Bonus Chapter To Celebrate Christmas
-------------
POV Ancient One
Rumble
I look down at my teacup as the water shakes.
'So the time has come at last.'
Shatter
The barrier protecting Kamar Taj shatters, and I stand up to walk to greet the unwelcome guest.
"You are not welcome here, Belasco!" Wong threatens.
"I don't have time for a puny little Sorcerer like you. Go make yourself useful and make a sandwich," Belasco mocks.
Before things can escalate, I walk into the courtyard.
"Wong, leave us," I order.
"But Master," Wong says reluctantly.
"You are no match for him. Take care of the other intruders," I order.
"As you wish, Ancient One," Wong says with a bow before leaving.
"My, time has not been kind to you," Belasco mocks.
"Why are you here?" I demand.
"Is that any way to greet an old friend?" Belasco mocks.
"You are no friend of mine, nor have you ever been," I retort.
"Oh, come now, we've known each other for so long. So few of us old timers remain nowadays. Especially since you've been working to exterminate those that remain on this Earth," Belasco accuses.
"You were banished from Earth for a reason; now return to Limbo at once!" I demand while preparing for battle.
"What are you gonna do? Shoot me?" Belasco mocks.
BOOM... SHATTER
I hit him with a spell and launch him into the Mirror Dimension, where I follow right afterward.
"Wow, they weren't kidding; you really are weak. I admit when I heard the rumors that you had become a cripple or that you lost your touch and the attacks were all just cover for that, I didn't believe them. You've kicked my ass enough times, and so many other Dimensional Lords', that I thought it was nothing but a rumor you made up to trick your enemies into revealing themselves. But I have a feeling they were right on the money, so you ready to experience several centuries of payback, with interest?" Belasco says arrogantly.
I let him chatter as long as he wanted, as he wasn't wrong. I can't beat him as I am. Not even close. Not unless I use an artifact I didn't dare use before.
I take a deep breath and then pull the artifact from my storage bag. When Belasco sees it, he goes pale as a sheet and immediately tries to run away, but I don't give him the chance.
Ding
"ARE YOU INSANE!!!!" Belasco screams in panic as a massive golden dome scale appears between us.
"No, I am dying," I reply calmly.
Belasco realizes, to his horror, I wasn't joking. He struggles with all his might to get out of this, as he knows that dealing with a magic user with nothing left to live and already dying is a very dangerous foe. Something even I wouldn't casually face without ample preparations.
The scale shoots out golden chains that, despite Belasco's best efforts, he can't escape from. Meanwhile, I don't even try to flee or resist, as I know it is pointless. A massive winged lady with a blindfold appears, a being I only know is called Judgement. The item I just used was called the Scale of Judgement; it requires two people to be present to be used. Both our souls will now be weighed against each other. If we are perfectly balanced in our differences, my good deeds vs his bad deeds, we will both be released and given a large boost to our powers. But if we are even the slightest bit out of balance, we will bypass all laws of reality and go straight to judgment with no way of countering or ever being resurrected.
My soul is torn from my already nearly dead body, causing my body to literally disintegrate into fine dust, leaving only my ring in the pile of ash. However, upon my supposed death, the ring did what I had enchanted it to do. Find Wong so he could use it or at least keep it safe. The Time Stone was left in Wong's hands so he could survive whatever trials he would face next. I couldn't be sure if that would be enough, but I had done all I could to protect Earth.
My soul drops onto the left scale while Belasco's terrified soul does the same. The scale sharply falls to the right as Belasco's soul is heavily seeped in Sin and Evil deeds. It also doesn't help that I have done some pretty bad things in my life.
"Your souls have been found... wanting. You are hereby condemned!" Judgement says, and our souls are pulled towards her.
Belasco's soul is the first to go, as it is torn piece by piece, as the various souls he used to empower his own are torn away. The pain of such an action was maddening. I could practically see his psyche shattering from the pain. Only when Judgement was done was his soul absorbed by Judgement, likely to go somewhere else. Next was my turn.
"You have messed with forces far beyond your understanding. But you did so for good cause. You shall have a new life. But one with no memories," Judgement said calmly.
"I thank you for your wisdom," I say humbly.
"It is my duty. Now let us go," Judgement says, and the artifact I used is taken with us as I feel my memories start to fade, leaving behind a clean soul.
The last thing I see is the Mirror Dimension starting to break apart and dissolve as we leave this realm.
POV Shift Wong
As my head is severed, I let my enemy think they won, but as soon as they let their guard down, my time is reversed, and I strike them down. My spell obliterates the Ettercap Queen, but I have to take a breather, as even with the Eye of Agamotto reducing the power needed to use the Time Stone, it still wasn't easy to use.
"Well, I'll be, you actually survived," Kaecilius mocks.
"Nice to see you too, Kaecilius," I snap back.
"Well, you'll be happy to know Mordo pulled it off. Monstropolis shouldn't be a threat anymore. The bad news is... He and his team didn't make it," Kaecilius says with clear disappointment.
"Damn! Who else is left?" I ask with growing worry.
"You're looking at him," Kaecilius mocks.
"What, it's just us? That can't be," I say with shock.
"Well, the Sorcerer Supreme will figure something out; she always does," Kaecilius tries to comfort me.
"No... I don't think she'll be coming back," I comment while looking at the quickly approaching ring.
"Wait, is that..." Kaecilius says with clear shock.
"The Ancient One's Ring. It seems she has perished," I say sadly.
"Then all is lost. Without her, we stand no chance at protecting what little remains," Kaecilius says as he falls to his knees in despair.
"It's not over yet. Not while we still stand," I say firmly.
"Let's be real, neither of us is Sorcerer Supreme material. We just aren't strong enough, and our power has been permanently capped. Only Kamar Taj still stands; the other sanctums and temples are all destroyed. While most of our enemies lie dead, there are still some left. I can't keep doing this... Not anymore. Not without the Ancient One," Kaecilius says with utter despair.
"You would abandon Kamar Taj? And everything it has done for you?" I say firmly.
"I've repaid my debt. I still have to bring my family back. I can't die here, not now," Kaecilius says with growing determination and even a little bit of fear.
"Fine, leave here. Try to survive out there without the defences of Kamar Taj, but don't expect me to come save you when you become endangered. And don't come running here with enemies on your tail; you're not welcome here anymore," I say with finality.
"Why should I listen to what you say?" Kaecilius demands.
"The Ancient One left me in charge; thus, as acting Sorcerer Supreme, I hereby banish you," I pass judgment once and for all.
Kaecilius looks a bit shaken, but he quickly cools his expression.
"Fine, abandon me. See if I care. You shall regret this someday," Kaecilius says as he creates a portal.
He walks through the portal, and only when he is finally gone do I remove him and the others from the welcome list. Now, anyone who tried to enter Kamar Taj would face the magical defences. But once that was done, I had a tough question to handle.
"What now?" I ask myself.
Sure, I could survive for a long time, and the Ring might be able to keep me alive, but what would my life even mean at that point? Better yet, what even is the point of Kamar Taj if not to protect Earth from Extradimensional invasions? The great barrier is gone, not that it was even needed anymore, given the much more powerful barrier that seems to have been created some time ago. And even if I could try to protect Earth, I am far from strong enough to protect it alone.
I wasn't sure where to go, but I felt the first step could be to clean up the mess from the attack. It was while I was cleaning up that I found the book that the Ancient One told me to read upon her death.
'Well, the mess isn't going anywhere.'
I drop the broom and open the book. As I read more and more I my eyes widen in shock. It turned out the Ancient One had left a wealth of information. Enough that I reconsidered my plans.
'Maybe I could find a successor after all.'