Strange was abruptly hurled through the spatial portal, tumbling out mid-air before crashing unceremoniously onto a collapsed tent...
Before he could even regain his bearings, a streak of lightning struck an old pickup truck nearby.
*Boom!*
With a deafening explosion, flames erupted violently.
"What in the–" He gaped at his surroundings.
Black-robed zealots clashed against a mechanical legion of metal soldiers. It was a surreal battle between magic and technology.
A dizzying chant echoed across the battlefield as Dormammu's followers recited ancient, twisting syllables. Their hands raised to conjure translucent blades, deadly weapons forged from fragmented space.
Like Kaecilius, these fallen sorcerers had betrayed the Vishanti, the trinity deity revered by Kamar-Taj, instead embracing the darkness of Dormammu.
Doctor Doom led his iron legion, arcs of electricity danced like silver serpents as they held back the relentless black tide. Artillery fire rained down on the dense forest, only for the zealots to effortlessly deflect the attacks by warping space itself.
"I'm just passing throug– wait!"
Strange, who was stranded at the edge of the battlefield after being unceremoniously dumped here by the Ancient One, suddenly found himself the target of several dark sorcerers. Transparent blades slashed toward him.
Grumbling under his breath, he swiftly summoned an energy whip, barely managing to parry the onslaught.
"The war horn has sounded! The dark legions, an unstoppable force, surge forth like the tide of death itself! They will shatter the barriers of this world and herald a new dawn for this planet!" Kaecilius hovered mid-air, his voice rising like a poet's recital.
His gaze locked onto Sean as he continued his fervent sermon:
"You've been hunting me, just as the Ancient One seeks to halt Dormammu's coming. She knows that once Earth is dragged into the Dark Dimension, the Three Sanctums, Kamar-Taj, even the order she built, all will be annihilated! The great Sorcerer Supreme is afraid! She trembles before the glorious new age to come!"
As Kaecilius spoke, the red sigil on his forehead burned brighter. Empowered by the Dark Dimension, he drew upon its boundless energy.
With a flick of his wrist, a swirling mass of energy, which appeared like a searing ball of lightning, shot downward, detonating at the heart of the battlefield.
Still fending off the dark sorcerers, Strange barely had time to react before the shockwave erupted. The earth upheaved, trees were uprooted, and he barely managed to retreat, lashing out with his energy whip to break free.
The blast wave tore through the battlefield like a hurricane. Both the mechanical legion and Dormammu's zealots were obliterated, reduced to dust in an instant.
"This is the power granted to me by Dormammu. Speak his name, pledge yourself to the Dark Dimension, and you too shall receive such gifts." Kaecilius's voice was fervent, his very being assimilating into the Dark Dimension.
His mind, eroded by Dormammu's influence, had long since lost its individuality. He was reduced to the state of a fanatical apostle. Soon, even his prodigious talent would be wholly consumed, leaving nothing but a hollow vessel for Dormammu's will.
"I don't have time for this." Sean scoffed, his eyes flashing with disdain.
His gaze flickered toward Strange below, the future Sorcerer Supreme, now far from Kamar-Taj.
'The Ancient One must be facing troubles of her own...' Sean thought.
"Last time, you allied with Mephisto, trying to destroy the Three Sanctums and weaken Earth's defenses. This time, who else have you dragged into your madness?" He asked, his mind racing.
According to Skynet's reports, New York had fallen eerily silent. It seemed as though it was sealed within a mirror dimension.
"More than just Mephisto. The Six Lords of Hell have convened. They've struck a bargain with Dormammu to split among themselves the souls of this world." Kaecilius pulled back his hood, revealing a gaunt Caucasian face framed by ashen hair, a hooked nose, and eyes veined with dark purple tendrils.
"New York is the true battleground. Our presence here is but a diversion." His tone was smug, dripping with the confidence of a victor, "The Ancient One's end is inevitable. Dormammu's followers have already infiltrated the London and Hong Kong Sanctums. Those who still worship the Vishanti are no stronger willed than ordinary men."
Sean didn't rush to attack, instead, he questioned, "You've corrupted the Sanctum sorcerers?"
Even if all Seven Hell Lords descended at once, the Ancient One would still be a formidable foe.
"I merely opened their eyes to the truth. Death is the fate of all things. Time is the shackle none can escape. We are but slaves, imprisoned within its flow." Kaecilius's robes billowed as he spoke like a philosopher, "None are free from the fear of death, not even the Sorcerer Supreme. Why did I betray Kamar-Taj? Because I uncovered her hypocrisy! Behind her righteous façade lies a coward who clings to stolen power! She draws strength from the Dark Dimension, hoarding the secrets of time for herself. The Ancient One is the greatest traitor of all!"
His voice trembled with fury, eyes alight with scorn. Once, he had revered her as a god. And she had deceived them all, "Now, this world shall fall into Dormammu's grasp–"
*BOOM!*
Before Kaecilius could finish, golden flames erupted. The air itself screamed as Sean's figure blurred forward, a shockwave tearing through the battlefield as he lunged at the fallen sorcerer.
"Enough talk. Let's settle this the old-fashioned way." He said.
Kaecilius's eyes widened. His hands snapped together, weaving intricate patterns as space twisted around him, layers folding like a kaleidoscope to form an intangible prison.
The very fabric of reality stretched, elongating into an endless corridor. It was a masterful display of spatial manipulation that left Strange gaping below.
But Sean didn't slow. With a single punch, the air itself detonated.
*Crack!*
A thunderous explosion echoed as the warped space shattered like fragile glass...