*Chapter 185: Ancient One’s Apology*

Dormammu—this guy was once just an ordinary mage, but after entering the Dark Dimension, he abandoned his physical body and became the Dark Lord. In the Dark Dimension, he is practically invincible.

In terms of power, he's at least on par with peak Odin, a typical Father-level powerhouse. In some cases, reaching a universe-level entity wouldn't be surprising.

If Atreus actually faced Dormammu, he'd probably be crushed with just a flick of Dormammu's finger.

But Atreus isn't stupid, so why would he blindly go up against Dormammu?

Kaecilius watched as the bald man in front of him sneered disdainfully.

“Dormammu? A guy who dares to devour the entire Earth without thinking about how all the powerful beings on the planet would turn against him?” Atreus’s mouth curled up in a wild grin. “To deal with Dormammu, I don’t even need to lift a finger!”

Of course! It’s not me who’s going to take down Dormammu, it’s Doctor Strange!

I gave Stephen so much money; of course, he’s the one who’ll handle it when the time comes!

Atreus’s words took on a different meaning to those who heard them…

*Unfathomable!*

Doctor Strange and Mordo were dumbfounded. Especially Strange, who had no idea that he was the one being set up to take the fall, and he felt an innocent surge of gratitude.

A true protector of Earth!

You can’t blame Stephen. After all, Kratos had a stellar track record, undefeated since his debut. From Lizardman, Electro, to the battle of New York where he tore apart the Leviathan, and more recently, annihilating Doomsday.

Nobody knew the true limits of someone who could take down enemies powerful enough to destroy worlds, one after the other.

Not to mention, Kratos’ underlings were, right before their eyes, mowing down Kaecilius’ minions like it was nothing.

Hey Kaecilius! I, Kratos, am taking you down personally. Are you moved?

Too scared to move!

Too scared to move!

Kaecilius was so angry his lips trembled, but he still glared at Kratos, letting his girl slaughter his men—a clear display of the vast power gap between them.

“Arghhh!” Kaecilius lost his composure, screaming like a madman as he raised his left hand to cast a spell.

In the next instant, the world turned upside down.

To be honest, this move worked wonders on ordinary people.

After all, regular folks can’t fly, so they could only scream as they free-fell through the void. Even Wonder Woman had to grab onto Penthesilea’s divine chariot and drag along Canary and her comrades.

Only two people in the center of the battlefield didn’t move.

Kaecilius had thought Kratos would fall.

But he didn’t.

The bald brute was suspended like a bat, head down and feet toward the sky.

The shifting space around them, the encroaching Mirror Dimension, seemed to have no effect on him...

No, it wasn’t that it had no effect; a sound beyond mortal hearing echoed constantly. It was explosive roar of space compressing the Mirror Dimension.

The space lacked air, and without spatial abilities, no one would hear the sound.

But to Kaecilius, it sounded like a thousand grinders starting up at once, with space cracks squeezing, colliding, and even destroying each other.

The terrifying sound was like a giant mushroom cloud exploding right in front of him.

To onlookers, it seemed as though the massive, gear-like skyscrapers were crumbling by themselves.

Yet, the bald man just stood there, arms crossed, coldly staring at Kaecilius.

At some point, Kratos' eyes had turned icy, diamond-like, with no impurities, as if they could draw someone’s very soul into them.

Kaecilius’ face drained of blood. “No, it’s impossible! You’ve mastered the Mirror Dimension even better than me!?”

Controlling *time* is like fast-forwarding or rewinding within a single thread.

Controlling *space* is much harder.

Layering multiple spaces together isn’t just a simple 3D puzzle; many areas overlap like Russian dolls, some even stacked on top of each other. Controlling this kind of space, even if it’s simplified through spells into the Mirror Dimension, is a mind-boggling task.

Most people’s brains would get scrambled just trying to comprehend two spaces at once.

Not to mention the collision of Mirror Dimensions.

The calculations involved would be like going from basic arithmetic to complex multi-digit operations—a cognitive overload that would fry a normal person’s brain.

Kaecilius was using his brain to control space; Atreus was using his system.

The transmigrator didn’t know system’s computational power, but different times meant different levels of processing power.

It’s like how the apocalyptic supercomputer Skynet from the classic movie Terminator once seemed all-powerful, but now, its processing power would barely rival that of a commercial graphics card.

One uses the human brain; the other, a system. This meant Kaecilius was completely overpowered by Atreus in the realm of space manipulation.

Forget crushing Atreus with the Mirror Dimension—Kaecilius couldn’t even open a portal to escape using his Sling Ring.

Because in the mental realm, Atreus was using the system to flood Kaecilius' mind with chaotic spatial data, disrupting his thoughts.

To onlookers, the approaching skyscrapers retreated rapidly, and the plaza grew even wider.

Doctor Strange and Mordo stared in disbelief, their eyes wide.

To them, only the Ancient One could possibly have such command over space.

Hovering upside down, Atreus walked step by step toward Kaecilius.

The loyal servant of Dormammu was in terrible shape, utterly outmatched.

After all, Kaecilius was a mage first and only then a so-called "melee mage." In hand-to-hand combat, how could he possibly beat a demigod like Atreus?

Just as Atreus was closing in, the scenery around them changed again.

*“Clang, clang!”*

The 'ground' beneath everyone’s feet shifted once more.

It looked like they weren’t standing on solid ground but on a plaza paved with marble that had constantly changing, intricate patterns.

In an instant, Doctor Strange and Mordo found themselves even further from the battlefield. Not just them, but Kratos and Kaecilius at the center were also forcibly separated.

The bald brute seemed to want to take another step, but now it felt like miles away.

Countless irregular mirrors shattered and reformed in front of Kratos, and even Doctor Strange could clearly see Kratos trying to break through the spatial barrier before him.

Kratos failed.

In the next second, visually, there were at least ten meters between him and Kaecilius—not counting the spatial barrier separating them.

Kratos tilted his head, looking in another direction, his voice tinged with clear annoyance. “Ancient One! What is the meaning of this? I’ve already said—if you can’t handle your mess and let it affect New York a second time, don’t blame me for stepping in!”

“Apologies,” a cold female voice drifted softly.

(End of the chapter)