The Traitors Make Their Move

At night, in an abandoned church, Kaecilius led a group of Kamar-Taj traitors in preparing to summon Dormammu, Lord of the Dark Dimension.

Kaecilius placed the stolen pages on the ground. Then, using his magic, he drew a strange blood-red butterfly-shaped mark—the mark of the Dark Dimension.

After that, Kaecilius led the traitors in prayer.

"We summon you, Demon King. Hear our call and come to our side. Let us behold your true form…"

Amid their prayers, Dormammu’s power gradually descended. The ground swiftly changed, folding layer upon layer like a computer-generated 3D model—the space containing the ground had been affected by dark power.

Next, all the skin around Kaecilius and the others’ eyes peeled away, replaced by purple "eyeshadow." Every one of them looked like some kind of emo.

Dormammu was pouring dark power into them. Feeling the immense power within him, Kaecilius was wildly excited and could not help waving his arms around.

As Kaecilius swept his arm through the air, both the walls and ceiling rapidly underwent the same miraculous changes as the ground.

"Ha ha ha!"

Kaecilius could not help laughing. The power of darkness truly was formidable. It could even manipulate space in the real world. If he encountered Strange again, he was confident he could easily crush him.

"Kaecilius, your betrayal has made Ancient One very angry. She is tracking my consciousness through secret arts. I cannot remain for long. I even need to withdraw the dark consciousness within you, otherwise Ancient One will find you immediately."

Dormammu’s voice echoed in Kaecilius’s mind. "I am giving you one year. No matter what, you must destroy the Three Sanctuaries for me."

"My Lord, I fear neither Ancient One nor Strange, but the Blood God… Even as I am now, I am not confident I can deal with him."

Kaecilius spoke respectfully. Ancient One was severely injured and had yet to recover, which was why Kaecilius dared to say such things.

"You truly cannot handle him. Since the Blood God reappeared, his power has greatly increased. A few days ago, he not only slew three gods, but also destroyed the Serpent God’s projection. His reputation is fearsome. Even I am somewhat wary of him."

Dormammu said, "This new guardian has truly matured. Even if Ancient One dies now, he can still protect Earth well."

Kaecilius clenched his teeth, his eyes filled with jealousy—jealousy of the Blood God’s strength and jealousy of the Blood God’s good fortune.

Kaecilius was several times older than the Blood God, yet far weaker. How could he not be jealous? More importantly, being a World Guardian had once been his dream.

Kaecilius asked, "My Lord, how should we deal with the Blood God?"

"The way to deal with the Blood God lies in the Darkhold. That is why I had you steal this book."

Dormammu said, "Vampires originated from the Darkhold. The Darkhold contains a spell capable of destroying all Vampires, called the Montes Formula. As long as you obtain this spell, you will destroy both the Blood God and Dracula."

"Really? That is wonderful."

Kaecilius’s face lit up with joy. He had not expected the Blood God to possess such a great weakness.

Then Kaecilius recalled something and said, "My Lord, the Darkhold is protected by Vibranium and magic. I cannot take it out."

"I will break the magic for you. As for the Vibranium, solve that yourself. That will not be difficult for you."

As Dormammu spoke, the pages on the ground suddenly ignited on their own. Kaecilius hurriedly took out the box containing the sealed Darkhold.

The next moment, the flames on the ground whooshed onto the box, and the magic on it was instantly broken.

"Hmm, Ancient One is about to find me. Kaecilius, remember, you have only one year. If you fail, I will make you wish you were dead."

Dormammu wanted to say more, but suddenly sensed Ancient One’s presence and swiftly cut off the connection. Kaecilius and the disciples respectfully saw him off.

One mage asked, "Kaecilius, how are we supposed to open this Vibranium box?"

"For me now, this is not difficult at all."

Kaecilius smiled smugly. He placed the box on a table, then swept his hand across its front. The front of the box immediately turned pitch-black, and the Darkhold floated up on its own.

The moment the Darkhold appeared, a dense dark aura spread throughout the church. In the past, Kaecilius and the others would have felt extremely uncomfortable, but now they wore expressions of enjoyment.

That was the right feeling. This was the Darkhold.

"The Darkhold is a book of Black Magic left behind by the Great Demon God Chthon. Once opened, it automatically reveals the knowledge its user wishes to know, and it displays it in the user’s native language."

As Kaecilius opened the book, he said, "As for anyone nearby, no matter how they look at it, they will see only blank pages."

The mages could not help leaning over for a look. Sure enough, the pages were completely blank to them. They could not help nodding. The Darkhold truly was extraordinary.

What the mages did not notice was that Kaecilius, who had been speaking so confidently moments ago, now wore a bewildered expression. Why was he seeing blank pages as well? Shouldn’t it be showing Ancient One’s secrets?

Kaecilius blinked and stared carefully at the divine book, but it remained entirely blank.

Because Kaecilius had been staring for too long, one mage could not help asking, "Kaecilius, what exactly is Ancient One’s secret?"

"Ancient One’s secret is, of course, that she absorbed dark power in exchange for immortality."

Too embarrassed to admit he had seen nothing, Kaecilius answered awkwardly. At that moment, a mocking voice sounded from the Darkhold. "Kamar-Taj has fallen too. You clearly saw nothing, yet you are still putting on an act."

"What?"

The mages stared at Kaecilius in shock. Their senior brother’s image completely collapsed in that instant.

So this was the kind of Kaecilius he was.

Kaecilius flew into a rage from embarrassment and shouted at the Darkhold, "What are you?"

The Darkhold automatically snapped shut. Its cover shone as it said, "What nonsense. Can’t you see the four words ‘Darkhold’?"

"I have never heard of the Darkhold being able to speak."

Kaecilius asked in a low voice, wondering if he had stolen the wrong book.

"You are lucky. I am the artifact spirit of the Darkhold, newly born."

The Darkhold said, "What do you want to ask? Hurry up and ask. Do not waste my time."

Kaecilius asked suspiciously, "Can’t you sense my thoughts?"

"I can. You want to know Ancient One’s secret."

The Darkhold said, "The problem is, that does not follow the procedure. The procedure is simple: you ask, I answer."

Kaecilius was speechless. He felt that something was wrong with this Darkhold. He asked, "What is Ancient One’s secret?"

The Darkhold answered, "Some time ago, the Blood God had someone develop a hair-growth tonic. Ancient One took advantage of his inattention and secretly stole a bottle. Then she washed her hair with it every day, but her hair still did not grow back."

"Wow, the Sorcerer Supreme actually did something like that?"

The mages were deeply shocked and began discussing it animatedly. Kaecilius also gossiped, "I never thought Ancient One cared so much about her hair. If that is the case, when she suggested I shave my head back then, she must have had ill intentions.

"Uh, wait. Who asked about that secret? What does it have to do with me whether she has hair or not? I asked about her secret to immortality."

Kaecilius cursed loudly. The Darkhold said, "You did not ask clearly before. Of course I picked the most recent one to tell you. How is that my fault?"

At Kamar-Taj, Ancient One stared expressionlessly at the Blood God’s projection. A bead of cold sweat appeared on the projection’s forehead as he explained, "Master, you refined that artifact spirit yourself. It has nothing to do with me."

"That drop of blood came from your true body."

Ancient One said, "Do not worry. I will not take this matter to heart. I absolutely will not."

"Master, you are not scary at all when you say it like that."

The Blood God’s projection complained. That was right—the Darkhold was fake. It had been refined by Ancient One, Earth’s foremost counterfeit mage. Unless one was a god or demon proficient in Black Magic, no one else could tell the difference.

What a joke. The Darkhold could destroy all Vampires. How could Wang Bert possibly let Kaecilius take it away? In truth, he and Ancient One had found a new place for the real Darkhold and sealed it away layer by layer.

"Master, did you really suggest that Kaecilius shave his head back then?"

The Blood God’s projection foolishly asked. Ancient One raised her teacup with her left hand and lightly flicked a finger of her right. A portal appeared beneath the Blood God projection’s feet out of nowhere, and he fell through with a cry.

How embarrassing. I should never have stolen it.

Ancient One appeared calm on the surface, but inwardly she sighed. Her reputation in her old age was ruined.

Leaving aside the matters of the Blood God and Ancient One for now, Kaecilius gritted his teeth in anger upon hearing the Darkhold. "How is it not your fault? Can’t you sense my thoughts?"

"Of course it is your fault. I can hear everyone’s inner thoughts here. Do I have to respond to every single one?"

The Darkhold spoke with perfect confidence. The mages’ expressions changed, and one thick-eyebrowed mage even took a step back. At that moment, the Darkhold said, "Do not worry. I will not reveal that you are plotting to seize the throne."

"Didn’t you just reveal it?"

The Thick Eyebrowed Mage was speechless. Seeing Kaecilius look at him coldly, he hurriedly explained, "Senior Brother, it is framing me."

Kaecilius stared coldly at the Thick Eyebrowed Mage but did nothing immediately. He had too few subordinates to begin with. It would be a pity if one died.

The Darkhold helpfully reminded him, "Your senior brother plans to kill you after destroying the Sanctuaries."

The Thick Eyebrowed Mage could not help taking another step back, filled with regret. Had he known this, he would never have betrayed Kamar-Taj. This damned book was utterly treacherous.

Kaecilius likewise felt that this damned book was treacherous. He took a deep breath and asked, "Did Ancient One rely on the power of the Dark Dimension to live until now?"

"That must be explained from the beginning."

The Darkhold said, "Several hundred years ago, Ancient One swept through the world, and even Dormammu was driven away by her. The Dark Dimension was utterly awed by her and gave her a mass of the purest dark energy, hoping she would become the ruler of the Dark Dimension."

One mage asked in confusion, "Wait, isn’t Dormammu the ruler of the Dark Dimension?"

"Dormammu is merely a puppet enslaved by the Dark Dimension, working for it twenty-four hours a day without rest."

The Darkhold said, "Compared to the Sorcerer Supreme, Dormammu is nothing. That is why the Dark Dimension has always wanted the Sorcerer Supreme to replace Dormammu and become its servant.

"A servant, whose status is much higher than a puppet. At the very least, a servant still possesses some awareness."

The mages fell silent. The so-called ruler of the Dark Dimension was merely a puppet? This lousy "company" had no future at all. Could they resign? Many of them began regretting their choice. Had they known Dormammu was like this, they would not have surrendered.

"Why are you blurting out such truths? Ahem, why are you saying all this? Continue with Ancient One."

Kaecilius coughed and scolded it. He knew Dormammu’s true nature, but he did not care, because this was a good thing.

The Darkhold said, "It seems I underestimated you. You actually want to replace Dormammu."

"Shut up!"

Kaecilius cursed loudly. He was now completely certain that this thing was a trap.

The Thick Eyebrowed Mage’s eyes lit up. This was good news. Once he had the chance, he would immediately report it. Dormammu would surely reward him generously then.

"Continuing with Ancient One."

The Darkhold continued, "What kind of person was Ancient One? Naturally, she refused to absorb dark energy and rejected it on the spot. The Dark Dimension did not give up because of this. It kept persistently tempting Ancient One.

"Several decades later, Ancient One helplessly absorbed dark energy because none of her disciples amounted to anything, and the world needed her continued protection.

"By the way, over the next several hundred years, her disciples continued to amount to nothing, until three favored geniuses appeared: the Blood God, Doom, and Strange."

The mages looked displeased. Wasn’t that plainly saying they amounted to nothing too? The Darkhold said, "That is right. I am saying that none of you amount to anything either."

Everyone’s faces darkened. Kaecilius snorted. "Ancient One absorbed dark energy only for power and immortality, not to protect the world."

"If Ancient One truly coveted power and immortality, Dormammu would have been kicked out long ago."

The Darkhold said, "Also, the Darkhold never lies."

The mages fell somewhat silent. Seeing this, Kaecilius hurriedly shouted, "Ancient One is extremely selfish. She absorbed dark energy herself, yet refused to tell us how, refusing to let us become immortal with her."

After saying that, Kaecilius immediately changed the subject. "All right, Darkhold. Tell me the spell that can kill all Vampires."

"The Montes Formula can kill all Vampires, but it requires a special casting material."

The Darkhold said, "The blood of Dracula, Progenitor of the Vampires."

"Dracula’s blood?"

Kaecilius did not suspect anything. Instantly destroying all Vampires surely required a medium. Otherwise, it would be far too easy.

"Dracula has already appeared in the world. Obtaining his blood will not be difficult. I will get it as soon as possible."

With that, Kaecilius directly closed the Darkhold. This book was too treacherous. The less he used it, the better.

"Come on. We are going to find Dracula."

Kaecilius spoke to the mages. Just then, with a bang, the church doors were smashed open, and Kamar-Taj mage Mordo walked in.

Mordo looked at the circle of emos and complained, "Kaecilius, how old are you? You are actually copying people and dressing like an emo?"

"Mordo."

Seeing that Mordo was alone, Kaecilius laughed disdainfully. "Mordo, I did not expect you to be so stupid as to come hunt us down by yourself."

As he spoke, Kaecilius cast a spell as if showing off. The surrounding space continuously rippled like water, sealing off all teleportation spells.

"This is the power you got from becoming someone’s dog?"

Mordo glanced around and said disdainfully, "Not much to look at. Kaecilius, if you have any last words, you may say them now."