Chapter 118: The Sorcerer Supreme
The moment the Ancient One collapsed onto the laboratory floor, Lynn's All-Seeing Eye activated automatically.
A vast stream of information unfolded before him.
Unlike ordinary biological scans, what appeared this time was an extraordinarily complex energy structure.
The Ancient One's body was threaded with countless magical pathways.
Thousands of intricate mystical circuits intertwined with one another, forming an immense geometric network.
Every pathway connected to dimensional anchors beyond the physical universe.
For centuries, those connections had supplied her with the mystical power necessary to serve as Earth's Sorcerer Supreme.
Now they were dying.
Nearly seventy percent of the network had been consumed by a corrosive black substance.
Dark Dimension energy.
The corruption spread through her spiritual pathways like cancer through living tissue.
One connection after another was being severed.
One dimensional anchor after another was disappearing.
Lynn wasn't surprised.
Not by the injury.
Nor by her appearance.
And certainly not by the fact that she had come to him.
As Sorcerer Supreme, the Ancient One possessed the Eye of Agamotto and had spent centuries safeguarding reality.
A master of temporal observation.
Someone who had likely noticed Lynn's existence long ago.
Perhaps much longer ago than he realized.
Lynn adjusted his glasses.
The temperature in the laboratory had noticeably fallen.
Residual dimensional energy leaked continuously from the Ancient One's body, causing condensation to form across the lenses.
He made no attempt to help her.
Not yet.
"The Ancient One."
His voice remained calm.
"The Sorcerer Supreme."
The Ancient One slowly lifted her head.
Her face was pale.
Almost translucent.
Her lips lacked any trace of color.
Yet her eyes remained clear.
Ancient.
Wise.
The eyes of someone who had watched centuries pass.
"Doctor Lynn..."
Her breathing was uneven.
Every sentence required effort.
"I'm sorry..."
"For disturbing you..."
Lynn looked directly at the spreading corruption.
"You prolonged your life by drawing power from the Dark Dimension."
"You've finally suffered the backlash."
The statement contained no accusation.
Only fact.
"Kamar-Taj's magic cannot remove corruption embedded directly into the soul."
"So you came here."
The Ancient One didn't deny it.
She no longer possessed the strength.
The black corruption had already reached her jawline.
Like invisible fingers slowly tightening around her throat.
After several seconds she nodded.
"Your assessment..."
"...is completely correct."
Her voice weakened further.
"I exhausted every option."
"The purification rites of the Vishanti failed."
"The Eye of Agamotto could not reach the corruption embedded within the deepest layers of my soul."
Lynn crouched beside her.
"Because those methods are insufficient."
"The corruption originates from Dormammu."
At the mention of the name, the black mist visibly stirred.
"The Dark Dimension is an extension of his existence."
"The power of the Vishanti and the power of Dormammu do not operate on the same level in this context."
"Your tools are inadequate."
The Ancient One managed a faint smile.
A bitter one.
Then Lynn stood.
Hands returning to the pockets of his white coat.
"I can remove it."
The Ancient One's eyes focused.
For the first time since arriving, genuine interest appeared.
"What do you want?"
Lynn raised a finger.
"First."
"The complete Sling Ring fabrication methodology."
Not a basic training manual.
Not an apprentice version.
The complete design.
The Ancient One's expression shifted slightly.
The Sling Ring was among Kamar-Taj's most important artifacts.
The foundation of portal magic.
A secret preserved for generations.
Lynn raised a second finger.
"Second."
"Three days of unrestricted access to Kamar-Taj's restricted archives."
"No limitations."
"No forbidden sections."
"No restricted shelves."
The Ancient One remained silent.
Several more strands of corruption spread upward.
The soul wound across her chest widened.
Dark energy continued eating away at her existence.
Time was running out.
Negotiation was a luxury she no longer possessed.
After a long pause:
"...Agreed."
Lynn nodded.
Without another word, he bent down and lifted her.
The Ancient One weighed remarkably little.
Far lighter than her centuries of experience suggested.
As he carried her toward the operating area, he began asking questions.
"How long have you been drawing power from the Dark Dimension?"
The answer came after a brief pause.
"...More than two centuries."
Lynn stopped for half a second.
Then continued walking.
"Two hundred years."
"No wonder the contamination is so deeply rooted."
He frowned slightly.
"At that point, it isn't simple corruption."
"It's symbiosis."
The Ancient One slowly nodded.
"The connection stabilized over time."
"Dormammu's energy became intertwined with my spiritual pathways."
"Attempts to remove it only damaged my soul."
"Exactly."
Lynn reached the operating platform.
"You created a dependency."
"And now that dependency has collapsed."
The Ancient One's breathing became shallower.
"Three days ago..."
"The Sanctum was attacked."
A reference to one of the Sanctums that protected Earth from interdimensional threats, established by Agamotto centuries ago.
"Followers of Dormammu."
"In the battle..."
"I was struck directly."
"At the core of my soul."
"The balance broke."
Lynn nodded.
"So this isn't a chronic condition anymore."
"It's an acute collapse."
"...Yes."
He carefully placed her onto the antigravity operating table.
Then walked toward the equipment cabinets.
The problem was obvious.
How exactly did one perform surgery on a soul?
Dark Dimension energy wasn't matter.
It had no molecular structure.
No mass.
No physical dimensions.
It existed beyond conventional space.
Somewhere between the material universe and higher-dimensional reality.
Ordinary tools were useless.
A scalpel couldn't cut it.
Medicine couldn't dissolve it.
Radiation couldn't destroy it.
Lynn stood silently.
Three minds began working simultaneously.
Tony Stark's engineering genius constructed potential frameworks.
Lex Luthor's strategic intellect examined exotic energy interactions.
Batman's analytical reasoning evaluated every possible risk.
Three seconds later.
An answer emerged.
Lynn opened a drawer.
From within, he retrieved a vibranium surgical scalpel.
The same specialized instrument previously used during Wakandan procedures.
Then he activated Extremis.
Instantly.
Three-thousand-degree heat flowed into the blade.
Vibranium's extraordinary properties prevented structural failure.
The metal remained intact.
Yet the surrounding air immediately reacted.
Water vapor evaporated.
Heat haze spread outward.
A veil of shimmering mist formed around the weapon.
Then Lynn activated Vibranium Resonance.
High-frequency vibrations traveled through the handle.
Into the blade.
Heat.
Vibration.
Two energy systems layered atop one another.
Something new emerged.
The blade changed.
Its glow shifted.
No longer red.
No longer orange.
A brilliant bluish-white radiance appeared.
The All-Seeing Eye analyzed the phenomenon.
The result was unexpected.
The frequency of the blade's energy output had moved beyond ordinary physical interactions.
The weapon now occupied a transitional state.
A frequency capable of interacting with dimensional energy.
Capable of affecting magical constructs.
Capable of cutting spiritual corruption.
Lynn held the scalpel before his eyes.
Carefully examining the edge.
Stable.
No fluctuations.
No instability.
Perfect.
He turned.
Walked back toward the operating table.
The Ancient One stared at the glowing weapon.
For the first time, uncertainty appeared in her expression.
"What exactly..."
"...is that?"
Lynn glanced down at the blade.
"A high-frequency plasma energy scalpel."
He paused.
"Improvised."
Then he approached the operating table.
The glowing edge illuminated the room.
The Ancient One remained perfectly still.
Lynn raised the weapon.
"Try not to move."
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