Chapter 1135: Injured
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On the fifth day since the Zealots and Sorcerers faction officially commenced their war, Kaecilius executed an ambush against Strange, leaving the emerging young sorcerer severely wounded.
In the nick of time, Ancient One intervened to save Strange and engaged Kaecilius in a direct confrontation. Ultimately, Kaecilius, heavily injured and on the brink of death, managed a difficult escape, while Ancient One promptly withdrew to seclusion after the battle.
After this battle, the once frenzied Zealots seemed to vanish in an instant. With Kaecilius incapacitated due to his injuries, their assaults against the Sorcerer’s faction ceased.
However, nobody knew that Kaecilius had achieved his objective. During his duel with Ancient One, Kaecilius had taken a risky move and inflicted a wound upon him. As a result, Kaecilius lost three of his able henchmen and barely escaped with his life.
Following his duel with Kaecilius, Ancient One retreated to his sanctum in the Himalayas and commenced a period of seclusion. The dark energy that Dormammu had specifically provided to Kaecilius had already contaminated Ancient One’s body.
While these dark energies weren’t immediately lethal given Ancient One’s power, they posed a significant threat.
Within the secluded courtyard of Ancient One, Mordo stood solemnly outside the room. Ancient One had been alone for a considerable duration, and Mordo felt increasingly concerned.
Dormammu’s impending arrival cast a shadow of uncertainty, raising questions about who would save Earth if something happened to Ancient One. Yet, standing outside the room, Mordo remained unaware that Ancient One wasn’t alone at this moment.
Inside the room, Ancient One sat casually on his meditation cushion, seemingly deep in thought. In front of him stood Loki, surprisingly, the same Loki who had received Ancient One’s reprimand not long ago.
Amid his meditation, Ancient One’s countenance remained tranquil, not betraying any signs of injury. However, Loki, who stood before him, wore a troubled expression, his brow knitted tightly.
A few moments later, Ancient One slowly opened his eyes while exhaling gently. Unlike before, a faint thread of black energy was interwoven in his exhalation, a trace of Dormammu’s dark energy.
“How are you holding up? Is it severe?” Loki’s voice, heavy with concern, questioned Ancient One.
At present, Earth was shrouded by a massive magical barrier cast by Ancient One. Loki couldn’t summon Heimdall to bring him back to Asgard through the Bifrost. Thus, even if Loki had regrets, he had no choice but to aid them in confronting Dormammu.
Additionally, Loki remained unaware that Heimdall was seriously injured due to his encounter with Dormammu.
“Not severely, but these dark energies aren’t ordinary. They seem to be specifically provided by Dormammu to be used against me by Kaecilius.” In response to Loki’s inquiry, Ancient One shook his head in silent acknowledgment.
“Dormammu’s specifically targeting you?! Then, recovery won’t be as easy.” Observing the thread of dark energy released by Ancient One’s breath, Loki continued.
As Loki spoke, he extended his right hand, pointing it toward the lingering dark energy. A blue light radiated from Loki’s fingertip, extending toward the dark energy.
Ancient One displayed no reaction to Loki’s actions; instead, he watched with interest as the blue light gradually approached the strand of dark energy.
Sizzle! Bang!
The moment the pale blue light made contact with the strand of dark energy, a violent reaction occurred at the point of contact. It was as if a red-hot piece of iron had been plunged into the water.
An energy collision explosion erupted directly before Loki and Ancient One, releasing a powerful shockwave that swept outward. The blast’s immediate impact was felt by Loki and Ancient One.
…
Hu, hu!
In the face of the energy explosion before them, neither Loki nor Ancient One displayed any change in their expressions. As the energy shockwave swept towards them, it dissipated directly upon reaching them, evidently blocked by Loki and Ancient One.
However, as the sudden explosion shockwave gradually subsided, Loki’s complexion grew even more grim. This was because, in front of them, the pale blue magical energy released by Loki had vanished during the earlier explosion. Meanwhile, the thread of dark energy still floated in the air, its color slightly subdued.
“This…?” Gazing fixedly at the strand of dark energy, Loki was astonished and struggled to find the right words.
Though the magical energy Loki had unleashed moments ago hadn’t been overwhelmingly powerful, he believed it would be sufficient to neutralize that thread of dark energy.
The outcome, however, left him incredulous. All of the magic energy he had released had been expended, yet the dark energy had merely grown fainter, perhaps not even by a tenth.
“No need to be so surprised. If these dark energies were easily dealt with, I wouldn’t have spared Kaecilius by remaining here,” Ancient One remarked calmly, observing Loki’s astonishment.
Evidently, Ancient One had anticipated the outcome of Loki’s action. After all, that thread of dark energy had been forcibly expelled from within him just now. If Loki could easily obliterate this strand of dark energy, with Ancient One’s power vastly surpassing Loki’s, he could have eradicated the dark energy within himself in an instant.
“Ancient One… You truly live up to your title of Sorcerer Supreme. If I had this enigmatic and potent dark energy within me, I doubt I could endure even three days!” Loki exclaimed from the depths of his heart, looking at Ancient One, whose countenance remained unaffected.
“These dark energies, under ordinary circumstances, would indeed affect me, but they wouldn’t pose a significant issue. I’d be able to eliminate them all with some time. However, now…” Unconcerned about Loki’s admiration, Ancient One furrowed his brow as he spoke.
“Now, Dormammu is nearing Earth!” Loki continued, his gaze steady, as Ancient One paused.
“Correct. Based on my previous sense, Dormammu should be only about two days away from Earth.”
“Two days… Ancient One, will you recover by then?” Hearing that Dormammu was only two days away from Earth, Loki asked anxiously.
Yet, the next moment, Ancient One’s response only deepened Loki’s disappointment, as he silently shook his head.
“Even if two days might not be sufficient for a complete recovery, the impact on my strength is not substantial. When the time comes, I will still handle Dormammu. Our agreement remains the same as before: you’re responsible for dealing with those Zealots who have fallen into darkness,” Ancient One said as if he had sensed Loki’s concerns.
“Sigh! What else can we do in this situation?… But at least I’ve learned some life magic from my royal mother. Hopefully, it can be of some help to you.”
Buzzing resonated through Ancient One’s room, followed by waves of distinctive life energy.
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