Aron was not joking.
He truly had no intention of getting involved in the war.
After all, with so many superheroes, if they couldn't defeat Thanos's army without Thanos himself, then that wasn't his problem.
"It's really better to wash up and get some sleep," he muttered.
He didn't get a free meal.
He didn't even find a game to kill time.
In the end, he had to take the god of the common folk and return to the New York Sanctum.
But sometimes, life has a strange sense of humor, the more you try to stay away from trouble, the sooner it comes knocking at your door.
This time, however, trouble had come to the wrong person.
---
Nepal, the Himalayas, the land at the foot of the mountain range.
The true headquarters of Kamar-Taj.
The quiet mountain air was suddenly broken by a thunderous roar.
A flash of teleportation light illuminated the square at the entrance to the bazaar.
From it stepped out Ebony Maw and Black Dwarf.
Their sudden appearance in the midst of the bustling marketplace caused instant panic.
People screamed and ran in all directions.
Scenes of peace turned into chaotic turmoil.
Ebony Maw didn't even glance at the fleeing people.
In his eyes, these weak beings were like insignificant ants, unworthy of attention.
"According to the traces Thanos left before he disappeared," he said slowly, hands clasped behind his back, "the Time Stone must be here."
"The mages on Earth call it the Eye of Agamotto… the symbol of the Sorcerer Supreme."
He cast his gaze across the surrounding streets, confident and cold.
"Once, that jewel was guarded by the Ancient One," he continued, "but now…"
A malicious gleam flickered in his eyes.
"Now the title of Sorcerer Supreme is held by a man named Strange."
"So, the Eye of Agamotto must be in his possession."
Ebony Maw was convinced his assessment was correct.
Before long, his eyes settled on an ordinary souvenir shop at the corner of the bazaar.
To passersby, it was just another small store.
But Ebony Maw knew that this was the true entrance to Kamar-Taj, the sanctuary and the center of the mages' power on Earth.
"Black Dwarf."
As usual, Ebony Maw had no intention of leading the attack himself.
Instead, he sent his massive ally forward.
"Alright."
The Black Dwarf, over three meters tall, built like a mountain of muscle and lacking much reason, obediently stepped forward.
Carrying his gigantic war axe, he charged straight at the souvenir shop.
He didn't care about obstacles, every building in his way was leveled to the ground, as if a walking tank was passing through the city.
---
Inside the shop, an elderly mage, now retired, sat slouched in his chair, enjoying a peaceful day.
It was Grandmaster Daniel, once the guardian of the New York Sanctum, who had returned to Kamar-Taj after retiring to live a quiet life.
He heard the rumbling outside, looked up, and saw a massive shadow moving down the street.
"Oh, no… trouble again," he muttered.
At the moment when the Black Dwarf raised his gigantic war hammer, Daniel shouted:
"Enemy attack! Close the teleportation portal!"
His young apprentice, tasked with guarding the Sanctum's gate, swallowed hard in fear and turned toward the entrance.
But it was already too late.
Black Dwarf swung his enormous weapon, weighing hundreds of tons, and hurled it straight at the entrance of the souvenir shop.
The steel chain hanging from the handle creaked under the weight as the hammer smashed through the walls and crashed into the shop.
In an instant, hundreds of tiny souvenirs, figurines, and wooden carvings were swept away.
Shelves went flying, and the floor was covered in debris.
"Aaah!" the apprentice screamed, shutting his eyes and bracing for the worst.
At the last moment, Grandmaster Daniel raised his hands and conjured a magical barrier between them and Black Dwarf.
The energy shield flared to life, stopping the devastating blow, but Daniel felt the pressure nearly break his arms.
"What are you waiting for? Close the entrance!" he shouted at the apprentice, struggling to maintain the barrier.
Inwardly, he was bitter.
After years of defending the sacred Sanctum in New York, he had hoped to finally enjoy his well-deserved rest.
He thought he would live a peaceful life in Kamar-Taj, welcoming students and tourists as a gatekeeper.
But it hadn't even been half a year since his retirement before disaster struck again.
"Oh! Alright!"
The younger apprentice snapped out of his shock and quickly rushed to the back door of the souvenir shop, reaching for the magical sigil on the wall.
But before his hand could touch the sigil —
Click!
The surrounding shelves suddenly twisted and deformed.
Metal bars turned into sharp spears and pierced the unfortunate young apprentice!
"George!"
All of Grandmaster Daniel's focus had been on Black Dwarf.
By the time he reacted, it was too late, the main apprentice had already been impaled through the heart.
"Kamar-Taj… the famed home of mages," said Ebony Maw in a tone of disdain, floating through the shattered wall with his hands behind his back.
"And yet, this is what I find today. Truly disappointing."
Behind him, Black Dwarf hefted his massive war pick, ready to swing it at Ebony's command, standing like a loyal bodyguard.
Grandmaster Daniel said nothing, but anger blazed in his eyes.
Just as the tense silence threatened to erupt into battle, the back door of the souvenir shop suddenly burst open.
Wong stepped out with a group of mages, and behind them came the current Sorcerer Supreme, Stephen Strange.
Ebony Maw's eyes immediately narrowed as he noticed the faint green glow coming from the amulet around Strange's neck.
Yes, that was the Eye of Agamotto.
"That's right! The Time Stone is on him!" Ebony Maw exclaimed and gave the signal.
Black Dwarf, without any hesitation, charged forward like a living tank.
Strange, caught off guard, instinctively glanced at the glowing jewel at his neck.
Were these aliens here for the Eye?
Could it be they came for the fake one?
There was no time to think.
As Black Dwarf charged, the mages of Kamar-Taj reacted almost in unison.
They raised protective barriers.
Drew mystical weapons.
Opened portal rings and unleashed strikes of pure magic.
Flash!
Sparks flew as mystical blades slashed through the air.
Weapons and incantations clashed against the massive war pick.
The sound of explosions and waves of magical energy echoed through the bazaar.
The battle had begun.
...
Meanwhile, inside the New York Sanctum.
One of the walls, where ancient mystical relics had once hung, now stood bare.
In its place was the latest 8K holographic projector that Aron had gotten from Tony Stark.
At the moment, the holographic screen was broadcasting a live feed from space.
The footage came from Tony and S.H.I.E.L.D. as they built the new S.W.O.R.D. station above Earth.
Of course, the current S.W.O.R.D. base was just a prototype, more like a massive space station than an actual combat platform.
It couldn't provide real military support, but it could record and transmit data in real time.
"Impressive… such a colossal ship," muttered Aron as he lounged on the sofa, his left arm wrapped around Wanda and his right arm around Skye.
"I just hope they don't plan to blow up Earth with a single shot…"
Beside them sat a black cat, crouched on a cushion, nibbling on popcorn and occasionally feeding Aron with its paw.
"Maybe we should help them?" Gwen asked as she stood behind the sofa.
As she spoke, she instinctively lowered her hands to Aron's shoulders and began to massage them.
She had no choice, after so much time in his company, she had been completely drawn into his world.
"Why panic?" Aron replied casually.
"Thanos isn't here… enjoy it while it lasts."
At that moment, a chill ran down his spine.
"Gwen, turn the AC up to maximum…"
He didn't get an answer.
He turned his head and instead of Gwen saw the Ancient One standing behind him, her face dark and grim.
The Ancient One had stayed in the Mirror Dimension for a long time just to avoid witnessing what Aron had done to the Sanctum's hall.
But the moment she stepped out, the sight before her was more than enough to raise her blood pressure.
Instead of a majestic and serene mystical hall, what she saw was the living room of some rich teenager: a giant TV, a massive sofa, a coffee table, an ottoman, a game console, an air conditioner…
Priceless mystical relics and ancient weapons that had once adorned the walls were now piled up in the corners like old junk.
Even Strange's famous levitation cloak was pressed at the bottom of the heap, only a red hem visible as it struggled to pull itself free.
The Ancient One took a deep breath, stepping forward one step at a time, and pulled out a circular mystical weapon that shimmered with a greenish glow.
This artifact had once hung on the wall, but Aron had taken it down and tossed it aside because it got in the way of the air conditioner.
Aron glanced at it and commented, "Hmm… it's blinking pretty evenly. Is it trying to tell us something?"
The Ancient One looked at him, then forced a restrained smile.
"It's an emergency beacon," she said quietly.
"Kamar-Taj is calling for help."