Chapter 124: The Onslaught of Casillas

Stephen Strange suddenly burst into laughter and said, "Fine! I quit! I came here to heal my hands, not to get involved in some magical war."

Stephen Strange was terrified by what Wong and Mordo had told him. He was just an ordinary doctor; how could he possibly protect the Earth? Although Arthur had previously suggested he join the Avengers, he had only assumed Arthur was joking.

*Dong...*

*Dong...*

Suddenly, the sound of a warning bell rang out from above. The London Sanctum was under attack. The gateway leading to the London Sanctum suddenly opened, and a man wearing Kamar-Taj robes rushed out, only to be struck in the back by a translucent magical blade wielded by someone behind him, killing him instantly.

"That's Kaecilius! No!" Mordo shouted. They watched as Kaecilius gathered a massive fireball of energy above his head and slammed it violently into the ground of the London Sanctum.

*BOOM!*

The massive explosion sent Stephen Strange flying into the doorway of the New York Sanctum. As Stephen tumbled inside, the portal to the New York Sanctum vanished, and the doorway transformed into a solid stone wall.

"Wong! Mordo!" Stephen scrambled to his feet and shouted, but no one answered. He had no choice but to head outside; he was now in the New York Sanctum.

Stephen reached the front entrance and opened the door to the street. Why did this place feel so familiar? He turned his head and saw it: 177A Bleecker Street! This was Bleecker Street in New York.

Stephen turned back into the Sanctum, closed the door, and began to wander around, checking to see if anyone was there.

He came upon three doors. Behind one was a dense forest, behind the second was a tumultuous ocean, and behind the third were the Himalayan mountains.

Beside the doors was a glowing mechanism. Stephen turned it, and the door to the ocean changed to a desert. It turned out these were portals, and the mechanism controlled their destinations—it was truly miraculous.

"Is anyone here?" Stephen Strange shouted into the Sanctum. The place was filled with artifacts and magical objects, resembling a museum.

As he explored, he stopped in front of a glass display case. Inside, a red magical cloak was hovering in mid-air, looking incredibly magnificent.

Stephen Strange glanced at it and walked away. Suddenly, he heard a noise from the ground floor and headed toward the staircase.

He saw a monk standing in the middle of the hall holding a weapon. The architecture at the entrance of the hall was shifting infinitely, just as the Ancient One had demonstrated before.

The doors suddenly opened, and a man in orange sorcerer's robes walked in, followed by two subordinates. It was Kaecilius, the same man Stephen had just seen destroy the London Sanctum.

"Daniel, they left you to guard this Sanctum?" Kaecilius clearly knew the monk in the hall.

"Do you know what it means to be a Master of the Sanctum?" the monk, named Daniel, retorted.

"It means you're going to die for it!" Kaecilius replied. He pulled his hands apart, and a translucent magical blade appeared in his grasp.

The two subordinates lunged at Daniel. But Daniel was no pushover; he wielded his staff, holding his own against the two attackers.

The three engaged in a fierce battle, while Kaecilius stood to the side, merely watching.

Suddenly, one of Kaecilius’s subordinates seized an opportunity and slashed Daniel’s leg. Daniel collapsed to his knees.

"Stop!" Realizing the situation had turned dire, Stephen Strange jumped out from behind the railing.

But it was too late; Kaecilius had already plunged his blade into Daniel’s heart, killing him instantly.

Kaecilius looked at the jumping Stephen Strange without a hint of surprise, as if he had known he was hiding there all along.

"How long have you been at Kamar-Taj? Are you a doctor?" Kaecilius asked.

"My name is Strange!" Stephen Strange declared, raising his hands to conjure a magical whip.

Kaecilius’s two subordinates suddenly leaped onto the walls, rushing toward Stephen Strange along the surfaces.

Stephen Strange clashed with the two attackers. His combat skills were actually quite decent; thanks to his sparring sessions with Mordo, he had become much stronger than before.

Stephen Strange held his own against the two, but seeing that they couldn't take him down, Kaecilius threw his magical blade at him with great force.

Stephen timed his move perfectly, whipping the magical blade away, and then turned to run deeper into the Sanctum.

Kaecilius pressed his hands downward, and the floor beneath Stephen Strange began to scroll backward like a treadmill, making it impossible for him to move forward.

Realizing he couldn't outrun them, Stephen conjured two magical shields. The two subordinates leaped onto the walls again, charging toward him.

Two magical blades struck at Stephen Strange simultaneously, but he blocked them with his shields. He threw a punch to counter, but his injured hands couldn't muster much strength.

Stephen Strange was kicked to the ground by one of Kaecilius’s men, and the other rushed toward him.

Stephen immediately scrambled up, conjured a magical whip once more, and sent the attacking subordinate flying with a single lash.

Kaecilius rotated his hands, and the floor beneath Stephen Strange began to rotate with him. Stephen had not yet learned the magic of walking on walls; he lost his balance and crashed into a window glass that had rotated to the bottom.

Stephen shattered the glass. Kaecilius rotated the corridor back, and Stephen Strange fell to the ground again.

Seeing the floor return to its original position, Stephen turned and ran toward the corridor behind him.

Kaecilius raised his hands, and the corridor tilted upward. Stephen slid down, grabbing a pillar and hanging in mid-air.

Looking down at one of Kaecilius’s men standing on the wall and a portal below, Stephen gritted his teeth and let go.

He landed squarely on the subordinate, kicking him through the portal. On the other side was the desert Stephen had set earlier.

Stephen Strange grabbed the frame of the portal to keep from falling. Suddenly, the entire corridor descended, returning to normal.

The other subordinate charged at Stephen, but was knocked to the ground by a single strike. Stephen turned the mechanism, changing the portal's destination to a rainforest; the first subordinate was now trapped in the desert.

Stephen grappled with the remaining subordinate, seized an opening, kicked him through the portal, and turned the mechanism, dumping him into the rainforest as well.

Now only Kaecilius remained. He charged at Stephen Strange with two magical blades, but Stephen dodged them nimbly.

Stephen Strange slammed into Kaecilius to push him back and turned to run, with Kaecilius in hot pursuit.

Stephen reached the second floor and held up a glowing relic, aiming it at Kaecilius.

Kaecilius stopped when he saw the object, appearing genuinely afraid of it. However, Stephen Strange was simply holding it in his hand.

"You don't know how to use that, do you?" Kaecilius said.

Stephen Strange felt a sudden pang of embarrassment; he truly had no idea what it was or how to use it.