196

Chapter 196: The Witch

Thor frowned involuntarily.

Generally speaking, if there was no pressing matter, the Ancient One would not seek him out.

He walked into the aperture and disappeared.

About half an hour after Thor's departure, a faint voice was heard.

"This strange magic? What is it? I can't even see through it... Who is this girl?"

A woman in a pitch-black robe slowly emerged from the darkness, a purple light glowing from within.

Everything about her—from her attire to the peculiar energy in her hands—evoked images of the witches who were burned during the Middle Ages.

"This energy level even surpasses the Infinity Gems. The scepter is not the source of power but merely activated her inherent abilities. How did she accomplish this?"

The woman slowly raised her hand, and a scepter appeared in it. The gem atop the scepter had vanished, but the energy of the Infinity Gems still lingered...

Agatha Harkness, a genuine witch who has lived for hundreds of years, embodies all the traits of a classic fairy-tale witch.

Her unrelenting desire for magic has defined her existence.

Centuries ago, she was arrested and put on trial for violating the witch convern's rules by stealing magical knowledge that was inconsistent with her age and status—dark magic. The leader of the convern was Agatha's mother.

Despite her defense, her mother refused to believe her and ordered the witches to execute Agatha. However, Agatha used dark magic, draining the witches' life forces instantly. In the end, her mother also fell victim to Agatha's power.

As a centuries-old witch, nothing had managed to capture Agatha's attention until now. Wanda's Chaos force has reignited her curiosity, prompting her to investigate further.

"This powerful figure must be a barbarian from Asgard. This is problematic. There's no need for conflict. Let's find a way to avoid it..."

"Why are you looking for me again? Don't tell me there's another world-ending crisis I need to solve... If so, don't bother!"

Thor was quite relieved that the Ancient One saw him as a powerhouse.

That old woman is truly insufferable!

The Ancient One, however, did not seem in a mood for jokes and said seriously, "Although I don't have concrete evidence, I can be almost certain that this matter is related to you. Moreover, you've probably been involved."

Thor was momentarily taken aback, then became serious: "Are you saying this is something that shouldn't have happened?"

The Ancient One nodded slowly.

Baron Mordo, standing by, was puzzled by their exchange.

He certainly wouldn't know that these two were aware of the broader plot...

Thor initially thought the Ancient One was summoning him due to Kaecilius' betrayal, especially since these miscreants had summoned Dormammu.

For the Ancient One, trivial issues were not worth her attention.

Now it seemed there were major deviations from the original timeline, with significant problems threatening the world...

The last time the Ancient One had warned him, Thor had not taken it seriously. However, Loki almost caused Earth's destruction with the Bifrost. If not for the Ancient One's intervention using the Eye of Agamotto, humanity might have been forced into interstellar escape...

It seemed this time the situation was even more dire.

"Tell me, what's the situation?"

The Ancient One did not respond immediately but asked, "Do you know what the oldest and purest power in this world is?"

Thor's eyes flickered momentarily: "I do."

Not only did he know, but he currently possessed one of them and had just battled another.

The Ancient One studied him intently before nodding: "If I'm not mistaken, aside from the power of Odin, which belongs to Asgard's royal family, what you possess is one of the three ancient powers."

She turned and continued slowly: "This world is not the only one but is made up of countless multiverses.

Among the three ancient powers, as far as I know of many parallel worlds, the power of choas magic has never appeared—at least not until now.

And the Phoenix Force was not known to exist before.

Now..."

She cast a penetrating gaze at Thor.

Realizing she had discovered his secret, Thor smiled freely and did not bother to hide it: "Yes, I possess the Phoenix Force. What, are you concerned about me? Rest assured, I will not lose control."

Thor was confident.

He was the ideal host for the Phoenix Force, equipped with a divine body and two powerful artifacts to help him channel the Phoenix's power.

Additionally, he always felt that his Phoenix Force was growing too slowly, with few effective attack methods at his disposal.

Thus, he was still called Thor, not a Phoenix-like being...