Kamar-Taj.
Before stepping into the teleportation circle that led to Kamar-Taj, Li Jie and the three villains had mentally prepared themselves for a brutal fight. Considering Loki's involvement and the fact that the magical world had already fallen, they expected an ambush the moment they arrived.
But the moment they stepped onto the grounds of Kamar-Taj, the reality they saw was completely different from what they had imagined.
Just like the New York Sanctum, the once-glorious headquarters of the sorcerers had become a ruin. The ancient courtyards were cracked and broken, many buildings partially collapsed, and the surrounding mountains echoed with an eerie silence.
There were no enemies.
There were no zombies.
There was no movement at all.
The entire place felt abandoned.
"Boss… did we come to the wrong place?" Scarecrow asked while slowly turning in a circle, scanning the quiet surroundings with obvious confusion.
For a brief moment, Li Jie wondered the same thing. Something about the scene felt unnatural, as if the danger here had been hidden rather than eliminated.
Just then, a flash of golden light appeared in front of him.
A portal suddenly opened in the air.
Standing on the other side of the portal was Doctor Strange.
He wore his familiar sorcerer's robes, and his temples had already begun turning gray. However, like many other heroes, he had also become a zombie. His skin was pale and lifeless, yet his eyes still burned with intelligence.
Strangely, Doctor Strange didn't attack.
He simply stood there silently, staring at Li Jie as if he were carefully evaluating something important.
The sudden appearance of both the portal and Doctor Strange startled Scarecrow badly.
Without even thinking, he raised his rifle.
Clap clap clap.
A burst of gunfire erupted toward Doctor Strange.
Every bullet was instantly blocked by a glowing magical shield. The portal itself flickered under the attack before disappearing completely.
"Where did he go?" Scarecrow shouted as he rushed toward the spot where the portal had appeared. "Where did that guy disappear to?"
He crouched down and even touched the ground as if trying to find a hidden mechanism.
From the brief glimpse earlier, Li Jie already understood something important.
Doctor Strange had not been standing in the real world.
He had been inside the Mirror Dimension.
More importantly, the brief moment of eye contact between them had given Li Jie the strange feeling that something deeper was happening.
After thinking for a moment, Li Jie told the three villains to remain where they were. Then he created a portal and stepped directly into the Mirror Dimension himself.
The Mirror Dimension was usually just a reflection of the real world.
But when Li Jie arrived, he immediately noticed something unusual.
In the open courtyard of Kamar-Taj, dozens of robed sorcerers were standing silently.
Every one of them had already become zombies.
At first glance, Li Jie assumed Doctor Strange had sealed them inside the Mirror Dimension to prevent them from harming the outside world.
But soon he realized the situation was far stranger.
Although these sorcerers were clearly zombies, none of them attacked him.
They simply stood there quietly.
They looked… domesticated.
As Li Jie began walking forward, the sorcerers automatically stepped aside to clear a path for him. They watched him silently as he passed, showing neither hostility nor interest.
A short time later, Li Jie arrived at the residence of the Sorcerer Supreme.
Doctor Strange was already waiting there.
When he saw Li Jie approaching, his expression didn't change at all. He simply continued staring at him with the same intense gaze.
The first time Li Jie had encountered Doctor Strange, the sorcerer had also looked at him this way.
At that time, the pressure from that gaze had been overwhelming.
Now things were different.
Li Jie had grown far stronger since then.
Although defeating Doctor Strange might still be difficult, Li Jie was confident that he could at least escape safely even if Strange fought at his full strength.
After several seconds of silent eye contact, Li Jie finally spoke.
"What exactly are you staring at?"
"Savior," Doctor Strange replied calmly.
Li Jie blinked in surprise.
This was the first time he had ever heard a zombie speak normally.
Doctor Strange clearly still retained his intelligence.
"Savior?" Li Jie repeated. "You're talking about me?"
Doctor Strange nodded slightly.
"With the Eye of Agamotto, I can observe different possible futures," he explained. "Among the countless timelines I've seen, there is one where you become the savior of this world."
Li Jie couldn't help feeling a little proud.
"Savior… me?" he muttered with a faint grin.
But Doctor Strange continued speaking.
"In other futures, however, you are the one who destroys this world."
Li Jie's smile faded instantly.
"So what?" he asked flatly.
"I saw you kill every superhero," Doctor Strange said calmly. "That event eventually leads to the destruction of the world."
He paused for a moment.
"So now I must make an important decision."
"Should I kill you before you grow stronger… or help you become the savior of this world?"
Despite the clear threat in Strange's voice, Li Jie remained completely calm.
He simply continued staring at the sorcerer.
"If we fought right now," Li Jie asked casually, "who do you think would win?"
"You," Doctor Strange answered honestly.
He paused briefly before continuing.
"I only hope I won't regret the decision I'm about to make."
Suddenly, his crimson cloak flew off his shoulders.
It floated through the air and stopped directly in front of Li Jie.
"This Cloak of Levitation will be the first gift I give you," Doctor Strange said.
The Cloak of Levitation was one of Strange's most powerful magical tools. It allowed him to fly at incredible speeds and could even disguise itself as ordinary clothing when necessary.
Giving away such an important artifact so casually was extremely unusual.
But Li Jie didn't reach out to take it.
The cloak could also restrain people.
Charging forward recklessly would only give Doctor Strange an opportunity to attack.
Caution was never a mistake in situations like this.
Doctor Strange then removed the Eye of Agamotto from his neck and extended it forward.
"This will be the second gift."
Li Jie still didn't move.
Instead, the Cloak of Levitation gently grabbed the artifact and delivered it to him.
The Eye of Agamotto was one of the Sorcerer Supreme's most powerful relics. It could see through illusions, break dark magic, and even observe the past and future.
Normally, only the Sorcerer Supreme was allowed to possess it.
Doctor Strange's actions made Li Jie increasingly suspicious of his real intentions.
Then Strange raised his left hand.
Golden light gathered in his palm before transforming into a thick ancient book.
"This is the Book of Vishanti," Doctor Strange said calmly. "My third gift."
Li Jie's eyes widened slightly.
If the Darkhold represented the strongest dark magic in existence, then the Book of Vishanti was its direct opposite.
It was Kamar-Taj's most sacred magical text and the natural enemy of the Darkhold.
Doctor Strange's behavior made it seem like he was passing the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme to Li Jie.
"This is definitely a trap," Li Jie muttered internally.
Accepting these three gifts would essentially mean accepting the responsibility of protecting the magical world.
Doctor Strange seemed to read his thoughts instantly.
"I gave you these items for one reason only," he said calmly. "To make you stronger."
He paused before continuing.
"Loki came here earlier and stole the Darkhold."
Li Jie cursed silently.
The Darkhold granted immense power very quickly, but the spells in the Book of Vishanti required years of study and exceptional talent.
One path granted instant power.
The other required patience and mastery.
If Loki had already obtained the Darkhold, he would soon become unbelievably powerful.
Li Jie suddenly looked at Doctor Strange with a new thought.
There was a simpler solution.
"You want to kill me?" Doctor Strange asked.
Li Jie remained silent.
The truth was that he had considered killing Strange.
If he defeated him, he would gain the sorcerer's magical abilities directly.
That would instantly grant him Kamar-Taj's strongest magic.
Doctor Strange, however, clearly had no intention of dying so easily.
Li Jie coughed lightly.
"You misunderstood," he said. "I don't want to kill you."
"I want to resurrect you."
He continued calmly.
"You may not know this, but I've already revived Batman and Superman."
"I know," Doctor Strange interrupted.
"If you want to resurrect me, you must kill me first."
"It's part of the process."
"It's not killing," Li Jie corrected. "It's removing the zombie virus."
Doctor Strange remained expressionless.
"How exactly do you plan to revive me?" he asked.
"The Dionysian Factor… or the Mother Box?"
Without waiting for an answer, he continued.
"You don't currently have the Dionysian Factor. That leaves the Mother Box."
He folded his hands behind his back.
"My body may be powerful enough to survive the zombie virus," he said calmly. "But once I die, it will become a normal corpse."
"And a normal body cannot withstand the power of the Mother Box."
Li Jie sighed.
"You know way too much."
"With the Eye of Agamotto, I can observe both the past and the future," Strange replied.
Li Jie smirked slightly.
"So you're basically the greatest voyeur in the world."
Doctor Strange ignored the comment.
"When you discover a better resurrection method, we can discuss this again."
He added one more warning.
"Never use time reversal magic."
"That is forbidden."
Li Jie shrugged slightly.
"Alright, you caught me," he admitted. "I was considering using time reversal."
Doctor Strange shook his head.
"You must stop Loki first," he said seriously. "If he keeps the Darkhold, demons will soon descend upon this world."
"The entire planet will be destroyed."
"Demons?" Li Jie asked.
"You'll understand when the time comes," Strange replied.
Then he waved his hand.
A powerful force suddenly pushed Li Jie backward, throwing him out of the Mirror Dimension.
As he was expelled, Doctor Strange's voice echoed in his ears.
"Loki is in London."
"And I've prepared a fourth gift for you at the London Sanctum."
The Cloak of Levitation followed him out while carrying both the Eye of Agamotto and the Book of Vishanti.
"Boss, are you okay?"
Scarecrow rushed forward immediately, staring excitedly at the floating cloak.
"That thing looks amazing."
"Is this some kind of Kamar-Taj treasure?"
He reached out to touch it, but the cloak slapped his hand away.
Ignoring him, Li Jie quietly stored the two artifacts in his inventory.
"There's no one here at all," Joker observed as he approached.
"Loki went to London," Li Jie said. "We're going after him."
They used the teleportation circle to return to the New York Sanctum first, then activated another one leading to London.
The moment they stepped into the London Sanctum—
Two glowing magical blades flashed through the air.
They struck Joker and Bane instantly, slicing deep wounds across their bodies that exposed bone.
The attacker was a middle-aged man wearing monk robes.
Li Jie immediately recognized him.
It was Wong, the former librarian of Kamar-Taj.
The moment Li Jie saw him, he realized this must be Doctor Strange's fourth "gift."
As the librarian, Wong controlled access to nearly every magical text in Kamar-Taj. His knowledge was second only to the Sorcerer Supreme himself.
Defeating him would grant Li Jie almost all the magical knowledge of the Kamar-Taj lineage.
Doctor Strange must have already discovered Li Jie's secret ability to absorb the powers of those he killed.
Li Jie didn't hesitate.
The Cloak of Levitation suddenly flew forward and wrapped around Wong from behind, restraining his movements.
Taking advantage of that moment, Li Jie ended Wong's life in a single decisive strike.
Immediately, the knowledge and magical abilities of Kamar-Taj's greatest librarian flowed into him.
Li Jie turned toward Joker and Bane.
"Are you alright?"
The Dionysian Factor inside Joker had already activated, and his wounds were healing at a visible speed.
Bane's healing ability was weaker, but his thick skin made the injuries far less serious.
"Coward," Scarecrow shouted while pointing angrily at Wong's corpse. "Sneak attacking people like that!"
Aside from Wong, the London Sanctum was completely empty.
Bane looked around at the ruined building.
"London is huge," he said seriously. "How are we supposed to find Loki?"
Scarecrow crossed his arms confidently.
"That's easy," he said.
"Loki and his gang must have caused a huge disturbance somewhere."
"We just need to ask the local survivors."
....
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