"Am I pathetic???"
Mephisto paused, wondering if he had heard correctly. His son was dead, killed as a clone. He, the lord of hell, came before the Sorcerer Supreme to demand justice, and was called pathetic?
"Ancient One!" he shouted, his eyes blazing with red fire.
"Do you really think I wouldn't dare fight you!?"
His rage culminated, and the very air around them began to freeze, as if space itself refused to breathe. The atmosphere grew heavier, more solemn, on the verge of exploding into color and flame. The battle was only a single step from breaking out.
"Stop pretending."
The Ancient One sat calmly, ignoring the threatening force gathering around her.
She took a cup of tea from the table, sipped it, and said indifferently, almost with weariness:
"If you truly wanted to, you would have already attacked. So why wait?"
"…"
Mephisto fell silent. On his face appeared once again the familiar twisted smile.
"I can't hide anything from you, Sorcerer Supreme. But tell me, how long can you protect this child? How long can you protect Earth? The power you stole extended your life for hundreds of years, but… you never fully controlled it, did you?"
He leaned back, reclining in his chair, and continued with a smile:
"Ancient One, your time is drawing to an end. How much do you have left? Ten years? Five?"
The Ancient One's hand, which was lowering the teacup, paused briefly in the air. Then she slowly placed the vessel on the table and looked at him with calm, quiet eyes.
"So what then?" her voice was quiet, but every word carried the weight of stone.
"Before I die, do you dare make that move?"
In an instant, the aura around her body surged. It was no longer the quiet presence of a wise teacher, but a power older than many kingdoms and deeper than time itself.
Aron, in that moment, for the first time felt the full strength the Ancient One had hidden. It was an ocean of power, ancient and boundless, that wrapped around the entire room and pressed down on Mephisto.
"You…"
Mephisto, who had just been sitting with his arms on the chair, now had to straighten his body. He was forced to face her seriously.
"Go back, Mephisto," she said sternly.
"The next time you stand before the face of justice, remember… Kamar-Taj was never a place where you will find understanding."
Those words fell like a sentence. She gave him not a shred of respect, nor recognition of his status. Nothing but a cold order to leave.
Mephisto's jaw clenched. His rage boiled, but even he, one of the greatest lords of hell, did not dare openly challenge the Ancient One.
He had to restrain his fury. He stood, turned, and prepared to leave, but did not miss the chance to cast Aron a look filled with malice and threat.
But just as he raised his hands to teleport back to his hell, Aron drew one card.
"Visitors are guests, Mephisto," he said with a smile.
"Allow me to show you the exit."
Mephisto's gaze froze for a moment in confusion, and then the card burst forth with a ritual of exorcism. White light shone like divine fire, enveloping him in an instant.
Even Mephisto, in all his might, had no time to resist. In the blink of an eye, his body was engulfed by the light and banished back to the Burning Hell.
"Aaaa!!" his scream echoed through the dimensions as he vanished, twisted with rage and humiliation.
But even after his return, his roaring did not cease.
"Aron! I swear I will kill you!! A thousand times! And it still won't be enough!!"
And once again, the hellish ruler was reduced to curses. His voice thundered through hell, so loud it seemed the fire itself flickered to the rhythm of his fury.
"Lord Satan! Lord Satan!"
At that moment, one of his demon-generals rushed in, panting, his body covered with fresh burn marks from scorching chains. He bowed to the ground, his voice trembling.
"My lord, while you were absent… the Knight of the Evil Spirit invaded hell! He has taken the soul of a fervent warrior by the name of Eli!"
Mephisto's gaze froze sharply. His lips, still twisted from screaming, suddenly went speechless. All fell silent.
He, lord of hell, had just been humiliatingly banished from Kamar-Taj, and now, in his absence, his own enemies invaded his realm and stole his souls.
He was silent for a long time.
"Withdraw," he said finally, his voice devoid of anger or threat, only cold emptiness.
"I want to be alone."
The demon-general bowed and vanished, leaving Mephisto alone in his hell. Alone, with a burning rage and humiliation heavier than any wound.
---
Kamar-Taj
"Silver bird's nest, you can eat it for a meal, I'll buy it for you again later…"
"This is a serum not yet released on the market by a certain brand, first-class for whitening and beauty, use it as a tonic…"
"Whatever you want to eat or drink, just order directly…"
Aron took out one box after another from his belt and placed them before the Ancient One. She sat calmly, but tried everything, drinks, foods, applied them to her skin, as if testing the gifts.
"Enough," she said, grimacing, not even glancing at everything laid before her.
Aron immediately quieted down and pulled out a bank card, placing it on the table.
"Your Holiness… I know the economic situation in Kamar-Taj isn't exactly bright," he said calmly.
"The elder brothers and disciples have expenses for food and lodging. Just look at Wong, lately he looks tired, as if he's lost his strength."
He looked at her seriously, then pushed the card forward.
"There's not much money on the card… Only fifty million. Use it carefully."
The card slid across the table to the Ancient One, who remained calm.
"Since you left Kamar-Taj, is this what you've learned outside?" she said accusingly, as if scolding him.
But while her words were stern, her fingers quietly tucked the card into her sleeve, and then into her pocket.
She had no choice.
Just as Aron said, the situation in Kamar-Taj was difficult. Though they were all capable sorcerers, the greatest rule was that magic must not be abused. Even less could it be used to deceive the worldly realm for money.
Because of this, Kamar-Taj was often poor. Their main income came from the small souvenir shop they ran.
It happened that things were so hard that sorcerers occasionally had to descend from the mountain and find work among ordinary people, just to cover basic expenses.
Although such a state was humiliating, the Ancient One was still the Sorcerer Supreme. As the elder, she always had to maintain dignity.
"Very well… but don't bring these things anymore," she said, deliberately in a strict tone. "Better take care of Strange. If you do that, it will also help me."
She coughed lightly, trying to conceal her satisfaction.
"I understand!" Aron smiled, seeing that she had indeed accepted the card. "The truck is already prepared!"
Humming to himself, satisfied, he left Kamar-Taj.
The Ancient One watched him go, quietly shaking her head. "Unfortunately…" she whispered.
And then, with a flash of her hands, she summoned Wong.
"Your Holiness, do you need me?" Wong appeared before her, slightly bowing.
"I'm not thin," the Ancient One muttered, then handed the bank card to Wong.
"That boy understood. He knew Kamar-Taj was going through hardships and gave us fifty million."
"Fifty million!?" Wong gaped, so surprised it seemed the card would fall from his hands. His hands trembled as he held it, feeling as though it burned his fingers.
"By all the deities of the Vishanti… I've never seen such an amount in my life."
"It's fine," said the Ancient One calmly. "Use the money. Just make sure something better is cooked in the canteen, you see you're almost thin and out of shape."
"Hm? Am I thinner?" Wong looked confusedly at his stomach, then scratched his head.
While he was still in doubt, the Ancient One with a wave of her hand ended the conversation, teleporting him along with the card.
From beginning to end she had kept cold, without a change of expression. But as soon as she was alone, her gaze fell on the scattered boxes on the table.
She shook her head and, though her lips were serious, a quiet smile appeared on them.
"Wasted money…" she whispered, but warmth flickered in her eyes.
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