Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 1645 The Death of the Sorcerer Supreme at Kamar-Taj

Sparse sunlight filtered through the windowpanes, and the ghostly energy in the air evaporated rapidly, the dust-laden air dancing in the sunlight. Apart from the crimson psionic energy emanating from Wanda Maximoff and the crackling of tiny lightning bolts in the air, the hall, which had been filled with chilling howls, wails, and cries just minutes before, fell silent. Everything had happened so quickly that the arcane magic constructed by the mage Daniel had nowhere to be cast. However, he quickly recovered and continued to cast spells on Wanda Maximoff.

"I've contacted the medical team; they're on their way and will arrive in three minutes. I need you to shut down all the defenses here, Mage Daniel." A few seconds later, the Royal Guard, Amphitriteon, approached the witch. Mage Daniel glared at the golden-armored giant. The latter held a small incense stick, the lit end emitting a refreshing wisp of smoke. The smoke seemed to come alive, entering Wanda Maximoff's mouth and nose, and combined with Mage Daniel's low chanting, the witch's complexion gradually regained its color.

"Wanda Maximov's mission is complete; now she needs to receive full treatment."

Amphitryon spoke with an almost explanatory tone, his obsidian-black eyes, imbued with ancient blood, fixed intently on Wanda Maximoff. The mage Daniel noticed the Royal Guard remained in an offensive stance, positioned within range—Daniel thought he was overthinking it, unaware that Amphitryon indeed intended to attack—if the witch went out of control, the Royal Guard would sever Wanda Maximoff's head. This was not impossible; an out-of-control psionicist could become a living portal triggering a massive invasion, especially since Wanda Maximoff herself was a chosen one of the gods.

"In the future planned by Our Lord, every individual will bear the responsibilities bestowed upon humanity. Humans in this world distinguish themselves from animals solely by the evolutionary advancement of their brains, not by the historical mission inherent in the human species. The human race is divided by factors such as ideology, cultural lineage, ethnic identity, economic models, and social status, completely dismantling and deconstructing the responsibilities inherent to the human race itself—something Our Lord does not wish to see. Therefore, in the future promised by Our Lord, every human being will bear the responsibilities inherent to the human race. Wanda Maximov will not receive more resources because of her special status; everything she has comes from the responsibilities she is capable of bearing."

"He can't do it." For the first time, Master Daniel expressed his opinion on the emperor's ideal. "Language, economy, technology, military, culture, and politics—he can't eliminate these differences and force the whole world to follow the same standards. If he wanted to do that, it would only prove he's a tyrant!"

"Standardize cart tracks, unify writing, and standardize ethics. The six kingdoms once had countless differences, but those differences have disappeared after the war. Therefore, our lord intends to take the same measures, but not in such a brutal way," Amphitriteon said. "Look beyond Earth, Mage Daniel. There are countless planets that only need slight modifications to become habitable colonies. As long as they acknowledge the rule of the human empire, our lord will not take too many drastic actions for the time being, because we only draw our swords against the strong."

She was one step closer to her goal, yet Athena showed no joy.

As the Emperor carried the Sorcerer Supreme's mangled body out of the courtyard gates, he sternly stopped Athena, who tried to step forward and present him with the golden laurel wreath forged by the Sorcerer Supreme. Athena was equally grief-stricken, but unlike the other sorcerers, she didn't succumb to utter panic. Her millennia-long relationship with the Sorcerer Supreme, a complex mix of enmity and friendship, had come to a complete end today. But not all questions were answered. Athena still didn't know why the Sorcerer Supreme had so readily agreed to the Emperor accepting her tutelage. She had invited him to the art gallery only to witness his stubborn, volatile temper break through his facade of calm. The questions that had been etched into Athena's mind over a decade ago persisted, forming the most unstable foundation of all her plans. She didn't believe the Sorcerer Supreme's death signified the end of this matter, but at this moment, she had no time to think about such things. Seeing the corpse, her usually rapidly processing thoughts froze, and grief overwhelmed her entire being.

"What the hell has happened!" Stephen Strange felt like he was about to collapse, and the other sorcerers weren't much better off—except for Sherlock Holmes, who remained calm throughout. But no one could see through the emotions hidden beneath his surface. Every sorcerer here had been taught by the Sorcerer Supreme, and every sorcerer had been instilled with the idea that the Sorcerer Supreme was immortal and incredibly powerful. Stephen Strange was no exception. In every story he had heard since entering Kamar-Taj, the Sorcerer Supreme seemed to be a figure whose divinity outweighed his humanity. All the labels attached to ordinary humans became blurred in the Sorcerer Supreme's presence, as if his very existence was to protect the material universe from invasion. Now, with the Sorcerer Supreme's corpse standing before him, that artificially constructed divine label shattered instantly, revealing his true human nature.

Humans are fragile, a fact that Stephen Strange knows all too well.

He once believed that education, skills, money, and social status could protect him, but he was powerless before the laws of nature. Therefore, when he first gained control of the forces of nature, the thrill of conquering it and the exhilarating feeling of revenge led him to repeatedly violate the rules of Kamar-Taj. Even after receiving warnings from Mordo, he continued his reckless behavior, for he had finally found a substitute for education, skills, money, and social status to adorn himself. Until he saw the Sorcerer Supreme. The Sorcerer Supreme, powerful as he was, was not a god but a human; this shock shattered all his psychological advantages. However, no one had time to concern themselves with his psychological issues. The sorcerers attempting to keep up with the Emperor were all stopped by the Royal Guard, Amun. Even with their Sling Rings, they lacked the courage to cross the halberd suspended in mid-air, nor the courage to attack the terrifying giant, three meters tall, reeking of ashes.

While Stephen Strange, lacking basic cultural knowledge, couldn't discern the mythological sculptures on the King's Guard's armor, Sherlock Holmes, through extensive reading of local literature and religious legends, recognized the relief on the arm guards of King's Guard Amun as a Garuda with a human body and golden wings, a figure from the Bon religion, and the face of a wrathful Vajra from Tibetan Buddhism engraved on his kneeplates. Having thoroughly studied the local conflict between Bon and Tibetan Buddhism, Holmes recognized these two extremely important figures in the legends. He certainly wouldn't be foolish enough to provoke Amun, as the reliefs on the King's Guard's armor indicated his duty was offense.

"Where are you going?" Athena asked, raising her voice.

"His Holiness will be buried in the catacombs of Kamar-Taj, where he will never be disturbed."

The Pegasus-type transport plane landed slowly, its engine hot air blowing up a cloud of snow powder and meltwater.

The Royal Guard descended the ramp first, the extinguished dual-purpose space and planetary engines roaring overhead. The Emperor would once again enter the catacombs, where the blind, deaf, and tongue-cuttered guards stood beneath the entrance reliefs of ferocious monsters from various civilizations around the world, their tattered black robes tattered and clung to their gaunt bodies by the cold wind. Amon could clearly feel these lowly, genderless castes trembling. Even though they couldn't see, they instinctively sensed the golden-armored giant standing before them. The Royal Guard watched as they first bowed to him, then prostrated themselves in the direction the Emperor had come from, as if being blinded could not prevent them from seeing the world clearly.

"My lord, news has arrived from Amphitryon." He turned and gestured to the emperor. Athena, following closely behind the emperor, showed no sign of backing down, leaving the emperor with no choice but to nod in agreement. "The medical team is restoring Wanda Maximov's vital signs. Quick examination results indicate that she only suffered a mental attack and will be able to return to battle with just a little rest."

"Temporarily remove her from the combat sequence and let her rest for a while." On the transport plane, the Emperor had wrapped the Sorcerer Supreme's body in a crimson shroud, the lines of eternal psionic magic faintly visible on it. He turned his head, bent down, and said to the prostrate race of guardians, "Please lead the way for me; I am going to the Tomb of Agamotto."

The guard stretched his hand over his head and responded with his fingers.

"Very well, I will wait for you to produce the key," the emperor said. "Please hurry, I don't have time."

The guards rose, not even bothering to brush off their thin robes covered in snow dust, and bowed to the Emperor. The snowstorm was fierce, but they no longer shivered; the Emperor's psychic energy warmed their bodies. Athena clearly showed disgust when she saw these guards of their caste. These lowly people, gathered by the Sorcerer Supreme and possessing special abilities, always instilled a strange aversion in her; aside from the Emperor and the Praetorian Guard, only the Sorcerer Supreme could treat them with courtesy.

The Tomb of Agamotto is one of the main structures of the catacombs, a mausoleum excavated from the mountainside stretching for hundreds of kilometers. It is said that the mausoleum was excavated by Agamotto and the sages of Kamar-Taj. According to Kamar-Taj texts, this mausoleum contains the remains of the first Sorcerer Supreme, Agamotto. However, this text only deceives those sorcerers without permission to enter the mausoleum—its true purpose is suppression. Agamotto used his own body as a seal to seal a crucial facility, and his soul became the Vishanti. This is why the Sorcerer Supreme considered Agamotto's sacrifice a failure; the victory of relinquishing humanity is not a true victory. Regardless, Agamotto's contribution cannot be erased. The importance of this mausoleum is no less than that of Kamar-Taj's headquarters for teaching sorcerers; one could even say that the mausoleum and the secrets stored within it are the very foundation of Kamar-Taj.

(End of this chapter)