"So, it's come to this. I have nothing left to hide!"
The creature burst into wild laughter. Even though Senju Haruto had shattered all the black magic barriers using the Eye of Agamotto, the monster still had one hidden trump card. This was the killing move he had originally reserved for a decisive moment—something meant to be used against the Sanctum Guardians or even the Sanctum Sanctorum itself.
But now… not only were the Guardians of the New York Sanctum present, but even the one who might become the next Sorcerer Supreme stood before him. And then there was Mordo. The monster could feel tremendous magical power radiating from Mordo as well.
If he wasn't mistaken, this Mordo—whether or not he held the title of Guardian—was at least on par with one.
To face three sorcerers of such caliber, all at once… if he could drag them to the grave with him, then dying would mean nothing.
Everything was for Lord Dormammu's conquest.
"Let me show you the power bestowed upon me by Lord Dormammu!"
With a roar, scarlet flames ignited from the creature's chest and spread across his entire body. The black haze that cloaked him burned as though set alight.
"What… what is he?" The Guardian of the New York Sanctum gasped sharply. In all his years, he had never witnessed such overwhelming black magic. The sheer intensity eclipsed every foe he had ever faced.
"Something this powerful… appearing in New York?!" The Guardian could hardly believe it.
Even Mordo's face tightened with unease. Never in his worst nightmares had he imagined that what should have been a routine test at Kamar-Taj would spiral into a battle with such a monster.
"It's Dormammu," Haruto said quietly from where he stood on the ground.
As the ruler of the Dark Dimension, Dormammu not only possessed unfathomable strength but could also create life itself through black magic—gifting others with terrifying powers. The creature before them was very likely one of Dormammu's personal creations, imbued with power by his own hand.
Haruto could already sense it: the monster's life force was burning away. His essence was being consumed to fuel his strength. That was his true nature. Created by Dormammu, he was a magical lifeform where life itself was power, and power was his life.
"Quick, the Mirror Dimension!" Mordo shouted suddenly, realization dawning on him. This enemy could not be fought in the open.
The Guardian snapped back to his senses, immediately raising his Sling Ring and beginning to conjure the Mirror Dimension, intending to pull the monster inside where they could contain him. Otherwise, the consequences would be unthinkable.
"No need," Haruto's calm voice cut across the chaos. "We're already in the Mirror Dimension."
Mordo and the Guardian froze, then looked around. Only now did they notice that the ordinary people who had been screaming and running through the streets had all vanished without a trace.
"When did…?" The Guardian was dumbstruck. To slip them into the Mirror Dimension without anyone realizing—he had only ever seen the Ancient One perform such a feat.
"Who exactly is this boy?" The Guardian's heart pounded. In all his memory, Kamar-Taj had never produced a sorcerer like this.
"He… is a participant in this trial. A mere… apprentice." Mordo began to explain, but his voice faltered halfway through.
A sorcerer's apprentice? Who would believe that? This was the same young man who had humiliated over thirty sorcerers in a single exchange—including Kaecilius himself!
"An apprentice? You're telling me someone with this level of power is an apprentice?" The Guardian stared at Mordo in disbelief, searching his face as if to catch a lie.
Even Mordo himself might not have believed it, had he not seen it with his own eyes. But the brutal truth was undeniable.
"Yes. Not only an apprentice… but he's only been at Kamar-Taj for two days," Mordo admitted grimly.
He recounted Haruto's stay: how he had absorbed magical knowledge in the library with unnatural speed, and how, during his very first test, he had accepted Kaecilius's challenge—and utterly annihilated him along with dozens of others in mere moments.
"This…" The Guardian's face hardened as he fell silent. Were it anyone else, or any other time, he would have dismissed Mordo's words as a joke. But the facts stood before him, bloody and undeniable. Even if Mordo had a sense of humor, he would never jest in a moment like this.
And Haruto had just demonstrated it with his own power.
"Let's start with you!"
The creature roared as he unleashed his full might. His body swelled to over forty meters tall. When he swung his arm, he smashed through a block of apartment buildings. His skin was now armored with scales like a dragon's, horns jutted from his brow, and in his hands burned twin blades of living fire. Raising a colossal leg, he brought his foot crashing down toward Haruto.
"Watch out!" The Guardian shouted instinctively. He conjured a pair of crimson whips and lashed them at the monster's body.
But the instant the magical whips struck, they were devoured by the creature's flames and snuffed out.
That was his ability—absorbing the magic of others and transforming it into his own strength.
At the same time, the sorcerers who had come with the Guardian all unleashed their spells, hurling elemental fury at the beast in an attempt to bring him down.
"No! Stop!" Mordo and the Guardian cried out in alarm. They had realized too late.
The magic never harmed the monster. Instead, every spell was swallowed by the flames that cloaked him, fueling his power.
In just a few breaths, his body expanded again—this time to over sixty meters tall.
Such a terrifying ability made even Mordo and the Guardian's scalps prickle with dread.
"There's no choice… we'll have to call the Ancient One," Mordo muttered hoarsely.
But Haruto only raised his head slightly, his gaze fixed on the descending foot above him. He neither dodged nor flinched.
"Magic nullification, huh? It's certainly troublesome," he said calmly. "But unfortunately for you, every magical power has its weakness."
"And your weakness… is me."