Chapter 177 - 173
To put it bluntly, this is a plan to cut off the Vishanti's influence.
The Ancient One, the Supreme Sorcerer, was unaware of this plan. Even if she had known, she likely wouldn't have taken it seriously. The plan to sever ties with the Vishanti was devised by Leon, Natasha, and Wanda.
The core of the plan involved using Kamar-Taj as a central point to restructure how magicians accessed their magical power. Traditionally, magicians draw magic from the Vishanti through communication and absorption of energy from their dimension. However, under this new scheme, the old magicians would be bypassed, and neither the Vishanti nor Wanda would be provoked—for now. Instead, new mages would be directed to borrow magic first from the Vishanti and then from Wanda herself.
Yes, Wanda had effectively become a figure comparable to the Vishanti.
Her Chaos Magic, the most primal and potent form of magical energy, far surpassed the magic offered by the Vishanti. Wanda thus had the qualifications to become this new "loan shark" of magic.
As Wanda delved deeper into the Darkhold, her power grew exponentially—frighteningly so. Even the Ancient One was shocked by her strength. Fortunately, the Ancient One sought to keep the situation stable. If she'd known that Wanda was practicing dark magic, she might have had to consider expelling her as a successor. However, the Ancient One herself had relied on dark powers in the past. This shared reliance on forbidden energy forged an unspoken understanding between them.
With the Ancient One in a semi-retired state, she delegated many of Kamar-Taj's responsibilities to Wanda, allowing herself to focus on battles with Dormammu and other interdimensional threats. This was why Wanda had been so busy lately. She even dragged Leon into her tasks, insisting that having more people made things easier to manage.
Wanda's interception plan was surprisingly balanced. The Vishanti traditionally demanded both magic and the souls of practitioners. Wanda, however, had no need for souls. Instead, she required all magical energy from the mages to flow back to her upon their deaths. Essentially, this meant that these mages were unknowingly enhancing her power through their practice. Every century or so, Wanda's magic would experience a surge as these energies accumulated.
If a mage proved exceptionally skilled, Wanda could even liberate their soul upon death, allowing them to follow her as a vassal. In essence, her plan ensured that these mages worked for her—even in death.