Limbo.
The condition of Limbo was exactly as it had always been. Changing its ruler did not mean it became any better or worse. Illyana herself did not like Limbo at all. Staying here for too long could easily cause irritability to grow in one's heart, making the entire person depressed.
Aside from the necessity of teleportation and occasional magic practice, Illyana almost never returned.
But now, in order to confront that fellow Belasco once again, they had returned after all.
"I didn't expect that leaving aside other places, you didn't even alter Belasco's palace. Oh, wait, you did change something; there's a bar here."
Strange shook his head upon looking around. Setting aside the matter of Illyana drinking while being underage, this Belasco-styled decor was truly hard to compliment. Illyana, however, completely ignored him, acting as if this place had nothing to do with her.
"Stop babbling, Strange. We are here to solve a problem, not to listen to you complain about the interior design."
Illyana muttered as she sat upon Belasco's former throne. Propping up her chin, she inquired, "What needs to be done? Do I perform an astral projection and see if another version of me pops up to have a fight with me?"
"No, you are not like Bruce Banner, who possesses different personalities due to various reasons. Your problem is that if you remain on Earth too frequently, your soul will fall out of balance. Because your own soul is stitched together, with half of it belonging to Limbo, it means the longer you spend on Earth, or the more white magic you perform, the more unstable you become."
The reverse was also true. If she remained in Limbo for a long duration or overused black magic, the half of Illyana that was human would feel miserable. And this scenario was actually much more troublesome, because the power of Limbo was vastly more formidable than a single human soul.
"Therefore, once we initiate your 'treatment process', you will possess a powerful desire to attack, making you difficult to control, and a massive influx of Limbo's power will surge into you." Strange began to explain what would happen next. "You will likely throw quite a tantrum, but no matter, I have invited the most capable experts to fight against you."
Illyana raised an eyebrow. "Can't we do this on Earth?"
"Allowing a massive influx of Limbo's energy into our world could cause fissures to appear in reality, and it is hardly as convenient as it is here. Alright, let us prepare to begin."
As Strange spoke, he began to step backward, holding the Darkhold in his hands. As he muttered incantations under his breath, a vast amount of Limbo's power was mobilized. Subsequently, Illyana drew her Soulsword, drove it into the ground beside her, and also began to cast her spell, swiftly unlocking her demonic form.
Wanda did not yet know what she was supposed to do, while Elsa had already raised her shotgun and aimed it at the demonic Illyana. Along with the wild winds dancing around them, a great volume of fire ignited, and the stench of sulfur permeated the air. Everything seemed to become exceptionally bizarre. Wanda looked around with some aversion, then subconsciously raised her hand to channel her energy, using a scarlet hexagonal shield to intercept the flames casually summoned by the demonized Illyana.
"She directly opened fire without even giving a warning?"
Elsa fired directly at Illyana, then executed a roll to dodge a fireball launched back at her. "Just like the sorcerer over there said, she requires a certain degree of release. I guess this won't be a simple process."
"It is Sorcerer Supreme, lady, thank you."
Strange flew into the air as he spoke, casting a spell to summon a shield that blocked the hellfire generated along with Illyana's demonic transformation. Subsequently, upon seeing Illyana thrust her Soulsword into the ground, he added another line: "Be careful. Previously, that sword would pass through physical matter to harm the soul, but now it has become completely indestructible. Axe of Angarruumus!"
An ancient giant axe was summoned into Strange's hands. However, the demonic Illyana let out a smile, placed both hands on the hilt of her sword, and pressed down forcefully. In the next instant, the entirety of Belasco's fortress emitted a brilliant, dazzling radiance, and along with that small bar, it was completely blown into smithereens.
Coughing sounds echoed amidst the smoke and dust. Wanda waved her hand, looking at her deployed magical shield and shaking her head. Just as she intended to drive the wind to dispel the dust, a flash of light suddenly appeared within the smoke. Then, the demonized Illyana, wielding the Soulsword with both hands, executed a leaping slash that struck heavily against her shield, causing fractures to appear on it.
"Honestly... I didn't expect you to blow up your own home... though this house was built quite uglily."
Wanda spoke while driving her magic, intending to move Illyana away. However, the magical energy that used to easily shackle the supersonic Quicksilver was currently entirely incapable of lifting Illyana even a single bit. The adversary continued to hoist the Soulsword, continuously hacking at Wanda's shield. While gritting her teeth and holding her ground, Wanda began to contemplate how to drive her away while injuring Illyana as little as possible.
But the others did not share this reservation. As the smoke suddenly dispersed, Strange, wielding the giant axe with his body flashing with golden light, rushed between the two of them. Gritting his teeth, he swung the axe and struck toward Illyana. The latter turned her body and hoisted her sword to counter the blow. Immediately afterward, both of them flew backward simultaneously, the massive force directly driving all the smoke and dust away.
Wanda looked around. Broken bricks and shattered tiles were scattered everywhere. Belasco's meticulously designed fortress had vanished without a trace under a single strike from the demonized Magik. Although Strange, who floated back over, appeared completely unscathed, the golden light on his body had already dissipated.
"Limbo has enhanced her power, whereas I am Earth's Sorcerer Supreme. This is not Earth, so consider it a draw."
Wanda glanced at Strange. Who are you explaining this to? To me?
It was only at this moment that Bloodstone Elsa finally crawled out from the ruins. Enhanced by the Bloodstone, she also possessed superhuman physical capacity and endurance; the collapse of a mere castle was hardly enough to kill her.
"This job of yours requires extra pay, seriously. I've fought monsters for so many years, and I've never encountered a girl as troublesome as this one. Dragons aren't even this difficult to deal with."
Wanda looked at Elsa with considerable surprise. "You've even fought dragons?"
Before Elsa could answer, a wave of suppressed and terrifying, bizarre laughter spread all around them. Subsequently, the demonic version of Illyana, whose body seemed to have grown another size larger, cast aside the boulder on top of her. Carrying her greatsword, she stood up and fixed her gaze dead upon them.