Strange hurriedly floated back to his body. Just as Palmer was about to place the defibrillator on his chest, he immediately exited his astral form and stopped her.
"Don't rush."
"Ah—!!!"
Palmer screamed the moment she saw Strange suddenly appear in front of her, startling even Karl, who stood nearby.
"Relax, Christine—be careful not to shock yourself with the defibrillator."
Strange tried his best to calm her. He knew that anyone seeing this would be frightened.
"Stephen?! You… oh my God—what am I seeing?!"
Palmer held the defibrillator in both hands, completely frozen. Her mind had effectively stopped working—she was scared stiff.
"This is my soul."
Palmer glanced at Strange lying motionless on the operating table, then at the Strange floating in midair. For a moment, her brain simply couldn't process it.
"You… are you dead?"
she asked cautiously.
"That's a good question. Not yet—but if you keep delaying, that might change."
Strange pointed at his body, then at the heart monitor, which had already flatlined into a straight line.
"Oh… oh… right…"
Palmer steadied herself and quickly stepped forward, raising the defibrillator to shock him—but Strange stopped her again.
"No need for that right now. Go get a large syringe. My body is in cardiac tamponade—you need to drain the fluid first."
Strange began guiding Palmer through saving his own life. Although she had assisted him in several surgeries, acting as the lead surgeon was still a bit too soon for her.
Palmer prepared the equipment and held the syringe over Strange's chest, hesitating as she tried to figure out where to insert it.
"Start here—then a little higher."
Strange reached into his own body and indicated the spot for insertion.
Sure enough, under Strange's astral guidance, a faint glow spread across his chest cavity, while one spot remained dark—the accumulated fluid was there.
Following that spot, Palmer inserted the needle in one decisive motion. At the same time, she glanced at Strange's wound and asked,
"I've never seen a wound like this. It looks like it was caused by a sharp object, but not quite the same… what stabbed you?"
"I'm not sure. Probably some kind of fragment. I didn't even have time to react before I was hit."
Strange actually knew the answer, but he wasn't sure how to explain it yet. He would have to tell Palmer everything later.
Meanwhile, Kacilius's male subordinate had somehow crawled out through the glass door—but only his soul emerged, not his body.
He glanced at the still-active portal and, without hesitation, passed through it, arriving at the hospital.
Inside the operating room, Palmer was focused on draining the fluid from Strange's chest, while the subordinate quietly peeked inside. He assumed that in his astral state, no one could detect him—but his plan was completely flawed.
Strange, who was guiding Palmer, as well as Karl and Wanda, who were watching from the side, all saw him clearly. The only one unaware was Palmer, an ordinary human.
"Focus on guiding her. Leave this one to me," Karl said, glancing at Strange.
"I'll leave it to you."
With that, Strange stopped paying attention to the intruder and continued guiding Palmer.
Bang—!
A gunshot suddenly rang out, deafening in the operating room. Karl held the Judgment Breaker, smoke still curling from its barrel.
The subordinate's arm exploded instantly—blasted clean off by a single shot. Panic-stricken, he tried to flee, but Karl wasn't about to let him escape.
"Wanda, seal the area."
Wanda nodded. Scarlet energy surged outward, enveloping the entire operating room before pulling it into the Mirror Dimension.
Clearly, Wanda's Mirror Dimension was different from the Ancient One's. The fractured, glass-like edges glowed dark red, and the space itself was dimmer, tinged with an ominous crimson hue that added an air of mystery.
The subordinate attempted to force his way out, but two green wind blades were already flying toward him.
With a sharp whoosh, he dodged the first—but the second cleanly severed his other arm.
"Ah—!!! I'll kill you!!!"
The man lunged at Karl, his entire body erupting in blinding light.
"Not good! He's about to detonate his soul!" Strange shouted.
This was a suicidal technique—detonating one's soul released massive spiritual energy that would surge into others, triggering their souls into violent instability and ultimately causing a chain explosion.
"Tch."
Karl scoffed. A move like this was nothing more than suicide.
In an instant, flames tinged with yellow and blue burst from Karl's body, engulfing the subordinate's swelling soul.
"Ah—!!!"
The blazing fire mercilessly burned his soul. He writhed in place, desperate to lunge at Karl, but the searing pain left him unable to take even a single step. The agony, striking directly at his soul, gradually stripped away his consciousness, until his screams faded and he dissolved into nothingness.
The Flames of Rebirth of the Undying Bird were especially devastating to souls—capable of healing, yet equally capable of reducing them to ash.
Palmer heard the screams but saw nothing. All she witnessed was Karl firing into empty air, followed by flashes of green and yellow.
Once the subordinate was utterly destroyed, Wanda dispelled the Mirror Dimension.
Meanwhile, under Strange's guidance, Palmer had successfully drained the fluid and begun suturing the wound.
"Nicely done, Christine. You're a qualified cardiothoracic surgeon now—you might even be due for a promotion," Strange said half-jokingly.
Palmer rolled her eyes without responding, though her hands pressed a bit harder as she stitched him up.
After finishing the sutures, Strange returned to his body and regained consciousness.
"I can't believe you disappeared for months, then suddenly show up again—and can even fly out of your own body!"
Palmer muttered as she bandaged his wound.
"Ahem… Wanda and I will go take a walk. You two talk…"
Karl coughed awkwardly, then quickly dragged Wanda out of the operating room, unwilling to play third wheel between Strange and Palmer.
Inside the operating room, Strange gave Karl a silent thumbs-up before turning to Palmer.
"I've missed you too, Christine. I sent you a lot of emails, but you never replied."
"Why should I reply? You disappeared without a word, left me behind for months—I searched everywhere and couldn't find you. And you think a few emails are enough to brush me off?"
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