After a moment, Kaecilius said in an extremely firm tone,
“They are dust, dust floating through the universe.”
“They are small and powerless, while Dormammu will grant all of us immortality!”
“That is the purpose of everything.”
There was a distinctly seductive quality to Kaecilius’s voice.
For a moment, everyone in the livestream room began thinking about the question.
[Voldemort: Immortality. What a beautiful word. What a wonderful experience.]
[Ron: Just look at that man’s eyes and you know everything he’s saying is a lie. This Dark Lord can’t even get rid of his own followers’ dark circles. Can he really grant immortality?]
[McGonagall: Mr. Weasley, you have seen through the dark wizard’s scheme. Twenty points to Gryffindor!]
[Ron: Yes!]
[Snape: But you still owe twenty points.]
[Ron: ….]
Kaecilius continued rambling on, while Strange’s movements finally stopped.
“You’re really noisy. Are all dark wizards as talkative as you?”
The dark wizard choked on his words again.
After a moment, he changed his approach.
“Have you ever considered that Ancient One is using the same magic as I am?”
“It was this magic that allowed me to destroy the Sanctums and become immortal.”
“The Book of Cagliostro?”
Kaecilius smiled.
“Think about why she keeps it hidden.”
“The knowledge Ancient One refuses to share will be personally granted by Dormammu.”
“Immortality. Eternal life.”
Strange paused before saying calmly,
“Give it a rest. Just look at your face.”
“Dormammu turned you into a murderer. His kingdom can’t be much better.”
[Harry: Well said! Anton!]
[Grindelwald: If you want to tempt someone, at least change your appearance first. This dark wizard clearly isn’t very experienced at persuasion.]
[Dumbledore: A wise choice. For most forms of Dark Magic, immortality is nothing more than endless suffering.]
[Voldemort: That’s only because their magical power isn’t strong enough. Rejecting immortality is simply short-sighted.]
Strange’s rebuttal once again left Kaecilius speechless.
He looked behind Strange.
A flying blade suddenly shot out of thin air, its edge razor-sharp.
It flew straight toward Strange’s back.
Strange was completely unprepared for the sudden attack.
The flying blade struck him directly.
The next second, another dark wizard emerged from behind him.
After being struck, Strange immediately opened a portal and escaped.
He arrived at a hospital.
“Christine.”
A startled Christine emerged from the nurses’ station.
She couldn’t believe that after such a long time, she would actually see her old friend standing there again.
But Strange was wearing a strange cloak and looked as though he had just come from a battle.
Without time to ask questions, she immediately led Strange into an operating room.
A defibrillator was already prepared beside her.
She nervously lifted Strange’s clothes.
“Chest cavity, normal.”
Strange weakly pointed toward the back of his heart.
“Blood accumulation behind the heart.”
After saying this, he passed out.
Although the wizards in the livestream room knew that Strange would be fine, they still couldn’t help feeling distressed when they saw him being ambushed by the dark wizard.
[Flitwick: Shameless! Those dark wizards only know how to stab people in the back!]
[Grindelwald: Don’t drag me into this. I only occasionally cast spells from behind.]
[Harry: It’s fine. Anton survives long enough to fight that machine later, so that dark wizard can’t kill him.]
[Dumbledore: So, children, remember this. Don’t negotiate with dark wizards. They’re always looking for an opportunity to stab you in the back.]
[Voldemort: Hmph.]
Inside the hospital, the steady beeping of a heartbeat monitor continued.
Strange suddenly rolled over and climbed out of the hospital bed.
When he turned around, he discovered another body lying on the bed, while his own body had become almost transparent.
Watching Christine perform surgery on him with a worried expression, he hurriedly instructed her,
“Move the needle down two millimeters.”
Christine jumped.
“Stephen?!”
“You?”
She looked at the Stephen floating in midair, then at the Stephen lying on the hospital bed.
A million questions flashed through her mind.
“What is this?!”
Stephen calmly explained,
“This is my astral form.”
“Astral form?!”
“Are you going to die?!”
For a moment, Christine’s voice became choked with tears.
Her expression also turned deeply sorrowful.
It was as though losing Strange would mean losing her entire world.
Even through the screen, everyone in the livestream room could feel the intensity of her feelings for Stephen.
[Dumbledore: What a wonderful girl. Youth really is precious. It still leaves you capable of love.]
[Hermione: That girl really likes Anton.]
[Ron: Hermione, that girl is your past life.]
[Hermione: …. I didn’t say anything just now. Ron, if you dare say that again, I’ll let the birds out.]
[Ron: Yes, Your Highness Granger!]
On the screen, Strange guided Christine through the procedure, and the surgery proceeded in an orderly fashion.
Although Christine still felt that something about the situation was strange, she continued following Strange’s instructions.
She lifted Strange’s shirt and discovered that the wound on his chest was extremely deep.
Some parts of the injury had even pierced all the way from his back to his chest, and the wound was still continuing to spread.
Christine had never seen such a strange injury before!
“What stabbed you, Stephen?”
“That wound looks dangerous.”
“I don’t know either.”
Christine continued the surgery.
Strange suddenly raised his eyes.
His gaze pierced through the wall, and he could already see into the room next door.
The dark wizard from the Sanctum had already arrived here, magical blade in hand.
“All right.”
“Christine, I’m going to disappear for a while.”
“Do your best. Don’t let me die.”
Christine was stunned by the sudden statement.
“What?”
Strange had already disappeared.
His astral form moved through space at incredible speed.
With a single burst of movement, he instantly passed through three walls.
The dark wizard holding the blade hadn’t noticed anything yet.
He simply gripped his weapon and looked around repeatedly, searching for Strange’s magical presence.
Strange lowered himself and found the perfect angle and moment.
Then he threw a heavy punch at the dark wizard.
The force traveled from the dark wizard’s chin straight through to his forehead.
The wizards in the livestream room erupted in excitement.
[Ron: Hahaha! Anton even learned that guy’s Muggle fighting technique!]
[McGonagall: How strange. The ghosts in this world can actually attack physical beings. Quite fascinating.]
[Cassandra: Hahahaha! I just saw Peeves clapping in front of the big screen and saying Anton’s punch was brilliant.]
[Snape: I suggest we don’t celebrate too early. Remaining outside his body for too long could put Anton in danger.]
After hearing this, everyone slowly turned toward the screen.
For now, they could only hope that Anton would finish the fight quickly.
Author’s Note:
Can’t wait to see what happens next?