"This is the power of the Book of Energy! It would be too neglectful to just keep it as a book." Feeling the unprecedented energy in his body, Casillas showed a crazy and happy smile.
The Book of Energy's form mode increased his efficiency in extracting and utilizing Dormammu's energy by an unfathomable amount. If before, his efficiency was merely that of a water pipe, sipping bits of energy from the Dark Dimension bit by bit, then now, with the aid of the form mode, he was like opening a water pipe in the Dark Dimension, releasing a constant flow of water.
Normally, such a massive influx of energy would cause him to explode, unable to withstand it. After all, the energy of the Dark Dimension was indeed quite dangerous to mages, and Dormammu, as the master of the Dark Dimension, would not consider wasting time purifying and filtering his own power for Kaecilius and his men to borrow more efficiently. Granting Kaecilius the right to borrow was a gesture of respect for the fact that he had given him his soul and everything he had.
Of course, if it were the Ancient One, Dormammu would be happy to pay more, and the terms would be negotiable. After all, such a powerful disciple, among the dimensional demons, is a treasure, worthy of the demons' dedicated training and even polite negotiations on salary. If the demons are likened to the bosses of the human world, and powerful beings in single universes like Odin and the Ancient One are like employees, have you ever seen an employee who can slam the table in front of the boss, and the boss still has to endure and flatter him? The Ancient One is of that level. To some extent, the future Scarlet Witch can also be said to be of that level.
But Ancient One clearly had no intention of joining Dormammu. She had Vishanti behind her, and plenty of other backup options. Dormammu? Who was that?
Even with Dormammu's help, in terms of the energy extraction power of the dark dimension, ten Kaecilius tied together would not be as strong as one Ancient One. But that was when he was not equipped with the Book of Energy.
Now he has the Book of Energy to help him filter, purify, store and release the power of the dark dimension. Like a valve, it flexibly adjusts and provides the corresponding amount of energy according to his body and needs.
He can mobilize only one, but in form mode, he can leverage the energy book's technology to mobilize ten! To put it in perspective, Stark's combat power without the Iron Man suit isn't very high, but with the Mark suit, his combat power is rapidly elevated, allowing him to easily defeat a hundred enemies.
The various forms of the Book of Energy were, for Casillas, equivalent to Stark's various Mark suits. Well, self-adapting and compatible, self-upgrading to drive various dimensions and transcendental versions.
Casillas now has an extra external energy source. He only needs to mobilize one part of the energy in his body, and the Book of Energy will naturally help him replenish the other parts he wants.
Of course, due to a series of procedures such as self-adaptation, compatibility, upgrading, filtering, purification, perception, etc., the extracted energy will have a considerable proportion of loss when it is supplied to the user, which is understandable.
At least Casillas understood. He wasn't some low-level mage who knew nothing. Even if Ancient One wanted to use the power of the Dark Dimension, he would need to filter out the inherent erosion of the dark power, which could affect and distort the user's consciousness, as well as the inherent losses in converting it into pure magical energy for the mage to use.
So even if the Energy Book's depletion rate was somewhat excessive, Casillas considered it merely a necessary cost. After all, the energy needed to power the Energy Book was still needed, wasn't it? The Lord's dimensional power was as vast as the ocean, and the amount he consumed was, at most, a tiny, insignificant wave in the water.
However, this little consumption could allow his strength to quickly rise to the point where he could fight against Ancient One. Especially since the form mode also had various magical effects.
A huge formation covered the entire suspended platform. All forces from external dimensions within the formation would be restricted and reduced. Only the energy that was continuously stored and transformed through the Book of Energy behind him would not be affected.
An irregularly shaped space blade as transparent as ice emerged from Casillas's hand. In the form mode of the Book of Energy, he had discovered that the surrounding dimensional power and the magical energy in the body of Ancient One were rapidly decaying. He rushed towards Ancient One, and the space blade in his hand stabbed into Ancient One's body viciously.
The light of the magic collision splashed all over the platform, and the two figures were engaged in a fierce and dangerous fight back and forth. Ancient One seemed to be really affected, and was retreating step by step under the attack of Casillas. Not only was he unable to maintain his earlier suppression of Casillas, but he was even showing signs of being suppressed by Casillas.
A surge of magical power erupted between the two men, and Casillas, bearing the brunt of the impact, stumbled back two steps, but quickly regained his footing. This time, he appeared much more composed at his failure, even showing a hint of surprise.
"It seems you've realized that within this forbidden magic realm, your magical energy will only dwindle. No matter how carefully you manage it, how long can that meager amount of energy sustain you? It's time for you to die, Supreme Mage." Kaecilius's gloomy face added a chill to his words. He hoped to see any expression of fear, terror, or despair in the face of death on Ancient One's face. However, after observing her intently for several seconds, he could only see a calm, unwavering composure.
Casillas charged forward once more, wielding his spatial blade. This time, he was far more ferocious and fearless than before. He discovered that his magic resistance and defense were now incredibly high, and he possessed an endless supply of energy to repair his damaged body through magic. Conversely, the Ancient One only grew weaker within the forbidden magic realm. Like a fish on land, if he couldn't quickly return to the water, he would struggle helplessly, facing death.
Casillas's plan now is to trade injuries with Ancient One as much as possible, and frantically consume her remaining energy and physical strength. Time is on his side!
The progress of the battle gradually confirmed his thoughts. Ancient One was becoming increasingly weaker. In the past, a few short blows would only inflict some injuries on him, or even send him stumbling and throwing him. However, as time went on, the opponent's fights with him became increasingly prolonged, and his energy was becoming increasingly exhausted.
Casillas even felt that the mirror space opened by Gu Yi was trembling slightly, and the platforms around it kept collapsing. The whole space looked like it was about to fall into doomsday, showing a sense of desolation.
All of this shows that Ancient One's energy is on the verge of being completely exhausted, and he is unable to even maintain the mirror space.
Casillas was overjoyed and increased his offensive. Various magic spells combined with the space blade in his hand attacked Ancient One. While consuming the opponent, he also seized the opportunity and stabbed Ancient One's heart.
The nearly transparent space blade slashed through all obstacles, inflicting a fatal wound to Ancient One's heart. Under Casillas's ecstatic gaze, the mirror dimension accelerated its collapse. Soon, as Ancient One's aura grew weaker, they were able to use the portal to break free from the constraints of the mirror dimension and reappear outside the church where they had hidden.
At this time, rotating sparks flashed from all around. Casillas and his remaining companions, who were still trying to do something, saw that the situation was not good, so they immediately took the lead to open the portal and got in.
When Mordo and the Mage King came with their men, all they saw were Casillas and others entering the portal and leaving, and Ancient One lying in a pool of blood.
This scene shocked them so much that they had no intention of stopping Casillas and the others from leaving. They were shocked by the sudden death of Gu Yi.
In their minds, the Ancient One is omnipotent and invincible! She is the most powerful of all mages, a formidable figure that most dimensional demons fear. Her existence is equivalent to the Supreme Sorcerer herself, and can be said to be the spiritual pillar of all current mages! For the mages, no matter how terrible the situation, as long as the Ancient One is still there, they will always have faith.
They had never imagined that they would see the death of Ancient One! The shock of this scene was no less than that of believers seeing their god being killed by pagans in front of them. It was unacceptable.
…
Silent City.
"Is this okay with you? They still seem a little bit unable to accept your death." What replayed in front of Luke was the panicked and confused expressions of the Mage King and others surrounding the corpse of Ancient One.
"They will eventually accept it. I've shouldered the responsibility long enough, and it's time for the next Sorcerer Supreme to take over." The Ancient One's voice suddenly rang out from beside Luke. The Ancient One, in spirit form, floated to Luke's left, watching the projected image with him, and spoke calmly.
"Do you need me to create a new body for you?" Luke turned his head to look at Ancient One in soul form.
"No, if necessary, I can condense a new body at any time. What happens next should no longer be my responsibility." Gu Yi was quite free and easy. It was obvious that when she said let go, she meant letting go completely and without reservation.
"Then you can go to the energy bank. I believe Mephisto will be very happy to see you there." Luke smiled meaningfully.
"I'm afraid he won't welcome me. Instead, he'll think I'm here to steal his power." Ancient One shrugged nonchalantly. According to her plan, she wouldn't be stationed at the Energy Bank permanently, merely responsible for some dimensional affairs. What Mephisto thought was none of her business.
"Do I really not need to show up for the rest? Don't I need to say goodbye to them or anything?" Luke looked at the screen again.
"No need. Just tell them after things are resolved." Ancient One shook his head. "If everything goes well for you, I will still have to deal with Dormammu."
"Don't worry, haven't you found the most suitable future through the Eye of Agamotto? Just develop step by step, and what is supposed to happen will happen naturally." Luke said softly, feeling the traces of the Book of Energy.
"Peering into the future isn't a surefire way, especially when powerful forces are at play. No one can truly determine the extent to which the power of time will work against the dimensional demon," said the Ancient One. As a sacred artifact of the Sorcerer Supreme, the Eye of Agamotto, like Odin's Gungnir and Thor's Mjolnir, should always be with her. However, this time, she never used the power of time, even abandoning the Eye, which she always carried, at Kamar-Taj. Once she decided to truly step down, it would become her treasure for the next Sorcerer Supreme.
…
The door of the Sanctuary of the Holy of Holies in New York was violently pushed open from the outside, and Casillas, who was still in Aslan form, strode in with his men.
Apart from the support, the remaining mages had just stood up when Casillas used the power of forbidden magic to seal the energy circulation, and then quickly used space blades and magic to deal with the opponent.
"We don't have much time. After destroying the barrier hub, we must leave before they come back and destroy at least one other barrier." Casillas shook off the mage's blood stained on the space blade, dispersed the forbidden magic field, and instructed his mages.
Following Kaecilius, several mages who were deeply eroded by Dormammu's power and whose souls could no longer escape from the dark dimension immediately walked towards the hub of the barrier. Under the magical knowledge violently instilled by Dormammu, they knew how to use destruction and stop the operation of the barrier.
Soon, one of the three impenetrable barriers began to flicker, as if a connection was broken. However, due to the Trinity, the three barriers were interconnected and supported, so the damaged barrier could still exist for a while. During this time, with urgent maintenance and repairs, it would quickly return to normal.
But Kaecilius knew that if he destroyed just one more barrier, the barrier's fragility would be no match for Dormammu's long-awaited entrance. He only needed to destroy one more barrier to usher in his master. By then, even if the Ancient One were resurrected, it would be useless against Dormammu. Under Dormammu's power, all would enjoy immortality.
"Hurry, don't get entangled with them." Sensing a new magical teleportation fluctuation nearby, Casillas ran towards the Holy of Holies of the next barrier with his men without looking back, without waiting for the Mage King and others to come out of the opened portal.