Hong Kong.
The area near the Sanctum Sanctorum.
"Whoa, already wearing the cloak, huh."
Ye Li, carrying a pile of snacks, casually floated them toward his mouth using telekinesis while teasing Stephen Strange, "Gotta admit, looks kinda cool."
Since he was in Hong Kong, naturally he wanted to enjoy some of the hometown cuisine.
"This cloak is probably a magical artifact. It's got a bit of a personality."
Stephen Strange responded half-heartedly, his face devoid of any smile.
Clearly, the Ancient One's passing and the imminent arrival of Dormammu were weighing heavily on his mind.
"Look over there!"
Just as the two were chatting, Mordo suddenly pointed in a direction. "The Sanctum has fallen!"
In the direction he pointed———
Multicolored violet energy was rapidly spreading outward...
It was clear that the Dark Dimension had begun its invasion.
"Looks like Dormammu's here."
Ye Li turned to Stephen Strange. "So, what's the plan, Stephen? Got any bright ideas?"
"According to the texts, Dormammu's power isn't something we can stand against..."
Stephen Strange clutched the Eye of Agamotto hanging from his neck. "I plan to try using this to restrain him."
'So, we're still going with the time loop method, huh...' Ye Li mused internally.
Noticing his expression, Stephen asked, "Ye, do you have a better idea?"
"Let me try going up against Dormammu first. If that doesn't work, then you do your thing," Ye Li replied calmly.
"You're always so confident... it's kind of impressive."
Even Stephen found himself comforted by Ye Li's composure, and the anxiety in his heart eased slightly.
Mordo, on the other hand, was highly skeptical. "You want to face Dormammu? Are you crazy? Do you even know how terrifying it is? That endless darkness will devour you in an instant!"
"Oh? Endless darkness? You mean those things———well, they've already arrived…"
Ye Li tilted his chin toward the front.
Mordo focused his gaze in that direction—and was instantly horrified!
Right in front of them———
Dark Dimension energy surged forward like a tide, seemingly ready to consume everything. Within it were bizarre things resembling bacterial organisms—some the size of a building, some even larger.
"We have to get out of here!!"
Mordo grabbed Ye Li and Stephen Strange by the arm, trying to pull them away from the terrifying scene.
But Ye Li didn't budge an inch. "Run? Where to? Running won't solve anything."
With that———
He stepped forward, directly facing the endless wave of dark energy.
Wuennn~——————!!!
The blue glow of the Space Stone burst forth with unprecedented brilliance!!
Huu~~
It was as if the Dark Dimension had hit an invisible wall—it halted in front of Ye Li, forced to a stop.
Only a gust of wind gently ruffled his hair.
Ye Li's strikingly handsome face was mere inches from the devouring void, yet no matter how wildly the dark energy's tendrils flailed, they couldn't touch him.
"Oh my god..."
Mordo's eyes widened. "He actually stopped the Dark Dimension…!!"
Stephen Strange gulped. "I knew he could do it!"
"We're saved?!"
The panicked people of Hong Kong, witnessing the scene, were overwhelmed with joy———
"What the heck is that thing, scared me half to death! Just looking at it gave me the creeps!"
"Awesome! That nightmare thing's been stopped!!"
"Hey, who is that guy who saved us?"
"Must be a superhero!!"
The crowd saw Ye Li standing alone against the tide of darkness and began to speculate.
"Look at his face! He's definitely one of our Dragon Nation's superheroes!!"
"Oh my god! Our country actually has such a powerful superhero who effortlessly stopped that terrifying unknown thing!!"
"Hooray!!"
Hearing the voices carrying from afar, Ye Li didn't pause. Instead, he activated the Reality Stone on his wrist———
Wuennn~——————!!!
As red light bloomed alongside the blue glow, the darkness of the Dark Dimension in front of him was rapidly compressed back.
"Damn you!! Stop it!!"
A furious shout rang out.
At the same time, the system prompt sounded———
[Detected: "Dormammu Follower" Kaecilius, fated enemy of "Sorcerer Supreme" Ancient One]
Hearing this, Ye Li curled his lips into a faint smile.
That's right—by virtue of a certain friendship, he'd long been on the Ancient One's "connections" list.
It's just that, like Wanda, the Ancient One had never triggered a "connections quest."
Well then.
Since it's time to throw down, might as well earn some rewards while he's at it.
With that in mind———
Ye Li looked at Kaecilius and his group of fanatics charging over and raised his palm toward them———
Huen~——!
A searing dragon pattern on his palm lit up, and a torrent of blazing magical talisman fire erupted, its might rivaling the thunder talismans that once roared over New York—perhaps even surpassing them. The surrounding Dark Dimension was driven back and burned away completely!
As if the dark energy itself were merely fuel for this flame.
The Dragon Talisman—one of the twelve talismans he rarely used.
Because as the heavy-hitter among the twelve talismans, a boosted Dragon Talisman was absurdly destructive...
ROOOAR!!!
A resounding dragon's roar split the sky.
The overwhelming red flames blossomed into a massive world-ending fire dragon,
Its colossal, blazing eyes cast a scornful gaze toward Kaecilius and the group of fanatics behind him.
"Magic?!?!"
Kaecilius, stunned by the dragon's gaze, collapsed to the ground, his knees buckling. Even the transparent spell-blade in his hand dissolved.
"This... this can't be! No magic should hold such terrifying might...!!"
But no matter how much he couldn't believe it—
The gigantic fire dragon exhaled a mere puff of breath and reduced the wide-eyed fanatics to ashes.
"Divine Dragon! It's a Divine Dragon!!"
"He actually summoned a Divine Dragon—he really is a superhero from our Dragon Nation!!"
The Hong Kong citizens, seeing the fire dragon in a traditional Eastern style, all fell to their knees in reverence, showing boundless respect toward Ye Li.
Some among the older, more superstitious crowd even knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly to the magnificent fire dragon coiled in the sky.