"You just said this Black Magic Barrier can't be broken from the inside?"
Even after forcing the monster back, Senju Haruto's tone remained casual, his voice neither loud nor soft.
"Huh?"
Anna, still collapsed on the ground, stared at him in shock, completely dumbfounded.
His strength…
Just how terrifying was it?
He had crushed the monster's weapon with his bare hands!
Wasn't he supposed to be affected by the Black Magic Barrier? His power suppressed?
Or… even under suppression, was his strength still this overwhelming?
If that was true… then who exactly was Senju Haruto?
"Y-Yes!"
As Anna's mind raced with questions, she quickly nodded. From everything she had studied, this kind of barrier absolutely could not be broken from within.
At least, that was what the books said.
"You're wrong."
Haruto's reply was quiet but firm.
"What?!"
Anna gasped, her eyes widening as she realized what he was about to attempt.
Ever since Haruto had first stepped into Kamar-Taj, he had created one unbelievable legend after another.
But destroying a Black Magic Barrier from the inside?
That was unheard of.
Even Master Mordo or the Guardian of the New York Sanctum wouldn't be able to do such a thing!
And yet…
Right now, Haruto radiated confidence so absolute that it was as if this impossible task were nothing more than a trivial matter.
Something simple.
Even the monster stopped breathing for a moment, shaken by the sight.
These kids… weren't they supposed to be apprentice sorcerers fresh out of Kamar-Taj?
And this barrier wasn't some ordinary trick.
It was forged from power Lord Dormammu himself had bestowed—meant specifically to counter the Guardian of the New York Sanctum, to pave the way for its destruction.
No one short of the Sorcerer Supreme should have been able to break it.
And yet, when he looked at Haruto… he couldn't bring himself to believe the boy would fail.
Then, Haruto's left eye began to glow with emerald light.
The Eye of Agamotto fused into his gaze, radiating a power so immense that both Anna and the monster were stunned.
"This… this magical energy…"
Anna's eyes went wide, her mouth forming an "O." The only time she had ever felt a presence like this was when she had stood before the Ancient One herself.
"That artifact…"
The monster swallowed hard, his instincts screaming.
What Haruto wielded was no ordinary relic.
It was ancient. It was powerful.
A force that could be traced back to the very first Sorcerer Supreme, Agamotto himself.
A power that could rival Dormammu's!
Unbelievable. Impossible.
Never in his nightmares had the monster expected this—
That here, in New York, he would encounter such a thing.
No.
No, no, no!
This boy could not possibly be just a disciple of Kamar-Taj.
And he certainly wasn't an ordinary sorcerer.
The Ancient One would never allow someone unworthy to wield such an artifact.
"…A being greater than even a Sanctum Guardian," the monster muttered, his voice trembling.
As Dormammu's favored vanguard general, he had crossed blades with Guardians before. Sometimes he won, sometimes he lost.
But this—
The relic in Haruto's possession surpassed anything a Guardian had ever wielded.
"Could it be…"
"Is he… the next Sorcerer Supreme?"
The title of Sorcerer Supreme didn't belong to one person alone.
It was a mantle, a symbol passed down through generations.
From Agamotto, the first Sorcerer Supreme, to countless successors, only those who bore that title had the strength—and the right—to wield such an artifact.
No. Such a relic was no mere artifact.
It was a divine weapon.
But Haruto paid no mind to the monster's shock, nor to Anna's disbelief.
He simply focused on unlocking the Eye of Agamotto.
The emerald glow deepened, and slowly, the relic merged into his forehead, transforming into a third eye.
In an instant, the entire structure of the Black Magic Barrier was laid bare before him—
Its position, its size, its number.
Every point, every line, every plane.
Nothing was hidden.
Because the Eye of Agamotto was made for this—
To pierce through illusions. To unravel the workings of dark magic.
Unlike the version in this universe, which served only as a vessel…
The Eye Haruto possessed was the true artifact.
The genuine relic of Agamotto.
"Dispel!"
His voice was calm, but it rang with absolute authority.
Green light burst outward, washing across the entire street.
The brilliance was so intense that the monster had to stagger back several steps, shielding his face.
He wanted to resist—needed to resist—but the Eye's power was far beyond anything he could withstand.
In the span of just a few breaths, Haruto unraveled every thread of the Black Magic Barrier.
The air shimmered. Space cracked.
And then—
The illusion shattered.
What had been an empty, abandoned street suddenly came alive again with the noise of the city. People appeared, their screams piercing the air as they caught sight of the monstrous invader, scattering in panic.
But thanks to Haruto breaking the barrier, help finally arrived.
Mordo, the Guardian of the New York Sanctum, and several other sorcerers locked onto Anna's position and rushed to the scene.
One after another, they appeared—only to stop short, staring in disbelief.
Because what they sensed coming from Haruto…
The power radiating from him…
It wasn't just formidable.
It was a force on par with—perhaps even greater than—the Ancient One herself.
If not for their own eyes, they would have sworn the Ancient One had personally descended to destroy the enemy.
"What on earth happened here?"
Mordo and the Guardian reached Anna, helping her to her feet as they asked what had transpired.
Anna, no longer panicked, summarized the events in a few short sentences.
When she finished, the two sorcerers looked at each other, stunned.
Mordo had always known Haruto was strong.
But to break a Black Magic Barrier from the inside—so easily?
That was beyond comprehension.
"Hahaha…"
But the monster didn't despair. He didn't flee.
Instead, he threw back his head and laughed, clutching his face.
"So this is my luck."
"To think I'd run into the next Sorcerer Supreme here, of all places."
"If I kill you now, Lord Dormammu will be very pleased indeed."
His grin widened, his voice dark.
"You think that barrier was only meant to suppress your strength?"
"You're wrong, next Sorcerer Supreme."
"Its true purpose… was to conceal something else."
"And now… now I can unleash my full power."