In Full Swing

"There are two more Apocalypses in Egypt. One of them is likely an Ancient God."

Friday said, "Ms. Carol, please go eliminate them. Ms. Sersi will accompany you."

"Two Apocalypses? That means at least three universes are attacking us?"

Captain Marvel’s gaze sharpened. This battle would not be easy. Fortunately, Earth and the Eternals had plenty of powerful fighters. If they worked hard enough, they should be able to hold the line.

"Even if we can’t, Master is here. It won’t be a big problem."

Captain Marvel smiled and swiftly flew toward the other two Apocalypses.

In Los Angeles, Ghost Rider Exploding Flame Johnny was rampaging through the streets. Everywhere he passed was filled with blazing fire and wails of agony. If this continued, Los Angeles would soon become a city of flames.

It was worth mentioning that although it was daytime, Ghost Rider could still transform because he was the Blue Flame Ghost Rider, unaffected by sunlight.

"Stop."

Strange, wearing the Red Cloak, slowly descended from the sky. He said to the skull-headed Ghost Rider, "Exploding Flame Johnny, according to the records, you’re not a bad person."

Ghost Rider brought his motorcycle to a stop and asked, "Does your universe have a version of me too?"

"No, but the Main Universe does. You’re a very popular police officer there."

Strange said, "During the day, you’re a cop who protects the people. At night, you become Ghost Rider and judge criminals. You’re New York’s guardian knight."

"Wait a second."

Ghost Rider raised a flaming skeletal hand and asked, "A cop during the day and Ghost Rider at night? So I work twenty-four hours a day? And the night job doesn’t even pay?"

"That’s what the records say, which is why I said you’re great."

"I can do without that kind of greatness. I don’t want to be that kind of 007."

Ghost Rider looked utterly disdainful. He said, "Sorcerer Supreme, I won’t waste words with you. I have to protect my Earth, so your Earth must be destroyed."

"Then there’s nothing left to say. Let’s fight."

Strange said, "You have an immortal body, so I can’t kill you. Therefore, I’ll exile you from this universe."

"It’s not like I haven’t killed a Sorcerer Supreme before."

Ghost Rider snorted. His chain, blazing with blue flames, swept toward Strange.

Strange cast with both hands, and a green Magic Array suddenly appeared. Time around them instantly froze. Then Strange released Cyttorak’s Crimson Bands, binding Ghost Rider tightly.

Cyttorak’s Crimson Bands were not only incredibly sturdy, but could also suppress the opponent’s abilities. The flames on Ghost Rider’s body quickly dimmed. Once they vanished completely, Ghost Rider would revert to an ordinary man.

It’s a pity I had to set this up first. Otherwise, direct exile would have been the best option.

Strange thought to himself. With the parallel timelines now connected, it was not difficult at all for a Sorcerer Supreme to exile someone into another universe.

Just then, Ghost Rider’s consciousness broke free of time’s control, and the blue flames on his body reignited.

Seeing this, Strange poured all his magic power into the Crimson Bands and the Time Magic Array. Ghost Rider was weaker than him, and the flames on his body dimmed again. Even his consciousness became intermittent.

The Sorcerer Supreme of this universe was extremely powerful.

Just as success seemed imminent, a figure suddenly appeared behind Strange out of thin air. A Space Blade stabbed toward Strange’s heart.

Strange seemed prepared. A portal suddenly appeared beneath his feet. In the next moment, he fell into it, then dropped from above and kicked toward the shadow’s head.

The shadow immediately controlled his cloak to fly backward, evading Strange’s descending attack.

Strange landed on the ground and said through gritted teeth, "You bastard, you finally came."

The shadow asked, "You knew I was coming?"

"Of course I knew. With so many universes connected, how could you possibly stay away? Black Dr. Strange."

Strange said hatefully, "If you didn’t come, how could I get revenge? You bastard, can you get any more outrageous? You even dared steal a Creator God’s power?"

"You’re really unreasonable."

Dark Strange spread his hands theatrically and said, "You were the one who begged me to help you, remember? Without me, you would have long since been defeated by the Celestial Group. How could you be famous throughout the universe like you are now?"

"You call this fame? I don’t even dare leave Earth now."

Strange cursed loudly. "I’m going to capture you and make you experience everything I’m suffering through now."

"You want to hand me over to those Demon Gods? Good idea, but unfortunately, you can’t do it."

Dark Strange stomped hard. The Time Magic Array on Ghost Rider instantly shattered. Ghost Rider roared, and his blue flames surged once more.

Strange had no choice but to increase his magic output to prevent Ghost Rider from breaking free. Dark Strange sneered and stole the Eye Demon’s power. More than a hundred eyeballs suddenly appeared around them, firing beams at Strange in unison.

Strange twisted time. Then, casting with one hand, he created a massive portal out of thin air. The beams flew into the portal and emerged behind Dark Strange, shooting straight at him.

Dark Strange transformed into black mist and dispersed. Immediately afterward, the black mist reformed in front of Strange. Holding a Space Blade, Dark Strange launched attack after attack against Strange. This was divine power Dark Strange had stolen from Chthon, the God of Black Magic.

"There’s an Eastern saying: it’s easy to go from frugality to luxury, but hard to go from luxury back to frugality. That’s exactly my current state."

As Dark Strange attacked, he said, "Back then, I was delighted whenever I stole even a little divine power. But robbing it face-to-face last time felt so incredible that stealing divine power now gives me no feeling at all.

"Last time was a faucet; this time is a drop of water. They’re not even comparable. So, I want to devour you. Only then can I once again experience that trembling, ecstatic feeling."

"You’re seriously sick."

Strange sneered as he struggled to fend off the attacks. It was worth mentioning that he did not release Ghost Rider—if he did, Ghost Rider would be troublesome to deal with.

"Yes, I really am seriously sick, and I need medicine. My medicine is you."

Dark Strange burst into laughter. Strange sighed inwardly. Mordo had been right: breaking the rules came with consequences.

Ancient One had taken a shortcut by absorbing the Dark Dimension’s power, which led to Kaecilius’s betrayal. Strange had taken a shortcut by borrowing Dark Strange’s power, which led Dark Strange to target this universe.

But I don’t regret it, and I won’t lose.

Strange’s eyes were filled with determination. He immediately contacted Vishanti, hoping to borrow Its power.

Dark Strange was also a Sorcerer Supreme, and he saw through Strange’s intentions at once. He sneered, "There’s no need to pray. Vishanti has no time to deal with you right now because other Vishantis are attacking It.

"It’s not just Vishanti. Chthon, Seth, the Eye Demon, and even Satan and Mephisto of Hell are all fighting themselves. No one wants to be replaced, and Demon Gods are no exception.

"Now, both the material universe and the magical universe are at war. The entire universe is a complete mess."

"Sorry, but I think you got that wrong."

Strange blinked and used the Shape of Isaac. More than a thousand figures flew out of his body, surrounding Dark Strange from all sides.

"How is this possible?"

Dark Strange was stunned. Even if Vishanti were not under attack, It could not possibly grant Strange so much divine power unless, unless…

Dark Strange shouted in disbelief, "Not only did Vishanti not slaughter each other, you cooperated? How is that possible?"

"There’s nothing impossible about it. We’re the good guys."

Five White Tigers appeared in the sky and spoke in unison. Then, all five White Tigers burst into laughter.

The five Vishantis had not fought. Instead, they had peacefully coexisted and jointly supplied Strange with power. That was why he could create more than a thousand clones.

Dark Strange shouted, "That’s impossible! Aren’t you afraid of dying?"

"We are, but we have a better option."

The White Tiger said, "Sorcerer Supreme, deal with him quickly. We’ll provide you with unlimited power. Once everything settles down, we want to meet the Blood God."

"I’ll introduce you."

Strange said respectfully. Then, smiling at Dark Strange, he said, "You were right. A faucet really does feel incredible."

After saying that, more than a thousand Stranges released purple lightning simultaneously. Dark Strange only had time to cry out, "No," before being utterly blasted to death.

Then, the thousand Stranges turned their eyes toward Ghost Rider. Ghost Rider swiftly extinguished the flames on his body, reverted to human form, and said to Strange with an honest-looking expression, "I surrender."

"At least you know what’s good for you."

Strange snorted, sealing Ghost Rider away. Then he withdrew his clones and asked the White Tiger, "Honored Vishanti, why do you want to meet the Blood God?"

"To go further."

The White Tiger said, "We want the Blood God to help us merge. At that point, we might be able to become a Creator God."

"So that’s it."

Strange suddenly understood. Demon Gods like Chthon only thought of themselves, while Vishanti wanted to seize this opportunity to break through and become a Creator God.

In truth, Vishanti’s chances of becoming a Creator God were not high. But for beings like Them, They would seize even the slightest opportunity because They had lived for far too long.

Furthermore, once It became a Creator God, It would not be randomly erased, because the other Vishantis were all weaker than It.

Thinking of something, Strange asked hopefully, "Can we use this method to win other Ancient Gods over to our side? If we can, Earth will be impregnable."

"You’re overthinking it. Good people unite, while bad people only scheme against each other. That’s why bad people always lose to good people."

Vishanti shook Its head. "Chthon and the others will only kill each other; they won’t cooperate. They certainly won’t place their hopes in the Blood God. They don’t even trust themselves."

Strange sighed. "That’s true. What a pity. Winning over one now would mean winning over five."

"Don’t waste time, Strange. This is only the beginning. More powerful enemies will enter Earth next."

The White Tiger said, "This time, a total of four universes have connected to yours. Worse still, every one of them has come with hostile intentions."

"Four universes?"

Strange sucked in a cold breath and said, "No matter how many come, we’ll stop them."

Vishanti said, "We’ll support you with all our strength from behind."

"Thank you."

Strange wasted no more time and headed for another city. There were Ghost Riders there as well, and more than one—besides Exploding Flame Johnny, there were other Ghost Riders.

In Wakanda, God King Odin, clad in golden armor and wielding Gungnir, rode atop a Six-Legged Celestial Horse and shouted at Black Panther inside the Defense Shield, "Warrior of Midgard, move aside. This is Asgard’s affair."

"Honored God King Odin, Wakanda has no tradition of abandoning its allies."

Black Panther shouted, "Even if every Wakandan dies in battle, we will never betray the Asgardians."

The Dora Milaje and the other Wakandans shouted in unison, "Wakanda forever!"

"Your courage is commendable, but you overestimate yourselves."

Odin said, "Since you refuse to leave, don’t blame me for being impolite."

After saying that, Odin raised Gungnir, preparing to break Wakanda’s defenses. Just then, a spatial portal appeared. Thor and Loki stepped out of it.

Why had Loki come along? Of course, to watch the show. She had wanted to see a father-son battle between Odin and Thor for a long time.

Thor did not disrespect him. He bowed to Odin and said, "Father."

"So you’re the true Thor. No wonder my foolish son hasn’t sent any news at all."

Odin looked Thor up and down and sighed. "It would have been wonderful if you really were my son. Unfortunately, you aren’t. That fool is, so I have to kill you."

Thor said, "Father, is there really no room for discussion? Must we kill each other?"

Odin answered with utmost seriousness, "As a king, I must protect my people at all costs."

"That’s really… wonderful. I’ve wanted to have a proper fight with you for a long time."

Thor grinned and shot into the sky. Then, gripping Stormbreaker with both hands, he slashed down at Odin on horseback amid a sky full of lightning.

"What a filial son."

Loki controlled the Defense Shield and opened it. Then she walked into the protected area, conjured a chair, and sat down to watch the show. Black Panther was rather bewildered. Why had his own Defense Shield suddenly opened?

Black Panther whispered, "Shuri, close the Defense Shield immediately. Also, modify the program. This is Wakanda’s Defense Shield, not Loki’s."

Shuri said, "Brother, don’t worry. I’ll change it right away."

"Thor, you truly are a fine son."

Facing Thor’s attack, Odin laughed heartily. He used Gungnir to block Thor’s Stormbreaker. The Six-Legged Celestial Horse did not retreat even a single step. Then Odin shouted, and countless bolts of lightning erupted from Gungnir, blasting toward Thor like a thunder dragon.

Just as Odin attacked, Thor’s shadow suddenly transformed into a pitch-black figure. A sword transcended time and space, piercing Odin’s unprepared chest.

Odin was shocked. With an angry roar, lightning erupted from his entire body, blasting Thor and the shadow away. The shadow immediately released the sword, which transformed into a mark filled with the aura of death and branded itself onto Odin.

"It’s a pity I didn’t bring the Night Sky Sword. Otherwise, this old man should already be dead."

The shadow, Goddess of Death Hela, said regretfully. Thor said, "You’re only a fragment of consciousness. If the Blood God hadn’t helped you, you couldn’t have appeared in this universe at all."