DOTM: Chapter 348/349

Chapter 348: Supreme Mage Candidate

Tony Stark had never truly met the Ancient One, but he had heard of the Sorcerer Supreme who guarded Earth from dimensional invasions through Ethan.

In his mind, the Ancient One should look like Merlin or Gandalf from The Lord of the Rings. He had never imagined that the Ancient One would be a bald woman.

That wasn't the most unacceptable part. What really made him feel defeated was that this woman was taller than him!

He even glanced at the Ancient One's feet specifically. Although she was wearing a long robe, he could see that she wasn't wearing high heels, nor were her shoes the type that could conceal height-enhancing insoles.

Looking at Ethan beside him, now significantly taller than him too, Tony felt an unprecedented sense of urgency to develop a special serum to strengthen his body.

"I apologize for overhearing your conversation."

Seeing the two suddenly fall silent, the Ancient One thought they were unhappy about her eavesdropping, so she directly expressed her apology.

"I didn't mean to eavesdrop. I just happened to need to speak with Ethan."

"No, these matters needed to be discussed with you anyway, so this actually saves a lot of trouble." Ethan wasn't displeased. Instead, he was speculating about the Ancient One's sudden appearance.

Aside from the first time he arrived in the Marvel Universe, when the Ancient One caught him red-handed as an interdimensional invader, she had never appeared directly before him again.

Even when she needed to contact him, she would do so through intermediaries.

Her appearing in person like this likely signaled something more. Ethan guessed that the Ancient One was preparing to "lay her cards on the table" and explain something in full.

As for overhearing his conversation with Tony, Ethan didn't believe it was a coincidence. If the Ancient One wanted to find him, she would surely determine his location and current status, and naturally know he was talking to Tony.

And she just happened to appear at that moment.

"I know of a space like the one you mentioned. If you need it, I can take you there."

Ethan nodded. It wasn't surprising that the Ancient One would take the initiative and offer the location he needed. Her timing was perfect for bringing up this matter.

"Do you want to talk to me alone?"

Tony quickly realized the two of them needed to speak privately. Though filled with curiosity, he wasn't completely lacking in tact. He stepped aside on his own and went to chat with Logan.

After Tony walked away, the Ancient One didn't immediately state her purpose. Instead, she stood quietly, watching Happy and the others in the distance, where laughter occasionally drifted over.

Ethan didn't rush her either, just stood silently with the Ancient One, watching them eat, drink, and laugh happily.

"What happy and joyful people."

"Yes."

The Ancient One stood with her hands behind her back, gently turning a very ordinary folding fan in her hand. "Seeing them enjoying their peaceful lives makes me feel that I've done a decent job over the years."

Always hidden in the shadows, guarding the world from dimensional invasions and evil mystical forces, the Ancient One's work had been far more than "decent."

Ethan didn't comment, knowing she had more to say.

"But I've held on too long. I can't hold out much longer." The Ancient One finally turned her gaze toward Ethan. "You must have already guessed that."

"Pretty much."

Ethan didn't know what kind of expression to make, and could only do his best to remain calm. Strictly speaking, he hadn't just guessed it. He had even "seen" the Ancient One's future with his own eyes.

"Originally, I thought my future was already set."

Kamar-Taj held a treasure called the Eye of Agamotto, whose core was the Time Stone, one of the Infinity Stones. Using it, the Ancient One could glimpse almost all possible futures.

In the countless futures she had seen, her own ending was never good. The best outcome was to die in battle as the Sorcerer Supreme before being completely corrupted by dark forces, preserving her final shred of sanity and dignity. That had seemed like her best option.

"Until you appeared."

The Ancient One looked at Ethan. His appearance introduced uncertainty into her future. As time passed, many futures that had once been clear became blurred, and even with the power of the Eye of Agamotto, she couldn't see them clearly.

This anomaly surprised her and gave her a faint glimmer of hope.

As the saying goes, who would choose death if there's still a chance to live? Otherwise, why had she used the power of the Dark Dimension to enhance her strength and prolong her life in the past?

Of course, at the time she could convince herself it was for Earth's protection, since she hadn't yet found a suitable successor for the title of Sorcerer Supreme.

Later, her acceptance of death wasn't just resignation, but also because she had found Stephen Strange, an excellent successor.

But now, with a new chance at life before her, she found she couldn't truly ignore it.

"After all, I'm just a person."

To give in to the desire to survive might seem like a great failure for the Ancient One, who had practiced in solitude at Kamar-Taj for years.

But in Ethan's eyes, this was nothing unusual. It was completely normal.

"Even gods don't want to fall."

"I'm glad to hear you say that."

Ethan's words made her feel his stance. He was willing to help the Ancient One live on.

He hadn't said much. In fact, he was considering how to make it happen.

The Ancient One's intentions weren't hard to guess. From the start, he had thought of several possibilities.

To survive, she might hope Ethan could help her deal with the dark forces' corruption while retaining her current ability to use Dark Dimension magic.

Or, she might want to sever the connection to the Dark Dimension entirely, then, after losing that near-infinite power, survive the crisis of her body weakening or dying.

Or, most drastically, she could abandon everything she currently had, preserve her soul after death, and be brought back through special means.

Ethan thought the third possibility unlikely because the Ancient One probably didn't know he had the means to resurrect someone. Mages in the Marvel Universe didn't seem to have researched such spells either.

So the most likely were the first two.

The first option was too difficult. The power of the Dark Dimension was nearly infinite. As long as the Ancient One was connected to it and drew from it, corruption from that infinite power was almost inevitable.

The solution was simple in theory. If the Ancient One could master equally powerful magic to counterbalance it, she might be saved. But that method would've worked better when the power of the Dark Dimension within her wasn't so deeply rooted. Now, it had formed a near-symbiotic bond with her. Trying to remove it was no different from killing her outright.

Furthermore, the Dark Dimension's power came from an entire dimension. It wasn't easily countered.

"So severing the connection to the Dark Dimension is the only option?"

Cutting off the connection would remove her source of power. The magic still inside her could sustain her for a while. If she could survive that period, the dark magic within her would gradually weaken, and the risk of corruption would naturally disappear.

What the Ancient One most likely hoped was that Ethan could help her accomplish this.

Ethan's guess was mostly accurate. The Ancient One didn't expect miracles. If Ethan could simply help her stay alive, that would be enough.

She could deal with the remaining issues of dark magic herself.

"Even so, there are still risks, right?"

There were always risks. Severing the connection with the Dark Dimension wasn't like shutting off a water valve. It could provoke Dormammu, the ruler of the Dark Dimension, to react violently.

Even the Ancient One herself likely didn't believe she had been able to draw from the Dark Dimension without Dormammu noticing.

She believed that her eventual fall was part of Dormammu's scheme. If the Sorcerer Supreme were to fall into darkness, Earth would be his.

So Dormammu absolutely wouldn't stand by and watch the Ancient One escape his grasp. Once the connection was cut, he would surely act.

And due to how closely the Ancient One was linked with the Dark Dimension, Ethan might not even have time to react before she was completely annihilated. Her soul might not even be preserved.

In fact, among the countless futures the Ancient One had seen, she had made this choice before, and the outcomes had never been good. Only with Ethan's arrival did a new variable appear, which made her want to try again.

"You don't need to feel pressured. It's okay if it fails. If it does, I'll just ask one favor."

The Ancient One didn't try to leverage the help she'd given Ethan in the past to pressure him. In her eyes, if he could help, it was her fortune. If he couldn't, it was her destiny.

"What favor?"

"If I die, I hope you can take on the role of Sorcerer Supreme and protect this world from mystical threats."

"Uh..."

Ethan hadn't expected that. But he had absolutely no interest in the title of Sorcerer Supreme. Once that responsibility was accepted, it would be very difficult to let go.

"You only need to serve temporarily. Although Kamar-Taj currently lacks a suitable successor, I can see that several very qualified candidates have already begun their destined paths. A new Sorcerer Supreme will emerge from Kamar-Taj soon."

As she said this, the Ancient One specifically glanced into the distance. Following her gaze, Ethan saw Tony Stark chatting and laughing with Logan.

Wait a minute. Is there something wrong with how this plot is developing?

(To be continued.)

Chapter 349: Each Takes What He Needs

In countless parallel universes, Tony Stark had indeed held the position of Sorcerer Supreme and had even done quite well.

That was in the comic universe. The one Ethan was currently in was the movie universe.

However, the movie universe had explicitly mentioned the multiverse, and Ethan wasn't sure if there was a parallel world where Tony Stark took on the role of Sorcerer Supreme.

Besides, the Ancient One could see countless future possibilities through the Eye of Agamotto, which likely included the future where Tony assumed that position.

"It still feels a bit off."

"He's not someone who can willingly live in obscurity, hidden in the shadows protecting this world. If he inherited the title of Sorcerer Supreme, it would drastically change Kamar-Taj."

Ethan understood that the Ancient One was concerned that such a shift might create resistance among the current sorcerers at Kamar-Taj, which was why Tony wasn't her first choice.

And who was the first choice? Of course, it was Stephen Strange, who transitioned from being a surgeon to a sorcerer in a remarkably short time.

There were still a few years before the doctor would suffer his car accident and begin his journey to heal his hands. The Ancient One's current intention was clearly to resolve her own problem now, and if she failed, Ethan would need to fill the gap in the meantime.

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"You can stay in this world for a long time now. A few more years shouldn't be an issue."

For a top-tier sorcerer like the Ancient One, understanding Ethan's situation wasn't difficult.

Unless Ethan used specific methods to shield himself from the Ancient One's perception, the magical energy within him couldn't be hidden from the Sorcerer Supreme.

Originally, Ethan thought he would eventually break through the restriction of time limits in each world by researching and mastering spatiotemporal energy.

But after arriving in the Marvel Universe, he found that due to the time anchor, his space-time orb had established a stronger connection with this world. As his understanding of space-time energy deepened, the restrictions in this universe gradually faded away.

That was good news. He didn't have to worry about returning to the ocean world before his new ship was built. He could peacefully wait here for his magically modified Prinz Eugen to be completed.

But after finally gaining free and sufficient time, should he really spend it fulfilling the role of Sorcerer Supreme?

"I'm not willing to hide in the shadows and protect this world."

To put it bluntly, even if this world completely collapsed, it wouldn't have much to do with him. At most, he would rescue the people close to him. He wasn't some selfless saint who cared about the survival of the entire world.

The Ancient One smiled without replying. Ethan's unwillingness to become a guardian wasn't a problem. In fact, most people, when suddenly faced with such a choice, wouldn't immediately claim they were ready to sacrifice everything for the world.

But many people who said such things had stepped forward at critical moments, which was more convincing than those who talked big but vanished when trouble came.

In the Ancient One's eyes, Ethan was one of those people.

Tony Stark and Stephen Strange, who had also caught her attention as candidates for Sorcerer Supreme, were similar.

When Strange first learned of the Sorcerer Supreme's responsibilities, his reaction was, "What does that have to do with me? I just came here to fix my hands!" But when the world was in crisis, this rookie sorcerer, who had only just started learning magic, stood up without hesitation.

Negotiating with Dormammu might seem clever to outsiders, but Strange truly died over and over again in that time loop. He could have chosen to break the loop, to side with Dormammu, or simply die for release—but he didn't. All to protect this world.

Tony Stark had also always said he wasn't a saint who would sacrifice himself for the public. But when the moment came, he was willing to carry a nuclear bomb straight into the Chitauri mothership. Although that scene hadn't occurred in this universe, the Ancient One had seen it through the Eye of Agamotto.

"You don't need to worry too much."

Seeing the Ancient One's "I've already seen through everything" smile, Ethan felt immense pressure. He reluctantly decided to reveal some of his cards.

"Actually, I'm pretty confident I can solve your problem."

Whether it was resisting the corruption of the Dark Dimension or severing the connection to it, Ethan wasn't entirely sure. But he did have a simpler method: preserving the Ancient One's soul and discarding her body, which had already been corroded by dark magic.

The sorcerers of Kamar-Taj had extensive research on the soul. A master like the Ancient One could easily control the separation and fusion of her soul and body. Some even used soul form to assist with training. For example, Stephen Strange had taken advantage of the slower flow of time—or rather, faster thinking—in soul form to gain more learning time. That's why his growth had been so rapid.

"Just preserve the soul?"

The sorcerers of Kamar-Taj had never considered such an approach. They could let their souls leave their bodies freely, but the bond between body and soul was deep and intricate. It wasn't something that could be severed casually.

Even when separated, if the body died, the soul would suffer a fatal blow. It was common knowledge that the soul needed the body to continue existing.

Even these specially trained sorcerers, whose souls were stronger than average, would perish after losing their bodies—or be dragged into the underworld or a similar place.

Whether it was soul destruction or being claimed by death's rules, surviving solely in soul form was nearly impossible.

The Ancient One didn't immediately reject Ethan's idea, instead asking curiously for more details.

With her vast knowledge and awareness of Ethan's background, she wasn't opposed to unfamiliar knowledge. In fact, she had a thirst for it.

The conversation that followed felt more like a discussion between two sorcerers from different schools, exchanging views on entirely different systems of magic. The Ancient One finally understood how Ethan planned to solve her problem.

Whether it was surviving as a soul or reconstructing a physical body, both were viable solutions.

Besides, her body might not be destroyed at all. If she "died" in battle under normal circumstances, Dormammu might not detect anything unusual.

Once she was no longer under surveillance, Ethan could treat her body and then reinsert her soul to revive her.

Even if the original body couldn't be used, Ethan had another method.

The approach intended for Howard Stark and Maria Stark would work for her as well: use genetic samples to create an artificial embryo.

Then, use advanced technology to cultivate it at an accelerated rate. At the appropriate time, her soul could enter the developing body. This type of resurrection might even be more stable than a magical one.

The Ancient One had never imagined such a solution, not because she didn't understand this world's technology, but because she was used to relying on magic and had subconsciously dismissed technological possibilities.

"That might work too."

The benefit of this method was that she wouldn't need to do anything for the time being. She could let everything unfold naturally and then "die" at the right time.

According to the future she had seen, the ideal time to die was after selecting and training her successor. That way, she could step down as Sorcerer Supreme with peace of mind, without worrying about a crisis emerging from the power vacuum.

"In that case, it looks like we'll need Iron Man's help."

Tony Stark had money and technology. He was the only one capable of providing the resources and equipment needed to cultivate a new body. Accelerated growth would also require supporting devices. The process wasn't as simple as tossing the embryo into an oven and pulling out a finished body after one minute.

"I believe he won't refuse."

This was where the Ancient One's previous help came in handy. Tony Stark had already received a favor from her, so he wouldn't be so unreasonable as to reject this small request. After all, it was something he could do on the side, even if it was expensive.

But for Tony Stark, was any problem that could be solved with money truly a problem?

So, after hearing the plan, Tony immediately nodded and agreed.

The Ancient One provided the location Ethan needed to summon the souls of Tony's parents. While cultivating new bodies for them, they would also grow a body for the Ancient One as a backup. It was a mutually beneficial arrangement. Both sides were satisfied, and neither had a reason to refuse.

By the time they had finalized everything, the barbecue party had long since ended. Ethan, believing in acting while the iron was hot, asked the Ancient One to take them to the pocket dimension they had discussed. He was preparing to resolve the simplest task today: summoning the souls of Howard and Maria Stark.

Tony was also a man of action and didn't feel anything was out of place. He and Ethan had very similar personalities, which was why they got along so well.

In the pocket dimension provided by the Ancient One, Ethan didn't expend much effort and successfully summoned the souls of the Stark couple. After the two souls entered the cross he held in his hand, Ethan immediately grabbed Tony and rushed into the portal the Ancient One had prepared in advance.

The moment the portal closed, Ethan clearly felt the terrifying fluctuation erupting behind him. It was the destructive energy from space collapse. If he had been even a little slower, he would have faced that overwhelming destruction directly.

If he had to face that kind of impact head-on, Ethan wasn't sure what would happen. But Tony would definitely have died.

(To be continued.)