Just as Loren was bracing for the worst—ready to fight the Ancient One to the death—a faint smile appeared on her face.
"You five little devils have such fiery tempers. You'll get yourselves hurt if you're not careful!"
She paused, her gaze softening. "That said, your loyalty to your master is commendable. There's a being—one undetectable by soul-sense—leading a host of soulless, unknown lifeforms. Mr. Laurent… you've truly opened my eyes."
Her voice grew gentler. "Don't be afraid. Relax. I told you from the start—I have no intention of harming you. I'm not your enemy. I'm merely… curious."
Hearing this, Loren immediately understood: she had no desire to continue the fight. His tensed shoulders eased, and he dismissed the nano-vibranium suit with a soft hum. He offered an awkward, sheepish smile.
"Master, I'm just an ordinary tinkerer—someone who likes building gadgets. You really don't need to be so curious about me. You're not my enemy… and I'm certainly not yours."
The Ancient One's eyes flickered toward the five women standing protectively behind Loren. "So… these women before me—are they all your 'inventions'?" she asked, a thread of doubt in her voice.
Logically, with her power, spying on Loren should've been trivial. She had countless spells for surveillance, soul-scrying included. Yet every time she'd tried to observe him—whether through mirrors, astral projection, or soul-tracing—a mysterious force had blocked her magic completely.
Not only could she not see him, she couldn't perceive anyone near him. No matter how hard she pushed, the result was always the same: impenetrable silence.
That anomaly had only deepened her curiosity.
She'd originally planned to visit Loren discreetly—but fate had thrown them together today. Unable to resist, she'd launched a sudden assault, hoping to tear through his defenses and glimpse his soul.
Even now, face-to-face, she saw nothing. No aura. No soul-thread. No trace of spiritual signature.
For the Sorcerer Supreme—a being who walks the edges of cosmic law—to be blind to a mortal… that was impossible. Unless something far greater was shielding him.
And if that "something" was powerful enough to hide a man from her, then it was also powerful enough for her to avoid provoking it.
Moreover, she couldn't afford distractions. Rumors from the Dark Dimension had grown urgent. Dormammu's ambition burned hotter than ever—he was preparing to consume Earth once more. Every ounce of her focus was needed to hold that darkness at bay.
And… this young man might prove useful.
Those five women, though not her equal, were formidable. And Loren himself? The way he'd summoned that vibranium battle suit suggested he'd been ready to fight her seriously.
Few dared challenge the Sorcerer Supreme with true intent. Most were fools. But Loren? She suspected he belonged to the rare second category: those who could.
That made him far more valuable alive than antagonized.
At that moment, both the Ancient One and Loren were equally puzzled.
From Loren's perspective, a being of her caliber—someone on par with a "Heavenly Father"—should already know everything about him: his origins, his deeds, his secrets.
Yet her words suggested she only knew his name and little else.
That made no sense.
If this had happened earlier, he might've assumed she was feigning ignorance. But then he remembered: even she couldn't expel his soul from his body.
A realization struck him like lightning.
The system must have blocked her!
He nearly grinned. The system's anti-detection protocols were even better than he'd hoped.
Before, he'd lived in fear—terrified that cosmic powers might uncover him. Now? He felt a wave of relief.
Could even the gods pierce the System's veil?
As long as he didn't recklessly provoke fate, he'd remain hidden—untouchable, for now.
Still… caution was essential.
The system could mask him, yes—but he couldn't save him. If a true cosmic entity decided to erase him, no firewall would stop it.
But now that he knew the Ancient One was flying blind, his fear faded.
As the saying went: Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will win a hundred battles without disaster.
Here? She didn't know him.
She was being polite precisely because she was wary.
Perfect.
If she was going to guess, let her guess wildly. Let her imagination fill the gaps—and paint him as something far more dangerous than he appeared.
He nodded slowly, his voice calm, measured, and laced with quiet mystery.
"I didn't expect you to see through me, Master. You're right—they are my inventions."
He gestured to the five women. "They're a unique lifeform—somewhere between machine and carbon-based organism. That's why you couldn't extract their souls."
He met her eyes, unblinking. "Because they have no souls at all. They exist beyond the rules of this world. So don't waste your magic, Sorcerer Supreme… it's useless."
"A lifeform… beyond the rules?"
Even the Ancient One—custodian of cosmic balance, master of mystic law—was stunned.
The stronger one became, the more one understood: rules could not be broken. Even she operated within their boundaries.
Yet Loren claimed to have created beings that existed outside those laws.
If anyone else had said it, she'd have laughed them off as delusional.
But she'd felt it herself—the unnatural void where 2B and the others should've had souls. Magic slid off them like water off glass. That wasn't illusion. That was truth.
"Your 'minor inventions'," she said slowly, "are already strong enough to dominate this planet. And you call that minor?"
She arched a brow, half-joking. "What happens if you invent something truly groundbreaking? Will you blow up the planet?"
Loren's eyes widened in mock astonishment. "Master! You're incredible—you even know about my great invention! Truly, nothing escapes your notice!"
Then, with a conspiratorial whisper: "You're right… it could destroy a star. But don't worry—I'd never use it here. I live on Earth too, after all. If something's getting blown up… i
t'll be another planet. Or maybe… another dimension."
The Ancient One's calm shattered.
"Huh?! No!!"
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