gradually dimmed beneath the Dark Dimension's power. "Once my injuries heal, I will first claim your soul, then take the Dark Dimension."

"Just wait, Ancient One..."

"Just wait, Dormammu..."

"Just wait..."

The demon god's phantom completely dissipated. The Ancient One, exhausted, dropped heavily to the ground as streaks of red light flashed through her eyes.

She looked toward the door, as though she could see through the Mirror Dimension to the world outside, and to the people beyond it.

"Hurry. Grow quickly."

"I look forward to your growth."

"I also want to see how the future will change."

"But... there is not much time left."

"Whether for you or for me..."

"There really is not much time left..."

Her voice drifted through the Mirror Dimension as the Ancient One's eyelids slowly fell shut.

Golden magic, black smoke, and scarlet patterns... the three powers continued to intermingle, causing ripples to spread through the entire Mirror Dimension.

The moment the Ancient One's eyes fully closed, the entire space returned to calm.