Robert didn't feel much about Doom's concession, as he wasn't familiar with him and didn't understand his personality. However, the students of Kamar-Taj standing nearby were quite surprised.
Since they had fought together against the Dark Dimension's incursion, Doom had truly become a part of Kamar-Taj. Many students even assumed that Doom had the qualifications to contend for the title of Sorcerer Supreme.
After all, Doom wasn't just strong-willed in Kamar-Taj, his power was formidable as well. There was truly no one among the Kamar-Taj students who could rival him. If Doom could become the Sorcerer Supreme and continue leading them in battling dimensional threats, it wouldn't be impossible.
However, the Ancient One had disappeared suddenly. Although she left behind some information, it didn't include any method to become Sorcerer Supreme. The students of Kamar-Taj had no idea what qualifications were needed to truly claim the title, so Doom had yet to unify Kamar-Taj under his leadership.
In fact, in many parallel universes, Doom's power would already exceed that of some Sorcerer Supremes. But in this particular universe, the Ancient One hadn't had the chance to name a successor.
Even so, Doom held the highest position and authority within Kamar-Taj, surpassing even long-established students like Kaecilius.
Kaecilius and the others were worried that Doom might lose control. After all, based on his past actions, Doom was far from a virtuous person. His domineering nature made them fear that Kamar-Taj might take a dangerous path under his leadership.
Fortunately, Doom wasn't completely without awareness. Although he had initially coveted Robert's Magic Seal, after witnessing Robert's destructive power, Doom quickly abandoned his original plan. This showed that Doom could still assess situations rationally.
This allowed Kaecilius and the others to breathe a sigh of relief. At the very least, if Doom did lose control, Robert would be there to help deal with him.
"You guys should help bring Tony and the others back. Since the darkness descended, I don't know how they've been doing over there. And with the spatial distortion caused by the Dark Elves, it's unclear if it's been resolved..." Robert said to Baron Mordo, unaware of the internal changes in Doom and the Kamar-Taj students.
"The Nine Realms' Convergence is recorded in Kamar-Taj's texts. It's a rare cosmic phenomenon, likely caused by spatial disorder," Wong explained first.
"But the timing of this phenomenon is too coincidental. It makes one suspect there's a significant connection with Yggdrasil, the World Tree."
"The World Tree?" Robert raised an eyebrow, looking at Wong in surprise. "I saw a peculiar branch when I was in Asgard. Was that the World Tree?"
"It should be. Yggdrasil connects the Nine Realms. Theoretically, all the realms hang from the World Tree. However, planets like Earth cannot locate the World Tree," Wong nodded and said softly.
"The phenomenon of the Nine Realms' Convergence could indeed be related to Yggdrasil. Perhaps the tree has undergone some changes, or maybe it's a regular occurrence within its cycle. Whatever the case, we need to be cautious..."
"Is the trunk of Yggdrasil located outside of the dimensions?" Robert asked, as if struck by a thought, glancing toward the space beyond the dimensions.
"No, that's the peculiar thing about Yggdrasil. It exists neither in the material plane nor in the dimensional planes. It seems to be rooted in some mysterious place outside the universe," Wong shrugged helplessly.
"We at Kamar-Taj understand dimensions, but our knowledge of the universe is limited. I can't say for sure what exactly is going on with Yggdrasil..."
Just then, with a soft "whoosh," a fiery portal opened, and Tony Stark and the others stepped through it.
"What exactly happened earlier?" Tony Stark, like many people on Earth, had no idea what had transpired.
Although Tony's suit hadn't completely malfunctioned during the dark descent, the second-generation Arc Reactor was still powering it. However, J.A.R.V.I.S. had lost all communication with global signals.
Not only was there no communication with Earth's satellite systems, but even the Avengers' quantum communication technology was completely useless. In the face of the supernatural darkness brought by the Reality Stone, most technologies were rendered ineffective.
It's not that Tony and the others didn't want to act during the long battle. They just didn't know what was happening, where to go, or where people might be in danger.
To avoid being picked off individually, the Avengers were forced to gather together. In the absence of communication, this was the safest option.
Luckily, by the time the darkness descended, the phenomenon of the Nine Realms' Convergence had already ended. Otherwise, some Avengers might have gotten trapped in twisted space, stranded on other planets, unable to return...
"The situation was complicated. You should first check what's happening on Earth now!" Robert shook his head slowly. No matter when they shared intel about the Dark Elves and the Shadow Legion, it wasn't too late. The most pressing issue was to figure out how much damage the darkness had caused on Earth.
"Based on the data currently being input into various national systems, over six million people worldwide have been confirmed dead, not counting the missing..." J.A.R.V.I.S.'s voice suddenly rang out.
"And in addition to regions that haven't been able to report yet, along with those remote areas without communication, the estimated death toll from this dark event will likely surpass all previous supernatural incidents combined!"
"Damn!" Anger flickered in Tony Stark's eyes. Then, as if remembering something, he hurriedly began to contact Pepper.
Johnny Storm and Peter Parker snapped back to their senses. Their attention had been on the civilians who had perished, but they had forgotten that their own families were also ordinary people. They quickly started contacting their loved ones.
Fortunately, the families of the Avengers were relatively lucky and had not encountered any major issues. This allowed them to relax and focus on handling the aftermath.
Soon, the Avengers' damaged base was restored with the help of various robots, and Tony Stark and the others were informed of the events that had transpired.
While they had known about the Dark Elves' plans, they hadn't expected the emergence of the Shadow Legion.
"The Shadow Legion has been dealt with... Wait, something's not right!" Tony Stark's expression suddenly darkened as he frowned and said, "Bruce Wayne still has General Icar's mask. Should we forcibly retrieve and destroy it?"
"To be honest, Batman should understand our concerns, right? After all, the massive chaos that just occurred was caused by the Shadow Legion," Peter Parker said thoughtfully.
"If General Icar isn't dealt with, Earth's connection to the Dark Dimension will persist. If they secretly plan another scheme, it'll be trouble! Wait a minute, how many masks were there in total? Did we encounter all of them? Could there be more Shadow Legion members?"
"There shouldn't be any more. Including Tala, there were ten masks in total. We encountered nine of them, but the Shadow Ninja General's mask should no longer exist," Robert said with a shake of his head.
"The Shadow Ninja was the first Shadow Legion member we encountered. The Shogun also had the ability to summon Shadow Ninjas, so it's possible he devoured the mask..."
"Then it's just General Icar left. To be safe, we need to deal with him," Tony Stark said, his eyes glinting with determination.
"Alright, if it's just one mask left, it's better to handle it now. Who will go?" Johnny Storm asked, glancing around.
"I'm heading to Kamar-Taj with them. The Reality Stone is still there, and we need to set some ground rules, considering how dangerous the Reality Stone is," Robert said, looking at the gathered Kamar-Taj students who had yet to leave.
"I have to deal with other matters. Peggy Carter hasn't woken up yet, and Steve won't have the energy or mindset to handle other things. He's getting on in years, so I'll take care of it," Tony said, looking into the depths of the Avengers' base with a helpless expression.
Truth be told, if Robert hadn't reassured them that Peggy and Brian were fine, Steve would likely be even more anxious.
Peggy and Brian were both awakening their powers for the first time, and their bodies had consumed and replenished massive amounts of life force, even altering their appearances significantly. It was understandable that they would sleep longer to adjust to their new forms and abilities.
Interestingly, the kids who had played soccer with Brian earlier were quite fortunate. Thanks to the Avengers' base having a unique energy supply, they hadn't been affected by the outside darkness and were even having a great time.
"I'll go!" Johnny Storm shrugged and smiled. "I've only seen Batman in videos. I'm curious to see how Bruce Wayne compares to Tony."
"Alright then, you handle it. I'll head to Kamar-Taj. Contact me when you've retrieved the mask," Robert nodded. He was eager to study the Reality Stone.
As someone who wielded powerful telekinesis, Robert was naturally intrigued by the Reality Stone, which represented an even higher level of power. If it could help him advance his abilities, it would greatly enhance his combat prowess.
Furthermore, Robert's trip to Kamar-Taj would help keep certain individuals in check. Lorna had secretly informed him about some of the recent happenings there.
If it weren't for the fact that there was no better place to store the Reality Stone, Robert wouldn't have wanted to leave it at Kamar-Taj. Too many people there coveted its power.
Luckily, the Reality Stone's backlash wasn't just for show. Even with magical assistance, few could
withstand its effects. Combined with Robert's deterrence, the students of Kamar-Taj would likely behave themselves for a while.
So, Robert followed Baron Mordo back to Kamar-Taj to study the Reality Stone, while Tony Stark and the other Avengers began managing the aftermath of the dark event, trying to help the victims recover and alleviate public concerns.
As for Johnny Storm, he headed to Gotham, prepared to retrieve General Icar's mask and destroy the last remnant of the Shadow Legion.
When the entire Earth was shrouded in darkness, General Icar had been ecstatic. His powers had surged during that time, and he had even sensed Tala's presence, intending to join forces with them.
However, the highest authority over the warrior masks wasn't in General Icar's hands—it was under Batman's control. Once the darkness fell, the Dark Knight wasted no time in taking action.
Although Gotham was already a dark city, there had always been light within the darkness. Now, in an even darker Gotham, those who had lost their way would not feel fear; instead, the city's sinister atmosphere would only breed more crime.
Batman harnessed the power of the warrior masks, using the strengthened Shadow Warriors to maintain order in the dark city. Ironically, Gotham became the least affected city during the dark descent.
Many in Gotham had been injured, but not a single person had died!
General Icar was powerless to control his own strength, and frustration soon gave way to fear. He sensed the deaths of General Cabo, followed by Tala, General Manny, and General Razo.
The thing General Icar feared most had finally come true—the Shadow Legion had been wiped out. Though he was still alive, General Icar had a premonition that his own death was not far away…
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