Tony couldn't help reminiscing about this miserable past month.
A month ago, Tony was bored with nothing to do after Li Yue left. Mordo then suddenly appeared, looking for Li Yue, but immediately prepared to leave after discovering that Li Yue wasn't there.
However, Tony's curiosity about magic was already piqued by the method of travel that Mordo used. It was basically the same portal as the one Li Yue used, just in a different color.
Tony decided his move just like that. He felt that it would be good to follow Mordo and see legendary magic for himself, as well as look for a way to integrate magic into his Iron Man armor. He should be able to get a nice power upgrade!
Therefore, Tony stopped Mordo from leaving!
Tony offered to go in Li Yue's place. Mordo wanted to refuse: the battle between mages wasn't something that ordinary people should be involved in!
But Kamar-Taj wasn't a totally isolated place. Even Mordo had heard about the Iron Man Tony Stark!
Mordo didn't really agree with Tony's showy method, but it wasn't an exaggeration to call Tony a superhero!
Moreover, Kaecilius had seduced many of the powerful mages of Kamar-Taj, leaving only beginner apprentices that had no battle experience. They would stand no chance against Kaecilius and his followers!
Mordo had come here to seek help from Li Yue anyway, so bringing Iron Man in his place should be alright!
Thus, Mordo reluctantly agreed to Tony's request and returned to Kamar-Taj with the armored Tony, ready to defend against Kaecilius' attack!
...
But the result was obvious. Tony's armor was very powerful, but that was relative to normal people and technology. Against Kaecilius, who could channel Dormammu's power to mold reality as he wished, the armor was basically powerless. The Hong Kong and London Sanctum fell one after another.
Of course, it was mostly because Ancient One was holding back the entire time! If Ancient One used all her strength, Kaecilius and the others would not pose any threat!
New York Sanctum was the only one that remained. Mordo finally told Tony what would happen if the Sanctum was also breached!
Tony panicked a little when he heard that failing to defend New York would result in the consumption of the entire planet by the Dark Dimension. This was his first existential threat, after all.
There were not many combatants left on their side. Only the new librarian Wong, Mage Mordo, and Master Ancient One, who might as well be absent! There was not much they could do to resist the panda-eyed mages whose power had been boosted.
Tony had no choice but to ring up his acquaintance at SHIELD, Nick Fury, and ask to borrow some personnel. Tony might be narcissistic and arrogant, but when the fate of the world hangs in the balance, he had no time to care about saving his little face.
That was just around the time that Nick Fury discovered the Hydra infestation in his agency, which had reached everyone except his few trusted aides!
Nick Fury felt like he was having a really bad sickness. He already had a headache trying to root out the Hydra personnel in his staff, and then Tony asked him to borrow the few staff he had left.
Tony didn't tell Nick about the severity of the matter, so Nick Fury didn't take it all that seriously. He only sent Captain America as support; the Captain wasn't suitable for counter-espionage work anyway.
...
In the end, they were still unable to defend the New York Sanctum from Kaecilius and his follower.
While Ancient One kept her cards hidden, all three sanctuaries were destroyed. Dark Dimension began to invade the sky above New York, slowly devouring the planet!
Thor felt the invasion of immense dark energy while making out with his girlfriend.
Thor had once heard his father say that the Dark Dimension was different from the nine realms. It was deathly silent and filled with dark energy. Very few lifeforms could survive there.
The lord of the Dark Dimension was Dormammu, an existence that could go toe-to-toe with Odin the Allfather. In the Dark Dimension, he was almost immortal!
As for God of Thunder, the guardian of peace in the nine realms, he naturally wouldn't sit idly as the Dark Dimension devoured the Earth. Moreover, his girlfriend was also an Earthling. All the more reason to protect that little planet.
"Jane, Earth is currently under a great disaster. I have to go. Otherwise, the Earth will be devoured by the Dark Dimension."
Thor bid farewell to Jane and quickly flew to New York with the Stormbreaker in his hand.
...
Kaecilius had successfully destroyed the last Sanctum. All he needed to do was to laugh and wait for Dormammu to arrive, but suddenly Ancient One, the Sorcerer Supreme, finally made a move. She crossed her hands in a specific and strange gesture.
Kaecilius had a bad feeling about this. He rushed to stop Ancient One, but his body was slowly becoming stiff, and his movement became slower. His thought froze, and he became a statue, unable to move!
The inconspicuous Eye of Agamotto released a verdant brilliance under the inexplicable gestures of Master Ancient One. The light swept out in all directions at an immense speed, freezing everything that it passed. There was no life left!
When the Dark Dimension began to descend, the streets of New York were filled with countless civilians fleeing in panic, their voices creating a cacophony. But once the green light swept past them, all sounds were erased!
...
Tony watched Ancient One with a shocked expression when that happened. He didn't expect that the unremarkable yet noble bald mage could release such a powerful spell.
The ability to control time was not something that an ordinary person could do. The sight filled Tony with profound feelings!
Captain America was also shocked speechless. He felt that he hadn't just skipped 70 years of his life but stepped into another world entirely.
It was not a big deal that science and technology improved so quickly. It was not a big deal for a superhero wearing high-tech steel armor to appear. Even if he met Li Yue and the God of Thunder from the myths, he could reluctantly accept it.
But who could ever explain this situation to him? He witnessed the unbelievable event of extra-dimensional invasion! And the woman who had watched him fight had been able to control time?
"Even though I've reached the limit of ordinary people, how could there still be unimaginable things beyond my comprehension?"
Captain America felt that his worldview had collapsed. He felt like he wanted to crawl back and freeze himself in arctic ice again. Of course, he did not know that his 50-50 passive attribute was the strongest!
"This world is too crazy!"
Captain America sadly found that his thoughts could not keep up with this changing world.
...
While they were still shocked by Ancient One's power, a figure holding a hammer in his left hand and an axe in his right suddenly descended from the sky. It was the God of Thunder, Thor, who had rushed here!
Of course, Ancient One had long sensed Thor's aura and let him move in this stopped time. Otherwise, he would also be trapped in the air!
"Well, everyone is here, so let's go and say hello to Dormammu!"