Mordo and Watoomb

Spellcasters in the Marvel World had an incredibly high ceiling and learned quickly. Strange could go from a surgeon with crippled hands to someone capable of serving as the Sorcerer Supreme in less than a year.

That was unimaginable in most worlds.

The main reason was that magic in the Marvel World was basically cast through external power, borrowing strength from higher beings.

Strange was gifted enough to understand the principles behind those spells, so he could borrow the power of the Vishanti. That was why he could reach his limit in the shortest possible time—the limit the Vishanti were willing to grant him.

But magic in this world came at a cost. Small spells that borrowed little power were one thing, but if there were too many of them, even Ancient One could not bear it and had to steal from Dormammu.

If possible, Shimizu naturally preferred to cast using only his own Chakra.

Although Chakra’s inherent upper limit was far below the dimensional power of multiversal gods, it was still enough to cast most conventional spells.

As for reaching Kamar-Taj in just four minutes without borrowing the power of the Vishanti…

Shimizu took off his clothes, changed into a red robe, picked up the Mind Stone Scepter resting nearby, infused it with Chakra, and drew a circle before him.

Chakra possessed spatial properties. The Summoning Technique and Flying Thunder God were classic examples.

It was just that, with Shimizu’s attainments in spatial arts, opening a spatial portal was still rather difficult.

It was theoretically possible, but the difficulty was immense. He might succeed only once in a hundred attempts, and he would have to worry about the portal suddenly closing halfway through and slicing him in two.

But with the Mind Stone, things were different.

On one hand, it could enhance the Chakra Shimizu released. On the other, Shimizu had discovered a use for the Mind Stone.

He called it Perfect Mind Flow.

It enhanced his control over his will and mind through the Mind Stone, allowing him to reach his most perfect state.

Then Shimizu could constantly exert the theoretical upper limit of his own power.

If his mental will became even stronger, he could even break through that limit.

Thus, while in Perfect Mind Flow, as long as something was theoretically possible, Shimizu could perfectly turn that theoretical possibility into practical reality.

The edge of the portal, which should have been golden, was now blue.

An icy wind poured out from within the portal.

Snowflakes drifted down, landing on the hem of his robe.

An ancient yet imposing temple appeared within the portal.

Shimizu gripped the scepter in one hand and stepped inside.

A young Black man in a coarse monk’s robe was sweeping snow from before the entrance with a broom.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Billionaire."

"Good afternoon, Jonathan. Looks like your legs have recovered quite well."

Shimizu greeted the young man.

"I can run and jump now. I can even dunk. I think even if I used the Regeneration Serum your company makes, I wouldn’t recover any better than I already have."

Jonathan laughed heartily at Shimizu.

He had once been a factory worker who had been paralyzed from the waist down in an accident. He had come to Kamar-Taj a year ago.

At the time, Osborn’s Regeneration Serum had not yet been publicly released, and Kamar-Taj had been his only hope of returning to normal.

"Oh, that’s certainly good news. What are you planning to do next? Keep studying here?"

Shimizu pushed open the doors and looked at the group of mage apprentices in Kamar-Taj’s courtyard, practicing their control over mystic energy as they drew circles before themselves with Sling Rings.

"Oh, no. I really don’t have much talent for magic. Other than healing this leg, I’ve only barely learned a few minor spells. If I still don’t make any progress after a while and fail to earn the masters’ approval to become a formal mage, I’ll turn in my Sling Ring and go back to working as an auto mechanic."

Jonathan shrugged.

"Alright. Good luck."

Shimizu patted Jonathan on the shoulder and headed inside.

"Master Wade."

The Black mage leading the apprentices in their practice called out to Shimizu.

"Master Mordo? Is something wrong?"

"Master Ancient One instructed that now that you have become a formal mage and can use the scepter to control the power within you, you no longer need to continue studying under him. He is busy dealing with some creatures from another world."

Mordo spoke to Shimizu.

Creatures from another world?

"He didn’t take anyone with him?"

"No. He said he was the only one capable of handling the enemy, and that even he faced the risk of death."

Mordo’s expression was solemn.

"I see. Then what should I do next…?"

"After becoming formal mages, we mainly cultivate on our own. We only consult the Sorcerer Supreme when we encounter something we do not understand, but he has always been very busy."

Shimizu nodded in understanding.

So although that old man Ancient One was usually pretty unserious, he did handle proper business when it mattered.

"Looks like the enemy Master Ancient One is facing this time is dangerous."

Shimizu rubbed his chin.

Even Ancient One said his life was in danger. The enemy really must be troublesome.

Still, with the Time Stone’s save-point ability, it would not matter even if Ancient One died hundreds of times.

"Ah-choo!"

In a room somewhere, Ancient One sneezed and rubbed his nose.

"Who’s talking about me? Or has this body been eroded by Dark Energy to the point where my immunity is dropping? Damn it, you have no honor!"

Ancient One wiped his nose with a tissue, then saw his game character get killed on the screen and angrily threw down the console.

"Master Ancient One said that next, you can go to the library and find Wong to read any magic books except the forbidden ones."

Mordo continued, looking at Shimizu strangely.

"However, Master Ancient One also said that since you already possess your own divine artifact, there is no need for you to go to the artifact vault and seek out a magical implement compatible with you."

Kamar-Taj’s artifact vault contained over a thousand divine artifacts collected over thousands of years by multiple Sorcerer Supremes and their followers, starting with Agamotto and ending with Ancient One.

Generally, once Kamar-Taj’s mages transformed from apprentices into formal mages, they would begin participating in incidents involving invasions by creatures from other dimensions, black magic, and dark wizards.

To improve the survival chances of these formal mages, Kamar-Taj allowed them to enter the temple vault and seek magical implements compatible with them.

If you were fated with a certain magical implement, then it was yours. However, most mages only had one or two implements of their own, and those implements were almost all extremely loyal. Before their owners died, they would not cooperate with anyone else.

"Tch, fine."

Shimizu felt somewhat regretful.

Was that old man Ancient One discriminating against him?

Why wouldn’t he give me a magical implement? I have contributed—

Oh. I hadn’t contributed anything or shed blood for Kamar-Taj.

"Alright, thanks, Mordo. I’ll head to the library first, then."

Shimizu waved at Mordo and turned to leave.

"Wait."

Mordo stopped Shimizu again.

"Hm? Is there something else?"

"I’ve seen you on television. I know you possess impressive high-tech equipment, and Master Ancient One trusts you greatly. He believes you do not need to acquire additional magical implements. But I still want to confirm whether you possess the ability to safely handle abnormal magical incidents."

"You want to test my strength?"

Shimizu asked with interest.

He was actually quite curious about how far his magic had progressed, and exactly how strong he was when it was combined with his other abilities.

"If you agree, I lead most field missions now. I want to ensure that everyone can return safely, so I need to judge whether you possess that level of strength. Magic and technology have things in common, but they differ even more. Many technological methods, including the armor that lets you fly, may not possess the power you need in many situations."

Mordo’s magical ability was nearly the strongest among Kamar-Taj’s younger mages, almost at master level.

The other was Wong. The two of them were skilled in magic, physically powerful, and exceptional martial artists, so many of the mages here believed they were Kamar-Taj’s candidates for Sorcerer Supreme.

Without sufficient strength, one would not be qualified to become the opponent of Strange, who was already the Sorcerer Supreme in multiple Marvel Universes.

Both Wong and Mordo were qualified to become Sorcerer Supreme. Mordo also believed that he was the one who carried out Ancient One’s ideals most perfectly and deserved the title most.

However, Mordo was too rigid and inflexible, his beliefs too extreme, and he could not accept black magic. So even though he was more talented than Wong, his upper limit was locked in place, and his methods would make many matters worse.

Although Wong was good, to Ancient One, Strange would be stronger than Wong and less constrained by methods.

With Ancient One already eroded by the Dark Dimension to a certain extent and destined to die, Strange was the best choice she could make.

Even though he often made a mess of things as well, at least he would barely resolve them after paying the price.

It was the same logic behind Tobirama Senju choosing Hiruzen Sarutobi as the Third Hokage.

Both Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo were qualified. Neither was much good, but after comparing the bad options, it turned out that only Hiruzen Sarutobi could take the position.

"Where? Here? Won’t it be a little cramped?"

Shimizu glanced around.

"That’s right. Here, but not here."

Mordo removed the staff from his back, swept his gaze around, then suddenly swung it at the reflection in the window.

Crack!

Cracks like shattered glass appeared across the window, and then the entire space caved inward.

In an instant, Mordo used the window’s reflection to open the Mirror Dimension.

The look in Shimizu’s eyes changed slightly as he watched Mordo.

Once an expert made a move, his skill was obvious.

The Mirror Dimension was no ordinary spell.

It might have seemed common in the movies, but it was truly an advanced spell, and very few people could use it.

Shimizu had not yet learned this spell either, even with the help of the scepter—he had only studied magic for a month, and reaching his current level was already astonishing.

A crowd of mage apprentices squeezed their way inside and found that Shimizu and Mordo had already started fighting.

They were on the rooftop corresponding to Kamar-Taj in the real world within the Mirror Dimension.

Shimizu did not summon his two Electric Light Armors. Instead, he tried to fight like Mordo, using only Taijutsu combined with magic.

Now it was Mordo’s turn to be shocked.

He knew Clear Wade was a superhero.

But everyone believed that, like Tony Stark, without that suit of armor, even if he was still a billionaire, a genius scientist, and a playboy, he was ultimately only flesh and blood like an ordinary person.

But reality stunned Mordo and the other mages.

Kamar-Taj’s mages trained diligently in martial arts. Not only did this include many traditional East Asian martial arts, but they also cultivated body-tempering techniques from K’un-Lun.

The gates of K’un-Lun, which had raised generation after generation of Iron Fists, were located in the Himalayas just like Kamar-Taj. They were neighbors and allies, with some of their inheritances shared between them.

Thus, every mage at Kamar-Taj was a close-combat mage. They might not be little superhumans like Iron Fist, but they were all martial arts masters with physical abilities far beyond ordinary people and vigorous life force.

And now, Mordo, one of the best among them, was being completely suppressed by Shimizu.

Shimizu formed a hand seal with his left hand and condensed a Ring of the Vishanti from his Chakra—a golden mystic shield.

However, Shimizu’s mystic shield was made from his own Chakra rather than borrowed power from the Vishanti. It shone the bright blue of Separation Release Chakra and inflicted high-temperature backlash damage.

He held the Mind Stone Scepter in his right hand, wielding it like a sword and forcing Mordo into desperate straits.

Bang!

Mordo had likewise formed a Ring of the Vishanti around his left hand, but Shimizu’s strike made it flicker violently, nearly shattering it. He could only pull away and retreat.

He was extremely fast.

That was not only thanks to the racial gifts of a Black man and the results of Kamar-Taj’s training, but also because of the boots on his feet.

The Boots of Valtorr allowed Mordo to borrow power from Valtorr, the demon god of secrecy and protection, greatly enhancing his speed and jumping ability. They even allowed him to make multiple jumps in midair.

As for the staff in his hand, he had obtained it from Kamar-Taj’s artifact vault. It was called the Staff of Watoomb.

Watoomb had been a renowned great mage a thousand years ago. He developed many famous spells and successfully ascended to godhood, becoming a multiversal being representing storms and nature. His overall alignment leaned toward neutral order, but if dark mages were willing to pay the price to borrow his power, he did not mind granting it.

This staff was what Watoomb had left behind on Earth.

With it, Mordo could fire magical bolts and borrow power from Watoomb’s dimension at a lower cost to cast and strengthen magic.

It was these two powerful divine artifacts, combined with his outstanding physical qualities and extraordinary magical skill, that gave Mordo strength far beyond other mages.

Shimizu’s physical abilities, enhanced by both Breathing Style and Chakra, surpassed Mordo’s by an unknown margin. If not for the Boots of Valtorr beneath his feet, he would have been hit long ago.

"Balthazar’s Thunder."

Shimizu held the Mind Stone Scepter and gave it a light swing forward.

Sorry, I’ve been going to the hospital often these past few days, and it has affected my writing condition somewhat. I’ll adjust as soon as possible.