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Chapter 172: Killing Intent
It is said that regardless of the type of power—be it technology, magic, or the excavation of the human body's supernatural potential like the X-Gene—they are all forms of tapping into the universe's energy. When developed to their peak, any of them can unleash astonishing power.
The secrets of life are vast. Every intelligent being is the greatest miracle in the universe. Whether it's using external forces through technology or tapping into one's own genetic potential, in theory, both ultimately lead to the application and exploration of the world's mysteries.
But knowing is one thing; ignorance is another.
When Tony reaches Level Eight, even by solely tapping into the Allspark's abilities, he would be able to soar, ignoring the vast majority of magical attacks from Level Seven and below.
But that was not the case now. If he were hit head-on by Kaecilius without any defenses, he would be as good as dead.
Tony looked at the unharmed Kaecilius, his expression cold and severe. He quickly began to analyze the powerful Sorcerer in his mind. The Allspark in his head began to calculate frantically, analyzing every cannon blast and bullet impact, attempting to find a way to break through the walls.
Unfortunately, it was completely useless.
As one of the most renowned magical Sacred Lands in the Universe, Kamar-Taj took the most pride in its development and application of Space Magic and Time Magic.
Time Magic is relatively difficult, but any Sorcerer from Kamar-Taj worth their salt could skillfully use Spatial Magic.
Take their Portal technology for instance—it's an essential household tool. When idle, it can be used for transportation. In combat, you can open a Portal right on an enemy's body and then immediately close it, slicing them in half spatially.
For a more ruthless approach against enemies with durable bodies or advanced regeneration, they could directly slice a body into several pieces and toss them to different locations on Earth or even in Outer Space.
Even Wolverine would be screwed.
And this was just the Portal Spell that was widespread in Kamar-Taj, which was considered relatively "low-end." The title of a magical Sacred Land was not for show.
Kaecilius had mastered far too many other unheard-of spells.
Kaecilius wore his signature condescending smile. His left hand remained still as he extended his right. A wave of magic erupted from his hand, and the crystal walls actually began to slowly rotate. Then, they started moving outward at astonishing speed. It seemed as if gravity was a joke to these walls; they moved effortlessly yet with the weight of mountains, completely unrestrained.
Numerous Transformers were helpless before this indestructible Crystal Barrier. Pushed by an unstoppable, terrifying force, a large number of Transformers were shoved by the astonishingly fast barriers. Ultimately, the mass of machines was crushed together, their collisions creating a deafening sound.
One could only imagine how astonishing this driving force was.
Tony's frown deepened.
"They may just be a group of hastily created Cannon Fodder, but to be so utterly crushed by Kaecilius… He truly is the First Disciple to come out of Kamar-Taj, worthy of the title of the Sorcerer Supreme's star pupil."
Even among sorcerers of the same level, Kamar-Taj's library, vast as a sea of smoke, was enough to cultivate its own sorcerers into super-sorcerers with a reserve of knowledge so rich it was insane.
Kamar-Taj was, after all, a renowned Sacred Land in the Universe. A Sorcerer from Kamar-Taj, using only half their strength, could decimate someone from a second or third-rate sorcerer organization.
Not to mention Kaecilius. Before Doctor Strange burst onto the scene, the Sorcerer Supreme had always been grooming Kaecilius as her successor, teaching him everything she knew.
"Silence! Don't you dare mention that old woman! She's a despicable liar who deceived all of us!"
Kaecilius suddenly became incredibly furious and agitated. Tony's casual remark had struck a sensitive nerve.
In his fury, Kaecilius waved his hands. Numerous fiery Rings of Light appeared one after another, encircling a large number of Transformers. They then vanished as quickly as they appeared, leaving only specks of sparks in the air.
A large batch of Transformers quickly disintegrated. One by one, their massive bodies were instantly sliced into several pieces, reduced to scrap metal.
At the points of dismemberment, Tony witnessed smooth cuts, cleaner and more precise than those made by professional high-precision cutting instruments.
Using numerous small Portals against an enemy, one could directly dismember them.
No matter how crude this spell might seem, it was still Spatial Magic. Against anything powerless to resist spatial forces, it could inflict devastating damage.
In just a few seconds, more than thirty Transformers had been destroyed and turned into blocks of metal.
"You were the one the Sorcerer Supreme had high hopes for, yet you betrayed her." Tony didn't even glance at the fallen Transformers.
In a super-metropolis like New York, this kind of Cannon Fodder could be numbered in the tens of millions. As long as Tony willed it, he could raise a massive army at any moment. A loss of this scale was nothing.
"Nonsense! She is the biggest liar of all! She calls herself Earth's Guardian, yet she drove away all outside factions, including the Green Lantern Corps and the Native Pantheon of Yggdrasil—forces that could have also protected Earth! Everyone thinks she's a hero, selflessly guarding our world. But what's the truth? She's secretly and despicably siphoning power from the Dark Dimension to extend her own life!"
Kaecilius's face was terrifyingly ferocious as he roared, "What damned First Disciple? She'll still be perfectly fine when I die of old age! I'll never be able to become the next Sorcerer Supreme in my lifetime! Do you think a mere human like her could live for a thousand years on her own?"
"She despicably steals Dormammu's power to fight Dormammu! And the Eye of Agamotto…"
Tony's expression darkened. He knew he couldn't let this bastard keep talking. They were fighting in the streets. Although Tony had intentionally limited the battlefield and many innocent civilians had their minds shielded by the enemy's Mind Magic... but were the damn satellites in the sky shielded too?
Many people knew that Kamar-Taj possessed the artifact called the Eye of Agamotto, but very few knew that its true nature was actually the Time Stone, one of the six Infinity Stones.
The existence of the Time Stone was too important a secret to let out. As long as the Sorcerer Supreme lived, no one would dare come to Earth looking for trouble.
With the Time Stone in the Sorcerer Supreme's hands, she could even fight a Level Eight head-on for a few rounds. It was an important shield for Earth. If this information were casually revealed, let alone anything else, there would definitely be a bunch of mavericks happy to come to Earth to try their luck. And what if one of them succeeded? That would be a huge mess.
But a bastard like Kaecilius, who was dead set on selling out the planet, wouldn't care at all about keeping secrets.
A ruthless and decisive look flashed across Tony's face. He wasn't a good person, and he was determined to build his own planet, but that didn't mean he was a heartless, disloyal scumbag who could stand by and watch someone sell out his home planet so casually.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have so preciously looked after that old house he no longer used, visiting it regularly.
(end of chapter)
It is said that regardless of the type of power—be it technology, magic, or the excavation of the human body's supernatural potential like the X-Gene—they are all forms of tapping into the universe's energy. When developed to their peak, any of them can unleash astonishing power.
The secrets of life are vast. Every intelligent being is the greatest miracle in the universe. Whether it's using external forces through technology or tapping into one's own genetic potential, in theory, both ultimately lead to the application and exploration of the world's mysteries.
But knowing is one thing; ignorance is another.
When Tony reaches Level Eight, even by solely tapping into the Allspark's abilities, he would be able to soar, ignoring the vast majority of magical attacks from Level Seven and below.
But that was not the case now. If he were hit head-on by Kaecilius without any defenses, he would be as good as dead.
Tony looked at the unharmed Kaecilius, his expression cold and severe. He quickly began to analyze the powerful Sorcerer in his mind. The Allspark in his head began to calculate frantically, analyzing every cannon blast and bullet impact, attempting to find a way to break through the walls.
Unfortunately, it was completely useless.
As one of the most renowned magical Sacred Lands in the Universe, Kamar-Taj took the most pride in its development and application of Space Magic and Time Magic.
Time Magic is relatively difficult, but any Sorcerer from Kamar-Taj worth their salt could skillfully use Spatial Magic.
Take their Portal technology for instance—it's an essential household tool. When idle, it can be used for transportation. In combat, you can open a Portal right on an enemy's body and then immediately close it, slicing them in half spatially.
For a more ruthless approach against enemies with durable bodies or advanced regeneration, they could directly slice a body into several pieces and toss them to different locations on Earth or even in Outer Space.
Even Wolverine would be screwed.
And this was just the Portal Spell that was widespread in Kamar-Taj, which was considered relatively "low-end." The title of a magical Sacred Land was not for show.
Kaecilius had mastered far too many other unheard-of spells.
Kaecilius wore his signature condescending smile. His left hand remained still as he extended his right. A wave of magic erupted from his hand, and the crystal walls actually began to slowly rotate. Then, they started moving outward at astonishing speed. It seemed as if gravity was a joke to these walls; they moved effortlessly yet with the weight of mountains, completely unrestrained.
Numerous Transformers were helpless before this indestructible Crystal Barrier. Pushed by an unstoppable, terrifying force, a large number of Transformers were shoved by the astonishingly fast barriers. Ultimately, the mass of machines was crushed together, their collisions creating a deafening sound.
One could only imagine how astonishing this driving force was.
Tony's frown deepened.
"They may just be a group of hastily created Cannon Fodder, but to be so utterly crushed by Kaecilius… He truly is the First Disciple to come out of Kamar-Taj, worthy of the title of the Sorcerer Supreme's star pupil."
Even among sorcerers of the same level, Kamar-Taj's library, vast as a sea of smoke, was enough to cultivate its own sorcerers into super-sorcerers with a reserve of knowledge so rich it was insane.
Kamar-Taj was, after all, a renowned Sacred Land in the Universe. A Sorcerer from Kamar-Taj, using only half their strength, could decimate someone from a second or third-rate sorcerer organization.
Not to mention Kaecilius. Before Doctor Strange burst onto the scene, the Sorcerer Supreme had always been grooming Kaecilius as her successor, teaching him everything she knew.
"Silence! Don't you dare mention that old woman! She's a despicable liar who deceived all of us!"
Kaecilius suddenly became incredibly furious and agitated. Tony's casual remark had struck a sensitive nerve.
In his fury, Kaecilius waved his hands. Numerous fiery Rings of Light appeared one after another, encircling a large number of Transformers. They then vanished as quickly as they appeared, leaving only specks of sparks in the air.
A large batch of Transformers quickly disintegrated. One by one, their massive bodies were instantly sliced into several pieces, reduced to scrap metal.
At the points of dismemberment, Tony witnessed smooth cuts, cleaner and more precise than those made by professional high-precision cutting instruments.
Using numerous small Portals against an enemy, one could directly dismember them.
No matter how crude this spell might seem, it was still Spatial Magic. Against anything powerless to resist spatial forces, it could inflict devastating damage.
In just a few seconds, more than thirty Transformers had been destroyed and turned into blocks of metal.
"You were the one the Sorcerer Supreme had high hopes for, yet you betrayed her." Tony didn't even glance at the fallen Transformers.
In a super-metropolis like New York, this kind of Cannon Fodder could be numbered in the tens of millions. As long as Tony willed it, he could raise a massive army at any moment. A loss of this scale was nothing.
"Nonsense! She is the biggest liar of all! She calls herself Earth's Guardian, yet she drove away all outside factions, including the Green Lantern Corps and the Native Pantheon of Yggdrasil—forces that could have also protected Earth! Everyone thinks she's a hero, selflessly guarding our world. But what's the truth? She's secretly and despicably siphoning power from the Dark Dimension to extend her own life!"
Kaecilius's face was terrifyingly ferocious as he roared, "What damned First Disciple? She'll still be perfectly fine when I die of old age! I'll never be able to become the next Sorcerer Supreme in my lifetime! Do you think a mere human like her could live for a thousand years on her own?"
"She despicably steals Dormammu's power to fight Dormammu! And the Eye of Agamotto…"
Tony's expression darkened. He knew he couldn't let this bastard keep talking. They were fighting in the streets. Although Tony had intentionally limited the battlefield and many innocent civilians had their minds shielded by the enemy's Mind Magic... but were the damn satellites in the sky shielded too?
Many people knew that Kamar-Taj possessed the artifact called the Eye of Agamotto, but very few knew that its true nature was actually the Time Stone, one of the six Infinity Stones.
The existence of the Time Stone was too important a secret to let out. As long as the Sorcerer Supreme lived, no one would dare come to Earth looking for trouble.
With the Time Stone in the Sorcerer Supreme's hands, she could even fight a Level Eight head-on for a few rounds. It was an important shield for Earth. If this information were casually revealed, let alone anything else, there would definitely be a bunch of mavericks happy to come to Earth to try their luck. And what if one of them succeeded? That would be a huge mess.
But a bastard like Kaecilius, who was dead set on selling out the planet, wouldn't care at all about keeping secrets.
A ruthless and decisive look flashed across Tony's face. He wasn't a good person, and he was determined to build his own planet, but that didn't mean he was a heartless, disloyal scumbag who could stand by and watch someone sell out his home planet so casually.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have so preciously looked after that old house he no longer used, visiting it regularly.
(end of chapter)
