Chapter 127

The Ancient One formed the seal with her hands but suddenly realized that she could no longer communicate with the power of the Vishanti Trinity. In other words, she could not use the magic she had inherited from them at this moment!

It was then that the Ancient One understood why Velasco had been so confident that she lacked the Vishanti Trinity's protection. It seemed likely that Velasco had managed to come to Earth with the Vishanti's covert assistance, and there could only be one reason for this: they wanted Abel's allegiance. The Ancient One surmised that the Vishanti had already contacted Abel by now.

Indeed, at this moment, Abel witnessed a projection of the Vishanti Trinity.

In a formation of one reality and two illusions, three heads appeared before Abel. The middle and left heads were blurred, while the tiger head on the right was clear and distinct.

The Vishanti Trinity is the collective name for the triune demon-gods united by the three ancient gods: Oshtur, the son of Oshtur and the first Sorcerer Supreme Agamotto, and Hoggoth, an ancient god of an outer dimension.

The visible tiger head was Hoggoth, the ancient god from the Vishanti Trinity.

Hoggoth looked at Abel and spoke, "Abel Shaw, in your reckless attempt to absorb the power of authority, you have attracted numerous beings from Hell. The Sorcerer Supreme, the Ancient One, can no longer protect you. Only by entering into a pact with us and becoming the next Sorcerer Supreme can you truly avoid this danger; otherwise, you will fall into the hands of these demons."

Though the figure of Hoggoth before him was only an illusion, Abel could still feel his overwhelming power, vast as the ocean. Smiling slightly, Abel replied, "Thank you, but I don't wish to become Sorcerer Supreme. Perhaps in the future, but right now, I don't have such aspirations."

Abel was careful not to refuse outright to avoid offending them. After all, the demon-gods, even those of white magic, might not be as magnanimous as one would hope.

"A shame," Hoggoth replied.

Without further words, Hoggoth's illusion dissolved instantly, vanishing. Abel understood, however, that Hoggoth hadn't left entirely.

Taking a deep breath, Abel sped up his absorption of the Hellfire authority. Feeling his wand slightly tremble, he knew he couldn't afford to be careless. At this point, he had to absorb it fully; if he stopped, the remaining authority could go berserk and dissipate, causing more than just a loss—there was a strong chance it would harm him. Thus, Abel pressed on with steady focus, continuing to absorb the Hellfire authority.

Meanwhile, outside, the Ancient One had entered a fierce battle with Velasco.

Even without the power of the Vishanti Trinity, the Ancient One was not helpless. A red mark appeared on her forehead, and energy from the Dark Dimension erupted from her, gathering into shapes resembling celestial bodies that floated in the air around her.

Upon closer inspection, these celestial bodies seemed almost alive, constantly trembling and shrinking. Tentacle-like extensions reached out from them, connecting to other celestial bodies.

The Ancient One moved her hands, conjuring black flames that consumed everything in their path.

Velasco, sensing her unyielding strength, gritted his teeth, summoning thousands of rays of light that arced toward the Ancient One.

The Ancient One flickered and dodged, constantly avoiding the streams of light.

However, as she stepped back, a crack opened in the space behind her, and a massive, scaled claw shot out, seizing her and slamming her down with force.

As the enormous claw withdrew, Velasco followed up with a barrage of brilliant light aimed at her position.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The ground quaked, and the Ancient One's defensive array around the barren mountain intermittently appeared, barely withstanding the intense aftermath of their clash.

Boom!

The earth erupted as tentacles of rock and soil rose, thick and chaotic like the appendages of ancient gods, binding Velasco and the claw reaching from the crack.

This sudden development caught Velasco by surprise.

The Ancient One, now standing on one of the tentacles, rose slowly from the ground. She was slightly disheveled, and the red mark on her forehead flared, casting a brilliant red light. Above, the ominous illusion of the Dark Dimension loomed, with a pair of eyes that made Velasco tremble.

"Dormammu… Ancient One, you're mad!"

Ignoring him, the Ancient One continued drawing power from the Dark Dimension. The tentacles, once formed of earth and rock, began to rot and twist as they turned into authentic tendrils infused with dark energy, snaking their way toward Velasco.

Feeling the power of his Hell Border being gradually overpowered, Velasco gritted his teeth, glanced at the mountain ablaze with Hellfire, and ultimately decided to retreat.

Stepping back onto the massive, scaled claw, Velasco was led back through the spatial crack, disappearing from the Ancient One's sight.

As Velasco vanished, the Ancient One took a deep breath and dispelled the mark on her forehead, along with the Dark Dimension's shadow in the sky. The twisted tentacles swiftly returned to soil and rock, crumbling and scattering on the ground.

All of it had been a carefully crafted illusion by the Ancient One. In reality, it was not her actions that drove Velasco away but his fear of the Dark Dimension and Dormammu. Had he been more resolute, the Ancient One might truly have had no means to overcome him.

In any case, the Ancient One had not disregarded Earth's safety.

Exhaling slowly, the Ancient One knew she had fought Velasco using only her own strength. Without the Vishanti Trinity's assistance, she had held her own against Velasco, the lord of Hell's Border—an impressive feat that underscored her strength.

Turning, she prepared to check on Abel's progress, but at that moment, three handsome men in black suits appeared in the distance, reaching the Ancient One in an instant. Black wings unfurled from their backs.