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Chapter 241: The Ancient One and Shazam
Tony didn't stick around to watch how Magneto thrashed Quicksilver in his rage. The moment he decided, out of a wicked sense of humor, to screw Quicksilver over, the fate of that chuunibyo was already sealed.
Quicksilver's shrill screams seemed to constantly echo in his ears, as if he could still hear them even after Tony had returned directly to Kamar-Taj.
He walked with hurried steps, anxiously searching for the Sorcerer Supreme.
Right now, the world's primary focus was entirely drawn to New York, to Magneto and Diana. Hydra and other chaotic factions were frantically searching for information on Diana, hastily mobilizing special forces to resist the impending arrival of the Brotherhood of Mutants.
A government official stormed off to question the X-Men, only to be told by the guarding Cyclops that Professor X's brain had been injured due to one of Magneto's schemes and that he was currently recuperating at Xavier's School.
"Magneto sent Mystique to maliciously modify Professor X's Cerebro. The Professor needs to recuperate, not fight Magneto. Didn't Tony and the others go?"
"Then do you know who that female warrior who appeared on the battlefield is?"
"I don't. That guy Tony definitely knows. You should ask him," Cyclops replied, his earnest tone belying his perfunctory answer.
He was miserable, too. Ever since he went to great lengths to find that bastard Wolverine, he felt like his luck had hit rock bottom.
That bastard Wolverine was hitting on his girlfriend, Jean, every single day, which gave him a huge sense of crisis. And for this major operation, because he was considered by Professor X to be the most suitable successor for the X-Men, he was left behind to guard Xavier's School...
He actually wanted to be with his girlfriend, terrified that Wolverine would woo her away.
However, at least the plan was proceeding successfully. According to the plan devised by the unseen Tony, even if Magneto hadn't made a move himself, Tony would have created some big news to draw the world's attention.
Tony had no shortage of enemies. If some of them got curious seeing him rally so many people and decided to stir up trouble, many things would become very complicated.
The difficulty of fighting their way off Earth, breaking into the perilous Dark Dimension, and turning the tables to kill the Dark Lord Dormammu was easy to imagine.
It involved many different aspects. At the very least, they couldn't let the dark sorcerers and those who dabbled in Dark Magic on Earth find out. Otherwise, Dormammu might get wind of it in advance and trap and kill them all on his home ground.
Tony hurried through Kamar-Taj, heading straight for the Sorcerer Supreme's location.
Along the way, the change in Kamar-Taj's atmosphere was clear. In the past, many veteran sorcerers would teach Rookie Mages the ways of magic. But now, aside from a few novices completely ignorant of magic, the more seasoned sorcerers were all making their own preparations.
Only a careful observer could detect a hint of confusion from the grave and perplexed looks they discreetly revealed.
They didn't know why the Sorcerer Supreme had issued such an order, but out of their reverence for her, they complied completely.
Just as Tony was walking, a sorcerer blocked his path, his face a mask of strange resentment.
"Tony, Kamar-Taj isn't a place for an outsider like you to come and go as you please. Get out!" the man said with disgust. It was the same sorcerer who had given Tony a hard time and even attacked him on his first day in Nepal.
"Get lost, Lisen. Block my path again and I'll choke you to death," Tony said without blinking, sending the sorcerer named Lisen flying with a single slap. With power approaching fifteen tons, even a fraction of it was enough to instantly shatter Lisen's face, and the bone behind the flesh even showed a slight crack.
Lisen crashed into a magical wall and slumped to the ground, glaring at Tony with venomous eyes.
But Tony completely ignored him.
If this sorcerer Lisen weren't somewhat useful—providing some convenience for his future plans to seize the Legacy of the Wizard Shazam's faction—he would have choked the idiot to death long ago.
A guy who went to great lengths to infiltrate Kamar-Taj as a spy, yet acted so high-profile—or rather, was only high-profile towards Tony. He was usually very gentle and had gathered a group of sorcerers around him.
"What are you doing?! Tony, even if you are favored by the Sorcerer Supreme, you can't be so arrogant in Kamar-Taj!" a young sorcerer protested indignantly, stepping forward to loudly accuse him. "The Sorcerer Supreme will not let you off."
A large group of sorcerers gathered around, pointing and murmuring.
Tony glanced over, saw that the young sorcerer was on good terms with Lisen, and without hesitation, slapped him too, knocking the young sorcerer out cold on the spot.
Lisen's friends decisively shut their mouths, trembling as they deliberately avoided Tony's cold gaze.
It was proof that when dealing with enemies who want to reason with you, letting your fists do the talking is the only truth.
With a cold expression, Tony pushed his way through the crowd of people with varying looks on their faces and arrived at the deepest part of the compound, the residence of the Sorcerer Supreme.
The door creaked open.
Mordo was also here. He and the Ancient One stood together, quietly waiting for Tony.
"Fighting again? This is Kamar-Taj!" Mordo said with displeasure, hearing the commotion outside.
He had some understanding of Tony's temperament and held expectations for his future. But precisely because of this, he felt an obligation to be strict with Tony, even to the point of holding him to the standards of the Sorcerer Supreme in many respects.
To put it bluntly, Mordo was the biggest traditionalist in Kamar-Taj, always using rules and regulations to whip the unmotivated slackers into shape.
And in his eyes, Tony was the most unmotivated of all. Despite being valued by the Ancient One, he still left Kamar-Taj every few days to go fool around and stir up all sorts of trouble.
Like this time, for instance, he actually wants to kill the master of the Dark Dimension, Dormammu...
"It was that idiot Lisen. I really don't know what the person looking for Black Adam was thinking, sending such a high-profile idiot into Kamar-Taj," Tony said nonchalantly, finding a place to sit and unceremoniously pouring himself a cup of tea.
Mordo's eyelid twitched violently. This completely undisciplined act was a blatant challenge to the Sorcerer Supreme's authority.
"The person behind the scenes arranged for many people—clever ones, foolish ones, slick ones. But I specifically chose one who thought himself clever but was, in fact, incredibly foolish," the Ancient One said with a gentle expression, casually recounting matters of the past.
"How are things on Shazam's end? Can his body still hold on?" Tony asked.
Wizard Shazam hadn't stepped out of the Rock of Eternity for several hundred years. Anyone who knew about Wizard Shazam today, like the Ancient One, knew that the old sorcerer's time was short, and he was desperate to find a worthy successor.
Wizard Shazam was also a Level Seven Combat Power. The Legacy of his Rock of Eternity represented a source of magic on Earth no less powerful than Kamar-Taj's.
(end of chapter)
Tony didn't stick around to watch how Magneto thrashed Quicksilver in his rage. The moment he decided, out of a wicked sense of humor, to screw Quicksilver over, the fate of that chuunibyo was already sealed.
Quicksilver's shrill screams seemed to constantly echo in his ears, as if he could still hear them even after Tony had returned directly to Kamar-Taj.
He walked with hurried steps, anxiously searching for the Sorcerer Supreme.
Right now, the world's primary focus was entirely drawn to New York, to Magneto and Diana. Hydra and other chaotic factions were frantically searching for information on Diana, hastily mobilizing special forces to resist the impending arrival of the Brotherhood of Mutants.
A government official stormed off to question the X-Men, only to be told by the guarding Cyclops that Professor X's brain had been injured due to one of Magneto's schemes and that he was currently recuperating at Xavier's School.
"Magneto sent Mystique to maliciously modify Professor X's Cerebro. The Professor needs to recuperate, not fight Magneto. Didn't Tony and the others go?"
"Then do you know who that female warrior who appeared on the battlefield is?"
"I don't. That guy Tony definitely knows. You should ask him," Cyclops replied, his earnest tone belying his perfunctory answer.
He was miserable, too. Ever since he went to great lengths to find that bastard Wolverine, he felt like his luck had hit rock bottom.
That bastard Wolverine was hitting on his girlfriend, Jean, every single day, which gave him a huge sense of crisis. And for this major operation, because he was considered by Professor X to be the most suitable successor for the X-Men, he was left behind to guard Xavier's School...
He actually wanted to be with his girlfriend, terrified that Wolverine would woo her away.
However, at least the plan was proceeding successfully. According to the plan devised by the unseen Tony, even if Magneto hadn't made a move himself, Tony would have created some big news to draw the world's attention.
Tony had no shortage of enemies. If some of them got curious seeing him rally so many people and decided to stir up trouble, many things would become very complicated.
The difficulty of fighting their way off Earth, breaking into the perilous Dark Dimension, and turning the tables to kill the Dark Lord Dormammu was easy to imagine.
It involved many different aspects. At the very least, they couldn't let the dark sorcerers and those who dabbled in Dark Magic on Earth find out. Otherwise, Dormammu might get wind of it in advance and trap and kill them all on his home ground.
Tony hurried through Kamar-Taj, heading straight for the Sorcerer Supreme's location.
Along the way, the change in Kamar-Taj's atmosphere was clear. In the past, many veteran sorcerers would teach Rookie Mages the ways of magic. But now, aside from a few novices completely ignorant of magic, the more seasoned sorcerers were all making their own preparations.
Only a careful observer could detect a hint of confusion from the grave and perplexed looks they discreetly revealed.
They didn't know why the Sorcerer Supreme had issued such an order, but out of their reverence for her, they complied completely.
Just as Tony was walking, a sorcerer blocked his path, his face a mask of strange resentment.
"Tony, Kamar-Taj isn't a place for an outsider like you to come and go as you please. Get out!" the man said with disgust. It was the same sorcerer who had given Tony a hard time and even attacked him on his first day in Nepal.
"Get lost, Lisen. Block my path again and I'll choke you to death," Tony said without blinking, sending the sorcerer named Lisen flying with a single slap. With power approaching fifteen tons, even a fraction of it was enough to instantly shatter Lisen's face, and the bone behind the flesh even showed a slight crack.
Lisen crashed into a magical wall and slumped to the ground, glaring at Tony with venomous eyes.
But Tony completely ignored him.
If this sorcerer Lisen weren't somewhat useful—providing some convenience for his future plans to seize the Legacy of the Wizard Shazam's faction—he would have choked the idiot to death long ago.
A guy who went to great lengths to infiltrate Kamar-Taj as a spy, yet acted so high-profile—or rather, was only high-profile towards Tony. He was usually very gentle and had gathered a group of sorcerers around him.
"What are you doing?! Tony, even if you are favored by the Sorcerer Supreme, you can't be so arrogant in Kamar-Taj!" a young sorcerer protested indignantly, stepping forward to loudly accuse him. "The Sorcerer Supreme will not let you off."
A large group of sorcerers gathered around, pointing and murmuring.
Tony glanced over, saw that the young sorcerer was on good terms with Lisen, and without hesitation, slapped him too, knocking the young sorcerer out cold on the spot.
Lisen's friends decisively shut their mouths, trembling as they deliberately avoided Tony's cold gaze.
It was proof that when dealing with enemies who want to reason with you, letting your fists do the talking is the only truth.
With a cold expression, Tony pushed his way through the crowd of people with varying looks on their faces and arrived at the deepest part of the compound, the residence of the Sorcerer Supreme.
The door creaked open.
Mordo was also here. He and the Ancient One stood together, quietly waiting for Tony.
"Fighting again? This is Kamar-Taj!" Mordo said with displeasure, hearing the commotion outside.
He had some understanding of Tony's temperament and held expectations for his future. But precisely because of this, he felt an obligation to be strict with Tony, even to the point of holding him to the standards of the Sorcerer Supreme in many respects.
To put it bluntly, Mordo was the biggest traditionalist in Kamar-Taj, always using rules and regulations to whip the unmotivated slackers into shape.
And in his eyes, Tony was the most unmotivated of all. Despite being valued by the Ancient One, he still left Kamar-Taj every few days to go fool around and stir up all sorts of trouble.
Like this time, for instance, he actually wants to kill the master of the Dark Dimension, Dormammu...
"It was that idiot Lisen. I really don't know what the person looking for Black Adam was thinking, sending such a high-profile idiot into Kamar-Taj," Tony said nonchalantly, finding a place to sit and unceremoniously pouring himself a cup of tea.
Mordo's eyelid twitched violently. This completely undisciplined act was a blatant challenge to the Sorcerer Supreme's authority.
"The person behind the scenes arranged for many people—clever ones, foolish ones, slick ones. But I specifically chose one who thought himself clever but was, in fact, incredibly foolish," the Ancient One said with a gentle expression, casually recounting matters of the past.
"How are things on Shazam's end? Can his body still hold on?" Tony asked.
Wizard Shazam hadn't stepped out of the Rock of Eternity for several hundred years. Anyone who knew about Wizard Shazam today, like the Ancient One, knew that the old sorcerer's time was short, and he was desperate to find a worthy successor.
Wizard Shazam was also a Level Seven Combat Power. The Legacy of his Rock of Eternity represented a source of magic on Earth no less powerful than Kamar-Taj's.
(end of chapter)