Reigning Supreme in Every Reality

"This is far more than 'acceptable'—you've already surpassed me!" the Ancient One marveled.

Lyon waved dismissively. "You can't say that. Each of us has our specialty. My strength is physical, but in terms of magic, I'm far from your level."

The Ancient One shook her head. "Magic requires accumulation, yes, but I can see that you've already embarked on the path of exploring the fundamental laws of the universe."

"This path leads directly to the true cornerstone of magic."

"I can already foresee that one day, you'll become the next Vishanti—or even surpass them."

"Perhaps you should remain in Kamar-Taj and attempt a special ritual to communicate with the Vishanti. It could greatly benefit your future development."

"Development, huh?" Lyon raised an eyebrow. "That won't be necessary. I've already found the most suitable direction for my growth—no need for extra trouble."

He propped himself up on his knees and stood. "Besides, there's no immediate need to study magic further."

"Once I've comprehended the fundamental laws, achieving the effects of magic will be simple."

"That's why I'm here to say goodbye, Ancient One. Thank you for everything during this time... Ancient One?"

As Lyon snapped his fingers, intending to dissolve the mirror dimension, the Ancient One suddenly struck with her palm, stabilizing the space.

With a humble smile, she stood up.

"Mr. Lyon, I'm genuinely pleased with how much stronger you've become."

The Ancient One formed intricate hand seals, and within the mirror dimension, the inner sanctum expanded infinitely. The doors on either side were replaced by walls.

"But there is one thing I deeply regret," she said.

"You now have a world within you, correct?" She extended both hands, conjuring two Rings of Raggadorr.

Lyon, observing her stance, looked puzzled. "Yes, I have one. Ancient One, what are you doing?"

"And you don't wanna remain in Kamar-Taj..." Her smile gradually faded. "As the Sorcerer Supreme, it is my duty to keep interdimensional beings out of Earth's dimension."

"By creating a dimension within yourself, you are now halfway to becoming an interdimensional being, Mr. Lyon."

The golden rings in her hands spun faster. "Which means I have to expel you from Earth's dimension."

"You're serious?" Lyon couldn't believe the Ancient One would act so rigidly.

But the cold and stern expression on her face—one he had never seen since they first met—made it clear she wasn't joking.

The Ancient One flipped the table between them. "Will you leave on your own, or shall I make you?"

"Ancient One, I was born and raised on Earth!" Lyon narrowed his eyes. "I can't just leave Earth. If you're serious, then all I can say is—you can't stop me."

He began to float into the air.

"In consideration of the years you've spent protecting Earth, I won't fight you this time," Lyon said.

But to his surprise, the Ancient One manipulated the mirror dimension, making the ground surge like waves to propel her toward Lyon.

"You cannot leave!" she declared, striking at Lyon with her palm. The shield rings in her hands transformed into the Mystic Fans of Oshtur, turning defensive magic into an offensive attack.

However, even at her fastest, her movements appeared no quicker than a snail to Lyon.

He easily sidestepped her attack.

The Ancient One's sudden hostility made Lyon feel both annoyed and uneasy. Something didn't seem right.

After all, the Ancient One wasn't the type to cling to rigid rules unnecessarily.

Besides, he wasn't even fully considered a dimensional demon yet.

"If you attack me again, I'll fight back!" Lyon warned.

Grabbing her wrist, he flung her a few meters away.

Under normal circumstances, the Ancient One would cast a spell mid-air and land gracefully.

But—!

Lyon's eyes widened in shock.

Even though Lyon had only lightly tossed her, the Ancient One flew away like a kite with a broken string!

Lyon would bet his biceps on it—at his current level of precise strength control, he could throw even an ant without causing it the slightest harm.

So what was going on with the Ancient One?

What was she doing?

And as she was about to hit the ground, the surface beneath her suddenly shifted, transforming into a deep, bottomless black hole!

Is she trying to kill herself?!

Realizing something was wrong, Lyon's mind blared with alarm bells.

He immediately dashed forward to grab her.

At his speed, he moved faster than thought, appearing beside the Ancient One in an instant, catching her in the gentlest manner possible.

The Ancient One froze for a moment, surprised that she had been saved. Even she hadn't expected him to intervene.

But then she turned back to Lyon with an apologetic smile, tilted her head—and died!

"What the hell?! Ancient One, what are you doing?!"

Lyon shouted in disbelief.

He felt his sanity shaking. Even his super brain seemed to short-circuit, unable to process the shocking turn of events.

Lyon dissolved the mirror dimension, returning to the inner sanctum, and gently placed the Ancient One's body on the ground.

Using his super vision, he quickly found the cause of death.

"Brain aneurysm... she died of a brain aneurysm?! The Sorcerer Supreme died suddenly from a stroke in the middle of the night?!"

Lyon felt a heavy frustration lodged in his chest, impossible to release.

"This is ridiculous! Wait... the Ancient One still has her soul here!"

He immediately sat cross-legged and activated stellar projection, releasing his soul from his core to manifest outside his body.

Now, he could see the "living" Ancient One.

Her soul had passed through the inner sanctum's doors and walked outside.

Lyon hurried after her and found the Ancient One standing in the training grounds, gazing wistfully at the starry night sky.

"Ancient One, what the fuck are you even doing?"

The Ancient One continued to look up at the glittering stars, her expression filled with fondness and nostalgia.

"I am searching for the next Sorcerer Supreme for Kamar-Taj," she said calmly.

"You mean... me?" Lyon asked, genuinely surprised by this development. He had always assumed the Ancient One would eventually choose Strange.

After all, in the movie, the Ancient One had said that Strange was the best among the Sorcerer Supremes.

"What about Strange? What happens to him?"

"He can continue being a doctor, or he can come to you for guidance in magic," the Ancient One replied, turning to look at Lyon.

"Mr. Lyon, you killed me. As compensation, you shall take on the mantle of the Sorcerer Supreme."

Lyon's mind was filled with question marks. Killed? Was this her idea of assigning blame?

Alright, fine, so this is how we're playing it.

Pointing a finger at her soul, Lyon said firmly, "You're not dying today. In fact, you're not dying at all! Not on my watch!"

His soul floated back into his body, and as soon as he opened his eyes, he dashed into the library.

Grabbing the Eye of Agamotto, he raced back to where the Ancient One's body lay.

"Want to die? Not so fast!"

Recalling the ritual recorded in the Book of Cagliostro, Lyon formed the required hand seals and activated the power of the Time Stone.

The green energy of the Time Stone began to flow and glow.

The green energy from the Time Stone fell upon the Ancient One's body.

Lyon smirked. "Dead? Let's see how you manage that."

But a few seconds later, her body grew even colder.

Eh?

Realizing something was wrong, Lyon stopped the spell and crouched down to examine her.

He discovered a mark of the Dark Dimension had appeared on her forehead at some point. Additionally, her limbs bore traces of backlash from the Dark Dimension's energy.

"The Dark Dimension exists outside the single universe. It is unaffected by the Time Stone, and so is the energy from it," the Ancient One's soul broke through from the spiritual realm to explain.

"You cannot use time to revive my body," she said in a tone so calm and detached it was almost unnerving.

It was as though she were telling a teacher, "You can't save my hairstyle, I'm bald."

Lyon opened his mouth but found himself at a loss for words.

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