As Merlin turned around, Diarmuid Ua Duibhne instantly stepped in front of him. The demon-slaying crimson spear tilted upward as he assumed an attacking stance. His sharp eyes looked down coldly, solemnly observing the bald woman who had stepped out from a wheel of golden radiance.
She wore a bright yellow sorcerer's robe. Around her neck hung a massive metal ring shaped like a single eye, its surface covered in intricate, irregular carvings both complex and mysterious. Faintly, it seemed to shimmer with an unknown, subtle glow.
"Sorcerer Ancient One. I have come for a discussion."
As she finished speaking, she pressed her index and middle fingers together and slid them lightly. A streak of golden light swept across the air. A peculiar fragrance spread, and the Sling Ring portal closed on its own.
Merlin had expected Ancient One's appearance.
He too was Selene's Foreigner. Having once bathed in the primordial essence born at the dawn of the multiverse, he was extraordinarily sensitive to energies infused with the infinite power distilled from before the cosmic Big Bang.
If one followed the terminology of the Marvel universe, all Heroic Spirits manifested under the Foreigner class—including the Demon Judges Chapter of John-117—were quite suitable Gemstone vessels.
Of course, how much of a Gemstone's power one could wield depended entirely on the individual.
After all, Star-Lord, Ronan, Thanos, the Celestials... all were considered suitable Gemstone bearers. But barely touching it without dying, borrowing its power through external means, wielding it personally, fully unleashing it—those were entirely different matters. The difference in the Gemstone's displayed might was like heaven and earth.
In Merlin's perception, this bald sorcerer was like a living, mobile Holy Grail.
And not an ordinary one—but the kind filled to overflowing, tied to the entirety of human history. Every inch of her body was wrapped in dazzling energy particles, radiant and iridescent, constantly emitting unique waveforms in all directions like an energy source on the verge of spilling over.
Yet within her, another force seemed suppressed—faintly exuding the deep, violent aura of darkness.
"Divine Empress Order, Camelot, Mage Merlin."
As a matter of courtesy, Merlin introduced himself with a playful smile.
The Divine Empress Order was the codename chosen by John-117 for the Imperials stationed within Earth-199999. Quite fitting. Camelot, meanwhile, was the feudal territory rebuilt by Artoria.
"Divine Empress Order, Fianna Knights, Diarmuid Ua Duibhne."
The Fianna Knights had likewise been reestablished within the Sacred Selene Empire. Under Imperial military coordination, Diarmuid had reconciled with his former lord, Fionn mac Cumhaill. At present, the knightly order served as an auxiliary ranger unit active across various Imperial fronts.
"Camelot, Merlin... Fianna Knights, Diarmuid..."
Ancient One murmured softly.
Names that thundered in legend.
All were great heroes from Earth's mythic epics.
"You are also a Gemstone guardian?"
The tone was certain. Diarmuid gripped his crimson spear, its blood-red tip gleaming coldly in the sunlight. His gaze locked onto the Eye of Agamotto resting before her chest.
"Have you come to stop us?" Battle intent surged.
His body tensed like a leopard ready to spring, prepared to pounce upon another Gemstone bearer.
"Guardian? Ah... you could say that."
Ancient One smiled faintly and nodded calmly. She cast a glance toward the distant battlefield east of Long Island, where thunder roared and thousand-meter waves rose beneath flashing lightning and raging tides.
A one-sided fight.
BOOM—
A ferocious punch wind, like a thousand thunderbolts combined, blasted the ocean aside, raising towering waves hundreds of meters high. Within the storm, a doomed pair bent and staggered, struggling desperately against fate.
The vessel of the Mind Gem and the inheritor of chaos magic—their defeat was already sealed.
With a single glance, Ancient One reached her judgment.
Chaos magic was indeed formidable.
But Wanda was not.
If studied thoroughly, mastered deeply, chaos magic could overturn the multiverse itself. Yet Wanda was fragile. Her mindset was unstable. She had not fulfilled even a fraction of her potential. She merely relied on anger and fear of loss to unleash chaotic power in wild, unstructured bursts.
Rootless water.
As for that bald one... the caped hero?
For now, she would call him that.
He was not serious. On the contrary, he constantly restrained his strength. After his first excessive strike, he immediately adjusted his force. Each subsequent blow dispersed Wanda's chaos magic precisely, using only the smallest surplus to counterattack.
At this point, Wanda resembled the true destroyer—while the bald hero appeared the guardian.
Her hysterical assaults were fracturing the nearshore continental shelf, stirring tsunamis. Time and again, it was the bald hero who dispersed the storm's aftermath, shielding Long Island and nearby coastlines from total devastation.
"Remarkable control of power."
Ancient One withdrew her gaze.
"I have not come to fight..." Facing the knight's clear battle challenge, she slowly turned her eyes toward New York City. "Your leader should already have noticed the anomaly here."
Her voice was gentle and calm, carrying a subtle, soothing authority.
"What do you mean—hm? Master, yes... what? Beyond the Skrulls, the venue has been attacked by mutants? Master, please summon me immediately to battle!"
Diarmuid froze, then his eyes flickered.
It was John-117.
"...Understood. The battle here is nearing its conclusion... On my end? It is Mr. Saitama. Yes, I will complete the mission. I will clear a secure landing zone for them."
As he spoke, he briefly summarized the situation. Then, as though receiving further instruction, he slowly lowered his spear.
Battle—combat against powerful foes, fair duels—these were what he longed for. But his foremost duty was to fulfill Master's command and complete a Servant's mission flawlessly.
BOOM!
Another earth-shaking explosion erupted. A colossal ring-shaped water column shot skyward from the sea. Black seabed silt from the violent detonation was clearly visible—along with fragments of sunken ships. Tsunamis roared, layers of towering waves surging toward the coastline like a continuous fortress wall hundreds of meters high.
"Sigh..."
Ancient One exhaled softly.
Had Wanda truly fallen into madness over love? Did she not realize the devastation chaos magic, amplified by the Mind Gem, could inflict upon the East Coast?
No wonder the North American authorities had sold you out so decisively...
Splash!
Ancient One moved.
A dazzling radiance burst from her fingertips. The semicircular golden magic sigil that unfolded was magnificent—charming and mysterious. Space itself seemed to come alive under her control...
In an instant, everywhere within Merlin and Diarmuid's line of sight fractured like countless shattered prisms appearing before them. Those mirrors formed a bizarre, transparent kaleidoscope that infinitely stretched and extended the entire field of vision. The tsunami was enveloped—and in the blink of an eye, the winds stilled and the waves calmed, as though the disaster had never occurred.
"Mirror Dimension."
Merlin narrowed his eyes, still wearing that carefree grin. But anyone who knew him understood—he was serious now.
"A small trick. Not worth mentioning."
Ancient One's deep gaze settled upon them. "Have you truly come only for the Gemstones?"
With the aid of the Eye of Agamotto, she had already gleaned much about these Descenders. She did not believe they—or more precisely, the One behind them—had come to Earth merely for so-called Gemstones.
Yes. The Gemstones, also called Infinity Stones, were refined from the essences of six singularities that contained infinite energy before the Big Bang. They were among the most powerful artifacts in the universe. Gather all six, and one could reshape the universe according to the wielder's will.
With a snap, half of all life in the universe could be erased. The universe could be destroyed. A new one could be recreated. It was authority akin to a creator god.
But would a being like Eternity require such stones?
No.
Because that existence was itself a cosmic creator deity. At most, the Gemstones were but manifestations of its universal authority.
A supreme entity of that level would not take interest in such worldly "toys." More likely, this was the temporary whim of Eternity's apostles. And through coincidence and convenience, Earth's ruling class had simply gone along with it, offering these uncontrollable "secret treasures" as tribute.
As the Sorcerer Supreme of Kamar-Taj and guardian of Earth's mystical dimensions, Ancient One had naturally observed the meeting at the Avengers' base outside New York.
HYDRA. The Skrull crisis. The female pilot who had absorbed the cosmic power of the Tesseract during the Pegasus Project and become Captain Marvel, repelling the Kree fleet's invasion...
She knew all of it.
She had simply chosen not to interfere. That was the tradition of sorcerers—the affairs of the outer world should be handled by those who lived in it.
Unless Earth itself faced annihilation or a cosmic catastrophe, Kamar-Taj did not meddle in mundane society.
Yet John's Demon Judges strike cruiser fleet was both an inner-world and outer-world influence. Ancient One had no choice but to intervene.
But the situation was delicate.
If it were another cosmic god, alien race, or dimensional demon—Dormammu, for instance—invading Earth, she would have struck without hesitation, driving them back by force.
But if it was Eternity?
Fight?
Ancient One did not dare.
The more one knew, the more one feared—and the more one understood reverence.
In her youth, she too had battled crime, suppressed dark entities, and expelled dimensional gods. She had traveled the cosmos and the multiverse many times. The Eye of Agamotto itself had been bestowed upon her by Eternity.
Now, if Eternity's apostles sought to spread faith in this world—even if this Eternity was not the Eternity native to this universe, and even if such matters were beneath its notice—if she were to strike them down and expel them, declaring their faith forbidden...
Would that not be a slap to Eternity's face?
Leaving aside Eternity's own reaction, its followers—cross-universal organizations like the Divine Empress Order—would certainly seek her destruction. Earth itself might suffer as collateral.
"Has Sorcerer Ancient One not already learned the truth? On this journey, our Master seeks only to broadcast the Radiance of the Divine Empress."
With an expression befitting a saint, Merlin spread his hands solemnly.
Ambiguous, yes. But not untrue.
"This is the New York Treaty, jointly signed and ratified by your President, Speaker, Secretary of State, and Secretary-General. It takes effect immediately. That yellow Gemstone is listed within the tribute clause—an offering from devout North American believers to the Divine Empress."
"..."
Ancient One remained silent. Her eyes flickered.
"Very well." After a long pause, she abruptly raised her head. "I can hand over the Gemstone I guard. But I require—"
"No!"
"I absolutely reject your treaty!"
It was Captain America.
Steve Rogers staggered to his feet from the rubble beneath the artificial rock formation. Disheveled and bloodstained, his right arm bent unnaturally, his body swaying as though he might collapse at any moment. Yet his scarred face remained resolute.
Dragging a dislocated leg, he faced the enemies atop the rock formation—who could kill him with ease—without fear, loudly condemning their actions.
"This is a blasphemy against the spirit of freedom! Coercion! Bullying through strength! Every free citizen with a conscience will despise the President's betrayal! It is unjust, immoral, dishonorable—to bargain with the lives of friends and comrades-in-arms—"
Rogers pointed one by one at Merlin, at Diarmuid, at Ancient One, condemning the Empire's brutality and denouncing their plundering intent.
"..."
Diarmuid's response was a single strike. The spear shaft swept horizontally—no charge, no emotion—like swatting away an annoying fly.
Bang—
Before he could finish speaking, Rogers was sent flying over ten meters, crashing through a building that had already been on the verge of collapse. He did not move again.
Bzzz—
At nearly the same moment, a clear teleportation beam descended.
"What happened? Who is he?"
John stepped out, accompanied by Secretary Ross and other officials who had followed to assess the situation.
Surveying the devastated coastline, Ross stared in disbelief. "That red substance... it's the Scarlet Witch, Wanda Maximoff..."
At the horizon, the blood-red chaos magic domain that had shimmered like a mirage was blown apart entirely.
The collapsing chaos radiance dimmed even the daylight sky, saturating the heavens as fragments of seabed rock blasted into the air began to fall back down—a terrifying sight.
For some reason, satisfaction flickered across Ross's face.
Thud!
Before long, a figure descended from the sky. Boom! Dust exploded outward as a red-booted foot stepped from a crater. In one hand, he carried Vision, chest torn open. In the other, Wanda—unconscious, blood seeping from her nose and mouth, her breathing faint.
Saitama dropped them at Merlin's feet.
"Annoying as hell. These two... phasing, space folding—had to keep holding back so I couldn't really punch properly. What kind of opponent did you pick for me, Merlin? Don't call me next time."
He scratched his bald head irritably. Then, belatedly turning, he noticed John had arrived.
"Oh... weren't you at that base negotiating or something?"
"The talks concluded. I sensed the disturbance here and came to inspect."
John observed the ravaged coastline—the cratered terrain, fissures, seawater pouring inland, the churning Atlantic. Left unchecked, it would certainly trigger a tsunami.
"Saitama."
"Yeah?"
"In the future, when fighting on Earth—or any prosperous world—either end it quickly, or control the scope of destruction."
"Oh. Okay."
After nodding, John spoke briefly with Secretary Ross.
"Cortana. Deploy large-scale tractor beams to suppress the Atlantic's tsunami activity. Dispatch engineering units to stabilize the crust around Long Island, calm tectonic activity, and clear the ley lines."
"Merlin. Take them away. These individuals are fugitives wanted by our American friends. Let their courts conduct the initial trial. We will handle them afterward."
"Diarmuid. Lead the ranger units and rendezvous with Leonidas. Eliminate all associated mutant attackers. Distinguish friend from foe carefully. Federal departments will cooperate with your operation."
"Secretary Ross. According to the treaty terms, Vision—an Avenger—and the Gemstone upon his forehead will be transferred to our custody as tribute."
...
Only after issuing all necessary orders did John turn his attention to the bald woman whose energy fluctuations felt absurdly powerful even to him.
"Sorcerer Ancient One?"
"Call me Ancient One. Apostle of Eternity."
"Apostle? Hardly. 117. Or John." It was respect for strength—universal across all worlds. Naturally, John interpreted "Eternity" as yet another honorific of Selene.
Which was reasonable. What title did she not possess?
"Then, John—may I, through you, meet the great Eternity once more?"
As she spoke, Ancient One formed a hand seal and slowly opened the Eye of Agamotto at her chest. Luminous green particles drifted out, blooming instantly in dazzling brilliance.
"This shall be my token."
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