CHAPTER 59: CHAPTER 059: THE ANCIENT ONE AND LORIEN SPAR! THE PHOENIX FORCE STRIKES!

Yes. You heard that right.

On Earth, a Celestial is truly being born.

But for it to come into the world, it must absorb an immense amount of life force.

It was originally supposed to emerge during the events of Avengers: Infinity War. However, with a single snap from Thanos, half of Earth’s life force vanished in an instant. That delayed the Celestial’s birth for several years.

Then Tony snapped his fingers and brought everyone back—and the Celestial hidden within Earth finally had the chance to break free.

Within ten years, one of two things will happen: either someone stops the Celestial, or Earth will be shattered by its birth.

But even if someone tried to stop it—what difference would it make? Celestials are all beings of Universal level. The Ancient One is only Sky Father level.

Back when Odin fought a Celestial alone, it was only because he borrowed the power of other Sky Father–level beings, and with the Destroyer Armor, barely managed to fight one to an even match—about a 46-to-46 split. That’s right. Even with all his own power plus borrowed strength, Odin could only manage that. At best, maybe 55 to 45.

The Ancient One knew this. She was one of the people Odin had borrowed power from. And back then, she had seen firsthand just how overwhelming the Celestials’ strength was.

They were not something the gods of Earth could hope to resist. For a Universal level being, crushing a Sky Father–level opponent was as easy as squashing an ant. Without all his gear and buffs, Odin would have been forced to kneel the moment they met.

That was why The Ancient One was so shaken when she heard Lorien’s words.

She closed her eyes, extending her mind through the Sanctum to sense the Earth. But after a long search, she found no sign of a Celestial "infant."

"You’re certain?" she asked.

"It’s in the Earth’s core." Lorien smiled.

He raised his hand, gathering red Phoenix Force in his palm. With a wave, he temporarily boosted The Ancient One’s perception.

Sure enough—with the Phoenix Force’s enhancement, she probed again, and her brows furrowed, her lips pressing into a tight line.

Lorien took a sip of tea.

"See it now?"

She nodded gravely, just as the Phoenix Force’s blessing faded from her.

Faced with such a colossal threat, it was a wonder she didn’t immediately turn to the Book of the Vishanti. As Earth’s guardian, this was the kind of problem that dwarfed anything Thanos had ever done.

"This," Lorien said with a half-smile, "makes Thanos’ population-reduction plan seem... not entirely bad, doesn’t it?"

She hesitated. And she truly did think about it. Because if they were ever pushed to the brink, cutting Earth’s population might really be the last resort—better than losing the planet altogether.

That was her line of reasoning. Lorien’s was something else entirely.

Finishing his tea, Lorien set the cup down, stood, and said,

"So, following my lead is your best option, Sorcerer Supreme. If I turn my back on Earth, your only hope will be those Eternals still hiding in seclusion. Is that really what you want?"

The Ancient One fell silent, her thoughts sinking deeper and deeper. The future crisis she learned of today was far worse than anything she had faced before.

Against the Celestials, Dormammu was nothing more than a beaten dog locked in a cage. But the Celestials were real, and if this problem wasn’t solved, Earth had at most ten years left.

She knew she couldn’t resolve the Celestial threat in that time. Not even with several more Sorcerer Supremes. Quantity couldn’t make up for the gap in quality. A single Universal-level being could crush a Sky Father–level opponent without effort.

So her only hope was... the man before her?

The thought of relying on someone else left a bitter taste in her mouth. But she had no choice—and she still didn’t know Lorien’s true strength.

So...

She lifted her head, eyes locking on Lorien, a spark of battle in her gaze.

Lorien had already sensed her intent.

Well, wasn’t that convenient.

He smiled, rose to his feet, and dusted himself off.

"The Ancient One, your proposal suits me just fine."

The Ancient One nodded slightly, waving her hand to open a portal as she spoke softly.

"Defeat me, and you will become the godfather of the Sorcerer Supreme.

The Sanctum will be under your leadership.

Every sorcerer will follow your command.

Even if Stephen becomes the Sorcerer Supreme one day, his authority within the Sanctum will still be beneath yours."

It was essentially a wager. If Lorien won, the Sanctum would practically be his. In the world of sorcerers, he would stand at the very peak—even the Sorcerer Supreme would have to yield to him. Stephen, inexplicably, would be of lower seniority as well.

Lorien considered it for a moment. The Sanctum could indeed be of use to him—and it would be a bonus to win it along the way.

"So, I could even bring someone in to study, right?"

"Of course." The Ancient One nodded. "That will all be up to you."

"Good."

Lorien nodded, stepping into the shimmering portal first. The Ancient One followed.

In an instant, they arrived at the very edge of Earth’s atmosphere—tens of thousands of meters above the ground.

The Ancient One wasted no time. She brought her hands together, then pulled them apart. A magic array burst to life between her palms.

The world immediately began to spin, invert, and fracture. Crackling sounds echoed as if reality itself were breaking. Even Lorien’s vision twisted and swirled.

She had made her move. By the logic of a turn-based duel, it was Lorien’s turn as well.

His eyes shut, then snapped open. Golden-red energy flared within them—as if two phoenixes resided in his gaze.

A sharp, resonant cry rang out. A colossal phoenix phantom appeared behind him, so tall its head vanished beyond the Ancient One’s peripheral vision, threatening to shatter the very space she had conjured.

The Ancient One felt the crushing pressure. Her teeth clenched. She thrust her hands outward—and the entire world seemed bound in chains, as though twisted into fragments and sealed in an iron furnace for smelting.

The spectacle was impressive—her magic vast in both scope and scale.

But Lorien, as the wielder of the Phoenix Force... was no less formidable.

With a sharp clap, he gathered the Phoenix’s power into his palms.

"Try this."

A piercing cry resounded again. The phoenix behind him solidified, its searing heat cutting through the void and washing over the Ancient One. Flames poured from its form in endless waves.

In moments, the temperature of the space rivaled the heart of the sun, scorching every inch of the realm she had created.

"Hah..."

At last, the Ancient One was forced to yield ground, splitting the space with one hand to block the gathering blaze.

Lorien raised one hand like a blade and slashed upward from the ground to the heavens.

In that instant, a light blade spanning the horizon seemed to split the world apart. The realm the Ancient One had formed began to crumble under the strike.

As the fragments fell, she tried to repair them—only to realize, in shock, that the edges touched by the light blade were beyond her control. They spread like a virus, corroding her own small world from within.

The Ancient One froze, murmuring under her breath.

"How did you do that?"

What Lorien had just done not only destroyed the Ancient One’s magic, but was also gradually converting it into his own. Once the erosion was complete, the magic she had created would be turned back against her.

What kind of move was that?

For others, it was something they could never figure out, no matter how long they thought about it. But for Lorien... it was simple.

The same went for Wanda—it wouldn’t be hard for her to understand either. This was one of the abilities of the ancient energy known as the Phoenix Force: energy conversion and matter reorganization.

From something as small as a living being to something as vast as the universe, Lorien could freely decompose, transform, reorganize, create, and destroy. As long as his strength was sufficient, it wouldn’t just apply to this universe—he could split and merge even the entire Multiverse at will.

It was an ability no other sorcerer could ever master, not even if they lived for eternity. That included the Ancient One.

Lorien smiled, cradling a small phoenix in one hand, and shook his head.

"Reorganizing and transforming energy... this is a power even the Sorcerer Supreme cannot master."

The Ancient One nodded in agreement. Her space conversion could only manipulate distortions in space-time, and it was far from actual decomposition and reconstruction of space. That was a Sky Father–level ability and beyond. She couldn’t do it.

However, that didn’t mean she was ready to give up.

In the next moment, the Ancient One clasped her hands together. A set of space locks made of time and space—constructed like an intricate Lu Ban lock—came crashing down toward Lorien. If an ordinary sorcerer were caught by them, even eternal life wouldn’t be enough to unravel these twisting dimensional restraints.

Lorien, however, didn’t even flinch. He simply reached over and scratched the little phoenix’s chin.

A piercing cry rang out, and a soundwave formed from the Phoenix Force erupted from his body. It slammed directly into the descending Lu Ban space lock.

Buzz—

The locks trembled under the strain.

Crack!

In the Ancient One’s hands, the entire structure shattered.

Bang!

Clatter—

And just like that, both of her attacks were gone—her small world of space and the Lu Ban space lock—both broken by Lorien with little more than a flicker of effort.

...

Was the Phoenix Force truly that terrifying?

The Ancient One was breathing a little heavily now. Those two strikes had been her full strength—both Sky Father–level blows—and they had consumed a significant amount of her magical power.

But Lorien looked as if he hadn’t even warmed up.

The Ancient One pressed her lips together. This was the first time she had ever felt such a gap in strength. Not even when she first encountered the Book of the Vishanti had she experienced anything like this. Now, the reality was laid bare before her eyes—no matter what magic she used, she couldn’t touch him.

Lorien glanced at her, teasing the little phoenix in his hand.

"Want to try again? I can wait for you to attack with everything you’ve got one more time."

The Ancient One thought for a moment, then shook her head. Two all-out strikes had done nothing, and Lorien hadn’t even reacted. There was no point in trying a third time—it would be the same.

She took a few deep breaths, closed her eyes, then opened them again.

"One last time. You attack me."

That gave Lorien pause. He didn’t actually know how strong her defenses were. What if he went too far and killed her?

The Phoenix Force could reduce a person to dust, burning both their spirit and soul away without leaving a trace.

So he gave her a serious warning.

"You might end up seriously injured."

"I understand." The Ancient One’s lips tightened, her tone showing how seriously she was taking this defense. "But I need to know whether you truly have the qualifications to conquer me."

Of course, by "conquer," she meant earning her complete submission.

That meant handing over the Sanctum Sanctorum to Lorien without reservation.

Lorien nodded when he heard this. He looked down at the little phoenix in his hand, extended his arm, and gently sent it forward.

"Go."

The single word made the Ancient One tense as if facing a mortal enemy. She could feel a deadly threat emanating from the small phoenix gliding toward her.

Although it was moving slowly—only a few meters per second—and they were still separated by hundreds of meters, she knew full well this was the preparation time Lorien had deliberately left her.

After tossing out this move, Lorien simply stood back and watched.

...

The Ancient One’s expression grew solemn. She brought her hands together, and in the blink of an eye, a massive golden shield rose before her.

But that alone wasn’t enough. The sense of looming death was still there.

She paused for a brief moment of thought, then unleashed her magic at full force once again. This time, her approach was different—first conjuring a platinum-colored circular light shield, then a square one, and fusing them together until they began to spin.

Lorien understood at once.

"Yes. Using the power of the Book of the Vishanti is the right choice, Ancient One."

Indeed, she had drawn upon the Book of the Vishanti. Without it, she was certain this strike would kill her.

And yet... the threat to her life remained.

There was no choice left. She summoned her magic again, this time tapping into the power of the Time Stone itself. Her instincts told her she would not survive without using an Infinity Stone.

A single casual strike from a Universal-level being was not something even a Sky Father–level entity could withstand.

So, after reinforcing herself with the Book of the Vishanti’s power, she layered on yet another defense—a green Time Shield. This one could rapidly disperse the force of an attack, sapping its strength upon impact.

When she was finally done, the light shields covering her body stretched nearly as tall as the Himalayas.

If you thought these shields were small, you’d be wrong. Stacked together, they stood hundreds of meters high, looking from afar like multiple massive barriers had been activated all at once.

...

Her situation did not go unnoticed by Kamar-Taj.

Inside the Ancient One’s temple, the first sorcerer to sense something stopped in place and lifted his gaze to the sky. Then a second, a third, a fourth...

Before long, more than eighty percent of the sorcerers in Kamar-Taj were standing still, eyes fixed on the distant Himalayas—the very place where the Ancient One was fortifying herself.

"What’s going on? What’s happening over there?"

"Why are there such huge magical shields? Is there a massive battle?"

"Who’s fighting? Is it the Sorcerer Supreme?"

Whispers spread quickly. For most of them, magic of this scale was something they could never hope to achieve in a lifetime. Even a few meters of shielding was difficult—hundreds of meters was unimaginable.

Wong, stepping out from his chambers, was momentarily stunned to see so many gathered outside. Then, following their line of sight to the Himalayas, his eyes widened in alarm.

"Mages! Assemble! Raise the temple barriers at once!"

"The aftershocks are coming!"

"The aftermath of this attack could destroy the city!"

...

(80 Chapters Ahead)

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