Only Magic Can Defeat Magic

Right after Fanny extracted 'Sumire Karaage Rolls,' he had pondered whether he should go to the Ancient One to learn magic—but Fanny was too young at the time, and Skye had only joined his family, so he couldn't just take a walk and meet Ancient One. He temporarily abandoned the idea when he found that the limits of 'Ars Magna' could be improved through training.

Fanny had been reconsidering the idea as Iron Man's debut was getting closer. He felt that the rate of his growth was too slow. He already decided to go to Kamar-Taj and meet Ancient One; if the third extraction was not a useful combat skill. It would have been best to hide and settle there for a while.

There's no safer place on Earth than beside Ancient One, so Fanny thought. Aliens? The Hulk? All of them were defeated with a single hand. This was the power of the person who stood at the peak of mystic arts. Ancient One protected the entire planet on her own.

Fanny had pictured himself walking the path of pilgrimage with piety and reverence, meeting Ancient One with respect in her temple. It would have been a beautiful scene.

But now...

He never imagined this. He was lying on the ground, covered in dirt, insulting others behind their back. The most embarrassing thing was that the person he insulted overheard him.

His dream was shattered!

Fanny wanted to steal the Time Stone, turn back time to before Ancient One came here, and seal his own mouth with duct tape.

"You... you..."

Ancient One's sudden appearance robbed him of words. Why would Ancient One appear here?!

"Hello, it's my first time meeting you, Mr. Helsed!" Ancient One smiled as she looked down at Fanny on the ground. The smile on her face was warm and kind, but Fanny felt a chill down his spine.

Fanny struggled to sit up and calm himself down. He feigned ignorance and anxiously asked, "Who are you?"

"Hey, am I not the big bald head you speak of?" Ancient One put on a puzzled smile. The hint of mischief in her eyes worsened Fanny's anxiety.

"..."

Fanny did not know how to answer. From what he knew, Ancient One was definitely a good person. With the Time Stone, she wasn't only the apex of strength—she was also the master of the future and the past.

Future?!

Fanny suddenly realized something. He pondered for a moment and finally sighed, "Nice to meet you, Master Ancient One!"

Fanny realized that if Ancient One had seen his future, their relationship wouldn't be ordinary. And he already thought about getting close to Ancient One anyway, so it would be good for him to have a friendly relationship with the Sorcerer Supreme.

Ancient One nodded with a smile, saying nothing. She didn't seem surprised that Fanny knew her.

"That... Master Ancient One..." Ancient One said nothing, but Fanny couldn't hold himself back. He couldn't use the Time Stone to see the future plot, so he was really curious about the reason for Ancient One's appearance. "Why are you looking for me?"

Ancient One shook her head indifferently at Fanny's question. "It's nothing. I was just a little bored, so I came to see you."

You're the Sorcerer Supreme tasked with protecting the Earth. Dormammu would cry if he knew you have so much free time.

Fanny silently cursed in his heart. Somehow, the two of them felt so familiar, despite meeting for the first time today.

After all this, Fanny didn't even care anymore. He paused and asked up front, "Master Ancient One, how did you know about me?"

"It's exactly as you think!" Ancient One replied as she sat beside Fanny. She ignored the weird look on his face.

What the hell...

Fanny didn't even know what he was thinking. Ancient One might know more about him than himself. He simply asked again, "Is it because we know each other in the future?"

Ancient One looked deeply into Fanny's eyes. "Perhaps!"

Fanny was very tired. The feeling that someone might know everything about you more than yourself was unsettling, so he decided to ignore how Ancient One knew about him for the time being.

Ancient One was the strongest combatant on Earth, a super big shot on the magic side. Since the opportunity to meet her had fallen to his lap, Fanny should quickly get on her good side and get hard-carried.

Fanny immediately switched his expression to a sincere one. "Master Ancient One, I have admired you for a long time. I have always wanted to learn magic from you. Would you help me to measure my aptitude?"

Ancient one pondered that question for a moment and replied, "It's just normal!"

Fanny felt a chill in his heart. That answer was as if he wanted to compliment someone who was neither handsome nor smart, and the only thing he could praise was that they're rather tall.

Fanny was dissatisfied with Ancient One's judgment, but he didn't refute her. He instead continued to pester her enthusiastically, "So I have the talent to learn magic, right? Can I learn from you?"

"Why do you want to learn magic?" Ancient One asked back, her expression curious.

"I want to protect the universe!" Fanny immediately said with righteous vigor.

This wasn't a lie. He wanted to become stronger to stop Thanos' plan to eradicate half of life across the universe. If he could stop Thanos from snapping his fingers, Fanny would definitely qualify as a "savior of the universe."

Astonishment flashed in Ancient One's eyes. She changed the topic after forcing out a smile, "How has your sister been all these years?"

Fanny felt a little weird that Ancient One suddenly asked about his sister, but he replied honestly, "She's been pretty good."

He continued, "Master Ancient One, is there something wrong with my sister?"

"Nothing wrong with her, no." Ancient One shook her head, "I just recalled that a certain someone changed the rules of the world in order to have a sister."

"..."

Something clicked in Fanny's head. He now understood why 'Ars Magna' succeeded for the first time that day and why he had gained so much experience from it.

It was probably, no, it must have been because Ancient One did something in secret that allowed him to use 'Ars Magna' with such powerful effect.

Fanny did not know the extent of Ancient One's powers, but he knew that she was among the strongest humans. It would be impossible for her not to notice his use of 'Ars Magna,' novel magic she had never seen before. She deemed the purpose of the magic as benign, so she secretly boosted the power of the magic to help it succeed and to understand its nature. This was definitely within the realms of Ancient One's ability.

However, just as Ancient One could secretly boost the magic, she could as easily destroy it. The invincible magic 'Ars Magna' had disappeared from Fanny's heart.

Fanny suddenly remembered something his father had once said:

Only magic could defeat magic!