[Fourth Reward: Spirit raised to B-, Energy raised to C, obtain Sorcerer Supreme Halo (S-Rank).]
[Sorcerer Supreme Halo (S-Rank): You may take one item out of its original World, retaining its original effects; cooldown and item scope scale with host's power.]
Ancient One's halo reward was simpler than the ones Fang Yuan unlocked himself—only a single effect.
At first glance it might seem useless; it's just taking one item out, something Fang Yuan could already do.
But the key is the next line—retaining the item's original effects!
Every World is different; many items are exclusive to their home Worlds and lose power once removed.
In short, they lose their World Buffs and plot-armor bonuses.
Yet the Sorcerer Supreme Halo ignores those differences, letting items function identically elsewhere.
Fang Yuan immediately knew what he wanted to take—
Infinity Stones!
Everyone knows Infinity Stones only work in their native World; elsewhere they're useless.
Like the pile of stones propping up desks in the Time Variance Authority.
There are rare exceptions—Infinity Ultron and Dark Strange in What If kept their stones active in other Marvel Worlds.
But no matter what, Infinity Stones never work outside the Marvel umbrella.
In Marvel-DC crossovers, for instance, the stones are powerless in the DC Universe.
Understandable: containing infinite possibilities, the stones can't be allowed to break other franchises.
Now, with the Sorcerer Supreme Halo, Fang Yuan could bring the stones to any World!
"This is… fantastic!" His grin uncontrollable, he released a clone and ducked into the Mirror Dimension to laugh out loud.
"Hahahahaha!"
Before, Fang Yuan hadn't been too keen on the Infinity Stones.
Collecting them was just to keep them out of Thanos's and other maniacs' hands.
Even if he got them, they'd only work here; for a multiversal traveler they were just a Timed Ticket.
But now everything changed.
If the stones worked in other Universes, Fang Yuan wouldn't be polite.
"Treasures, all my treasures!"
Even the usually calm Fang Yuan couldn't help turning into Gollum.
Sweet!
So sweet!
Sorcerer Supreme is too sweet!
After a while he finally calmed down and returned to reality.
Ancient One's spell reached its finale; she wove seals, flinging obstructing Chitauri ships into the Mirror Dimension and moving every revived casualty to safety.
A battlefield can stack people and objects; she had to ensure the resurrected weren't hurt again.
On live feeds, ruined New York rebuilt in minutes—skyscrapers, cars, homes, citizens restored, even the wounded healed by the Time Reversal!
Everyone witnessed a Miracle.
"Ugh… pfft!"
As the reversal finished, Ancient One in the sky frowned and spat a mouthful of blood, dyeing her yellow robes crimson.
Her magic light vanished; in pain she plummeted, drawing screams from the crowd.
Fang Yuan was ready, opening a portal to let her land safely and preventing the Sorcerer Supreme from dying on impact again.
People rushed to check; she had saved all of New York and they cared deeply.
Of course, every camera was still rolling.
Fang Yuan examined her, cast a flurry of obscure spells, and finally she woke.
Everyone rejoiced, but Fang Yuan's face was heavy.
"How is she?" Tony asked urgently.
Ancient One had saved his parents; Tony cared deeply too.
"Sigh…" Fang Yuan exhaled. "Last time, reviving just me drained her; she rested two years yet never fully recovered."
"This time she reversed all of New York, resurrecting over four hundred thousand people!" he said, heartbroken. "She's burned out every drop of magic—she can never cast again."
"What?"
"My god!"
Everyone was stunned—Ancient One had paid such a price!
They looked at her with pity; a mage without magic must be devastated… yeah, right.
Fang Yuan sensed she was overjoyed.
Telepathy didn't work on her, but after all their time together he could tell: when he said she'd lost her magic, her burdens lifted and her face brightened.
Ancient One struggled to her feet; Fang Yuan quickly helped her up.
In front of the crowd, the devoted-master-and-pupil act had to be flawless.
"Trading my magic for the resurrection of more than four hundred thousand people is absolutely worth it!" The Ancient One declared resolutely, her unwavering bearing winning everyone over.
Fang Yuan raised an eyebrow; he hadn't expected the Ancient One to be so slick with pretty words—clearly all those acting manuals hadn't been wasted.
He glanced at her character card: her fame had shot straight to 168 and then refused to budge.
After resurrecting four-hundred-plus thousand on a global livestream, fame only hits 168? Looks like after 150 the climb is nigh-impossible.
"But without magic, what will the Sorcerer Supreme do from now on?" a reporter asked.
The Ancient One looked momentarily dazed, then smiled: "Perhaps… try living as an ordinary person."
Seeing the questions winding down, Fang Yuan quickly stepped in: "Sorry, everyone—the Sorcerer Supreme needs to return to Kamar-Taj for treatment."
Her fame couldn't rise any further; lingering would only steal the Avengers' spotlight.
Tony and the others still had room for their fame to grow.
A proper Vought controller knows when to cash in and start angling for the next gain.
With that, no one blocked them; Fang Yuan opened a portal and took the Ancient One back to Kamar-Taj, where Wong and the other sorcerers had been waiting.
Even the Kamar-Taj sorcerers had been kept in the dark about this act.
Fang Yuan hadn't forgotten their deal: the Ancient One's talent contract ran only to 2017; once Doctor Strange rose, she would retire.
Of course Fang Yuan wouldn't let her leave so easily. With Kamar-Taj's current setup—and his own presence—he had no idea how Stephen Strange could still succeed her, but either way he wouldn't let her simply "dog-die."
So Fang Yuan gave her a sound suggestion.
She had been Sorcerer Supreme too long; though her body counted only a few centuries, the timelines she'd witnessed inside the Time Stone made her true age terrifying.
No wonder she was weary and longed for the mundane.
Figuring she was sick to death of the title, Fang Yuan thought: then just quit.
"Kamar-Taj won't collapse without you!"
"Step down as Sorcerer Supreme and go be a normal human." That was his advice.
She'd been detached from real life too long; letting her taste its full spectrum again might rekindle her will to live.
Would it work?
She accepted his proposal.
To Fang Yuan that was the best start: it showed she still wanted to live.
Otherwise she'd never have agreed to such a whimsical idea.
The moment Fang Yuan declared she could no longer use magic, her new life began.
The Kamar-Taj mages were unsettled by her loss; they'd grown used to the Sorcerer Supreme's presence.
Still, as mages they adapted quickly, respecting her sacrifice and her choice to become ordinary.
Now the key question: who would lead Kamar-Taj next?
Though powerless, she still commanded their loyalty, yet since she intended to leave, the sanctuary needed a new pillar.
"A-hem."
Fang Yuan cleared his throat.
With the Sorcerer Supreme gone, wasn't the Chief Sorcerer still here?
The Kamar-Taj mages turned their gazes to him.
Though he'd arrived only recently, they all acknowledged his strength and had seen him fight for Earth.
If he succeeded her, no one would object.
Not even the ever-awkward Mordo.
"For now, Kamar-Taj's affairs shall be handled by…" the Ancient One said with her usual calm smile, "Master Hamir."
"Huh?"
Gasps rippled through the hall—it wasn't Fang Yuan?
(｀へ´)
Fang Yuan shot her a fierce glare—baldy, you've gone too far, clearly aiming at me!
Careful or I'll cut your water and power.
She ignored his murderous stare.
"Master Fang Yuan has important tasks ahead; for the time being Master Hamir will oversee matters," she explained.
"Hm?"
Sensing deeper meaning, Fang Yuan held his tongue until the crowd dispersed, then approached her.
"Come with me." She spoke before he could.
Let's see what excuse you've got, he thought, following her to the New York Sanctum and up to its rooftop.
"Here?"
His face twitched; this spot, coupled with the timing of the Battle of New York, felt far too sensitive.
She pushed open the rooftop door, and he spotted the Hulk sprawled there.
Meeting his startled gaze, she turned and smiled: "I told you we had a visitor."
You will get 90 chapter ahead for this fanfiction.
patreon.com /AZofficial