chapter 200 part 2
He turned to look at Doctor Strange behind him, then glanced back at the corner of the distant hallway, his tone a mixture of terror and confusion. "I just saw you appear down the hall. How did you suddenly get..."
"Don't be so quick to trust your eyes, especially in this place."
Hearing Banner's explanation, Stephen glanced up at the corner of the hallway and explained in a hoarse voice, "This house was once used by a Native American Shaman as a place to seal a Demon. Later, it became a Mass Grave and a site for Cult Murders. The entire building is filled with a dense Cult Magic Aura, and it also very easily attracts some Wandering Souls. What you just saw was probably one of the souls that lives here."
Doctor Strange's explanation sent a chill down Banner's spine.
He tightened his grip on the Shrunken Head, swallowed hard, and asked Stephen, "If that's the case, why don't you drive them away or seal them?"
"Why would I do that?"
Facing Banner's confusion, Stephen looked up at him and said calmly, "Compared to these souls, I'm the newcomer. There's no sense in a newcomer driving out the original residents."
As he spoke, Doctor Strange pointed to the head in Banner's hand and 'comforted' him.
"Besides, with the head's protection, ordinary souls can't get close to you at all. As long as you aren't deceived by them, there won't be any problems."
Hearing Doctor Strange's 'comfort', Banner subconsciously gripped the head in his hand even tighter.
Just like that, under Doctor Strange's guidance, the two descended the house's staircase and arrived in what looked like a spacious basement.
"Captain America?!"
Then, in the center of the basement, Banner saw the motionless body of Captain America.
"Fate not only guided me to meet you, but it also guided me to bring him here."
Under Banner's gaze, Doctor Strange calmly replied.
Apparently, during the earlier incident with Hydra, he had not only saved Banner but had also brought Captain America out of the Laboratory.
With that, Stephen placed the small dog statue he was holding in front of Captain America.
At the same time, Banner noticed that various items had already been arranged around Captain America, many of which were very similar to what he had seen in the room before. This appeared to be a ritual site that had been prepared long ago.
"Hooo..."
While Banner was pondering, Doctor Strange pulled out a box of unknown white paint and smeared his face with a strange white pattern. He then draped items that had been prepared on a table over his body. Next, he reached into a nearby ceramic jar, pulled out a black toad, and, to Banner's horror, stuffed it into his mouth.
The sensation of putting a live toad in his mouth was clearly disgusting.
Even Doctor Strange had to struggle several times to suppress the gagging expression on his face.
With the twitching toad in his mouth, Stephen approached the motionless Altar, took a deep breath, and then began to move his hands and feet, starting a bizarre dance.
*Fwoosh, fwoosh—*
As Doctor Strange danced, the braziers in the basement erupted into roaring flames, the flickering firelight enveloping Captain America in the center of the Altar.
At the same time, Doctor Strange, circling the flames, began to chant a strange Spell.
Even with a toad in his mouth, the sound of Doctor Strange's Spell was unusually clear.
"Come, come, Captain America, I pray for your gaze here. Great Papa Legba, the guide who dwells at the Crossroads, please show us the way, guide the soul of Captain America..."
"...Papa Legba, I present this Offering, I pray for your guidance..."
In the basement, Doctor Strange danced around the brazier, his body adorned with all sorts of ornaments, the vast majority of which were grim white bones.
As Doctor Strange prayed, the small dog in front of him began to change. Large amounts of blood flowed from the statue's eyes. This blood was pitch-black and emitted a strange stench. Then, the statue began to char, as if some unknown entity was absorbing the Life Force from it. In just a few seconds, it crumbled into white powder and dissipated.
Witnessing the statue turn to white powder, Banner's grip on the Shrunken Head tightened.
In just a few hours, the scenes he had experienced were more shocking than anything from the past several decades of his life.
Banner had never imagined that he, a physicist, would one day witness a real Soul Summoning Ritual.
And from the looks of it, Doctor Strange clearly intended to do something with Captain America's body.
Under Banner's watchful gaze, as the small dog statue disintegrated, the ritual seemed to enter another phase.
"Ah!"
The Shrunken Head in his hand began to struggle violently. Amid a shrill scream, a blurry black figure in tattered clothes, leaning on a cane, appeared before Banner in the basement.
This was Papa Legba, a Deity from Haitian Vodou, the mediator connecting humans with the great Loa of Vodou. This Deity is worshipped at the beginning and end of every Vodou ritual.
The dog is His symbolic animal.
"Papa Legba."
Seeing Papa Legba appear before him, Doctor Strange opened his mouth and spat out the toad. The once-lively toad was now nothing but a thin layer of skin.
As a religion that rules its Faith through fear, the gods worshipped in Vodou are not particularly benevolent beings. For example, the one before them, Papa Legba, the master of gates, streets, and fate, the god of the Crossroads. He teaches the Oracle to people at the Crossroads, but he is capricious and often leads people into despair.
"State your purpose."
Leaning on his cane, he walked before Doctor Strange.
The tattered shoes on Papa Legba's feet had visible holes, a stark contrast to the rumored image of a Deity.
However, Doctor Strange knew that this appearance was indeed the worldly manifestation of the legendary Vodou Deity.
"A Soul. I need Captain America's Soul."
Dealing with a Deity, even if it was just a Vodou Deity, Doctor Strange dared not be the least bit careless. His gaze swept over the motionless body of Captain America at the center of the Altar as he replied.
(end of chapter)