General (POV)
Kaecilius stood at the heart of the warped pocket dimension, dark energy swirling around him in a chaotic tempest. His voice resonated fervently as he chanted, "Dormammu, grant me your power!" The malevolent energy seemed to pulse in response.
The air around him thrummed with potential, but as the invocation reached its climax, something went horribly wrong. The dark energy crackled and faltered, sputtering like a flame doused by an unseen force.
"No... this can't be!" Kaecilius barked, his voice edged with desperation. He clenched his fists, eyes narrowing as he repeated his demand, louder this time: "Dormammu, I demand your power!"
Yet, the pocket dimension refused him. Its distortions severed his connection to Dormammu, unraveling his dark magic before his eyes. The tempest sputtered out completely, leaving Kaecilius standing amidst failure. His expression twisted into bitter disbelief.
From a distance, Sarah watched with calm amusement as the malevolent energy dispersed into the surreal landscape. Lazily stepping into her shadow, she reappeared just a few feet behind him.
"Kaecilius, Master of the Mystic Arts " she began, her tone dripping with mockery, "Something's... off, isn't it? Ritual not going as planned? Do you perhaps need a hand?"
Kaecilius spun around, his panic morphing into rage. His fists clenched tightly, trembling with frustration. "You!" he growled, his voice a rumble of fury. "You're behind this! This cursed dimension is interfering with the ritual. Who are you?"
Sarah gave a casual shrug, her smirk widening as she delivered her answer with theatrical flair. "The Red Reaper," she announced, her voice laced with playful malice. "Vice Queen of the Underworld. At your service... well, not really."
Kaecilius's eyes narrowed, unimpressed. "Ridiculous nonsense," he muttered, stepping away from the smoldering ruins of his failed ritual.
Sarah's demeanor shifted. Her smile remained, but her tone turned icy, her words now heavy with menace. "Listen carefully, Kaecilius," she said, her voice carrying through the fractured landscape like a judge delivering a sentence. "I'll give you a choice. Surrender now, and maybe I'll let your soul join the reincarnation cycle. Refuse, and I can send you to limbo—an eternity of torment. Or," her gaze darkened, and her smile faded, "I can destroy it outright."
Kaecilius froze, his face twisting in equal parts fury and desperation.
Sarah tilted her head, her voice soft but chilling. "But one thing is certain: you're not leaving here alive. And as for killing me?" She chuckled darkly. "Well, that's a dream too big for a weakling like you."
Kaecilius roared in frustration, his voice shaking the warped terrain. His eyes flared with dark energy, his rage boiling over as he charged toward her, his fists crackling with residual power.
Sarah stood her ground, unfazed by the oncoming storm. She let out a soft laugh, a genuine expression of excitement creeping onto her face. "Oh, so you do want to play?" she teased. With a fluid motion, she extended her hand, and a long, wicked spear materialized its form emerging from the shadows, a dark replica of the Gáe Bolg."
Casually spinning the weapon in her hand, Sarah grinned. "It's been years since I got to stretch my legs with spearmanship. Don't disappoint me, Kaecilius."
The battle-ready spear glowed ominously as Sarah twirled it once more, adopting a combat stance that oozed confidence. The surreal world around them seemed to hold its breath, the stage set for a clash of titans?!
Kaecilius's voice echoed with rage, "You've thwarted me for the last time!" Tendrils of dark energy coiled around him like serpents, forming an ominous shroud. With a flourish, he surged forward, his movements deadly and precise—a testament to his mastery of the mystic arts.
Sarah didn't flinch. A smirk tugged at the corner of her lips as she twirled her spear, its ethereal gleam cutting through the darkness. "Cute speech. Very 'last words' energy," she quipped, planting her feet firmly. Years of training under Scáthach had made her a weapon as sharp as the Gáe Bolg she wielded.
Kaecilius lunged, his dark magic lashing out like a storm. Sarah met him head-on, her spear slicing through the air with breathtaking precision. The collision of mystic energy and runic sigils sparked a kaleidoscope of light, painting the surreal battlefield in dazzling hues.
"Your little parlor tricks won't save you here," Sarah said coolly, tracing glowing runes mid-combat. Each sigil hummed with power, blocking his attacks and sending shockwaves rippling through the air.
Kaecilius swung wildly, a punch charged with dark energy aimed straight for her. Sarah sidestepped, spinning her spear in a playful arc before delivering a lightning-fast counterstrike. "Wow, really? Swing and a miss? Did you skip sparring days at Kamar-Taj?"
Kaecilius growled, his composure fraying. "You dare mock me?"
"Mock you? Oh no, this is full-on roast mode," Sarah shot back, her voice dripping with mockery. "No wonder you have been asking Dormammy for power? Is this the best you've got? No wonder he's ghosting you."
His fury surged, and Kaecilius attacked with renewed aggression, but Sarah moved like a phantom, effortlessly weaving through his strikes. She twirled the Gáe Bolg with such grace that it seemed more dance than battle, each strike accompanied by her biting commentary.
"Honestly, do you ever win fights? Or is getting humiliated just your thing? Kara told me you lost twice to her while she was using 10 percent. Probably she was being nice!"
Kaecilius roared, unleashing a torrent of dark energy in a desperate attempt to overwhelm her. But Sarah wasn't just fighting—she was orchestrating. Illusions of herself multiplied, surrounding him in an endless, disorienting maze.
"What's wrong, Kaecilius?" her voice taunted from every direction. "Lost in your own little pity party?"
The sorcerer spun wildly, striking at phantom after phantom, his frustration mounting as each attack hit nothing but air. "Enough!" he bellowed, his fury shaking the battlefield.
From the shadows, Sarah emerged, her real form striking with surgical precision. Kaecilius stumbled back, clutching his side, blood gushed down his leg, as she leveled her spear at him, her grin widening.
"Aww, are we done already?" she teased, her tone laced with mock sympathy. "I was just starting to have fun. So typical of men like you, done already during foreplay!"
Kaecilius growled, summoning his remaining strength for a final, devastating attack. Dark energy crackled in his hands as he hurled it toward her. But Sarah was quicker. With a thought and a burst of runic power, she unleashed a radiant shockwave of telekinesis and magical energy that shattered his assault and sent him propelling backward crashing into a nearby rock formation,
As Kaecilius struggled to rise, Sarah stood over him, triumphant and unscathed. Her mastery of both spearmanship and runic magecraft was vividly demonstrated in the fluidity of her movements and the shimmering sigils that danced around her. Sarah looked down at him and twirled her spear before resting it casually on her shoulder.
"Well," she said, her tone almost pitying, "that was embarrassing. For you, I mean. For me? That was a light warm-up. Maybe stretching my fingers...oh well, just pathetic for you, really!"
Kaecilius glared up at her, his anger boiling into silent frustration.
"What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?" Sarah leaned in, her smirk razor-sharp. "Or are you finally realizing you were out of your league the moment you stepped into this fight?"
Sarah tilted her head, a wicked grin tugging at her lips. "You know what? This bitch is feeling generous. She will give you another chance. You can thank her later—if you survive. But let's make this interesting, shall we? This time your soul is on the line" Her tone was dripping with mockery, her spear spinning lazily in her hands as she backed away.
She stopped at a distance. "This time, I'll even close my eyes. See?" She shut them with an exaggerated flourish, grinning like a cat toying with its prey. "Just in case you might want to accuse me of cheating, in your dying throes," she also placed a hand dramatically over her eyes.
"Now show me you're worth something, Kaecilius because if there's one thing I hate more than a slacker, it's a slacker who sells out to evil. So… impress me. I know it sounds ironic, considering I can't actually see it, but bro, do your best. I'm rooting for you!"
Kaecilius's fury boiled over, his voice breaking into a roar. "I will destroy you, witch!" He forced himself upright, his body trembling with rage.
Dark portals shimmered to life around him, their edges crackling with chaotic energy as he hurled them toward Sarah. But her runic magecraft was already one step ahead. She moved effortlessly, slipping through the portals like water through cracks, reappearing behind him with a sharp laugh.
"Ooh, portals, trying to trap me! Nice upgrade," she said, her voice flat with faux enthusiasm. "But still a solid meh."
Before Kaecilius could react, Sarah thrust her spear forward with the precision of a lightning strike. The spear pierced his abdomen, almost completely perforating him. He gasped, blood spilling from his mouth as he fell to his knees, clutching at the weapon lodged in his flesh.
Sarah yanked the barbed spear free, tearing pieces of his intestines as she pulled it out, stepping back and twirling the weapon with nonchalant grace. "You're leaking all over my battlefield. Seriously, Kaecilius, you could at least try to make this a challenge."
Kaecilius attempted to summon another surge of dark energy, but Sarah was done playing. With a slight wave, glowing chains of light erupted around him, their runes shimmering with power. They wrapped around his body, binding him like celestial restraints forged by the gods.
Kaecilius writhed against the chains, his strength fading with every futile struggle. Sarah crouched before him, resting her spear casually on her shoulder. "You know," she said, her voice low and cold, "I expected so much more from Dormammu's number-one fanboy. But you're just… sad."
Kaecilius glared at her, his face twisted with rage and despair. "You… won't… win…"
Sarah's sardonic smirk widened. "Oh, sweetie. This isn't a win—it's a slaughter. And you're the final act."
She stood, her presence towering over him as her words grew darker. "מנא מנא תקל ופרסין, Kaecilias. Say goodbye to the world. Or don't. It doesn't really matter. Your soul's going somewhere much worse than Dormammu's little playpen. Limbo forever sounds about right for a disappointment like you."
Her hand ignited with hellfire, the flames licking her skin without harm as she plunged it into Kaecilius's chest. His scream ripped through the air as she tore his still-beating heart free, dark energy sputtering out like a dying ember.
Holding the heart aloft, Sarah's voice was chilling, her final words echoing like a death knell. "That's it for your body. Now, let's take care of your soul."
The battlefield fell silent as Kaecilius's lifeless body collapsed to the ground, his essence already slipping into eternal torment.
.....
Elsewhere, sometime before...
Shuma-Gorath's anguished cries, somehow still echoing through the air, were a reminder of the monster's enduring torment. The very place where he had once stood—now nothing but a pit of molten lava. However, he was still very much there, trapped in Kara's dimension lock, only deep underground. Shuma-Gorath couldn't die, but every second was an excruciating reminder of his pain. He writhed, a titan trapped in his own agony.
Beside Sarah, the Ancient One's face twitched, beads of sweat trickling down her brow as she struggled to hold the temple's protective shield in place. Kara's magical fury had torn through everything, and the sanctum was barely holding together under the aftermath. The very ground had nearly melted away under Kara's overwhelming attack.
"Impossible…" The Ancient One's thoughts were nearly lost in disbelief. They had almost lost the sanctuary, the sheer power Kara had unleashed nearly bringing it all to ruin.
But Kara wasn't finished yet. As she deactivated her dimension lock, the cries of Shuma-Gorath were finally silenced. His screams faded as he was forcefully ejected back to his own dimension.
Kara didn't hesitate. A quick encantation later, her black singularity appeared, pulling in the excess energy threatening to tear the temple apart. The storm of raw power subsided, and with it, the sacred grounds slowly returned to a semblance of peace.
"Phew, it's over..." Kara let out a breath of relief before her eyes widened in realization. "Oh, right, the Librarian!" Without another second of hesitation, she teleported, vanishing in a blur of magic.
The Ancient One stood still, watching the devastation in silence. "The cost..." she murmured to herself, her voice heavy with the burden of what had been lost. "It's a miracle the temple survived at all."
At the library…
Kara arrived in an instant, her gaze falling on the Librarian sprawled across the floor. Blood stained his face, his body bruised and battered from the relentless assault.
"Librarian!" Kara shouted, rushing to his side, her voice breaking through the tension of the moment.
The Librarian's weak voice barely made it past his cracked lips. "Kara…" he gasped, his breath labored, a faint smile on his battered face. He teetered on the edge of unconsciousness, his body far too broken to continue. He knew his time was short—he might not survive this encounter—but at least he had seen Kara one last time. There was regret in his eyes. He had failed to stop Kaecilius, and the weight of that failure felt heavier with each passing second.
"Don't worry, you're not going anywhere," Kara reassured him with a comforting smile.
Kara's right hand glowed with radiant white light as she drew upon her own life force, focusing it into the healing magic. The library seemed to hum with life as the light surrounded the Librarian, the magic coursing through him. His wounds began to close rapidly, even the scars of age fading under the overwhelming power of Kara's life magic.
As the warmth of her magic enveloped him, the Librarian's weary body relaxed, his breaths becoming more stable. It felt as though he were wrapped in the tender care of his childhood again, and with a serene smile, he surrendered to the peaceful embrace of sleep, his body finally at rest.
However, Kara's worries weren't over. Where was Sarah? With their mental connection offline, it could only mean one of two things: either she was dead, or she was somewhere far away.