Under the Sorcerer Supreme's protection, Kamar-Taj could be said to enjoy peaceful, quiet years.
No one dared to invade Kamar-Taj.
Most sorcerers only faced dangers so trivial they barely counted.
So the sorcerers lived very calmly.
Karl was the same.
Every day, he practiced magic, went to the library to read, and lived an unhurried, carefree life.
Karl's days were carefree… but on the other end of the universe, Asgard was not.
Odin's expression was extremely grim.
Not long ago, the Dark Elves' invasion had caused them heavy losses.
Malekith—the Dark Elves' ruler who had fought Odin for thousands of years—had even gone to Earth to seize the Aether Particle, also known as the Reality Stone.
If Malekith obtained the Reality Stone, then by using the once-in-thousands-of-years alignment when the Nine Realms became a single line…
Malekith would be able to plunge this and that universe alike into darkness.
Odin immediately dispatched Thor to Earth to stop Malekith.
But then…
The Bifrost was shattered outright by some powerful force on Earth.
Odin had no choice but to spend a tremendous amount of power, using Dark Magic, just to lock onto Thor's location and throw him back to Earth again.
Thor did not disappoint him.
He successfully captured Malekith.
And yet…
Odin was not happy. Instead, he felt drained and weighed down.
There was no other reason.
Opening a passage from Asgard to Earth was not simple at all.
It required an enormous amount of power.
If he were at his peak, Odin would not have cared about such expenditure.
But now…
His lifespan was running out. He was old, and his body was failing.
Every single bit of power was crucial.
Forcing that transfer to send Thor to Earth naturally depleted Odin's power by a great deal, and his vitality weakened even further.
And once that happened…
Certain things would inevitably change.
For example—
Hela's seal on Earth.
This seal, sustained by Odin's very vitality, was the most important thing restraining Hela.
Under normal circumstances, if Odin used just a little power, he could slightly reinforce Hela's seal and prevent any issues.
But suddenly…
Odin hesitated.
He remembered the power that had shattered the Bifrost.
"What is Ancient One's stance, exactly?" he thought.
"She shouldn't be some power-hungry schemer…"
"But with things already like this, I can't afford not to be on guard."
"I'll test Ancient One first."
With that thought, Odin did not use his power to strengthen the seal.
Instead, he let things take their course.
As Odin's power declined, Hela—sealed on Earth—naturally sensed it.
She slammed against the seal again and again.
Her overwhelming power of death echoed within the inner world.
The seal was already weak. Under her relentless impact…
A hairline crack actually appeared.
A strand of divine death power seeped out from the seal.
In an instant—
Centered on that seal, within a radius of a thousand meters, every living thing died.
Even the grass on the ground withered yellow, then crumbled into ash.
The power of death looked terrifying, and it indeed created a serious threat… but to Earth, it was still tiny.
Ordinary people would never notice such power.
But there was one exception.
The Sorcerer Supreme.
A Skyfather-level existence—each one possessing immeasurable might.
If they fought with everything they had, they could even blow apart a planet.
Even the faintest fluctuation could not escape Ancient One's eyes.
At the instant that divine death power appeared—
Ancient One sensed it.
A flash of golden light.
Ancient One appeared in Norway, at Hela's sealed site.
"Hela's seal… actually cracked?"
"What is going on with Odin? If this continues, the one who sleeps will awaken."
Ancient One frowned.
Two hundred years ago, while traveling, she had nearly damaged this seal, which had caused Odin himself to descend.
Later, after discussion between them—
Their powers maintained a delicate balance.
Unless both of them died, Hela would never see the light of day.
But now…
Odin's power had weakened?
"Has Odin, like me, already approached the end?" Ancient One murmured.
As someone who could foresee the future, she had a vague premonition of her own fate.
She knew—
Her time was also almost up.
Even with Kaecilius captured, she still could not change the death that awaited her.
If there was no Kaecilius, there would still be other followers of Dormammu who would put her to death.
As long as Dormammu still existed, she was fated to die.
Sensing Odin's decline, Ancient One could not help feeling a bleak kinship.
"My life has reached its limit…"
"But Hela absolutely cannot be allowed to come out."
"Otherwise, Earth will be drowned in catastrophe and death!"
"If I truly die, someone must be responsible for reinforcing Hela's seal."
Ancient One decided this in her heart.
"The future shifts in countless ways. It seems Doctor Strange needs to work even harder if he's to inherit my mantle."
Shaking her head, Ancient One lifted a hand.
A golden message shot out from her.
She waited in place for a moment.
A golden Portal formed, and Karl stepped out of it.
"Ancient One-sama, you summoned me—what are your orders?"
Karl spoke in a very low-key manner.
"I have an important matter to entrust to you," Ancient One said evenly.
"I will teach you a spell. After you learn it, you will go directly to the Universal Library's Astral Library."
Karl calmly glanced around at the environment and nodded.
But inwardly, he muttered to himself.
Why did this place feel familiar?
Aside from the lack of grass, these mountains and this sea… it felt like he had seen them somewhere before.
But Ancient One did not give him time to think.
"Watch carefully," she said.
"This is the Vishanti Rune Shackle, specifically used to seal certain powerful beings."
As she spoke, Ancient One pointed forward with a finger.
A supremely intricate hexagonal magic array appeared before Karl.
The runes upon it numbered in the hundreds of millions—more complex than every spell Karl had seen before.
Karl frowned slightly.
This spell was a bit difficult.
[Ding!]
[Detected that the host is carefully studying a god-and-demon spell: Vishanti Rune Shackle. God-tier talent triggers a hundredfold critical strike.]
[You have mastered Vishanti Rune Shackle!]
Karl's worry was completely unnecessary.
God-tier talent—an outrageous talent boost.
With only a single glance, he mastered an incredibly powerful spell.
"Sorcerer Supreme, I've mastered the spell," Karl said.
"Where do I need to use it?"
Ancient One looked at Karl deeply.
This spell was far more complex than most of Kamar-Taj's magic—more complex even than some divine spells.
Even Master Sorcerers did not understand it.
Yet Karl learned it at a glance.
With talent like this…
He might be even more outstanding than anyone else.
Ancient One's gaze softened, and she finally let out a breath of relief.
(End of Chapter)
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