Chapter 241: Fate

In this universe, Doctor Strange is already dead. He died in the battle on Titan against Thanos.

The official explanation from the Illuminati outside the world is that he died fighting against Thanos.

But the truth is...

"Stephen used Dreamwalking from the Darkhold to quickly travel to another universe,"

Captain Marvel spoke in a low tone.

"He successfully found the Book of the Vishanti, which was lost in the cracks of the multiverse. That book teaches us how to defeat Thanos."

"But... the price was terrible."

Carter continued with a heavy heart.

"Stephen abused the dark magic from the Darkhold, causing another universe to be invaded by evil forces from the multiverse. Finally, every living being in that universe died."

"So, you killed him?"

Jack still did not get it, and he looked at the Illuminati members with disbelief.

"You killed your friend who fought alongside you?! If it weren't to save your lives, why would he use dark magic from the Darkhold?"

As he spoke, Jack's anger boiled over.

He didn't care about the future of other universes, let alone whether Doctor Strange knew the consequences before dream walking across the multiverse.

Even if it had been him, knowing what would happen, he would have used it immediately to help the people he cared about.

And these so-called friends actually killed Doctor Strange, who carried the burden of that blood for them, just because of some unknown beings?

What kind of twisted logic was this?!

These ungrateful people.

All the little goodwill Jack had for them instantly vanished. But just as his rage reached its peak, Professor X's words left him speechless.

"It was Stephen's own wish."

Professor X sighed with sadness.

"The Illuminati was founded on the principle of making the smallest sacrifice to avoid greater losses. So, while we were angry, we didn't say much. We all knew the consequences of letting Thanos win. But Stephen, he begged us to kill him."

"The Darkhold had corrupted his mind!"

Even Captain Marvel, who is usually very calm, had a sad expression on her face.

"He realized that, but the corruption caused by the Darkhold couldn't be reversed. That's the price of using its dark magic. Once his mind was completely corrupted, he would become an enemy far more terrifying than Thanos."

"So, before his mind was completely lost, he begged us to kill him."

Jack fell silent.

He knew all too well that using the Darkhold could corrupt one's mind. Wanda was a perfect example.

During his battle against the Infinity Ultron, he encountered a version of Doctor Strange who had been consumed by the Darkhold's power.

If he had not been so determined to save Christine, he probably would have fallen a long time ago.

It was all the doing of Chthon, using the Darkhold to corrupt one's mind and eventually taking over their body to invade Earth.

This universe's Doctor Strange clearly didn't want to become a puppet of Chthon. So He decided to kill himself to protect himself and other people.

From that perspective, Jack respected him. Sacrificing himself for a noble cause was admirable.

"Alright, your Doctor Strange in this universe is great, but what does it have to do with other versions of Doctor Strange?"

Jack nodded in understanding, but still didn't grasp why they were so... cautious of Strange.

"We can't trust that other versions of Doctor Strange won't repeat the same mistakes. To prevent them from causing chaos, we must remain vigilant."

Carter explained.

Well, that reason was trustworthy and powerful. Moreover, they weren't wrong.

Other versions of Doctor Strange also used the Darkhold.

In that case, it seemed fair to say that Doctor Strange was the most dangerous person in the multiverse.

As the discussion continued, a portal appeared, and Mordo walked in.

"It's done. He's been locked up. He'll wake up in a few minutes. Do you want to see him?"

See him? Of course!

Although it wasn't the same person strictly speaking, it would still be nice to see an old friend again.

Jack didn't refuse either. He wasn't interested in meeting Strange, but he wanted to see how things would turn out.

He estimated that Wanda would soon arrive in this world through Dreamwalking.

When that happened, he wondered who would prove to be more powerful in a fight between her and the Illuminati.

Jack also had another thought in mind: if he could save Mr. Fanstastic's life, recruiting him wouldn't be a problem.

The group made their way to the interrogation room in the base, with rows of seats at the top and a platform below, where Doctor Strange, who had just woken up and was confused.

Everyone took their seats one by one, and what caught Jack's attention was that there was an extra seat.

Whose was it?

"Oh, you're here too. Wayne, that's great. We need to leave as soon as possible. Wanda will be coming after us!"

Doctor Strange was so tired that he saw Jack behind the Illuminati and waved his arms excitedly, even though he looked a little ridiculous with handcuffs on.

"I'm just an observer, Strange. Your fate is in their hands."

Jack shrugged to show that he had nothing to do with it and pointed to Professor X and the other people.

"Fate? Is it that serious?"

Strange was taken aback.

At most, he would be seen as an illegal immigrant, and the worst thing that could happen to him is that he would be deported.

But the way they were talking, it sounded like they wanted to kill him.

The members of the Illuminati all looked at Strange with complicated expressions, as if they saw their old friend once again.

"Your next words will determine your fate, Stephen."

Mr. Fantastic spoke first, looking at Strange with a mix of nostalgia and warning.

"Well, I don't know what you plan to do with me or why you've locked me up."

Strange motioned to the handcuffs on his hands, which prevented him from using magic.

"But you've got it wrong. The real threat is Wanda. She's coming, and if you don't release me, a lot of people will die."

"Wanda isn't the threat, you are!"

Captain Marvel interjected, speaking firmly. "Compared to the destruction you can cause, Wanda is just child's play."

"What?!"

Strange couldn't believe that he was being considered more dangerous than Wanda and that Wanda's actions were considered to be small.

Thinking about the ruins of Kamar-Taj, Strange felt that they might not fully grasp the seriousness of the situation.

He quickly tried to explain.

"No, you misunderstand. Wanda has taken the Darkhold personally, and her power is now unmatched. If you don't release me and Miss America, she will come here, and you won't be able to stop her."

"I think we've heard enough. This Stephen is even more aggressive and cunning than we thought."

Mordo hit the armrest and stood up.

"I think we can pass the decision on to him. My opinion is..."

Beep!

Beep!

Beep!

Suddenly, the base alarm blasted, and both Jack and Strange knew what it meant.

She's here.

...

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