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Chapter 243 Take My Place, and I'll Help You Kill Dormammu
2022-10-19 Author: Great Demon Spirit
"As long as you promise to take my place, I'll help you kill Dormammu and give you the Dark Dimension," the Ancient One said calmly.
When the Ancient One readily agreed to Tony's outrageous request, the first thing that surged in Tony's heart wasn't joy, but a sudden sinking feeling.
To say the Ancient One was easy to get along with was not false at all. She didn't have the so-called "petty-mindedness" of a powerhouse. If you were an ordinary human who pointed at her nose and cursed, she would only respond with a faint smile, not slap you to death in a fit of rage.
The Ancient One was, in fact, surprisingly easy to get along with. Tony had called the Ancient One by her name more than once, and she didn't mind.
But by the same token, she was also very difficult to get along with.
There was one crucial prerequisite: you, as a person, must not, under any circumstances, negatively impact the safety of Earth.
Tony had opened his mouth to demand the Dark Dimension, even secretly plotting for the spoils of war before the great battle had even begun. This kind of outrageous behavior was, in fact, unacceptable to the Ancient One.
It wasn't because Tony's ambition and desire were too great, but because Tony had set his sights directly on the dangerous Dark Dimension itself.
The Dark Dimension was the main source of Dark Power in this Universe. Its level of corruption on human nature and the mind was beyond imagination. If Tony failed to control his own heart, then unfortunately, being assimilated and eroded by the Dark Power and becoming a new, crazed creature would be the only outcome.
The Tony of that time might be even more terrifying than Dormammu, because Dormammu had originally been a renowned Archmage and could control the Dark Power very well after taking over the Dark Dimension. But Tony, if he became a slave to the darkness, would madly devour everything, unhesitatingly throwing all the matter and energy from the Dark World onto Earth without a second thought for the consequences.
Before entering the Dark Dimension, Dormammu was at least Level 5, possibly even Level Six. And Tony? He was a mere Level Four. While he had some understanding of his own abilities, his understanding of his own mind and soul was still far from sufficient.
The chances of Tony being able to perfectly control the Dark Power were very slim.
"Are you so confident in me? Dark Power can corrupt the heart. Aren't you afraid I'll become a slave to the darkness?" Tony asked.
"If it truly comes to that, I will kill you with my own hands," the Ancient One replied.
Tony nodded silently. So, the Ancient One was also making a bet. She was betting that Tony would succeed.
"After thinking it over and over, controlling the Dark Dimension is the best way for me to increase my strength," Tony said, taking the initiative after a moment of silence. "I've considered the Wizard Shazam's legacy. I've even been secretly mobilizing A.R.G.U.S. to monitor that subway station where people always mysteriously disappear and then reappear."
"But I have no confidence in that. I've looked through the history books in the Kamar-Taj Library. The Wizard Shazam is a difficult person to get along with—eccentric, stubborn, and cantankerous. He's been looking for a successor for several hundred years, and he'd rather lock himself in his fortress and stubbornly search, and in a super inefficient way at that."
Shazam actually just randomly pulls people in a subway station, and if they aren't qualified, he just throws them out... With a method like that, he deserved to have never found a successor. How low could that efficiency be.
A place like Kamar-Taj, on the other hand, had never lacked talented people.
"As long as you promise to take the position of the next Sorcerer Supreme and become the Guardian of Earth, I will kill Dormammu for you, no matter the cost." A gentle smile returned to the Ancient One's face.
Tony lowered his head, pondering, struggling. "Are there no other options? For example, you help me seize the Dark Dimension, and after I become powerful in the future, I'll support Earth..."
As he spoke, even his own confidence wavered.
If that were the case, the Ancient One could just occupy the Dark Dimension herself. Why would she take a risk on him?
"Tony, you must make a choice," the Ancient One said. "Stay on Earth and inherit everything from me, or insist on leaving Earth to survive alone in the cruel Universe. This place, Earth, is filled with all sorts of wonders. In the future, many powerhouses will rise and become your allies. But if you leave Earth, you will lose your foundation. You'll have to fight for everything on your own, and there's a high chance you'll die."
Tony fell silent once more, and he was genuinely tempted.
He was well aware of the dangers of this Universe. Especially in the future, Multiversal War would be commonplace. Relying on himself alone, even if he painstakingly built Cybertron, could he truly protect it?
Technology Tree, he didn't have one. He would have to start from scratch with the Transformers. Mid-to-high-tier Combat Power, he didn't have that either. He could only upgrade the Transformers bit by bit.
At this moment, Tony was truly a bit lost.
What should he do?
Choose the safest path, or choose his original intention, which was also the most dangerous and most likely to fail?
The Ancient One slowly sipped her tea, her expression unchanging, quietly waiting for Tony's answer.
It was an agonizing process.
He let out a deep exhale.
Tony took a deep breath, picked up the teacup in his hands, and roughly gulped down all the tea and tea leaves into his mouth before glaring viciously at the Ancient One.
Blood vessels gradually filled his eyes. His somewhat ferocious face was filled with immense ambition and wild fantasies.
"I want the Sorcerer Supreme's position, I want the Dark Dimension, and I want my own Cybertron!"
With a fierce expression, Tony made an incredibly rude gesture. He raised the teacup high and then slammed it down hard on the table!
Smash!
In front of the Ancient One, he threw out his wild ambitions, blatantly demanding all the benefits in a way full of greed and shamelessness.
So what if I'm this greedy and shameless?!
So what if I want every good thing?!!
Tony didn't even look up to get a good look at the Ancient One. After smashing the cup, he turned and left, kicking open the ancient wooden door, angering Mordo, who was waiting outside, so much that he wanted to kill him.
"You bastard, how dare you be so disrespectful in front of the Sorcerer Supreme!" Mordo said angrily, raising a hand, about to teach Tony a lesson.
Tony was faster than him, using a Portal to return directly to New York, leaving Mordo so angry he wanted to curse.
From his arrival at Kamar-Taj to his return to New York, it had been less than twenty minutes.
"Alright, Mordo, get ready." Dressed in white robes, the Ancient One sat there quietly, a faint, almost imperceptible smile on her lips. "Wong has already found Hell's Border. The war is about to begin. This time, we have no path of retreat."
Mordo had a solemn expression, his face holding a grim gravity.
In past confrontations with Dormammu, they had the super-massive magic array covering the entire Earth as their backup. But this time, for the first time in history, they were taking the initiative to charge into the Dark Dimension, to fight on Dormammu's home turf. The consequences of failure would be catastrophic.
(end of chapter)
2022-10-19 Author: Great Demon Spirit
"As long as you promise to take my place, I'll help you kill Dormammu and give you the Dark Dimension," the Ancient One said calmly.
When the Ancient One readily agreed to Tony's outrageous request, the first thing that surged in Tony's heart wasn't joy, but a sudden sinking feeling.
To say the Ancient One was easy to get along with was not false at all. She didn't have the so-called "petty-mindedness" of a powerhouse. If you were an ordinary human who pointed at her nose and cursed, she would only respond with a faint smile, not slap you to death in a fit of rage.
The Ancient One was, in fact, surprisingly easy to get along with. Tony had called the Ancient One by her name more than once, and she didn't mind.
But by the same token, she was also very difficult to get along with.
There was one crucial prerequisite: you, as a person, must not, under any circumstances, negatively impact the safety of Earth.
Tony had opened his mouth to demand the Dark Dimension, even secretly plotting for the spoils of war before the great battle had even begun. This kind of outrageous behavior was, in fact, unacceptable to the Ancient One.
It wasn't because Tony's ambition and desire were too great, but because Tony had set his sights directly on the dangerous Dark Dimension itself.
The Dark Dimension was the main source of Dark Power in this Universe. Its level of corruption on human nature and the mind was beyond imagination. If Tony failed to control his own heart, then unfortunately, being assimilated and eroded by the Dark Power and becoming a new, crazed creature would be the only outcome.
The Tony of that time might be even more terrifying than Dormammu, because Dormammu had originally been a renowned Archmage and could control the Dark Power very well after taking over the Dark Dimension. But Tony, if he became a slave to the darkness, would madly devour everything, unhesitatingly throwing all the matter and energy from the Dark World onto Earth without a second thought for the consequences.
Before entering the Dark Dimension, Dormammu was at least Level 5, possibly even Level Six. And Tony? He was a mere Level Four. While he had some understanding of his own abilities, his understanding of his own mind and soul was still far from sufficient.
The chances of Tony being able to perfectly control the Dark Power were very slim.
"Are you so confident in me? Dark Power can corrupt the heart. Aren't you afraid I'll become a slave to the darkness?" Tony asked.
"If it truly comes to that, I will kill you with my own hands," the Ancient One replied.
Tony nodded silently. So, the Ancient One was also making a bet. She was betting that Tony would succeed.
"After thinking it over and over, controlling the Dark Dimension is the best way for me to increase my strength," Tony said, taking the initiative after a moment of silence. "I've considered the Wizard Shazam's legacy. I've even been secretly mobilizing A.R.G.U.S. to monitor that subway station where people always mysteriously disappear and then reappear."
"But I have no confidence in that. I've looked through the history books in the Kamar-Taj Library. The Wizard Shazam is a difficult person to get along with—eccentric, stubborn, and cantankerous. He's been looking for a successor for several hundred years, and he'd rather lock himself in his fortress and stubbornly search, and in a super inefficient way at that."
Shazam actually just randomly pulls people in a subway station, and if they aren't qualified, he just throws them out... With a method like that, he deserved to have never found a successor. How low could that efficiency be.
A place like Kamar-Taj, on the other hand, had never lacked talented people.
"As long as you promise to take the position of the next Sorcerer Supreme and become the Guardian of Earth, I will kill Dormammu for you, no matter the cost." A gentle smile returned to the Ancient One's face.
Tony lowered his head, pondering, struggling. "Are there no other options? For example, you help me seize the Dark Dimension, and after I become powerful in the future, I'll support Earth..."
As he spoke, even his own confidence wavered.
If that were the case, the Ancient One could just occupy the Dark Dimension herself. Why would she take a risk on him?
"Tony, you must make a choice," the Ancient One said. "Stay on Earth and inherit everything from me, or insist on leaving Earth to survive alone in the cruel Universe. This place, Earth, is filled with all sorts of wonders. In the future, many powerhouses will rise and become your allies. But if you leave Earth, you will lose your foundation. You'll have to fight for everything on your own, and there's a high chance you'll die."
Tony fell silent once more, and he was genuinely tempted.
He was well aware of the dangers of this Universe. Especially in the future, Multiversal War would be commonplace. Relying on himself alone, even if he painstakingly built Cybertron, could he truly protect it?
Technology Tree, he didn't have one. He would have to start from scratch with the Transformers. Mid-to-high-tier Combat Power, he didn't have that either. He could only upgrade the Transformers bit by bit.
At this moment, Tony was truly a bit lost.
What should he do?
Choose the safest path, or choose his original intention, which was also the most dangerous and most likely to fail?
The Ancient One slowly sipped her tea, her expression unchanging, quietly waiting for Tony's answer.
It was an agonizing process.
He let out a deep exhale.
Tony took a deep breath, picked up the teacup in his hands, and roughly gulped down all the tea and tea leaves into his mouth before glaring viciously at the Ancient One.
Blood vessels gradually filled his eyes. His somewhat ferocious face was filled with immense ambition and wild fantasies.
"I want the Sorcerer Supreme's position, I want the Dark Dimension, and I want my own Cybertron!"
With a fierce expression, Tony made an incredibly rude gesture. He raised the teacup high and then slammed it down hard on the table!
Smash!
In front of the Ancient One, he threw out his wild ambitions, blatantly demanding all the benefits in a way full of greed and shamelessness.
So what if I'm this greedy and shameless?!
So what if I want every good thing?!!
Tony didn't even look up to get a good look at the Ancient One. After smashing the cup, he turned and left, kicking open the ancient wooden door, angering Mordo, who was waiting outside, so much that he wanted to kill him.
"You bastard, how dare you be so disrespectful in front of the Sorcerer Supreme!" Mordo said angrily, raising a hand, about to teach Tony a lesson.
Tony was faster than him, using a Portal to return directly to New York, leaving Mordo so angry he wanted to curse.
From his arrival at Kamar-Taj to his return to New York, it had been less than twenty minutes.
"Alright, Mordo, get ready." Dressed in white robes, the Ancient One sat there quietly, a faint, almost imperceptible smile on her lips. "Wong has already found Hell's Border. The war is about to begin. This time, we have no path of retreat."
Mordo had a solemn expression, his face holding a grim gravity.
In past confrontations with Dormammu, they had the super-massive magic array covering the entire Earth as their backup. But this time, for the first time in history, they were taking the initiative to charge into the Dark Dimension, to fight on Dormammu's home turf. The consequences of failure would be catastrophic.
(end of chapter)
