Chapter 184: Interception

The river of fate continued to flow.

Atreus didn't know if this was a cycle or a terrible time loop. At least, from his perception and memory, the calendar hadn't moved forward, and the sorcerer guardians of Kamar-Taj hadn’t come to trouble him. This was a good sign.

Almost simultaneously, the "Greek Trio" with their senses extended felt an evil and dark force appear in the small house opposite.

This would have been unbelievable in the past.

The space became unstable as an unknown amount of magic crossed the distance, reaching the opposite building, only to disappear in the blink of an eye.

This wasn’t a true disappearance but a spatial transfer.

Soon, a very unusual green energy appeared in the New York Sanctum.

A handsome man with a tense expression, dressed in a very retro deep blue robe and draped in a peculiar red cloak, opened the door of the New York Sanctum and rushed out, followed by a black sorcerer in a samurai outfit.

"Stephen Strange!" Black Canary immediately shouted the name of the man in front.

Atreus snapped his fingers, and everyone instantly entered combat readiness:

He strode out of the hot tub, and with each step, the water droplets on his body instantly vaporized due to the sudden surge of heat from his skin.

Canary sisters handed over the parts of Kratos' leather suit, and with dizzying speed, they helped Atreus put it on.

Once everything was ready, Atreus seemingly pushed forward with a casual gesture. The scene before him shattered like a giant glass pane, breaking into countless irregular pieces that quickly collapsed outward, forming a passageway in an instant.

Stepping through it, they found themselves in New York, yet not New York—they had entered the mirror dimension constructed by Doctor Strange.

Everything before them defied the understanding of ordinary people.

New York in their view looked like a crude joke from a "first-class" game studio that gave out bugs along with the game.

The sky and ground were split irregularly, rotating at random.

Above their heads was the earth, with cars driving along an upside-down road, their four wheels facing the sky.

To the right was another "texture," where pedestrians, seemingly oblivious, walked on another sidewalk perpendicular to the ground, some talking on their phones, others rushing by.

Only buildings and objects close to the center of their vision gave Atreus and the women any sense of reality.

"Be careful; if you're swallowed by a spatial rift in the mirror dimension, it's over," Atreus warned mainly for Catwoman, the Canary sisters, and Gwen.

Honestly, he didn’t have to bring them along, considering their relatively weaker strength.

But they insisted.

After being strengthened by red souls, their physical capabilities were three times that of ordinary people—they needed practice.

Atreus’s unexpected group made Kaecilius, who was pursuing Doctor Strange, extremely angry. "Who are you!?"

"The Guardian of Earth!"

Atreus’s words caused Doctor Strange, who was busy running, to pause in surprise and then feel a surge of joy.

At this point in time, Stephen Strange had just been recognized by the Eye of Agamotto, making him a talented and promising sorcerer. He could perform high-level magic that even veteran sorcerers like Mordo couldn't, and he was recognized by the Ancient One as the next Sorcerer Supreme.

Yet, things were developing too quickly, and Doctor Strange hadn't mentally adjusted to his new role.

Even though he had the power to wield one of the most powerful artifacts, the Time Stone, he still saw himself as an "ordinary person" seeking to heal his hands. At this moment of gaining such great power, he still refused to join the sorcerers in their war against the Dark Lord Dormammu.

But when world-renowned hero Kratos appeared, he couldn't help but think, "I'm saved; I'll leave it to Kratos."

If Mordo, who was beside him, knew what he was thinking, he'd probably spit on him—it's not the time to avoid the fight when the enemy is at your doorstep!

For a hero, such thoughts are undoubtedly unworthy.

For an ordinary person, such thoughts are quite normal.

In any case, the involvement of Atreus and his group was undoubtedly a great help to Stephen and Mordo.

This merged world had subtle differences from the original "history." Kaecilius, who had absorbed power from Dormammu's Dark Dimension, had brought no fewer than twenty followers.

Leaving aside their attire, just looking at their faces would ruin anyone's appetite.

Their eye sockets were pitch black, with severe crow’s feet-like cracks at the corners, each crack flashing with an eerie crimson glow.

Such an appearance would never be Atreus’s choice, no matter how many times he was given the option to become such a "cultivator."

One of Kaecilius’ followers lunged at Catwoman, growling like a beast, his withered fingers gripping an almost entirely transparent weapon.

This thing was hard to defend against, as the victim couldn't judge its length or width, especially when it suddenly emitted a cluster of transparent blade-like light resembling throwing knives as it swung.

"Hmph!" Platinum Canary snorted coldly, thrusting her right palm forward, causing the surrounding air to compress rapidly, instantly forming an area from which even elements couldn’t escape—a pure "Empty Hand Strike," attacking the enemy with palm wind. From an elemental perspective, it was wind elements blocking the enemy’s attack.

"Bang!"

A strange sound.

Evidently, this cultivator was also surprised that his attack was neutralized.

Before he could recover, a woman dressed in black leather with strange cat ear decorations lunged at him.

She moved with the swiftness of a pouncing leopard.

No, she was like an enhanced version of a feline.

With a speed exceeding 100 kilometers per hour, she didn’t look human at all. Even her right hand, as it slashed through the air, emitted a chilling whistle, leaving five cold streaks in the void.

"Ah!" A golden shield appeared on the cultivator's left shoulder, but it couldn't withstand the claw strike for even half a second.

In the next moment, five deep wounds, down to the bone, appeared on his left upper arm.

Catwoman passed by him, yet there wasn’t a drop of blood on her slender fingers.

She had mastered the "Empty Hand Claw."

Atreus blinked, thinking to himself: I should have Selina give me a massage sometime…

women's collective charge took down a third of the cultivators in one blow.

Kaecilius roared, "Foolish mortals! You dare oppose the great Dark Lord Dormammu!"

(End of this chapter)