Outside the World Barrier.
In the fissure between countless parallel worlds and dimensions.
Before a rift leading to Earth.
Looking in, a vibrant, bustling world full of life.
Looking out, endless danger and darkness.
At this moment, a colossal, hideous head was roaring furiously at the rift in the barrier.
"Ancient One! You bastard! Come out if you dare!!"
Terrifying roars shook the surrounding space. Boundless dark energy surged toward the rift like a tide.
However, the moment the terrifying sound waves and the dangerous dark energy hit the rift, they dissipated like spring rain.
Er... saying "dissipated" wasn't quite accurate.
Because inside the rift, a small figure with a bald head and yellow robes was floating calmly in front of the endless darkness.
Before her spun an exquisite magic circle of gold and green.
The deep, dark energy that rushed in was instantly absorbed by this unassuming magic circle at breakneck speed.
BURP~
As the dark energy vanished, the Ancient One put away the magic circle and let out a very "polite" symbolic burp.
However, this burp enraged the giant head—larger than a star—exponentially.
You've burped over ten times already! Why haven't you exploded yet, you old hag?!
Perhaps noticing the dark entity's fury, the Ancient One felt her acting might have been a bit exaggerated.
She quickly clutched her chest, pretending to be weak.
"Oh my, I can't hold on much longer~ Dormammu, try a little harder~ I'm about to collapse~"
Saying this, the Ancient One patted her chest... hard. Then, she coughed up... a packet of ketchup.
Yes... a whole packet... unopened.
The Ancient One, a master of health and longevity, wouldn't actually cough up blood for Dormammu's entertainment.
But using an unopened ketchup packet was a bit lazy.
Unfazed by her prop failure, the Ancient One casually opened a small golden portal and gently placed the leftover McDonald's ketchup packet back into the Kamar-Taj kitchen.
Seeing her performance fail, the Ancient One's expression instantly shifted to one of solemn divinity.
"Dormammu! As long as I live, I will never let you harm Earth!"
At that moment, her figure radiated majesty. Thousands of rays of light seemed to burst forth from her.
However, Dormammu watched as those rays of light... didn't even leave the rift.
They curved in the air, looped around, and were reabsorbed by the Ancient One.
Dormammu's brain buzzed.
How can there be such a stingy old hag?!
I release my aura, and you absorb it all! You release your aura, and you recycle it yourself?!
Looking at this "Guardian" who hadn't stepped a single toe outside the World Barrier, relying entirely on the Three Sanctums to fight him while leeching his energy... Dormammu finally faced reality.
He turned his giant head away in disgust.
"Ancient One! I'll see how long you can keep patching these rifts! Just you wait! I'll be back!"
With that, the boundless darkness receded.
Leaving only the Ancient One, who was throwing out golden chains to drag the last scraps of dark energy back into her dimension.
And her parting words:
"Come back soon to play~"
---
However, after Dormammu left, the Ancient One didn't turn to leave.
Instead, she clapped her hands together, instantly linking the defensive arrays of the Three Sanctums.
A massive golden magic circle rose again, completely shielding the spatial rift.
Next moment.
THUD.
A huge impact sound echoed from the void.
In a corner of the massive array, a faint stream of black-and-red energy had slammed into the barrier.
Despite being tiny compared to the array, the impact shook the entire structure violently.
"Come out, Mephisto!"
The Ancient One, standing behind the array, looked far more serious than when she was toying with Dormammu.
The black-and-red energy mass floated forward and coalesced into the form of a charismatic, long-haired man.
"Ancient One! This is not what we agreed on!"
As soon as he took form, Mephisto stepped forward angrily.
But the moment he touched the golden array, his body sizzled and smoked.
HISS.
He was forced to retreat.
The Ancient One tilted her head, looking at him with feigned confusion.
"Agreed on what? You must be mistaken. I am the Sorcerer Supreme. Why would I make a deal with a Demon Lord?"
Hearing this shameless denial, Mephisto was so angry smoke poured from his ears. He pointed a finger at her nose and started cursing.
"Bullshit Sorcerer Supreme! I'm a demon, and even I have more integrity than you! More respect for contracts!"
"We agreed that..."
Before Mephisto could finish, the golden array suddenly expanded.
Behind it, the Ancient One smiled sinisterly.
"If you say the wish out loud, it won't come true~"
Mephisto froze. It took him a moment to realize she was mocking him again.
The demon snapped.
His black-and-red aura exploded, transforming him into a colossal red demon tens of thousands of meters tall. He roared at the Ancient One.
"Ancient One! Do you think I'm a fool like Dormammu?! Today, one of us dies!"
Mephisto swiped his massive claws at the golden array.
The barrier twisted and deformed under his power.
But behind the array, the Ancient One smiled.
She twisted her hands. The golden array changed instantly.
Brilliant blue light erupted from the Ancient One, spreading rapidly across the entire formation.
In the blink of an eye, the gold was replaced by blue. The runes shifted.
Under Mephisto's horrified gaze, the center of the defensive array unleashed a terrifying torrent of energy.
It engulfed him instantly.
BOOM.
A spectacular blue firework exploded in the void.
As he was blasted away, Mephisto faintly heard the Ancient One whisper:
"So satisfying~"