Dark Witch Agatha
A figure slowly descended from the air.
As her feet touched the ground, her features shifted. By the time she landed a short distance from them, she had transformed into a middle-aged woman in a black robe, her face lined with years—she looked to be in her fifties.
"Who are you?" Xu Mo asked warily.
Her aura was unmistakable—this was a witch. And at this moment, the last thing Xu Mo wanted was to face such an opponent. These kinds of enemies always had strange, unpredictable methods. One mistake could mean a fate he could not counter.
The woman's lips curled into a smile as she noticed Xu Mo's guarded expression.
"Who am I? Hah… I've lived so long, I almost forgot my original name. Let me think…" She tilted her head, her eyes distant with nostalgia.
Moments later, her expression sharpened and she announced with excitement:
"Oh, yes. You may call me Agatha."
"Agatha!" Xu Mo's face changed.
He knew that name all too well. Agatha Harkness—the infamous witch. In Marvel's history she had lived for centuries, once even serving as a mentor to Wanda Maximoff. But more recently, she had revealed her true colors, attempting to seize Wanda's Chaos Magic for herself. Though she failed, her mastery of black magic remained undeniable.
Xu Mo steadied himself. "Are you behind the disappearances in this town?"
Agatha shook her head lightly. "Of course not. That was the work of those filthy vampires." Her eyes narrowed. "My only true target was this girl. But now…" She turned her gaze toward Xu Mo, her smile twisting. "…I've found someone far more suitable."
Without warning, she thrust out her hand. A sphere of black energy erupted toward him.
Xu Mo reacted instantly, flashing aside. As he moved, flying blades of energy shot from his body toward her. But the moment he shifted, a violet portal opened right in his path.
Before he could change course, the gate swallowed him whole.
Xu Mo stumbled out—not into safety, but into the center of an altar glowing faintly with runes.
"Not good…" His face darkened as he tried to shoot upward, only for a shimmering barrier of energy to enclose the altar, sealing him inside.
He struck the barrier with his fist. The force sent cracks spider-webbing across its surface, but just as quickly they mended themselves, leaving the prison intact.
Agatha's face lit with glee. "Perfect. This body… not only long-lived, but as resilient as the Hulk's! Once I take it for myself, I'll never need fear age or weakness again." She began to laugh manically.
Xu Mo clenched his jaw. He understood.
Sorcerers and witches wielded incredible powers, but they remained bound by mortal lifespans. Even the Ancient One had needed to siphon energy from the Dark Dimension to extend her life. Agatha clearly had not mastered such techniques—and so had turned to the forbidden path of possession.
But possession of a man's body—reshaped into her own likeness? Xu Mo almost snarled. "You mean to take over my body?"
Agatha's laughter grew harsher. "Do not worry. Once my soul enters, I can mold your form into mine!"
Disgust welled up in him, but he had no more time to think. The altar beneath him glowed as runes lit with purple light. Agatha hovered above, chanting an incantation, her voice weaving spells heavy with ancient power.
Xu Mo's eyes hardened. He'd cracked the barrier with strength alone. If he combined his mental force with his body, he could shatter it completely.
Armor formed along his arms, his power surging. He shot upward, hundreds of tons of force condensed into a single blow.
Boom!
The barrier burst like a soap bubble, shattering into violet fragments of energy that dissolved into nothing. Xu Mo's charge did not slow.
Agatha gasped, startled mid-incantation. She tried to dodge, raising another protective ward in desperation. But Xu Mo's strike smashed through it as if it were glass.
Her scream echoed through the chamber as his fist struck. Her aged body disintegrated into a mist of blood.
But before Xu Mo could breathe, a black shadow surged from the blood mist and dove straight into his brow.
Where her body had stood, a book floated—the Darkhold, radiating malevolent energy. Within seconds, it too dissolved into dark light and sank into Xu Mo's consciousness.
His eyes glazed over. His body, suddenly devoid of control, plummeted from the air.
Luckily, his resilience was superhuman. A fall from ten meters—or even hundreds—barely harmed him. Still, he lay motionless.
As Agatha's body perished, the suffocating dark aura filling the hall began to dissipate.
The doors burst open. Maria Hill rushed inside. Spotting Xu Mo on the ground, she darted forward and lifted him. The young girl hiding nearby also ran to his side.
"What happened?" Hill demanded.
The girl quickly recounted everything she had witnessed.
Hill's face went pale. "Damn it. The witch took over his body."
Calm under fire when facing criminals, Hill now felt panic rising. Magic, possession, sorcery—these were far beyond her experience.
"What do we do?" she whispered, for once uncertain.