"No!"
Seeing the other person stab through the Ancient One, Strange hurriedly cried out.
However, the Ancient One was after all a Sorcerer Supreme. Even though she was severely injured, she still clenched her teeth and cast a spell. Suddenly, a black beam shot out from her fingertips, instantly splitting the cult leader opposite her in two.
But how should it be said...
You should know that the enemies present were not limited to just one person.
After casting the spell, the Ancient One finally lost the last of her strength. The middle-aged man behind her wearing a scarlet robe immediately kicked her, sending her flying out like a torn sack.
And even that was not the end. The middle-aged man suddenly raised his hand and drew in mid-air, and a circular portal instantly appeared.
The Ancient One fell into it like a kite with its string cut, straight down.
Seeing this, Strange immediately became anxious. Fortunately, his talent was indeed high. He spotted the specific location opposite the portal in mid-air at a glance and quickly drew another portal for himself, then hurriedly pushed his wheelchair into it, intending to rescue her.
Unlike in the original story, the Ancient One did not fall from mid-air this time.
But the sneak attack with this sword was exceptionally severe.
You should know that this was the power of Cha'garoth, specially bestowed by "Sargeras". The fearsome beast Cha'garoth is located in the mountains of the Land of Fear, in the second layer of the abyss, its power ranking even stronger than the barren plains of the abyss. A normal creature could not survive this knife without dying, even if they were a Sorcerer Supreme.
When Strange arrived.
He found the Ancient One had already fallen into a pool of blood, unconscious.
Without time to think further, Strange hastily drew a portal in mid-air, then struggled to drag the Ancient One to the hospital where he had previously worked.
"Christine! Christine!!!"
As soon as he arrived, Strange hurriedly dragged the Ancient One forward and called out.
At this moment, a woman was organizing the operating room ahead. Hearing the sound, she first paused, then turned around with a bit of confusion: "...Stephen?"
Turning her head around was not a big deal until she saw the Ancient One on the ground covered in blood.
"My God!"
Christine, seeing this, screamed in shock: "What are you doing!?"
"Calm down, Christine."
Strange quickly said: "I know you have a lot of questions... but we need to save her first, she must undergo surgery immediately!"
"I thought you killed her!"
Christine almost reflexively said: "Wait, what's with your hands and the clothes on your body? Oh God, don't tell me you've joined that Titan cult or something..."
"On the contrary, I am fighting against that cult."
Strange immediately said: "But speaking of which, has this cult become so famous?"
"Now the whole nation is afraid of this cult. A few congress members were found dead in their homes a few days ago, obviously their doing." Christine said as she ran over to lift the Ancient One onto the operating table: "And what's the situation with this lady?"
"She's my magic mentor."
Strange said as he began to put on gloves to prepare for surgery: "She was stabbed, probably a cardiac tamponade. You start by drawing out the blood clots..."
"No, she doesn't have a pulse anymore!"
Christine glanced back at the monitoring equipment and yelled at Strange, "All reflexes are gone, and brain activity has completely ceased..."
Strange paused slightly upon hearing this.
However, he quickly thought of something. With a single thought, his soul left his body, and indeed, he saw the Ancient One's spirit slowly rising and then drifting in a direction.
"What are you doing?"
As Strange chased after her, he urgently shouted, "Come back, you're about to die!"
However, the Ancient One paid him no attention and flew straight towards the outside of the hospital. Seeing this, Strange had no choice but to follow, only to find the Ancient One suddenly stopped.
"You must return to your body immediately; there's no time left."
Strange rushed over and said.
"I know that magic, the Fear Fangs of Cha'garoth." However, the Ancient One's expression was very calm, she didn't even turn to look at Strange: "I'm out of time, Strange."
"There are exceptions to everything..."
Strange tried to persuade her.
"Some things don't."
The Ancient One said with a smile and shook her head: "I've been peering into the future for many years, but I've seen this moment coming. By the way, do you want to know your own future?"
"I..."
Strange hesitated: "What will my future be like?"
"I can only see some vague possibilities," the Ancient One said: "You always extend kindness to others and excel, but you know what? It's not your desire for success that drives you, but rather your deep fear of failure."
"It made me a top doctor."
Strange said.
"But it's also exactly what prevents you from truly transcending," the Ancient One said with a light laugh: "Arrogance and fear prevent you from understanding the simplest truth, that it's not just about yourself."
"What?"
Strange was also taken aback.
"Mages can draw power from other dimensions and infuse it into their bodies," the Ancient One said: "Like Pangborn you mentioned earlier, although he is paralyzed, he can walk using magic."
"Can I stand up again too?"
Strange couldn't help but ask.
"Of course," the Ancient One nodded and said: "You can go back to your life, continue being a top doctor, but... the world might become incomplete as a result."
"Do you want me to take up your mantle?"
Strange was not foolish; he had vaguely guessed her intentions long ago: "But I can't become the next Sorcerer Supreme, I'm not qualified."
"No one ever is," the Ancient One said, shaking her head with a smile.
"No, I think Master Fang Mo might be able to," Strange suddenly said: "His mastery of magic is very strong, I've seen him shatter half a building with a single punch, I think he's more suited to be the Sorcerer Supreme."
Upon hearing this, the Ancient One could no longer laugh.
"What's wrong?" Doctor Strange, unaware of the intricacies involved, asked with confusion, "He's not willing?"
"Master Fang Mo comes from another world; he does not belong here."
After a moment of silence, the Ancient One reluctantly explained, "His personality is too carefree and casual, and he has no reverence for life and death, making him unsuitable to be the Sorcerer Supreme."
Hearing the Ancient One's explanation, Doctor Strange thought of the hellish jokes Fang Mo would blurt out and unconsciously nodded, "Uh, okay, he is indeed like that..."
"For centuries, I have been drawing power from the Dark Dimension to extend my life," the Ancient One said again, "I loathe this aspect of myself, but sometimes, someone must break the rules. A small sacrifice is necessary to protect this world from the hands of dimensional demons; that's the price."
Doctor Strange looked at the Ancient One with a bit of surprise, feeling a sense of admiration. Drawing power from darkness was an absolute taboo, meaning she had been misunderstood by everyone for centuries, alone in guarding this world.
"What should I do?" Doctor Strange hesitated before asking.
"Go find Master Fang Mo and tell him of my death."
The Ancient One said directly, "Do not grieve for me. Being freed from the painful cycle of drawing dark power is a good thing. Master Fang Mo must have been waiting for this moment for a long time. Tell him all about it."
"I... understand," Doctor Strange said, his voice heavy.
"Look at this snow, how beautiful," the Ancient One suddenly said, "I haven't taken a good look at snow for a long time. Stay with me for a while longer."
Doctor Strange instinctively looked forward.
In just a moment of distraction, the Ancient One's spirit had already disappeared.
Seeing this, Doctor Strange felt complicated inside. The Ancient One had been a benefactor, teaching him much about magic and life, even sacrificing herself for him. His mood was indeed heavy.
But remembering her words.
Perhaps death was indeed a release for her.
Doctor Strange told himself not to be too sad; he should be happy for her release. Taking a deep breath, he began to control his spirit to float back toward the operating room.
On his way back, Doctor Strange pondered how to notify Fang Mo.
He had heard their bickering before and wondered why Fang Mo looked forward to his friend's death. Now he understood the deep meaning behind it; Fang Mo had always been hoping for the Ancient One's release.
Yet, he had still blamed Fang Mo for being a freak.
Thinking this, Doctor Strange felt a twinge of self-reproach.
However, as Doctor Strange's spirit was passing through the last wall, ready to return to his body, he was suddenly stunned to see Fang Mo already present.
And it wasn't just Fang Mo; several familiar figures stood behind him, carrying a huge coffin. Fang Mo, with excitement and exhilaration on his face, held a string of paper money in one hand and a suona in the other, excitedly pacing back and forth in the operating room.
Doctor Strange was completely astonished at this sight.
~~~
A bit late, I'm doing the next tier ($20) in Patreon! It's gonna be 100 Chapters you can read in Advanced. If you subscribe, Nothing gonna change in WN though? That's why I just didn't upload yesterday, just go immerse but here you go.
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