Everything goes wrong: part 1(chapter 108)

previously in chapter 107

In the temple, the bell rang, resonating through the dimly lit space. As people meandered out of the library, the librarian meticulously placed a book on a shelf. The leader of a group, draped in a hooded cloak, strolled in with a commanding presence, drawing the librarian's attention. His two followers glided past, their movements fluid and menacing. Two more followers raised their wands, casting spells that ensnared the librarian's arms, rendering them immobile, while the remaining pair used their magic to bind his legs, lifting him helplessly into the air. The librarian grimaced in agony as a jug was positioned beneath his head. The leader approached, removing his hood to reveal a stern, resolute face. He positioned his hands on his back, drawing out a pair of gleaming blades. With a precise, practiced motion, he severed the librarian's head, which fell with a sickening thud into the jug. The leader then snatched the book that had been placed by the librarian, rifled through it to find a specific page, and ripped it out, discarding the book carelessly.

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Chapter 108

At that moment, The Ancient One materialized, her voice echoing with authority, "Master Kaecilius. That ritual will bring you only sorrow." Her hands were clasped behind her back, holding her blades. She approached calmly, every movement deliberate. Kaecilius and his followers, startled, fled through a swirling portal, emerging into a bustling cityscape. The Ancient One pursued them, her presence commanding as she manipulated the environment with graceful, controlled gestures. She wove a wave pattern with her hand, causing the buildings around them to ripple and shift out of alignment. Kaecilius, disoriented, shouted, "Hypocrite!" The Ancient One responded with a complex round pattern of her hands, causing gravity to fluctuate. She gracefully hopped off a wall, with Kaecilius and his team mirroring her actions, albeit clumsily.

The Ancient One's hands made an upward movement, causing the buildings behind them to rotate chaotically. She deftly countered the spells of two attackers by pulling their feet from beneath them, sending them crashing into a rolling building. As they screamed, she executed a precise fan-shaped spell, cutting through their magic and causing the building to grind them down. She then turned her attention to two more assailants, engaging them with a combination of swift kicks and spells, knocking them aside. Changing her spell to a round form, she propelled one of her enemies toward a menacing building. In a fluid motion, she transformed her spell into a fan shape again, tackling two more enemies and holding her spell in check.

As Kaecilius and his followers struggled, The Ancient One performed a graceful turn, manipulating gravity to flip them upside down. Kaecilius quickly opened a portal with a continuous circular pattern, allowing his team to escape. As they jumped through, The Ancient One continued her battle with three remaining foes, expertly knocking them out one by one. As Kaecilius and his team disappeared, The Ancient One restored the environment to its original state, rewinding the buildings' chaotic movements as if none of the battle had occurred. She descended from the building and created a portal to the real world. Emerging onto the street, she removed her hood, revealing her bald head, "Mr. Henry, or should I call you The Alchemist?" she suddenly said as she turned her head slightly back.

Where from the corner of her eyes was Henry in his equalizer suit, who then removed his hood as he said, "And I am guessing you are The Ancient One," which didn't surprise the Ancient One, as she then said, "Not guess, Henry. You know who I am, just like I know who you are," as Henry didn't falter. This was what he saw in the vision, but the visions were lately getting erratic, like someone was moving the position of the satellite dish, and Henry did not like that as he said, "Then you know where this conversation is going to go?" he asked as the Ancient One said, "Well, you are going to ask me to hand over the stone, but we both know that I don't have it on me" before she paused.

Henry then looked at her like he wasn't impressed, so she continued, "Then you are going to threaten me, saying you will disclose the fact that I am connected to the dark dimension, then we are going to fight," as Henry sighed, "And neither of us are going to win," he said as the Ancient One smiled, as she then looked into the sky, "You know, once you know what is out there, what is beyond our material world, then you would truly realize how insignificant you are." That is when Henry realized something, "This is not what I saw in the visions; she is changing the script, she is…stalling?" he realized as a miniature golden sphere floated beside him, gathering information, while the Ancient One smiled, like she sees through him, "What is she stalling time for?" he asked himself as suddenly he realized his phone wasn't working, so he grabbed the floating sphere beside him, "What is going on?" he asked as data was projected, showing destruction in his main hideout.

-moments before-

Above the dense forest canopy, a SHIELD Quinjet hovered silently before descending into a small clearing. The downwash from the rotors bent the trees, sending leaves and dust swirling. As the jet touched down, its ramp lowered, and Captain America stepped out first, followed by Bucky Barnes, Natasha Romanov, Wanda Maximoff, and Vision. Sam Wilson, in his Falcon suit, landed gracefully beside them. Iron Man and Iron Patriot hovered above, providing aerial support.

The team fanned out, moving cautiously through the underbrush toward a hidden entrance concealed among thick vines and foliage. As they approached, Captain America spoke into his comms, "Alright, Coulson, I am in position."

Phil Coulson's voice crackled through their earpieces, "Copy that, Cap. Remember, this is Henry. He's an alchemist, a chemist, and an engineer. Since day one, he has only improved, growing his empire, and he's gotten very strong. His hideout is 100% filled with traps, but since HE came into the picture and told us everything we need to know, we can definitely catch Henry."

Sam scanned the area with his goggles, nodding, "Yeah, and hand his ass over to HIM. He is pretty scary."

Tony Stark's voice, filtered through his suit, interjected, "Phil is right. This place is filled to the brim with traps, and those are just the ones I can see."

As they moved toward the entrance, a hidden pressure plate was triggered. A series of alchemical mechanisms clicked into motion, releasing a barrage of poison-tipped bullet from the foliage as well as gases.

"Everyone, down!" Steve shouted, raising his shield to deflect the bullet. The others took cover or activated defenses. Tony's suit deployed a barrier that incinerated any projectiles that came too close and they were also wearing gas maskes.

"His traps are joke," sam muttered, carefully examining the ground for more triggers, just for vision to analyse the poison, "this poison is enough to kill a thousand men"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------A/N: Well, I wasn't planning on releasing a chapter today since I'm having my surgery in a couple of hours, but I couldn't resist. Do wish me luck! And just a little spoiler: the next set of titles will be "Henry Kills the MCU."