Once Belasco was sent packing, Strange opened a portal and brought everyone back to the New York Sanctum Sanctorum. Most of them slumped into the dining room chairs with very little interest, lamenting the absurd, chaotic scene that had just concluded.
Strange smiled as he looked at the Midnight Sons—whose team name hadn't actually been finalized yet: "Thank you all very much for your assistance. Our operation this time has concluded successfully. The next time we have to face Mephisto and test our mettle against him, I will summon everyone once more."
The group, resting in various exhausted postures, fell into a collective silence.
After a brief moment, Iron Fist was the first to react, narrowing his eyes at Strange: "Wait... was our operation this time not meant to deal with Mephisto himself?"
"The reason we gathered this time was because of Mephisto's contract," Strange offered a flat, unapologetic denial. "I never said the one we would be fighting today would be Mephisto in the flesh. You need to understand that Mephisto is an exceedingly cunning demon. When he failed to appear in Limbo alongside the Darkholders and Belasco, I knew for certain that he had already achieved his true objective."
"And as for a demon who has already achieved his goal? If you will forgive my bluntness, there is absolutely no way we can catch him now—unless we wait for his next conspiracy to unfold."
Elsa Bloodstone crossed her arms, glaring at Strange: "Then what exactly was his objective?"
Strange answered very earnestly, "I have absolutely no idea."
The entire room plunged into a dead, awkward silence.
Following this, Illyana was the first to snap out of it. She stood up, her stepping discs manifesting her teleportation energy: "I have to head back quickly. The mutant dormitory closes soon, and I didn't request leave in advance."
Wanda cast a bewildered glance at the fleeing Illyana. Can you not literally teleport anywhere? Why do you still care about a dormitory curfew?
"Yeah, I should probably head back as well." Peter Parker was the second to spring up from his chair: "Since it's only eight o'clock, I still have time to run a quick patrol loop around Queens, and maybe grab some late-night snacks along the way."
Seeing yet another person she barely knew leave, Wanda also hurriedly stood up: "I would be quite glad to continue helping out the next time something similar happens, Doctor. Of course, it would be even better if there were a bit more mutual trust next time."
"I will have Wong open a gateway to Genosha for you, Wanda. Thank you very much." Strange could not help but lament inwardly that this girl was simply so polite compared to the rest of these misfits.
Subsequently, he looked toward the remaining heroes, his demeanor carrying a distinct hint of: 'Why haven't the rest of you left my house yet?'
"If Mephisto actually shows his face, I'll know. And I'll show up on my own," Ghost Rider, Johnny Blaze, muttered coldly before walking out.
"Next time, I want double pay. No, triple," Elsa Bloodstone snapped, tossing her red hair.
"If the world is truly in peril, I will answer the call," Iron Fist said with a respectful nod.
"Don't call me next time either," Blade grunted, vanishing into the shadows.
Once those four had left, Moon Knight casually rested his boots right upon the pristine dining table, looking at Strange with a sigh: "Marc was right, Strange. You truly are a bastard. Also, several of us were completely useless out there. What did we even come for?"
"I needed to know how much raw force I could rally to counter a magical threat that the Avengers and ordinary superheroes cannot cope with," Strange admitted, speaking a bit of his true mind.
Moon Knight remained silent for a moment, then lowered his legs and stood up, his cape fluttering: "Yeah. Marc and Jake are both right. You truly are a bastard."
At that split second, Strange began to doubt exactly which of Moon Knight's personalities was speaking to him, but he quickly shook his head to stop contemplating the question. Finally, Strange looked toward Brother Voodoo, who was sitting there with an entirely innocent expression: "What's wrong with you? Do you expect me to leave too? I am a proper sorcerer."
"You are a Haitian Voodoo houngan shaman... It's just that you happen to be in this line of work. Wong?"
"I live here, Stephen."
"...I meant finding a guest room for Brother Voodoo."
By the time Illyana returned to the Xavier Academy, it was already past nine o'clock. She certainly hadn't walked through the front gate—just like her roommate, Kitty Pryde, she had absolutely no need for doors. A single stepping disc sufficed to drop her right into her room.
As a Russian of pure descent, she had just used her mutant ability to take a quick detour to Russia. After all, her personal bar in Limbo had already been destroyed by her own hand, and the United States did not permit purchasing alcohol under the age of 21, nor was drinking theoretically allowed on school grounds.
Well, yet doing drugs in this country is practically fine. What a bizarre nation, she thought.
Along the way back, she had concurrently chugged her alcohol and thrashed a few local thugs before returning to the dormitory. By this time, Kitty had already finished bathing and was sitting on her bed, tapping away on her laptop.
Catching sight of Illyana teleporting back into the room, Kitty instantly detected a massive waft of alcohol. She naturally raised her head to look at her: "Have you been drinking?"
"Hmm? Yeah. Just don't tell my brother Colossus or anyone else. I'm going to take a shower; I'm completely wiped today. I expect I'll sleep like the dead tomorrow."
Kitty opened her mouth, but ultimately chose to say nothing, resuming her work on the computer. After another brief moment, Illyana threw herself directly onto her bed, wearing a comfortable beige nightgown.
Strictly speaking, she currently possessed only half a soul, with the other half still residing within her Soulsword. Precisely because of this, she needed to find time for Strange to perform a complex magical ritual to complete her soul. That missing half was quite troublesome, being the pure soul she had before she was taken away to Limbo by Belasco.
The vacancy and tearing of her soul appeared to have no physical effect on her mutant faculties, yet the moment she closed her eyes, she would feel an empty ache, as though something vital was missing. Consequently, she could not help but sigh repeatedly into her pillow.
Seeing Illyana looking so utterly exhausted, Kitty asked caringly, "What's wrong, 'Yana? Did something bad happen?"
"I saved the entire world, Kitty."
Hearing these words, Kitty was stunned for a moment. She blinked. "...Don't we save the world, like, every Tuesday?"
"I mean, just now, a few hours ago, I saved the world by myself," Illyana groaned. "And it was unprecedented. There's no way to share the feeling, because the X-Men don't know exactly what kind of cosmic entity was pressing against the borders of Limbo..."
Kitty replied casually while typing: "So, it wasn't an operation by the X-Men or the New Mutants, but a sorcerer gig?"
"Yeah."
"Who else was there?"
"Hmm... that mustachioed sorcerer Strange, Spider-Man, the Scarlet Witch..."
Before Illyana could finish speaking, she heard Kitty let out an explosive exclamation: "Peter?!"
Illyana could not help but roll her eyes, groaning as she got up with the intention to tease her roommate about her Spider-crush—only to discover that her entire bed had suddenly lit up with a harsh, crimson glow.
That energy looked like a teleportation portal, yet Illyana was absolutely certain she had not utilized her own mutant power.
Then, in the next instant, a terrifying female demon over two meters tall, her entire body radiating high temperatures, materialized within the dormitory room, swinging a massive greatsword straight toward Illyana's head.
Illyana had only a single sentiment left right now.
"Damn it."