An unprecedented suffocating pressure crushed down on Madame Viper's mind, her vision blurring at the edges.
Everyone who witnessed the scene shared the same thought:
Madame Viper was finished.
She and Senju Haruto were not even on the same level.
For him, ending her was as easy as crushing an ant.
Arthur clasped his hands behind his back, making no move to interfere.
He had never thought much of Madame Viper. If the Ancient One hadn't instructed them never to intervene in mortal conflicts, Arthur would have wiped out Hydra's remnants himself long ago.
Now, seeing Haruto act, he felt nothing but satisfaction.
But—
Just as Madame Viper's consciousness was about to slip into darkness, a voice whispered in her ear.
A voice she knew well.
The very being who had granted her eternal youth and immunity to every toxin in existence—an Elder God.
"Give me your body."
The low, chilling murmur of Chthon seeped into her mind.
He had never been interested in possessing her body before. But as she hovered on the brink of death, their pact allowed him to sense her fading state.
More importantly, he had noticed the magic Haruto wielded.
Chaos Magic.
A magic so rare, so unique, that almost no one in existence could command it.
And Chaos Magic was one of his own creations.
The sudden appearance of another wielder on Earth stirred Chthon's curiosity.
But the Earth was guarded—by the three great Sanctums and the Sorcerer Supreme.
He could not descend in person without upsetting the balance, without igniting a war with Kamar-Taj.
That was not a conflict he desired now.
Still, his fascination with Haruto burned.
And so Chthon made his choice: he would borrow Madame Viper's body.
Under normal circumstances, she would have refused. She would never willingly allow another to take over her flesh.
But now she understood one truth clearly.
Only Chthon's power could change the situation.
Only his strength could stop Haruto.
Only he could save her.
"I… agree," she said reluctantly, bitterness filling her chest.
Between surrendering her body and dying here, she chose survival.
Hydra's grand plan was far from complete.
The instant she consented, Chthon's soul burst through the final barrier and flooded into her.
Her eyes, which had been on the verge of closing, snapped wide open, blood-red swallowing the whites until nothing remained.
Her muscles swelled, her body warping under the invasion.
The scarlet particles choking her neck scattered violently apart.
Then came the surge of black magic, pouring outward in waves of suffocating malice.
The sudden eruption stunned everyone present.
Arthur's scalp prickled in terror. In his knowledge, not even Dormammu's strongest heralds had wielded such a level of power.
Instinctively, he called upon white magic, determined to strike her down.
Even if he was no longer a Guardian of the Sanctum, merely a common sorcerer, it was still his duty.
A beam of milky-white light blazed across the No-Door Bar, hurtling toward Madame Viper's body.
But the magic slammed into an unseen barrier. Part of the spell was absorbed, and the rest rippled outward like waves across a dark pond.
Senju Haruto narrowed his eyes.
This was not Madame Viper's strength.
Not even close.
Even as one of Hydra's highest-ranking leaders, even with her pact with Chthon, she should not possess this power.
This was something greater—something that could balance even Chaos Magic.
The Eye of Agamotto. Open.
At Haruto's command, the artifact responded.
While his Byakugan was formidable, when it came to discerning magical truth, the Eye of Agamotto surpassed it.
A third eye manifested on his brow, glowing with divine clarity.
Through it, Haruto pierced straight through Madame Viper's body.
Her soul was gone.
And within that flesh now resided a far older, far darker one.
If he was not mistaken…
The true identity of the invader—
Was none other than the Elder God himself.
Chthon.
"How interesting," Haruto murmured, lips curving into a smile.
Madame Viper had been nothing but a minor character to him. A single thought, a single finger, would have been enough to erase her.
Hardly worth his time.
But Chthon was different.
One of the primal Elder Gods, among the first lifeforms on Earth.
Even beings like Mephisto and Dormammu had drawn upon Chthon's power.
He was Earth's very first—and strongest—master of black magic.
Even Wanda Maximoff's powers traced back to him.
But…
No human body could ever contain Chthon's full might.
Not even Madame Viper's.
"You don't look surprised," Chthon said, speaking now through her mouth, his voice heavy with contempt.
He had expected shock, awe, fear.
But Haruto's expression was calm—far too calm.
As if the power of an Elder God meant nothing before him.
"Chthon. The Elder God," Haruto said evenly. "The first master of black magic on Earth."
He spoke the name aloud without hesitation, as though dismissing him with a casual remark.
The crowd erupted.
At first, they had been astonished by the immense black magic radiating from Madame Viper's body.
But never—never—had they imagined this.
That the will inhabiting her body…
Was the legendary Elder God himself.
Chthon.
If they stayed, they would all die.
Panic seized the room, sending sorcerers scrambling to escape.
Arthur stood frozen, speechless. He had never expected to face such a figure here, of all places.
But retreat was not an option.
He was a sorcerer of Earth. It was his duty to protect it.
No matter Chthon's identity or power, Arthur would not turn away.
Unlike those fleeing in terror, he stood firm.
He began chanting, calling upon the Vishanti, drawing endless streams of white magic into his hands.
"If it's you," Arthur roared, "then I cannot let you remain!"
With a final shout, he unleashed his magic, pouring it all against Chthon, determined to drive him out of Madame Viper's body.