Chapter 124: Transforming Magic

“So that’s how it is. I misunderstood. Please, esteemed God of Trickery, forgive my lapse in decorum.”

Hearing this, Gu Zhongyan smiled apologetically, closed the Book of Darkness, and bowed sincerely to Loki in apology.

Though he didn’t understand why Gu Zhongyan, who had been so fierce just moments ago, suddenly became so agreeable, Loki, always feeling superior, relished the sensation of looking down from above.

With a proud and noble nod, this exalted deity was about to generously extend his goodwill.

Suddenly, the smooth earth trembled violently, as if struck by an earthquake.

Before Loki could comprehend what was happening, a deafening explosion shattered the earth’s veins. From beneath the solid rock layers, a colossal sandworm burst forth from the depths.

Its dozens-of-meters-long body writhed like a rolling dragon, its enormous maw blossoming open like a chrysanthemum, aiming a deadly bite at Loki’s head.

A nauseating stench of rot assaulted the senses. At such close range, Loki could even count the rows of razor-sharp fangs within that massive mouth.

Pale-faced with fright, Loki instinctively stepped back, the Eternal Spear in his hand trembling slightly as it emitted a low warning hum.

In that instant, a flash of insight struck him like lightning—a trick. This was an illusion.

As a master manipulator of minds, Loki immediately sensed the abnormality in the impending danger.

Clenching the Eternal Spear tightly, he felt a faint electric current surge through his body with a sharp crackle.

The sandworm that had just been inches away vanished like thick fog. Yet, Loki’s expression darkened further.

In place of the monstrous beast, black chains glinted coldly with metallic sheen, writhing like octopus tentacles as they lunged toward him.

His retreat had inadvertently placed him at the center of the chains’ encirclement.

And the orchestrator of all this was undoubtedly the respectful Earth Mage.

Everything he’d witnessed—the mage’s apology, the terrifying sandworm—was a manifestation of the mage’s mental magic.

Clearly, this mage was also a master of mind magic, so skilled he could even deceive Loki.

Had it not been for the Eternal Spear’s warning, Loki might have been slain without ever realizing it was an illusion.

Gu Zhongyan regarded the approaching Loki with a look of regret, casting a fleeting glance at the Eternal Spear.

No wonder it was Asgard’s top-tier artifact. Even if Loki couldn’t wield it fully, its basic alert ability had pulled him out of the illusion.

Yet, regrettably, even without the illusion, eight black chains of darkness had already appeared before Loki.

Each chain was linked by black bone blades, pulsating with intense dark power. Even before binding him, their sheer presence was terrifying.

The Blade-Bone Chains—Gu Zhongyan had adapted this magic by referencing spells from the Book of Darkness, merging them with rapid binding enchantments.

They didn’t merely restrain; the pitch-black bone blades contained devouring power, gradually consuming the captive’s strength, extinguishing any hope of escape.

Since acquiring the Book of Darkness, Gu Zhongyan’s magical skill hadn’t improved dramatically, but his combat prowess had soared.

This was inevitable. In the Harry Potter world’s magic system, offensive spells were rare; most magic targeted the soul, such as piercing agony and bone-drilling curses.

Previously, his offensive spells were mostly self-invented—usable but hardly exceptional.

After all, no matter how gifted, competing with spells refined over millennia by countless sorcerers was a stretch.

Upon arriving in the Marvel universe, he learned the basics of Kamar-Taj magic, but Kamar-Taj’s practice was white magic, with scarcely any offensive spells.

Take the source of white magic in the Marvel cosmos—the Vishanti’s tome, rival to the Book of Darkness—it contained no active offensive spells at all.

If the ancestors were so conservative, the ordinary mages of Kamar-Taj fared no better.

When first watching Doctor Strange, Gu Zhongyan often mocked these melee mages for neglecting true magic, instead wielding weapons forged from magic energy—hardly mage-like.

Only after crossing over did he realize he had misjudged them; it wasn’t unwillingness but lack of options.

Had they possessed a few offensive spells, they wouldn’t have resorted to conjuring weapons from magic energy.

Among Kamar-Taj’s elite—the Ancient One, Doctor Strange—those with maximum magical aptitude mastered black magic alongside white magic, resembling black magicians more than white ones.

Therefore, the magic Kamar-Taj imparted to Gu Zhongyan was mostly foundational knowledge of the Marvel magical system, rather than potent offensive power.

The Book of Darkness was different. As a remnant and replica of the Dark God’s tome, it contained countless black magics, each stranger and more vicious than the last.

Merged with Gu Zhongyan’s magic system, self-destructive elements were pruned, and the more sinister parts tempered, enhancing his magical potency.

For example, the Blade-Bone Chains, and the terrifying whisper that inadvertently drew Loki into the illusion—both derived from rapid binding, mind control, and thought-extraction spells, modified and refined.

Loki was unaware of the origins of Gu Zhongyan’s magic, but as the foremost sorcerer of the Nine Realms, he could clearly sense its formidable power.

The octopus-like chains sliced through the air with dark blades, producing sharp whistling sounds, clinking and clattering as they writhed to ensnare him.

Loki’s pupils contracted, and he forcefully pushed off the ground, launching backward like a mortar shell.

Though a mage, Loki was also publicly recognized as an Asgardian god, and in truth, a frost giant. His physical toughness rivaled Thor’s.

With proper training, he might even hold his own against the Hulk.

As Loki swiftly retreated, the eight chains pursued with greater speed, wrapping around him like a fisher’s net capturing prey.

“Hmph!”

With a cold snort, Loki swung the Eternal Spear. The spear vibrated continuously, moving with the unpredictability of a venomous serpent, transforming into streaks of pearly afterimages that stabbed forth.

“Clang, clang, clang…”

A series of crisp sounds rang out as the golden spearhead struck the black bone chains with pinpoint accuracy.

Truly an elite artifact of Asgard, even without unleashing divine power, its indomitable nature effortlessly shattered the eight chains to fragments.

Seeing this, Gu Zhongyan frowned slightly, once again marveling at Asgard’s vast wealth and the abundance of their powerful relics.

Then, in the next moment, the Book of Darkness in his hand flipped open rapidly, rustling loudly.

The eight shattered chains reassembled as if time were reversing, coalescing even faster, swinging back toward Loki with renewed ferocity.