[Starting as a Class 5 Mutant] Chapter 317/318 (Patreon)

The two exchanged glances, their eyes instinctively flickering between Maurice and Kaecilius. (The name before was wrong, it was Maurice, well, I think.)

These two are maniacs!

Brainwashed maniacs by their faith!

Wong and Stephen Strange were utterly convinced of this.

In the distance, Maurice froze, stunned by Kaecilius' words.

After carefully observing him, Maurice formed a guess in his mind.

"Have you also put your faith in a dimensional demon god?"

"Who is it?"

Maurice murmured, "I see. No wonder someone like you, who has always feared death, was never drawn to Lord Dormammu. You've pledged allegiance to an unknown dimensional god instead!"

Finishing his words, he stared at Kaecilius, his face curling into a cold smirk.
"Very well, I'll soon prove to you that your choice was a mistake!"

"Only the great Lord Dormammu is the ultimate, invincible existence. Only he can grant us eternal life!"

"With the power Lord Dormammu bestows, you are no match for me!"

As he spoke, two translucent spikes materialized in Maurice's hands.

It was clear he intended to attack this heretic, Kaecilius, with deadly intent.

Watching from the sidelines, Wong and Stephen Strange were alarmed.

Gazing at the two adversaries poised for confrontation, Strange whispered, "Wong, who do you think will win?"

Wong pondered for a moment before replying gravely, "Dormammu is renowned for his strength, and the dark power he grants is equally formidable. While it corrupts, its might is undeniable. As for the entity Kaecilius worships..."

Trailing off, Wong turned his attention to Maurice in the distance.

"Kaecilius is no match for him. When it looks like Kaecilius is losing, we'll step in and join forces to defeat that guy."

Strange thought it over and nodded in agreement. Wong's analysis made sense.

Not long ago, Kaecilius had sought him out, and even then, Strange had found him rather unremarkable, far from intimidating.

Compared to Maurice, who had already demonstrated the immense power granted by the master of the Dark Dimension, Kaecilius seemed almost insignificant.

For now, their plan was to wait for the two to clash. When Kaecilius began to falter, they would intervene and strike Maurice unexpectedly.

While they contemplated, the standoff continued. Maurice, growing impatient with Kaecilius' composure, made the first move.

With a swish, the two translucent spikes in Maurice's hands hurtled toward Kaecilius with a sharp whistle.

At this moment, everyone present—Wong, Strange, and even Maurice's allies—focused intently on the scene.

To their surprise, Kaecilius responded with a similar magical weapon in his hand.

Clang! Clang!

The incoming spikes were deflected and sent flying.

The sight left Wong, Strange, and even Maurice visibly stunned.

"Interesting. Let's see what you'll do next..."

Maurice sneered, casually waving his hand. Suddenly, the entire palace began to distort.

The space twisted and shifted…

Tiles and structures morphed like building blocks, rearranging themselves arbitrarily. The ground and ceiling flipped, creating an almost surreal inversion.

Though Wong and Strange had seen such phenomena before, they couldn't help but be amazed.

Reacting quickly, they used yellow magical whips to secure their positions, preventing themselves from falling.

To manipulate reality itself so easily? Just how much power does Maurice wield? How much has Dormammu granted him?

As their nerves tightened and they prepared to act if Kaecilius faltered, they suddenly heard mocking laughter from Maurice's allies.

Kaecilius raised his hand.

And then, an astonishing sight unfolded!

The warped, shifting architecture suddenly froze in place, as if someone had pressed a pause button.

Wong and Strange were dumbfounded.

"What's happening?" Strange blurted out in disbelief.

"What did you do?" Maurice asked, visibly shaken.

At that moment, Kaecilius, who had been suppressing his aura, finally released it.

The sheer magnitude of the divine power within him, restrained until now, surged outward. His mortal frame, like an overfilled balloon struggling to contain the sun's radiance, could no longer conceal it.

The overwhelming energy radiated outward, pressing down on everyone present.

Facing Kaecilius now felt like standing before a superior being of a higher order. Everyone felt suffocated.

"Playing with spatial manipulation in front of me? Maurice, you're not skilled enough."

"Have you forgotten who was the most talented at Kamar-Taj?"

Kaecilius' tone was calm, yet his words carried a crushing weight, amplified by the immense energy he exuded.

Hearing this, Strange hesitated for a moment, prompting Wong to explain, "Strange, before you arrived, Kaecilius was unanimously regarded as the most gifted mage among us. Even Mordo couldn't compare."

Wong himself always considered himself a hardworking mage, overshadowed by the likes of Kaecilius, Mordo, and even Strange.

Strange nodded in understanding but remained perplexed.

"Am I sensing this wrong?"

Feeling the aura radiating from Kaecilius, Strange's heart trembled.

On the other side, Maurice, who was also aware of Kaecilius' talent, refused to believe what he was witnessing.

"It's impossible. Even if your magical skills surpass mine, the dark power granted by Lord Dormammu is beyond your reach!"

No matter how adept Kaecilius might be, overwhelming energy would ultimately render skill irrelevant. Yet, Kaecilius had nullified Maurice's magic, suppressed his abilities, and even seized control of the distorted space.

How could this be possible?

Maurice's disbelief grew.

Deep down, however, he began to suspect the truth, though he refused to accept it.

"The energy emanating from you… Is that divine power?" Maurice asked abruptly.

From afar, Strange's doubts only deepened.

"Is it truly divine power?"

"A mortal body… how could it endure such terrifying energy?"

(End of Chapter)

Feeling the aura radiating from Kaecilius, Stephen Strange almost thought he was hallucinating.

The sheer magnitude of this energy was so vast and terrifying that it felt infinite.

But such an overwhelming amount of energy contained safely within a single person?

Not exploding?

This was what Stephen found utterly incomprehensible.

His studies at Kamar-Taj had taught him a lot about magic.

As long as one learned the knowledge and understood how to cast spells, magic could be unleashed.

However, the energy for magic didn't originate from the mage's body. Instead, it was borrowed from various dimensions.

Since dimensions without rulers were exceedingly rare, most mages borrowed power from dimensional demon gods.

When casting magic, they essentially siphoned energy in real time.

This is why Strange found Kaecilius even more astonishing—his body could house such terrifying power directly?

Just by sensing it, Stephen could imagine how powerful Kaecilius had become.

Most mages casting magic were like opening a faucet, drawing only a small stream of energy. But Kaecilius?

He wasn't using a faucet; he was unleashing an entire river, an entire ocean.

This thought struck not only Strange but also Wong and even Maurice.

"Where did you get such an overwhelming amount of energy?" Wong couldn't help but ask.

Kaecilius smiled under their scrutinizing gaze and replied, "Because of my devotion, the Great One has granted me a fraction of His divine power."

As if understanding their disbelief, Kaecilius continued, "This is not an illusion."

"The proof is my appearance—I look younger by more than a decade."

As he spoke, Kaecilius glanced at Stephen Strange.

Wong and the others were shocked.

Looking closer, they realized that Kaecilius did indeed appear much younger, almost like a different person.

Strange, who had just met Kaecilius the previous night, was certain of this transformation.

The idea of restoring youth was already beyond Strange's imagination.

For someone who had always been arrogant, confident in his aptitude for mysticism, and believed he could achieve anything, this realization shook him to his core.

If this power could reverse aging, could it also restore his hands?
Could it grant him unparalleled strength?

The thought crossed Strange's mind—what if he had joined Kaecilius' group that night? Would he also possess such power now?

Meanwhile, Maurice couldn't accept what he was seeing.

"Lord Dormammu is invincible! The power he granted me cannot be inferior to yours!"

In this moment, Maurice's faith in Dormammu wavered.

"Ah!"

Refusing to believe, Maurice frantically channeled dark energy, attempting to reclaim control of the distorted space.

But Kaecilius made his move.

A golden staff, shimmering with divine brilliance, materialized in his hand.

With a swipe, the staff extended toward Maurice.

Maurice's eyes widened in shock as he narrowly dodged.

Screeech!
The staff left a deep, jagged trench over ten meters long in the ground, as though cutting through tofu.

Witnessing this, Wong, Strange, and Maurice were all left slack-jawed.

"What kind of magic is this?"

"The Staff of the Living Tribunal?"

"That's impossible! That magic can only be channeled through an artifact. How are you casting it bare-handed?"

Maurice's disbelief grew.

Magic as complex and powerful as this usually required a conduit like an enchanted staff or relic to stabilize it. Yet Kaecilius was conjuring it directly, with even greater potency.

How could this be?

While effortlessly controlling the divine staff to assault Maurice, Kaecilius walked forward leisurely and explained, "This is the power granted by the Great One."

"You think I merely possess immense energy?"

"My aptitude for magic has reached levels you cannot even imagine."

As he spoke, Kaecilius unleashed a cascade of spells—

Portals

Magic whips

The Crimson Bands of Cyttorak

The Chains of Seraphim

Each spell, whether simple or forbidden, was cast with unparalleled intensity, their power magnified dozens of times.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The palace was bathed in golden light, the force of the spells obliterating sections of its structure.

At one point, the roof exploded, leaving a gaping hole.

Under the stunned gazes of Wong and Strange, Kaecilius utterly dominated Maurice.

Finally, with the sound of the Crimson Bands locking into place, Maurice was bound tightly, unable to move an inch.

"Dormammu's power is overrated," Kaecilius declared calmly.

Of course, he knew the main reason was Maurice's inability to handle too much dark energy, limiting the power Dormammu could bestow.

"Ha… hahaha…"

Maurice let out a deranged laugh, tears streaming from his eyes.

"Kaecilius, and all of you—you shouldn't celebrate too soon."

"Do you think defeating me means it's over? No!"

"Lord Dormammu, who rules all, is about to descend. All of you, mere insects in his way, will be crushed!"

As if to confirm his words, two deafening explosions echoed in the distance.

"The other two Sanctuaries!" Wong exclaimed, his face pale. "How did you manage that? Do you have allies?"

"Do you think asking these questions now will make a difference?" Maurice sneered, his expression triumphant. "The darkness will consume everything. You will all become part of Lord Dormammu!"

At that moment, an ominous feeling washed over them, as though the protective barrier around Earth was rapidly disintegrating.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps echoed.

Turning toward the source, they saw the Ancient One approaching in her iconic white robes.

"The Ancient One?"

Both Maurice and Kaecilius looked visibly startled.

When did she arrive?

Had she witnessed everything?

The Ancient One's gaze swept over Kaecilius, her expression tinged with astonishment.

(End of Chapter)

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