"I choose to bestow the title of Sanctum Guardian upon you, Haruto."
Arthur spoke with complete sincerity.
After witnessing Senju Haruto's Susanoo in action, Arthur had been utterly shaken. That overwhelming scene was seared into his memory, a power so far beyond his own that it wasn't even the same level—or even the same dimension—of strength.
But Arthur's willingness to hand over the title of Sanctum Guardian wasn't born out of cowardice or weakness. Not at all. He simply believed that Haruto was far better suited to the role, better prepared to stand against the inevitable incursions from the Dark Dimension.
As for himself, all Arthur wanted was to witness Haruto's growth and rise—to see with his own eyes the moment he truly became the Sorcerer Supreme. If he could live to see that day, he would have no regrets.
But before that moment arrived…
"I swear, in the name of Kamar-Taj, to challenge you."
Arthur's voice rang out loud and firm.
His declaration shocked every sorcerer present.
Especially after seeing Haruto's overwhelming power with their own eyes—after watching him annihilate a creature that neither Arthur nor Mordo could even scratch—most would never have dreamed Arthur still had the courage to issue such a challenge.
And yet, that courage itself made the other sorcerers respect him all the more.
Arthur stood tall, gaze locked on Haruto, waiting for his reply. He understood full well that, in Haruto's eyes, a sorcerer of his level was probably negligible, not even worth mentioning.
Respect for one's seniors, adherence to etiquette and tradition… to a genius like Haruto, such things were useless decorations.
Arthur's choice to speak up, to act, came from a different place: he simply didn't want to leave any regrets in his life as a sorcerer.
At the very least, he would have the courage to challenge Haruto. And that alone was enough.
No one present mocked him as reckless or laughed at his audacity. On the contrary, the sorcerers who witnessed this moment were filled with admiration.
Arthur was a man worthy of respect—a true warrior, both in spirit and in strength.
Haruto remained silent. His eyes drifted past Arthur to the other sorcerers gathered behind him.
It wasn't hard to see that many of them, too, were itching for the chance. After all, who wouldn't want to test themselves against someone like him?
Haruto could understand that feeling.
It reminded him of an anime he once watched: One Punch Man. No matter the opponent, Saitama defeated them with a single blow, utterly invincible. And yet Genos and Sonic continued to challenge him again and again.
Even knowing they would lose, they wanted to feel it for themselves—to learn the reason behind his strength, to measure the distance between themselves and him.
Arthur, and the other sorcerers here, surely felt the same way about Haruto.
They wanted to understand why he was so powerful, and just how vast the gap between them truly was.
Haruto's lips curved in a faint smile. He was about to answer Arthur, to respond to the silent challenge of all the others as well, when the familiar voice of his system chimed in his ears:
Congratulations, Host! You have successfully arrived at the New York Sanctum!
Commencing sign-in… Please do not exit midway!
1%… 22%…
"So it begins already," Haruto thought, amused by the timing.
He nodded toward Arthur. "Very well. I accept your challenge. In the name of the Sanctum Guardian."
"Thank you, Sanctum Guardian."
Arthur drew a deep breath and let it out with force. Relief, disbelief, and joy all mixed in his chest. For a moment, he wondered if he had misheard. Another part of him feared Haruto was only humoring him.
But more than anything, Arthur relished this opportunity. To cross blades—metaphorically—with a genius like Haruto would be one of the greatest honors of his career as a sorcerer.
What Arthur did not expect, however, was that Haruto's acceptance went beyond his own challenge.
"To take the title of Sanctum Guardian without contest… surely some among you would feel unwilling."
Haruto's voice was calm but firm.
"Though this title means little to me personally, I am not the type to do things halfway. Either I do it properly, or I don't do it at all. I never play at maybe."
His gaze swept across the hall, steady and unyielding.
"So if there are any among you who dislike me, who doubt me, or who wish to challenge me—save us the trouble. Don't come at me one by one."
"All of you, come at me together."
The words struck like a hammer.
Every sorcerer present drew a sharp breath. Even Arthur froze in shock.
They all knew what this meant. The New York Sanctum alone had over a hundred sorcerers under its protection.
In the films, their numbers often seemed small, downplayed by narrative needs. Even in the climactic battle of Avengers: Endgame, the sorcerers had felt like little more than background support.
But in reality, the three Great Sanctums were not created solely to resist Dormammu.
They existed to safeguard Earth from threats across countless dimensional realms. Dormammu's Dark Dimension was only one of many. Haruto knew of dozens of such realms—and surely more existed beyond those.
The movies never showed them, but that didn't mean they weren't real.
This was no film. This was reality.
And reality filled in the gaps. It patched over the plot holes, fleshed out the missing lore, completed the timeline where the movies were silent.
Like Haruto's own mage trials, which the films never once mentioned.
Thinking back, it made sense. Doctor Strange's path had been unique—he hadn't even fully mastered Kamar-Taj's magic before Kaecilius stole the forbidden texts, allied with Dormammu, and killed the Ancient One.
From there, Strange's rise to Sorcerer Supreme had happened almost by necessity. Mordo's betrayal had left Kamar-Taj fractured, and the story moved forward.
Here, though, things filled themselves in differently.
As these thoughts flickered through his mind, the voice of the system chimed again:
Congratulations, Host! Sign-in complete!
Reward acquired: Cloak of Levitation.
Haruto blinked. "???"
The Cloak of Levitation? Wasn't that Doctor Strange's artifact?
Expressionless, he looked at Arthur and the others while his mind quickly accessed the cloak's details.
"Wait… is this the one from the comics?"
Reading the description, understanding dawned. Just like the Eye of Agamotto he had received before, this cloak bore the same name but served a different purpose.
In the films, the Cloak of Levitation was more like Strange's quirky partner—useful at times, comical at others, but not particularly powerful.
In the comics, however, the cloak was a true artifact of immense power.
It was the prize Strange had earned only after defeating Dormammu himself.
And now, it belonged to Senju Haruto.