The dark dimensional energy surged forth like a sticky flame!
After gushing out from the portal, it instantly formed into a massive hand covered in strange, dense symbols, reaching straight for the Ancient One.
Her eyes turned blank, and a black light reflected in them—within that darkness, a terrifying face grinned wickedly.
The Ancient One froze in place as countless strands of black silk spread from the corners of her eyes.
She was completely restrained, forced to watch as the black hand struck toward her.
"Hmph!"
A sudden, cold snort echoed through her mind.
Inside the Ancient One's consciousness, it was as if a massive bell had been struck, shattering the oppressive darkness.
She snapped awake instantly and saw the blazing Vishanti Holy Sword appear out of thin air, slicing through the black hand in a single stroke.
On the ground, the magic circle collapsed. The space-time portal flickered and vanished, severing the connection to another timeline.
The Ancient One slowly stood up, her expression dark.
"Something's wrong. The world on the other side has been completely consumed by Dormammu."
"The leader wouldn't make such a low-level mistake."
Among all the dimensional Mephistas, Dormammu was considered the weakest. This fire-wielding necromancer couldn't even break the Time Stone's loop spell in his own dimension. If it had been Chthon, there wouldn't have been even a moment of resistance.
And yet now… Dormammu had successfully devoured an entire world.
Russell's mind flashed to a possibility. He took a deep breath and said,
"The Legacy Kang… he's lost his mind."
Working with a dimensional Mephista—even a weaker one—was still dealing with a being far beyond the Kang Council's level.
The Ancient One frowned in confusion.
"The Legacy Kang? Who is that?"
She had heard about the changes to the timeline from the alliance's intelligence, but the mastermind behind it all remained hidden.
Only the Ancient One's soul self knew the truth.
Russell gave her a brief explanation, then asked,
"Do you have any spell that can confirm whether the alliance's leader is still alive?"
The Ancient One's face darkened.
"No such spell exists. If you want to know whether she's alive… you'd have to ask Eternity."
"But only the leader can see Eternity."
Great. A perfect deadlock. Russell couldn't help grumbling internally, his face showing nothing but exasperation.
Still, he knew he couldn't just sit here and wait for death.
Hiding in the Quantum Realm for the rest of his life was out of the question, and being a lone operator was never his ultimate goal.
The situation had clearly reached its limit.
Whether because the survivors had noticed his ascension or for some other reason, it was obvious he could no longer hide his growth.
The day had finally come.
But Russell wasn't entirely unprepared.
If the Ancient One was missing, then he'd just have to act himself.
At that moment, Cagliostro—who had been quietly standing to the side—suddenly said,
"So… this is the moment."
Russell, who had already found him annoyingly cryptic since his arrival, finally couldn't help but retort,
"Do we even know each other?"
The Ancient One also looked at him in confusion. This was a historical fragment of the "eternal past." How could this library owner—who had never once left this place—possibly know Russell?
It made no sense.
Even for her, it was only her future self who knew Russell, having learned of him through the magical information imprinted on the treasure box.
After staring for a couple of seconds, Cagliostro suddenly chuckled.
"Why dwell on it?"
"Your Excellency only needs to know that I made a deal with someone."
"From now on… this library is yours."
The Ancient One's face froze in shock.
It was no less surprising than seeing dark dimensional energy pour out of a portal just moments ago.
This library was hundreds of times richer than Kamar-Taj's and was known as a legendary sanctuary of magic.
And now it was being given away for free?
For a brief moment, she wondered if she was still trapped in Dormammu's illusion.
Russell looked around at the rows upon rows of densely packed magical tomes. To say he wasn't tempted would be a lie.
But he didn't have time—and he had no idea whether Cagliostro had some hidden motive.
So he shook his head.
"Thank you for the offer, but I'm not the kind of person who likes staying in one place."
Cagliostro wasn't surprised. He smiled faintly.
"Who said you have to stay here all the time?"
"And believe me… you will definitely need it."
As soon as he finished speaking, his body began to dissolve into shimmering fragments, like foam disappearing into air, leaving no room for refusal.
The Ancient One blinked in surprise.
Couldn't he at least ask first?
Still, she wasn't exactly opposed to it… she could accept it just fine.
At that moment, a gentle breeze stirred through the cave. A faint pink glow shimmered across the cherry blossom tree, and countless petals began to fall.
One of its rare twelve-petaled blossoms drifted down into Russell's hand.
The moment it touched him, the petals transformed into a twelve-pointed polygonal seal, radiating an intense light-blue glow.
Russell instinctively tensed, ready to resist—but no warning sounded from the system.
The plundering system's benefits truly shone in moments like this. It could instantly respond to unexpected situations—like the black market in the Voidlands, or the spiritual essence that Khonshu had detonated before.
But right now, there was no reaction at all. That meant it wasn't a threat.
This seal was the authority of the library—linked to the eternal past of this land and all related timelines.
As long as he did not grant permission, no one could reach this place through the power of time.
But now wasn't the time to start practicing magic.
Russell nodded to the Ancient One.
"I'm heading back. As for you… just keep following the timeline."
Even though, thanks to his actions, the TVA seemed to have found some way to suppress timeline branches—preventing new ones from forming—this version of the Ancient One still needed to live out her past.
And honestly, a Sorcerer Supreme without full power wasn't much help for what was coming next.
The Time Stone glowed once more.
Russell stepped forward and reappeared in New York, 2012.
Looking toward Brooklyn, he saw himself in the distance, escorting Captain America and several others away.
This was the past.
But this time, he would take the initiative.
Inside Stark Tower—
The Hulk roared in frustration, dented an elevator wall with a punch, and stomped down the stairwell in a huff.
In this altered timeline, if Tony hadn't disguised himself as a S.H.I.E.L.D. soldier to sneak the case containing the Space Stone away, he wouldn't have been knocked over by Hulk barreling down the stairs.
Without that, Loki wouldn't have gotten the Stone and escaped.
But just before Hulk reached the bottom and pushed open the stairwell door, a faint green light flickered in the eyes of a nearby S.H.I.E.L.D. agent.
At the same time, Tony Stark—elsewhere in the building—collapsed, unconscious.
Following the altered "script," the agent picked up the briefcase and headed toward the stairs… only to be sent flying by Hulk's charge.
The Space Stone tumbled out and landed at Loki's feet.
The god of mischief raised an eyebrow, scooped up the Stone without hesitation, and vanished in a burst of blue light.
A moment later, Loki landed in the middle of a desert.
He spat sand from his mouth, then slammed a fist into the ground, laughing in triumph.
Freedom!
Finally, he had escaped that oaf Thor again.
But his celebration was cut short when a shadow blocked the blazing sun.
Loki looked up in surprise to see a man standing over him, framed by the light, staring down with cold, merciless eyes.
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