Chapter 76 Cassie Blocks the Road

After a brief discussion, the three Avengers quickly reached a conclusion. Tony’s Iron Man helmet emitted his voice: “Alright, thank you for the intel, Mr. Stephen. However, until you prove your capabilities, the Avengers will handle this crisis in our own way.”

“That’s fine,” replied Meimu. He didn’t ask for more.

After all, he still hadn’t found the balance in interacting with them. Other than sharing the goal of protecting Earth, it was hard to talk about fighting side by side.

Parting for now, Iron Man, Spider-Man, and Vision accelerated together, rushing toward the ever-expanding portal of darkness.

As they flew at high speed, Tony asked Vision, “What do you think?”

Vision replied, “Hard to say, but it does seem like his style—say a little, leave a little out.”

“Wow! I really want to challenge ‘Merlin’ myself,” Spider-Man said, a strange excitement in his voice.

“Forget about that bastard for now. Anyway, as long as it’s his intel, at least the part he reveals is accurate.” With that, Iron Man’s micro thrusters on his palms and legs flared, propelling him faster as he wove through the city’s skyscrapers.

On either side of him were the agile Spider-Man, swinging deftly between buildings with his webbing, and the futuristic, crimson-skinned synthetic Vision.

As the three heroes sped away, Fat Wong stood there, jaw dropped for ages. “Hey, Meimu, weren’t you a doctor before? When did you start hanging out with Iron Man? Why do they seem wary of you, but also trust you?”

“They are, after all, heroes from the world’s most renowned super hero organization,” Mordo commented, apparently unconcerned.

Meimu suddenly felt like laughing.

Truly, the times had changed.

Just as the Italian mafia was losing its edge, in this new era that celebrated individuality, demanding members to be as rigid, self-disciplined, and devoted as Puritans had become out of place.

The Mordo beside him always talked about vanquishing inner demons, but his competitive nature was impossible to hide. After using dark magic before the Ancient One, he’d been left dejected, his shaken resolve turning to shame upon reflection.

And Fat Wong, despite his strict and seemingly unfeeling demeanor, hid a secretly passionate soul. For example, the “Little Apple” song Meimu had encouraged him to listen to had become his anthem, and lately he’d grown fond of Beyoncé.

Now both of them displayed a subtle sense of grievance, as if their buddy had suddenly become a superstar, cheerfully mingling with other celebrities while leaving them behind.

Meimu almost couldn’t help but laugh.

Before long, he saw a brilliant light illuminate the sky. Vision was unleashing his ultimate attack.

A massive golden beam suddenly blazed forth, slicing through half the night sky.

The scene instantly evoked images of battleships firing their main cannons in a sci-fi universe.

It was undeniable: as one of the Infinity Stones, the Mind Stone possessed terrifying power beyond what most humans could imagine.

The dark dimension, which had seemed unstoppable in its expansion, actually halted under Vision’s full-force assault.

After only three seconds of stalemate, the darkness, which had seemed boundless, finally began to shrink.

Then the true master appeared.

A cold snort echoed, shaking heaven and earth.

With that sound, an immensely powerful will descended upon New York City. Just hearing it was enough to make one feel a crushing weight upon the chest.

Many fleeing people stumbled and fell from fright at that single snort. Even a dog, dashing for its life, collapsed with a whimper, legs up in the air, losing all control.

That snort could only belong to Dormammu. Dormammu, proud as he was, would never act personally without reason.

“Mortals! Do you think you can resist the power of the great Lord of Darkness, Dormammu, with such meager strength?” Lackey Number One, Kaecilius, had arrived.

In the original story, this character had maintained a human guise even as Dormammu descended. Now, he was unrecognizable.

His arms and limbs were transformed into pure darkness, turned into swirling streams of energy, his body encased in a mass of black water; he looked like a limbless, helpless log.

“Wow! This guy must be the Kaecilius Merlin mentioned, right? If immortality means turning into this, oh God, it’s too ugly—I’ll pass,” Spider-Man quipped, his sharp tongue firing.

Tony and Vision had seen Kaecilius before.

“Damn lunatic,” Tony spat.

Vision said nothing, merely tilted his head.

Old comrades understood each other well.

“You simply do not comprehend the greatness of Master Dormammu—”

Never argue with a fool. He’ll turn you into one, then defeat you with his wealth of experience.

That was Tony’s lesson.

Enough talk. Time to fight.

Iron Man’s shoulder armor suddenly opened, launching dozens of micro-missiles, small as fountain pens with red tips and gold bodies. Don’t underestimate them—after many battles, these micro-missiles no longer carried conventional explosives but Chitauri tech: concentrated high-energy laser bombs.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Normally, not just a person, even an armored battalion would be annihilated.

Too bad—they were useless!

The missiles didn’t even get within fifty meters of Kaecilius before they were enveloped by layers of black mist. This dense dark energy repelled all foreign powers, greatly diminishing the spread of any outside force or impact.

“What the hell is this?” Tony cursed.

Vision saw more clearly: “Tony, this isn’t his own power. His strength comes from that dark world behind him.”

Go for the ringleader first—Avengers knew this principle well.

Tony and Peter quickly understood.

Without another word, the three heroes split up, attacking from the left, right, and above, circling around Kaecilius.

Two flew; Spider-Man swung.

But it wasn’t that easy.

“Pitiful mortals! Let me show you the might of the Lord of Darkness!” Black tendrils extended from Kaecilius’s arms, merging instantly with the surrounding space.

When dark energy fuses with spatial magic, it creates a terrifying new dimension.

One could call it—the Domain of Darkness.

A shadowy Statue of Liberty suddenly appeared before the three heroes. No longer a mere statue, it was now a colossal monster with mobility.

The torch—symbol of freedom—was pitch black. With a hideous creak, the statue’s arm swung, and a torrent of inky water erupted from the black torch in a massive conical jet.