I work as an editor at Marvel.

Artoria gazed into the distance, her crown gleaming brightly in the sunlight, while the Excalibur at her waist hummed powerfully.

A dazzling cluster of light condensed in the air to form a banner—the banner of the Knights of the Round Table!

The flag's tip was waving in the direction it pointed directly at the distant Kamar-Taj London shrine.

On the street not far away, the phantom of a long sword soared into the sky, beneath which was an alchemical array shimmering with purple light.

Through Artoria's light, King Bradley also proclaimed to the entire mystical world that the alchemists who had once stepped into the abyss had been cleansed of their filth and returned!

Inside the London Temple, the mages on duty were somewhat flustered.

The commotion outside is a bit too loud. What's going on? Why does it feel like there are two unknown enemies suddenly appearing in our area?

Moreover, the other party's aura was so powerful that it was clear they were not someone to be trifled with.

"Have you reported to His Holiness the Supreme Master?"

"Report! The lady said we should stay safely in the temple; this is a legacy issue! She is negotiating with the other side."

"A historical problem? I've never heard of a mage with this kind of energy fluctuation before. And that aura doesn't feel like that of a mage at all. It's more like a knight from a novel."

"You're asking me? Who should I ask? You're acting like I've only heard of it. Hurry up and check the classics to see if there's any record of it."

"Do you think... this could be that person from the Clock Tower and Ouroboros?"

At this point, the two officials from the London Temple looked at each other in bewilderment.

If that's the case, then it makes sense; their report to the Ancient One not long ago wasn't encrypted.

The main reason was that no one was thinking about encryption at the time; everyone thought that a clandestine organization of mages couldn't possibly have any capabilities.

“How about… I contact the mages of other temples to see if they can spare some time to help, I mean in case the Ancient One doesn’t have the time.”

After a moment of silence, one of them spoke, seemingly understanding that the Ancient One had most likely seen through their intentions.

They were only arrogant at first because they were irreplaceable. After all, even if you killed them, the Ancient One couldn't control the entire Earth by herself, as there was Dormammu, Odin, and Mephisto.

But now it seems there really are replacements for them.

"Wait a little longer! If it's still like this tomorrow, I'll contact them."

Another person in charge said that he was still reluctant to give up the potential profits. If he asked for help now and the plan succeeded, those people would take another share of the profits.

Chapter 81 The Schism of the New York Temple

As fate would have it, while the London Temple at Kamar-Taj was considering asking others for help, the New York Temple had the same idea.

Moreover, they were even more anxious than the London Temple because their doors were blocked, and they were now completely unable to get out.

A New York Temple mage, wearing a slingshot, drew a portal in the air, but instead of going in directly, he stuck his head out, looked around to make sure there was nothing there, and then stepped inside.

This teleportation attempt failed to reach its destination; like the other mages, he was stopped midway through the teleportation process.

The surrounding area was a teleportation environment crackling and sparking, and a black cat with glossy, jet-black fur lay on the ground.

An raised its right paw and chuckled, glancing sideways at the mage in front of it. Yang Qiu had it wait here for every mage who tried to teleport away, and then send them directly back to the New York Temple.

With his hands clasped together and pulled left and right, a long staff made of energy fell into his hands. Taking a deep breath, the mage charged towards An.

An's mustache twitched; this was the third mage it had encountered charging into battle today.

An just wants to ask one question: Are you really mages? How can you not use all sorts of amplification and defense spells, and just open a portal and transform into a melee weapon to charge into battle? Aren't you more like knights than knights?

Those knights at least cast various damage reduction and power-boosting auras on themselves before charging, so even if you learn from the knights, you haven't quite mastered it.

"Meow!"

An let out a meow, and the power of shadow instantly eroded the surrounding portals. With Yang Qiu standing behind it, it didn't have to worry about any messy consumption issues, so its strength was worlds apart from when it first evolved.

The stick was raised with force and then swung down with power!

An blinked away from the mage's attack, then lightly kicked the mage's head with his hind leg, sending the power of fear directly into the mage's mind.

The entire teleportation transfer area shook, and the next second, the mage was kicked out of this unstable area, his body flying backwards through the still-present teleportation portal in the New York Temple.

The other mages behind the portal quickly helped the man up. The mage's lips twitched, and he looked like he was about to faint.

While the other mages were treating the patients, they kept an eye on the temple gates. They pulled a fast one: while one mage opened a portal, another mage, wearing a hood, walked directly through the main gate and left the temple.

It looks like the plan succeeded!

The monks breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that the other monk hadn't appeared for a long time, but before their joy could subside, a figure smashed through the door and landed on the floor.

The head of the New York Temple rushed over and picked up the unconscious mage.

The injuries on this mage were completely different from those on the one responsible for attraction; the latter had suffered an attack on his mental realm, while this one had suffered a physical attack.

A brilliant light emanated from their hands, and the person in charge awakened the mage in their grasp.

"What happened? Are there people blocking the way outside?" the person in charge asked anxiously.

The mage, who had just woken up, nodded weakly. "It was a strange figure wearing dripping water clothes, carrying what looked like a harpoon. His ability to control water was so masterful that I had no way to deal with him."

The person in charge had a cold face. There were black cats blocking their way when they teleported, and people were blocking their way when they walked. These guys were deliberately targeting them.

"Let's ask the Ancient One for help! She's the Sorcerer Supreme, she has a responsibility to help us! Otherwise, what kind of Sorcerer Supreme would she be?"

"Yes, yes, you're right, let's call for help immediately."

"Tch." Amidst the chorus of cries for help, a discordant voice rang out.

The monks turned to look over there, where a few people were leaning against the wall at a certain distance from the main group. The leader, with his muscles bulging, was looking at them like they were watching clowns.

"Morey! What do you mean? Everyone is contributing ideas for the group, are you deliberately undermining unity?!" The person in charge seemed to have found an outlet for his anger, a soft target, and pointed at the man, shouting loudly.

"Don't try to pin this on me." Morey straightened up. "When you wrote that letter demanding your abdication, did you remember that the Ancient One is the Sorcerer Supreme? I thought you were really going to be independent, but it turns out you still have to ask her for help when things get tough. Aren't you ashamed?"

"Say that again!" the person in charge pointed at Morey's nose. "Don't forget, I'm the person in charge, you report to me!"

"Then why are you still under the leadership of the Sorcerer Supreme? What are you pretending for here!" Morey said, taking off the clothing representing the New York Temple and throwing it aside.

"You're betraying the entire Kamar-Taj! Put your clothes on! I'll pretend I didn't say anything!" The person in charge softened his tone a little when he saw that the situation seemed to be getting more serious.

"Betray Kamar-Taj? You dare say that? You want to expel me from my sorcerer status? Only the Ancient One could do that!" Morey sneered. "I just don't plan to stay in this New York temple any longer! I think the Himalayas will welcome us."

"you?"

"That's right, it's us!"

The men behind Morey also took off their clothes. "We've been fed up with you for a long time. You don't do anything productive all day, all you do is curry favor with this person and suppress that person. Your abilities are mediocre at best. What a piece of trash you are!"

"You! You! Let me tell you! There are enemies outside, eyeing us covetously! You won't survive if you step out this door!" The person in charge felt he had messed things up.

"Are you treating us like idiots?" Morey held up a finger and shook it in front of the person in charge. "The most anyone who goes out will be knocked unconscious and thrown back. None of them are in any real danger."

"Even a fool would know that the people outside might be the Clock Tower people you're trying to recruit. Besides, they should have a pretty good relationship with Master Gu Yi. Even if they aren't, at worst they'll just be unconscious for a while. As long as one of them can stand up and explain things clearly, we won't be thrown back into this wretched place!"

The person in charge was so angry that his hands were shaking.

Morey gave him one last look, then led the few people who were willing to follow him out openly and honestly.

After a dozen minutes, no one was thrown back, which made the remaining people in the New York Temple start to have doubts.

"They've all been killed! What are you all looking at! Tomorrow! When the people from the Hong Kong Temple arrive nearby, I'll lead you to take them all down!" The person in charge said defiantly, then turned and left.

The others in the hall exchanged bewildered glances, wondering if this guy really thought they were fools...

The probability of Morey and his group being killed is even lower than the probability of this person in charge defeating the Ancient One in a one-on-one fight.

Chapter 82 We must hold on, even if it means toughing it out.

"Brother, we received a letter from the New York Temple inviting us to join forces in eradicating the evil forces. Judging from their words, it seems like they're giving us a chance to bask in their glory."

A monk from the Hong Kong temple rushed into a room, where a burly man was chanting prayers before a statue of Guan Yu.

“I’ve already told you, we’re mages now, not gangsters anymore. How come after all these decades, you’re still the same old you?” The burly man turned around and gave his underling a look of utter disappointment.

"Hehe, I'm used to it, I can't change it. I just won't call you that in front of others." The younger brother chuckled. He knew his older brother liked being called that, but because of some internal rules among mages, he couldn't say it outright. "Big brother, what do you suggest we tell them?"

"Let us bask in the glory? Those arrogant guys who think they've lived a long time will give us gifts? That's impossible." The eldest brother sat in his boss's chair and stroked the thinning hair on his head.

"I understand, I'll get them out of here right now!" The underling looked enlightened, took the letter, and was about to turn around to reply.

"You stay here!" The burly man had a headache. His underling was good in every way, but he hadn't grown any brains after living for so long. Being a henchman in a gang wasn't a particularly big problem, as he was prone to dying inexplicably. But in Kamar-Taj, that would be a much bigger problem. He would easily be tricked and end up paying for it.

“They’re still officially on our side, so let’s not openly break ties.” The burly man stood up and spun around twice. “Here’s what you do: send them a message saying that we need the Ancient One’s orders to leave the Hong Kong Temple, and tell them to get a note from the Ancient One first.”

"Brother, speaking of this, has Master Gu Yi replied to us? Is what Lin Zhengying wrote in the visiting card true or false?" the younger brother asked.

“I don’t know, but I tend to think it’s true.” The burly man also seemed very dissatisfied with the former Hong Kong Temple personnel. “You know what kind of people were here before our group joined Kamar-Taj. They didn’t do any real work and always looked down on this and that.”

"For the sake of their reputation, I suspect they would actually do something like concealing something from the public."

"Brother, that's not what I meant. I meant, is the Heavenly Court in that invitation real?" The younger brother lowered his voice. "If it is, I really want to go back to my hometown. It's not bad to be a cultivator even if I can't become an immortal. At least I'll be surrounded by my own people and won't be bullied by outsiders."

"How would I know?" The burly man glared. He had thought about it too, but he couldn't do anything until things were clear. Everyone had put in so much effort to get him to this position. If he just left, those foreigners would become the leaders of the Hong Kong Temple again. That would be against morality.

Knock knock knock, just then, there was a knock on the door.

The burly man looked up and gestured. After his underling went out and spoke a few words to the people outside, he came back in with a piece of paper.

"Big brother, the Ancient One has replied! It's true! There really is a Heavenly Court!" The younger brother was a little excited.

Upon hearing that the matter had been confirmed, the burly man frowned.

The situation at the Hong Kong Temple is not good. Although he is the nominal leader, most of the sorcerers are still foreigners who left over from that era. These people have recently become so arrogant and inflated that they have challenged the Ancient One. Now that this scandal has suddenly emerged, some people might have ulterior motives.

"Go outside and meet with Lin Zhengying. Don't say anything else, just tell him about our current situation, and he'll understand," the burly man instructed.

"Yes!"

My brother opened a portal and left directly from here.

The burly man sat in the room with his legs crossed for more than half an hour when the door was suddenly pushed open.

Each temple has two leaders, a chief leader and a deputy leader. The chief leader of the Hong Kong temple is him, and the deputy leader is a foreigner who was left behind in the past.

"Shi Chengzhong, where are your underlings?" The foreigner pushed open the door and, seeing only one person inside, immediately questioned him.

"What does it matter to you where he went?" Shi Chengzhong said calmly, sipping his tea.

"I'm telling you! Call him back right now! You're betraying the entire Temple!" the foreigner shouted arrogantly, slamming his fist on the table.

"Is this how you talk to your boss?" Shi Chengzhong slowly put his teacup down on the table and looked up at the foreigner.