"Alaric!!"
Dormammu roared furiously in the Dark Dimension.
Alaric had escaped him once again!
And this time, he didn't even manage to kill him once, he couldn't even force him to use time magic!
For Dormammu, that was completely unacceptable!
It was clear to him that Alaric had always been just a tiny insect in his eyes, that without that powerful time magic, he was nothing!!
And now he had actually managed to repel him with his own strength!
Even escaped from him?!
Dormammu couldn't comprehend that something like this could happen to him!
Wait a minute!
Dormammu suddenly calmed down.
"Yes… why did he manage to escape me? His power… the level of a single universe!?"
Dormammu recalled the power Alaric had just displayed and was shocked!
Single universe level?
What the hell is going on!
How much time had even passed, and Alaric's strength had already grown to that point!?
How did he do it!?
Dormammu was full of doubts.
If he remembered correctly, the first time he met Alaric, he seemed like an ordinary novice from Kamar-Taj, didn't he?
Aside from the talent that surprised him then, there was nothing special.
The second time, although he made Dormammu work a bit, if it hadn't been for Alaric's strange magic that could forcibly steal power and force compromise, he could've crushed him like a bug without any problem.
But the third time they met, Alaric actually managed to push him back?
What the hell, how much talent does one need to progress this fast?
Even Dormammu had never strengthened this quickly!
"No, Alaric is growing too fast, we must deal with him as soon as possible!!"
Dormammu felt he could no longer allow Alaric to continue growing.
If it happened that one day Alaric suddenly reached multiversal level and came to the same rank as him, he feared he would then be forced to leave the Dark Dimension.
Dormammu clearly saw that Alaric had his eyes on the Dark Dimension!
Especially because Alaric's small dimensional world could be merged with the Dark Dimension!
Dormammu didn't believe that Alaric wouldn't attack him then!
Instead of believing in the kindness of an enemy, it's better to strike first!
Dormammu couldn't endure it any longer!
Since he couldn't go to Earth and deal with Alaric personally, let the people of Earth help him!!
...
Temple in Hong Kong.
Kaecilius was sitting in the meditation room, holding a magical book and reading, while drawing some magic circles on the floor.
Based on his memory, he was sketching an unknown summoning ritual from the Book of Cagliostro.
Through transcription, and then with the help of contents from various magical books, he was slowly interpreting the spell of that ritual.
Kaecilius had no other way to research the secrets of the Ancient One.
However, no matter how much he tried with known magical formulas, he couldn't successfully activate this summoning ritual.
"Do I have to bring that book with me?"
Kaecilius muttered, considering the possibility of stealing it.
He knew it would be very difficult, as it was a book only the Ancient One could fully understand; ordinary mages couldn't even read it, let alone borrow it.
Therefore, if he wanted to have it in his hands, he probably had to snatch it.
Just as Kaecilius was staring at the book and thinking, he didn't notice that the summoning ritual he had drawn, full of errors—suddenly shimmered.
As the magic circle, under an unknown force, reshaped into the correct form, the entire array lit up with a black glow!
"Who's there!?"
Kaecilius snatched the book from the floor, jumped to a corner, and cautiously observed the black glow of the summoning circle in the meditation room.
He clearly felt a strong dark aura radiating from that formation.
He couldn't help but suspect: wasn't this summoning ritual recorded in the magical books of Kamar-Taj?
Then why was it summoning such a powerful dark force?
Or had he drawn it incorrectly!?
"You wonder why?"
"Who are you?!"
Kaecilius asked cautiously.
"Go ahead, speak your doubts, I will answer all your questions!"
The deep voice was full of temptation.
"I… I want to know the secret of the Supreme Sorcerer Ancient One's immortality. May I?!"
Kaecilius hesitated, but decided to speak.
"The secret of eternal life? Hahaha!"
"What are you laughing at?!"
"Her secret, don't you already see it?"
In the Dark Dimension, Dormammu laughed silently.
Even he hadn't expected that a mage from Kamar-Taj would draw a ritual that summoned him.
At first, he was searching for some dark sorcerer on Earth who would believe in him.
Then he sensed that someone was trying to summon him, but because the ritual was incorrectly drawn and the spell inaccurate, the summoning failed.
That's why Dormammu thought: who better than this one. He helped a little, and unexpectedly, what a surprise!
What better dark sorcerer than one who used to be a Kamar-Taj mage?
Especially someone who willingly renounced their faith!
Dormammu was more than pleased with Kaecilius!
"You mean… the Supreme Sorcerer Ancient One actually used dark power to achieve immortality!?"
"I don't believe it!!"
This completely twisted revelation enraged Kaecilius!
The Ancient One, whom he admired so much, the supreme mage of white magic, had actually secretly used dark power!?
The Ancient One had actively betrayed the Vishanti!?
Kaecilius simply couldn't believe this was true.
He thought that even if the Ancient One possessed some powerful knowledge and thereby achieved longevity, it was all within the domain of white magic.
Never as this voice claimed, that the Ancient One had fallen into darkness!
At that moment, it was as if his faith collapsed; his thoughts were in complete chaos.
"If you don't believe it, then I will show you!"
The voice in the magic circle fell silent, and a black beam suddenly shot straight into Kaecilius's forehead.
With such speed that he didn't have time to react!
Then Kaecilius stood still, as if suspended in place.
Only after a long time did his eyes move, and he woke up.
"Hahaha! So that's it! So that's how eternal life is obtained, is it, Ancient One!"
"But it doesn't matter, I've already uncovered your secret!"
"Great Lord Dormammu! Please, grant me that same power!!"
Kaecilius had seen scenes of transactions between the Ancient One and Dormammu, and discovered the greatest secret she had hidden!
Then Kaecilius decided to completely abandon the identity of a Kamar-Taj mage and without hesitation threw himself into Dormammu's embrace.
"I accept! And besides immortality, I will grant you even greater power!!"
As Dormammu finished his sentence, dense dark energy emerged from the magic circle and completely enveloped Kaecilius.
In that darkness, Kaecilius felt himself becoming stronger and laughed coldly.
"Kamar-Taj… Ancient One… Just wait!!"