Drop! Drop! Drop!
Master John, who was completely unconscious, slowly felt something tapping on his face, accompanied by a dripping sound. The sensation felt familiar, but he couldn't quite place it.
Think hard.
Oh, it's water!
When he realized it was water, John's consciousness quickly returned. He opened his mouth subconsciously, felt the sweet water droplets flowing in, and swallowed.
At the same time, past scenes rapidly surfaced in his mind.
Bloody Living Room, Rooftop, Black-robed Man, Sling Ring, Sacrificial Formation...
Snap!
John's sense of touch returned. He felt the cold ground and the water drops falling on his body. He tried to open his eyes.
"Instructor!"
A familiar face came into view, and John shouted, his voice hoarse. Then, as if remembering something, he quickly looked back at his unconscious companions lying nearby.
John sighed in relief. At least no one had died.
Then, he saw it.
A stiff man in black robes and a huge snake.
His body trembled involuntarily, and he quickly turned to Kaecilius. "Instructor, Snake."
Unexpectedly,
Snort!
Kaecilius snorted coldly. "That is your savior."
The other sorcerers began to wake up. Seeing the frozen black-robed man and the giant basilisk, their initial fright turned to surprise and joy.
Lockhart watched as the sorcerers woke up, then retracted the spell and waved his wand again. Transparent ripples covered the seven sorcerers, drying all the moisture on their bodies, including their hair and clothes. Stains and dust vanished.
Feeling the changes, the sorcerers chorused, "Thank you, Master Lockhart."
Then, turning to their instructor, they quickly added, "Thank you, Instructor."
"Do you have brains in your heads?" Kaecilius scolded with a cold face. "You separated even though you knew something was off."
Turning to John, he continued, "John, why did you order the separation? If it weren't for Master Lockhart, your souls would have fallen into Dormammu's hands."
His tone softened slightly, but there was still a trace of relief. If all these sorcerers had been sacrificed, he wouldn't know how to explain it to the other sorcerers later.
John and the others hung their heads in silence. John had thought the presence of the instructor and Master Lockhart would be enough, but the enemy had set a trap instead of engaging directly.
Kaecilius, seeing their expressions, continued his reprimand with a stern face. Then, he turned to Lockhart with gratitude. "Thank you for your help, Lockhart."
Lockhart smiled. "This is what I should do. Thank goodness nothing too bad happened."
He waved his wand, and the seven Sling Rings from the black-robed man's pocket floated into the hands of their respective sorcerers. They quickly put them on, feeling the resonance of magic and their Sling Rings, a sense of security returning.
Especially John, who had watched his Sling Ring being taken away, the feeling of powerlessness left a deep impression.
Kaecilius reminded them, "Thank Master Lockhart. If it weren't for his summoned beast, you would be with Dormammu now."
"Thank you, Master Lockhart," John and the others said quickly. Seeing the giant yellow eyes and the basilisk hissing, they hesitated but then bowed. "Thank you, Mr. Giant Snake."
Kaecilius nodded slightly and began to reprimand them again, emphasizing vigilance and the dangers of separating without certainty.
Lockhart watched with interest as Kaecilius scolded the sorcerers, thinking back to his own apprentices.
After a moment, he called the basilisk, which began to shrink.
Under the gaze of Kaecilius, John, and the others, the basilisk shrank to the size of a bracelet and wrapped around Lockhart's arm.
The sorcerers were amazed. It was their first time seeing such a magical creature that could shrink to such a size.
Kaecilius, surprised and envious, looked around. Holding the Sling Ring, he gently passed it through the air, creating a red flame rune pattern. The rune pattern floated in mid-air before exploding, sending red flame ripples around.
The Ring of Augustus, originally cast by John and the others, shattered, and the surrounding space returned to normal.
Kaecilius nodded and opened a sparking portal with a swipe of his hand.
"Come on, Lockhart, I'm treating you to lunch today. Order whatever you want."
Seeing Lockhart looking at the messy environment and hesitating, Kaecilius added, "Don't worry, Lockhart. There will be dedicated sorcerers to take care of it."
Lockhart nodded and followed Kaecilius into the portal. John and the other sorcerers entered one after another.
S.H.I.E.L.D., Coulson's Office
At a brown desk, Coulson was looking down at a report. A mobile phone lay nearby, and Coulson occasionally glanced at it.
After a while,
Sigh!
Coulson put down the report and sighed. Why was Hell's Kitchen in chaos again? Why were there so many abnormal events happening one after another? Could Kingpin be in charge?
Scratching his head, Coulson saw two extra hairs in his hand and sighed.
Forget it, don't think about it anymore. Just figure out which hair restorer is useful and buy another one. By the way, is there any magic potion Professor Lockhart can use to regrow hair?
While Coulson was thinking,
Suddenly,
Buzz!
The phone vibrated. Coulson quickly picked it up and read the message, a smile spreading across his face.
"Okay, come nearby tomorrow morning and someone will pick you up."
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