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Chapter 146: Is This Still Kamar-Taj? Odin's Calculation
🕑 Added 2025-03-19 12:05:47 +0000 UTCThe Perimeter of Kamar-Taj
Kaecilius lurked outside Kamar-Taj with his three companions.
"Usually, Kamar-Taj's magicians train on the practice grounds, while a select few elites are stationed at the three sanctuaries as guardians," he explained.
"The Sorcerer Supreme, the Ancient One, often resides in Kamar-Taj."
"In my opinion, our best course of action is to infiltrate one of the sanctuaries and capture a guardian magician."
"But the Lord of Darkness has specifically ordered us to venture into Kamar-Taj itself," he added grimly.
Kaecilius turned to Robert.
"Robert, you must understand—this is Kamar-Taj, the sacred stronghold of magicians.
"We are blessed by the great Lord of the Dark Dimension, so we have nothing to fear from the Ancient One. But you… you are different.
"If something happens to you due to your lack of strength, don't blame us for not watching out for you."
Kaecilius had no intention of looking after Robert. The man wasn’t a defector from Kamar-Taj, nor did he share their faith. He was of no concern to him.
"Rest assured," Robert declared confidently, standing tall. "To ensure the success of this mission, the great King of Hell has granted me invincible power.
"Even the legendary Sorcerer Supreme does not frighten me!"
He held his head high, pride gleaming in his eyes.
Not long ago, Robert was a rogue magician, constantly hunted by Kamar-Taj. But fate had shifted in his favor. Now, as a devoted follower of a Dimensional Lord, he had been blessed with newfound power.
Kamar-Taj no longer intimidated him.
"You’d better be right," Kaecilius responded indifferently, though he remained unconvinced.
To him, the greatest power still belonged to Dormammu, the Lord of Darkness beyond time.
At that moment, his eyes narrowed.
The training grounds of Kamar-Taj were teeming with magicians—far more than usual.
And these were not mere apprentices. Many of them were seasoned magicians, some even of Kaecilius' generation.
His brow furrowed.
"What's wrong? So what if there are more of them?" Robert scoffed.
"Kamar-Taj is surrounded by a magical barrier, but in its normal state, the defense is not particularly strong," Kaecilius explained.
"If they detect us and reinforce the barrier, breaking through will become exponentially harder!"
"We must act quickly!"
Kaecilius knew Kamar-Taj's defenses well. As a former elite magician, he had access to information few others did.
Even with his unwavering confidence in his own strength, he refused to take unnecessary risks. The goal was simple—capture a magician as swiftly as possible.
Fortunately, this mission wasn’t too difficult.
He knew Kamar-Taj’s magicians well. Even the past version of himself could have easily overpowered most of them.
If they could strike before the barrier was strengthened, success was almost guaranteed.
"This is the right course of action," he affirmed.
"Move!"
At his command, the four figures activated a teleportation array, appearing at the outskirts of Kamar-Taj.
With synchronized movements, they cast their spells, attacking the magical barrier.
Their current power far surpassed what it once was, and breaching the unguarded barrier was not a challenge.
However, even in the brief moment it took, the magicians on the training grounds noticed them.
"Kaecilius!"
"They're traitors!"
"Take them down!"
Despite Kaecilius' altered appearance due to dark energy corruption, some magicians still recognized him.
Yet, he remained unfazed.
He had already locked onto a target—Max, a magician stationed on the outer edge.
Kaecilius still remembered his name.
A competent magician, but not a particularly strong one.
Taking him down should be easy.
Or so he thought.
The moment Max saw the four intruders, he didn’t hesitate. Knowing he couldn’t defeat them alone, he immediately channeled magic from the Weave.
In the blink of an eye, an immense surge of magical power coursed through him.
His strength skyrocketed several times over.
Kaecilius’ pupils constricted.
"What… is this?"
How had he done that?
Something was off.
"Change targets!" Kaecilius commanded, swiftly altering course.
The other three followed suit.
But then—
Something even more shocking happened.
As they ran, every magician in front of them did the same.
And every single one of them had grown exponentially stronger.
Some of them even rivaled Kaecilius and his team in power.
"What the hell is going on?!"
"Why is everyone suddenly so much stronger?!"
Kaecilius’ three companions were in utter disbelief.
They scanned their surroundings again.
This was Kamar-Taj, the place they once knew.
But it had changed.
The location remained the same, but the people—
Every magician was vastly more powerful than before.
"Damn it! Use it!"
Kaecilius’ expression darkened.
Had their movements been tracked all along?
Had the Ancient One anticipated this?
Had Kamar-Taj invoked some forbidden technique to prepare for them?
Ancient One…
Ancient One…
I underestimated you.
Kaecilius gritted his teeth.
When he had been here, the Ancient One never revealed such knowledge.
But now?
She had shared it freely.
Despicable!
"Don't let them escape! Capture Kaecilius!"
The magicians of Kamar-Taj charged, their eyes burning with newfound confidence.
With their enhanced power, they were eager to test their strength.
And who better than these four traitors?
A barrage of magical whips descended upon them.
Some magicians even unleashed the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak.
A few resorted to the devastating Bolts of Balthakk.
The spells were relentless.
Kaecilius had never seen Kamar-Taj like this before.
"When did Cyttorak’s Chains and Balthakk’s Bolts become such common spells?!"
"The plan is a failure. We retreat!"
His confidence shattered, Kaecilius barked the order.
There was no point in fighting an unwinnable battle.
Kamar-Taj had become a death trap.
Hearing this, the other three heaved sighs of relief.
This mission had become a nightmare.
They thought they would dominate—
Instead, they were completely outmatched.
With no hope of victory, escaping was the only option.
Kaecilius tore open the Mirror Dimension, diving in without hesitation.
His companions followed, using the shifting terrain to evade attacks.
But the magicians of Kamar-Taj pursued them relentlessly, hurling fireballs and ice bolts.
Kaecilius planned to use dark energy to repel them—
But instead, he only provoked them further.
Suddenly, several magicians wrested control of the Mirror Dimension from him.
"No way!"
He was no longer the strongest magician here.
Desperate, he opened a portal and barely escaped.
Robert, experienced in fleeing, followed.
But the last two traitors weren’t as lucky.
As they neared the portal, the landscape shifted—
A towering magical wall blocked their path.
Then, a barrage of spells engulfed them.
Despite casting the Shield of Seraphim, they were utterly overwhelmed.
Within moments, their bodies were reduced to ashes.
The magicians of Kamar-Taj stood over the remains, unimpressed.
"Kaecilius escaped, but it's fine."
"At least now, he knows never to return."
And somewhere in the distance, the Ancient One watched, satisfied.
Kamar-Taj no longer needed her to protect it.
Even without her, it could stand strong.
But who would lead it?
Stephen?
Or…
Tony Stark?
The Ancient One dispersed all magicians with authority level 3 and above to each of the sanctuaries.
They would serve as the main force against the Dark Believers.
With the support of the magic web, Kaecilius and his followers would be unable to breach the sanctuary defenses.
Meanwhile, she would remain in Kamar-Taj.
"Yes, Supreme One!"
Golden Hall
When Aaron arrived, Odin was still contemplating whether something significant had occurred recently.
If it wasn’t necessary, he really had no desire to see this man.
But as soon as Aaron mentioned the magic web, Odin’s grip on Gungnir subconsciously tightened.
This man had actually developed something like this?!
A system that allowed magicians from all over the world to work for him alone—what a terrifyingly ambitious idea!
Not only had Aaron created this so-called magic web, but he had already conducted experiments in Kamar-Taj.
According to him, the results were a complete success.
The magical capabilities of the magicians had improved by more than one level.
Now, with 800 magicians already connected, he planned to extend the experiment to Asgard to address its lack of proficient sorcerers.
Honestly, Odin was tempted to reject the proposal outright.
While the magic web offered undeniable benefits, the risks were just as evident.
If all magicians operated under Aaron’s system, who would be able to keep him in check?
Then again... was there anyone who could restrain Aaron even now?
Odin fell silent.
"Are you certain there are no hidden dangers?" he finally asked.
"There are none. You can review the treaty yourself," Aaron replied, having anticipated the concern. He immediately handed the document over to Odin.
As Odin scrutinized each article of the treaty, he simultaneously used his divine telepathy to communicate with Heimdall, instructing him to observe the situation in Kamar-Taj.
Following his king’s orders, Heimdall focused his all-seeing gaze on Kamar-Taj.
What he saw stunned him.
The magicians... they were far stronger than before!
And there were no signs of external control or manipulation.
More surprisingly, what occupied their discussions most was not magic itself, but strategies on how to deceive the dark dimension entities—Mephista in particular.
Good gods...
Since when had Kamar-Taj's magicians become so audacious?
They were openly discussing ways to siphon energy from Mephista without falling into its grasp.
Were they completely insane?
Full of doubt, Heimdall relayed his observations to Odin.
Odin processed the information in silence, carefully cross-referencing it with what Aaron had said.
After thoroughly reviewing the treaty and ensuring there were no loopholes, he found himself deep in thought.
Perhaps... there was room for maneuvering in this situation.
He considered his own condition.
His magical power had continuously increased, but at the cost of his lifespan.
His vitality was running out.
If he could connect to the magic web and transfer that excess energy elsewhere, he might be able to extend his life a little longer.
Of course, that wasn’t his only concern.
Asgard’s future belonged to Thor.
He needed to pave the way for his son’s rule.
And the magic web seemed like the perfect opportunity.
According to Aaron, Asgard could have its own high-level administrator.
With the expansion of the network’s nodes, Thor would receive energy feedback from all of Asgard’s people.
Then another thought struck Odin.
Asgard controlled multiple realms of life:
The Vanir of Vanaheim, the Dwarves of Nidavellir, and the Light Elves of Alfheim.
If those realms were also connected to Thor…
With their collective strength, his power would grow rapidly.
And with administrative privileges, he would be able to directly access and use powerful spells.
This would finally compensate for Thor’s greatest weakness.
The more Odin thought about it, the more he saw potential in the proposal.
Aaron could no longer be restrained.
So rather than resisting the inevitable, why not use it to nurture Thor?
With his mind made up, Odin nodded.
However, he still had one condition.
"I have only one request—Vanaheim, Nidavellir, and Alfheim must be linked to Thor."
"Of course!"
Aaron agreed without hesitation.
As expected.
