Stephen and Daniel looked at the London Sanctum, which collapsed in roaring flames. Their faces were grim with the weight of failure. The ancient structure crumbled into ruin before their eyes. Mystical wards flickered and died like extinguished candles.
They had just received news that Kaecilius and Mordo were lurking near London. They immediately knew that Kaecilius and Mordo were planning to attack the London Sanctum. However, by the time they arrived through their Sling Ring portals, the London Sanctum had already been destroyed in the flames. They were still one step too late. The protective barrier that had shielded Earth from dimensional threats for centuries was gone. Only ash and rubble remained.
"Now the only place left is the Hong Kong Sanctum."
Hearing Stephen's words, Daniel turned to look at him. He asked with urgency clear in his voice, "Master Strange, let us go to the Hong Kong Sanctum immediately. We must defend it! If that falls, Earth will be completely vulnerable to Dormammu's invasion."
Stephen nodded solemnly. He raised his hands to conjure a portal. Just as he was about to speak the incantation, the Ancient One suddenly appeared before them. Her bald head gleamed in the firelight from the burning Sanctum ruins. She wore her traditional yellow robes. There was a strange serenity on her face despite the catastrophic situation unfolding around them.
Glancing at the Eye of Agamotto on Stephen's chest, the Ancient One said to them calmly, "Strange, Daniel, come with me. I have created a trail for Kaecilius and the others to follow. We must stop them together before they arrive at the Hong Kong Sanctum and complete their plan."
The Ancient One was Stephen and Daniel's backbone. She was their teacher, their guide, their Sorcerer Supreme. Upon seeing her arrive in this desperate hour, they immediately nodded without hesitation. They joined her without question. The three of them stepped into the Mirror Dimension together. The world around them twisted and reformed. Buildings folded in on themselves like origami. Reality became malleable and strange.
They began chasing after Kaecilius and Mordo within the ever-shifting Mirror Dimension. The kaleidoscopic environment bent and warped around them as they pursued the traitors through impossible geometries.
However, Stephen and Daniel did not know that there were actually four people on this hunt. They simply could not detect Sebastian, who had been following them since they left Kamar-Taj. He moved through the Mirror Dimension like a phantom. His presence was completely concealed by magic far beyond anything the Masters of the Mystic Arts could perceive. He was a shadow within shadows, waiting for the perfect moment to act.
...
While Sebastian was secretly following Stephen and Daniel through the twisted reality of the Mirror Dimension, events were unfolding rapidly across the globe.
Namor, Black Bolt, Thor, and Pietro arrived at Hogwarts. They traveled through portals that opened directly into Sebastian's office. They headed straight to where Wanda was waiting. The atmosphere was tense with anticipation. Everyone understood the gravity of what was about to happen.
Without further delay or ceremony, they signed the contract Sebastian had prepared. The magical parchment glowed briefly as each signature was added. Wanda took out Hogwarts' four Infinity Stones from their secure containment. Each Stone pulsed with barely contained cosmic power. The Space Stone radiated blue light. The Reality Stone shimmered red. The Power Stone glowed purple. The Soul Stone burned orange.
The Soul Stone went to Namor. He held it carefully, feeling its weight and power.
The Reality Stone went to Black Bolt. The Inhuman King accepted it with silent dignity.
The Power Stone went to Thor. The God of Thunder grasped it firmly, recognizing the immense destructive potential within.
She kept the Space Stone for herself. Wanda's scarlet energy intertwined with the blue glow of the Stone.
After retrieving the Infinity Stones sealed within their protective crystals, they all stepped through the portals Wanda had opened. Each portal led to their agreed-upon destinations. The plan Sebastian had spent months preparing was finally being set into motion.
Namor entered the sea, traveling to the depths of the Pacific Ocean. The water welcomed him like an old friend. He descended deeper and deeper, far beyond where sunlight could reach. He carried the Soul Stone into the crushing darkness of the ocean's deepest trenches.
Black Bolt traveled to the Himalayas. The towering mountains stood like silent sentinels. He made his way to a location of profound mystical significance. The thin air and freezing temperatures meant nothing to him. He would place the Reality Stone at the heart of the world's highest peaks.
Thor went to the African continent. He flew across savannas and jungles, guided by coordinates Sebastian had provided. The landscape spread beneath him like a living tapestry. He would anchor the Power Stone in a place of ancient magic.
Wanda remained at Hogwarts with Pietro. Her brother stood beside her protectively. The castle's wards hummed with power around them.
Sebastian had already set up a massive magic circle there at Hogwarts. It covered the entire courtyard. Intricate runes and symbols covered every inch of stone. The circle pulsed with latent energy. It was waiting only for the Infinity Stone to be placed at its core. Once the Space Stone was in position, the first phase of Sebastian's grand plan would be complete.
Tony and Vision arrived at the Antarctic. The frozen wasteland stretched endlessly in all directions. Nothing but ice and snow for thousands of miles. They followed Jarvis's precise instructions. The AI had calculated the exact coordinates Sebastian had specified.
Just as Tony was about to use his Arc Pulse Cannon to melt through the thick ice covering their destination, Vision waved his hand. He said calmly, "Stark, leave it to me. I can go directly beneath the ice without damaging the surroundings or alerting anyone to our presence."
As soon as he finished speaking, Vision's body became ethereal. His density decreased to near nothingness. He phased through matter itself. He swiftly sank into the ice like a ghost passing through a wall. He dove towards the magic circle buried deep beneath it. He was preparing to place the Mind Stone within the carefully prepared mystical construct Sebastian had created.
But just as Vision entered the ice and began his descent, a large, slender, pyramid-shaped black spaceship suddenly appeared from the sky. It had been cloaked somehow. Now it materialized without warning. The massive vessel descended with terrifying speed. It landed on the Antarctic continent with tremendous force. The impact sent shockwaves through the ice. Cracks spread outward like spider webs.
The spaceship then opened up its boarding ramp. Teams of Black Order soldiers burst out. They charged towards Tony and Vision's location. Their weapons were raised. Their intent was clear. They wore dark armor that seemed to absorb light. Their faces were hidden behind helmets. They moved with military precision.
Simultaneously, three other identical black spaceships landed on the Pacific Islands, in the Himalayas, and on the African continent. The coordinated assault was flawless in its execution.
Thanos's Black Order soldiers emerged from the spaceships at each location. They had clearly discerned the Infinity Stones' locations somehow. They knew exactly where to strike. They quickly rushed towards their targets with deadly determination.
General Corvus Glaive led a group of Black Order soldiers at the Pacific location. Each of these soldiers had gills on their ears. They were aquatic warriors. They dove into the water without hesitation. They pursued Namor into the ocean's depths. Their movements were swift and practiced. They were clearly experienced in underwater combat.
Thanos had ruled and conquered countless planets and races throughout the galaxy. This included civilizations that lived entirely in water. This time, he was clearly well prepared for every possibility. He had known the Infinity Stones' locations beforehand! Someone had betrayed Sebastian's plan. Or perhaps Raina's precognitive abilities had revealed everything to Thanos. Either way, the element of surprise was completely lost.
At this moment, far above Earth, the Illuminati's T-Fortress was ablaze with flames and wreckage. Explosions bloomed across its surface like deadly flowers. With the T-Fortress at its center, a vast army of Iron Legion drones engaged the Black Order soldiers who had landed on the Moon. The lunar surface was littered with destroyed machinery and fallen soldiers from both sides. Its fall was inevitable. The defensive position was being overrun. There were simply too many enemy forces.
Approximately three hours earlier, Thanos's forces had officially entered the first security perimeter Reed had established. Without hesitation, Reed ordered the attack. He gave the command the moment the enemy fleet crossed the invisible line he had drawn in space.
With the Guardians of the Galaxy harassing Thanos's fleet from behind in their upgraded ships, the Illuminati's small battleships inflicted heavy damage on Thanos's forces upon initial contact. The element of surprise worked in their favor at first. Explosions rippled across enemy vessels. Several smaller ships were destroyed outright in the opening salvos.
Just as the larger battleships within Thanos's army prepared to deploy their heavy weapons in retaliation, the defense satellites in lunar orbit launched their devastating attacks. Zeus, the most powerful among them, took the lead. It unleashed a massive, incandescent, white-hot energy cannon. The beam had astonishing range. It instantly pierced the shield of Thanos's flagship. The massive battleship's defenses meant nothing against such concentrated power. The cannon completely destroyed it in a single shot. The vessel exploded in a brilliant fireball visible from Earth.
Unfortunately, such a high-level attack consumed so much energy that each defense satellite could only fire once before requiring extensive maintenance. Afterward, the reactants in its one thousand two hundred Arc Reactors had to be completely replaced. The high temperatures in its cooling system meant it could only fire again after approximately twelve hours of cooldown time. The systems needed that long to recover from the strain.
In other words, during a single battle, a defense satellite could only launch a single attack of this devastating magnitude. After that, it became merely a stationary target.
The second coordinated attack was launched half an hour ago. It wiped out numerous small and medium-sized ships along a single trajectory. Dozens of vessels were obliterated in an instant. But Thanos had hundreds more to replace them.
When the third and final attack was launched ten minutes earlier, Reed witnessed something that filled him with dread. A massive, pitch-black phoenix appeared in space. It was enormous. Its wings spread across thousands of kilometers. The Dark Phoenix Authority materialized. It engulfed the energy cannon head-on. The beam that could destroy battleships was absorbed into the dark flames. Then the phoenix, in turn, unleashed a burst of corrupted energy. It instantly destroyed all three remaining defense satellites. The Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades satellites exploded simultaneously. Numerous smaller defensive ships were caught in the blast. The Illuminati's carefully constructed defensive network was completely shattered in moments.
As Thanos's army approached Earth unimpeded, four slender, dark, pyramid-like transport ships detached from the main fleet. They pierced Earth's atmosphere like black daggers. They descended toward the planet's four corners. Fire trailed behind them as they entered at incredible speeds. Simultaneously, dozens of smaller and medium-sized ships quickly landed on the Moon. They launched a general assault on the T-Fortress from all sides.
Reed sighed as he watched the T-Fortress's imminent fall on his monitors. The situation was hopeless. Continued defense would only result in unnecessary casualties. He activated the final protocol. He erased all the critical data stored there remotely. The research, the weapon designs, the tactical information – everything was wiped clean. He ensured nothing of value would fall into Thanos's hands. Then finally he opened a portal for himself and the others. Reinforcements that had been standing by immediately began arriving through the swirling gateway.
After completing this withdrawal, Reed, along with the recently teleported Guardians of the Galaxy and the surviving Iron Legion units, entered the portal. They returned to Earth to join the defense at the Infinity Stone locations.