"Archmage Mark, hello!"
Stepping out of the teleportation circle, the Ancient One greeted Archmage Mark with her signature smile.
"Sorcerer Supreme Ancient One, hello!"
As the saying goes, one doesn't strike a smiling face, so Archmage Mark also smiled and returned the greeting.
"It seems that all of this was not caused by Archmage Mark."
After a quick look around, the Ancient One had already surveyed the scene and understood what had happened.
Speaking of which, the Ancient One's foundation was deep enough, and her strength had increased again. The problem that Archmage Mark hadn't noticed immediately was discovered by the Ancient One at once.
"I wonder, Sorcerer Supreme Ancient One, what have you discerned?"
Archmage Mark asked, though he already knew.
"It's merely an old friend taking away something he once placed on Earth."
The Ancient One shook her head, as if she hadn't seen the mangled limbs in the ruined pit.
"Heh heh, so, even if he silenced everyone in this Base, it doesn't matter?"
Archmage Mark said with a hint of sarcasm.
Archmage Mark knew that this Dark Energy Base was probably just Odin, unable to vent his anger over the destruction of the Bifrost Bridge, who casually punched it to smithereens.
"Some things, from the moment they are researched, are already destined to be a tragedy!"
Sorcerer Supreme Ancient One understood what Archmage Mark was satirizing, but she didn't care.
Similarly, Archmage Mark also understood that the Ancient One, having lived long enough, no longer cared about such Deaths. Having lived too long, she had grown accustomed to such events.
For the Ancient One, as long as it didn't concern the entire human civilization, or the safety of Earth, the Ancient One and her faction of mages would never meddle in the affairs of the material World.
After all, the mystical World was already enough to keep them busy.
However, how did this Ancient One's strength increase again? Does she have a 'level up when injured' attribute?
"I wonder what fortuitous encounter Sorcerer Supreme Ancient One had for her strength to increase so much?"
Archmage Mark was quite interested in the Ancient One's changes.
Archmage Mark, who had replicated and manifested the Ancient One's abilities, clearly knew that while the magic of the Vishanti system was very powerful, it also lacked many functions. At the very least, the power of the Vishanti lineage was not enough to grant the Ancient One immortality.
To ensure her longevity, the Ancient One had forcefully extracted energy from the Dark Dimension, or rather, from Dormammu, who had merged with the entire Dark Dimension, to sustain her life force.
But likewise, those who grew stronger through dark power would also be increasingly eroded by Dormammu as that dark power grew. At least, in Archmage Mark's opinion, the Ancient One who appeared before him had reached the peak of Skyfather Level strength. Logically, her entire consciousness should have been completely eroded by Dormammu.
However, why did the Ancient One still possess such clear consciousness?
"Could it be that the Dark Dimension, or rather, Dormammu, has encountered some problem?"
Archmage Mark couldn't help but frown.
"Archmage Mark's strength has also undergone Earth-shattering changes!"
The Ancient One didn't answer Archmage Mark's question but looked at him with a solemn expression.
The last time she saw Archmage Mark, what was his strength? Although she had suffered a minor setback due to carelessness, if she truly wanted to take down Archmage Mark, in the Ancient One's opinion, it was still achievable.
But now, seeing Archmage Mark again, the Ancient One was completely shocked! Because the Ancient One discovered that Archmage Mark had actually reached the same level of strength as herself! Although he had just entered the Skyfather Level, compared to the Archmage Mark who was like a minor transparent before, he was completely incomparable.
Even though Ancient One's power had also surged, the increase was incomparable to Archmage Mark's! Previously, when Archmage Mark was an unknown, his power was already enough to 'ambush' and severely injure Ancient One when she was not paying attention. If Archmage Mark, with his current Skyfather Level power, were to unleash that same move now, Ancient One couldn't guarantee that she would survive… The Time Stone was indeed powerful, but only when someone was using it!
If Archmage Mark were to launch a real sneak attack when Ancient One wasn't paying attention and hadn't used the Time Stone, Ancient One would truly be in trouble. An unknown versus a Skyfather Level—a world of difference!
"Haha, just a small improvement!"
Archmage Mark didn't press Ancient One for an explanation, nor did he care.
It was probably just a matter of her using some method to once again snatch a large amount of Dark Energy from Dormammu. Whether she explained it or not, Archmage Mark wasn't interested in learning it, so he didn't care at all.
What Archmage Mark was more curious about was what had happened to the Dark Dimension, or rather, Dormammu. Otherwise, why would Dormammu be so kind as to let Ancient One carve off a piece of him, and a piece so significant that it would allow Ancient One to advance further, almost to Single Universe Level? Such a massive carving would surely have severely depleted the entire Dark Dimension's vitality!
"Could it be because of Odin?"
Archmage Mark speculated.
Looking at the changes in the Dark Energy Base, which was now a complete ruin unknown to the outside world, he knew that Odin was not to be trifled with.
To ensure Asgard could still deter the Nine Realms, with the Bifrost Bridge destroyed, he reclaimed the Tesseract that had been thrown onto Earth and, while he was at it, destroyed S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Dark Energy Base, which was researching the Tesseract.
Given his way of doing things, it wasn't hard to guess that to prevent Asgard from being invaded by the Myriad Dimensions, Destroyer Odin might have directly severely injured Dormammu! No! It could even be said that this was inevitable!
To ensure Asgard wasn't invaded by the Myriad Dimensions after he fell into Odinsleep, Odin using Dormammu of the Dark Dimension as an example to warn and deter the Myriad Dimensions was absolutely something Odin was capable of!
Consider Asgard: after Odin fell into Odinsleep, the Queen needed to care for his sleeping body, Thunder God Thor was severely injured and not yet awake, and the second prince Loki was missing. Even if he were found, Loki would not be allowed to rule Asgard. In such a situation, it was not impossible for Odin to severely injure, or even directly destroy, the Dark Dimension as a warning!
Of course, judging by the vast yet stable, non-berserk Dark Energy on Ancient One, the Dark Energy couldn't have been destroyed. Otherwise, if she were implicated, Ancient One wouldn't just be unable to upgrade; it wouldn't be strange for her to die on the spot.
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