The bait Strange brought along consisted of more than just Wanda and Elsa. Wanda's Chaos Magic was something Chthon was deeply interested in, while the Bloodstone from Earth-616 was the key to whether Chthon could manifest on Earth-616. Coupled with Magik's ability to teleport to Earth-616, these three were all things Belasco focused on, serving as bait that could successfully lure him out.
However, did Strange really intend to deal with only Belasco?
How could that be possible!
Long before the Dark Syndicate even appeared, Strange had designed everything. If Belasco intended to summon Chthon in Limbo, Strange had even prepared the Darkhold alongside the Chaos Magic to ensure Chthon would be willing to come to Limbo.
He had even planned to drag Mephisto into the mess, but unfortunately, Mephisto must have found out about it ahead of time, packing his bags and fleeing overnight. Otherwise, once Belasco summoned Chthon, Mephisto would have been forced to fight side-by-side with them to counter this massive, multiverse-level demon god.
That was right. This was the ultimate plan Strange had hidden from Peter while gathering the Midnight Sons: he wanted to pull Chthon down, but only a small portion of him, and then cut that small portion off completely.
A mere Belasco could never satisfy the appetite of the Sorcerer Supreme.
—
Illyana felt everything around her beginning to blur. Although she had felt like she lost her sanity earlier, she had still been herself. Her mind had simply been occupied by a more primal urge, causing many of her actions to be driven purely by instinct.
But now? Now...
The intense pain caused her to fall into a brief bout of amnesia. For a moment, she couldn't recall what had just happened to her. She only felt the wind surging around her. She then turned and drew her sword out of reflex as a tall female demon holding another giant sword charged toward her, and she had to use all her strength just to barely block the strike.
It took Illyana another short moment to realize what the female demon in front of her actually was.
"Unbelievable... Your soul didn't actually collapse. I didn't use any rituals or spells to maintain your soul's stability this time."
Belasco strolled over to Illyana's side, sensing a few bizarre anomalies. First, Illyana's soul had actually endured the process, even though Belasco had no intention of protecting it. Even if her soul had scattered to the winds, her sword would still be there, which would still constitute half of Illyana's soul or even a complete Bloodstone. Yet, she was actually fine?
Furthermore, none of that group of so-called magical heroes outside had come to stop him, which made no sense at all. Upon closer observation, one could actually discover that the other half of Illyana's soul was protected by magic.
Belasco thought of many possibilities in an instant. This spell was black magic. If white magic had been used to protect Illyana's soul, it would theoretically protect the entire soul, making it impossible to tear away half of her essence. In other words, whatever was protecting Illyana's soul was definitely black magic that had forcibly intervened in the ritual, allowing Belasco to proceed with the entire process while ensuring her soul would not shatter.
So, who was the one using black magic?
The moment he thought of this question, Belasco instantly felt plagued by anxiety. He immediately moved away from Illyana, tossing her over to his Limbo counterpart. He then leaped high into the air to survey the surroundings. Very quickly, he saw how all of this was happening. Strange, the Sorcerer Supreme of Earth-616, was holding a bunch of scrolls, using a magical force field to shield all of his teammates while simultaneously casting powerful black magic.
The moment he laid eyes on those scrolls, Belasco drew in a sharp breath. He then erupted into wild laughter in midair, so loudly that the Midnight Sons several kilometers away could hear him clear as day.
"Hahahahaha! You actually, you actually brought the Darkhold?!" Belasco laughed so hard at this moment that tears practically came to his eyes. "You must think that your rabble, combined with these fools from Limbo, can actually deal with the great Chthon, right? Your target is Chthon? You actually possess the audacity to oppose Him?!"
Strange spoke with utter nonchalance, casting a spell at the same time to pull back Illyana, who was currently taking a beating. "Is there something wrong with that? Just an elder god, that's all. I've fought plenty of elder gods in my lifetime."
Hearing this, Peter questioned, "Are you sure about this? It's fine if we can stop Chthon from manifesting completely, but if we can't..."
"Chthon is powerful, of course I know that. Manifesting in an extra-dimensional realm with only a medium volume like Limbo means He is highly likely to destroy the entire dimension." Strange looked over at Peter. "Trust me, Spider-Man, I have a backup plan."
Strange wasn't lying with those words; he really did have a backup plan. It was just that Peter wasn't entirely sure whether Strange's backup plan could actually handle Chthon. He hesitated for a moment before Strange continued speaking, "Don't worry. At worst, the absolute worst-case scenario is that Chthon manifests here, and I can still take everyone back. Are you reassured now?"
"To be honest... no."
"Then it's too late anyway. Belasco has already begun the summoning."
Strange's tone remained perfectly calm. He had been stopping Peter and the others from doing anything precisely for this moment. The bloody sky of Limbo, which had always remained unchanged, actually turned into a murky, pure black at this very moment, with lightning flashing soundlessly. What appeared next was a shining, bright red, turning the entire sky as luminous as lava spewing from an erupting volcano.
The ground began to tremble, the air ground to a halt, and the native demons of Limbo fled in all directions, trying to find a new way out. Immediately following that, the entire land involuntarily rotated and wriggled toward a single direction, the strata colliding spontaneously to form a spiral peak that surged toward the heavens.
In that single instant, a spider-sense that far exceeded any faced against any previous enemies struck almost instantaneously. For the first time, Peter collapsed to the ground, having lost all awareness from the sheer intensity of the pain. Standing nearby, Wanda was thoroughly startled. She ran over to Peter's side, kneeling down as she looked at Strange. "Are you sure your plan is feasible?"
"Of course it's feasible. He's simply being affected by the perception of the Web of Destiny. Hold on a moment, I'll cast a spell that can dull his pain."
Only when Peter's pain gradually subsided did he stand up with Wanda's support. He then looked at Strange helplessly. "This is the one bad thing about spider-sense, right? It can distinguish exactly how dangerous an enemy is."
"Yeah, that's why we have to rely on you, Spider-Man. If you leave, what are we even supposed to fight with?"
Strange smiled as he let the Cloak of Levitation settle onto Peter's shoulders, before looking up. "Hurry up, Spider-Man. Stopping Chthon from manifesting depends entirely on you."
Only at this moment did the sky above Limbo begin to slowly crack open, and within the flashing, lava-colored sky, something seemed to be wriggling.
"Go! Spider-Man! Go, destroy the space of manifestation!"
At this moment, Strange shouted more joyfully than anyone else. The Cloak of Levitation carried Peter straight up into the sky. In a state of pain where he could barely distinguish specific directions, Peter raised his hands and began to tear into the fabric of space.
The demons of the Dark Alliance also manifested along the way. "You told us to do nothing for the time being. Do you honestly think that mortal can stop Chthon's manifestation?"
"Of course not to that extent. Spider-Man's power originates from the Web of Destiny, and the Web of Destiny itself is no match for Chthon, let alone him." Strange spoke as he put away the Darkhold. "But the more power he uses, the more the Web of Destiny trembles and becomes unstable."
"And the more those so-called Great Weavers of the web will be able to sense the danger."
I fell asleep typing last night, sorry about that.