Marvel: The Villain Chapter 377 Leading This World

The air in the ancient hall was thick with the scent of incense. Several cloaked sorcerers sat in silence, their eyes focused on the dusty tomes in their laps. Behind the main table sat a bald woman, her fingers wrapped around a porcelain tea cup, savoring the brew with practiced patience.

An LCD television was embedded in the far wall—a jarring intrusion of modern technology in such a timeless place. Yet, none of the masters seemed to find it out of place.

The Ancient One took a sip of tea and picked up the remote, clicking the TV on.

The screen displayed a live news broadcast from the United States. A reporter stood on the edge of a scorched forest, the sky behind her filled with the silhouettes of helicopters and tactical teams.

The sorcerers shifted their attention to the screen. Some pulled out smartphones, scrolling through the viral chaos unfolding online.

"Iron Man and Captain America... tearing each other apart," An elderly master in a traditional robe murmured. "This has the stench of the Joker Organization all over it."

A sorcerer turned to the main table. "Ancient One, the Joker has crossed the line. Should we intervene?"

Every eye in the room turned to her, waiting for a decree.

The Ancient One’s expression remained placid. "Jason and I have an understanding. As long as he accepts his exile, Kamar-Taj does not interfere in the affairs of others. Besides, these are matters we were never meant to touch."

"The Sorcerer Supreme’s duty is to defend against the dark dimensions and extraterrestrial incursions. If the locals wish to tear their own world down, that is their prerogative. We did not intervene in the Second World War, did we?"

The senior masters nodded in agreement and returned to their books, sinking back into the ocean of the mystic arts. However, the younger sorcerer—Mordo—didn’t seem satisfied. He opened his mouth to speak, but the weight of the Ancient One’s presence kept his dissent in check.

The Ancient One saw everything. She smiled and dismissed the room. "That will be all for today. Master Mordo, a word."

The sorcerers bowed and exited the hall. The Ancient One stood and walked slowly toward him. "You are troubled, Mordo. What weighs on your mind?"

"Ancient One," Mordo began, rising to his feet. "You know Jason Walter will eventually become a plague upon the universe. Why didn’t you eliminate him three years ago? Why settle for exile?"

The Ancient One tilted her head, remembering the clash three years prior. "I have answered this. To interfere in the secular is to break the vow of the Sorcerer Supreme. I cannot continue a cycle of error."

Mordo shook his head. "I believed you three years ago. But now..."

Stories of cutting off the snake’s head only for it to bite back had circulated for millennia. The Ancient One—a woman who enjoyed cheeseburgers and Coca-Cola—was not a woman of blind dogma.

"Is this your intuition, Mordo? Or do you have evidence?"

Mordo lowered his head. "Only baseless speculation."

"Then let’s call it intuition," She praised. "A sharp sense to have."

"Then why?" Mordo pressed. "Why won’t you kill him?"

The Ancient One sighed. "It is not that I am unwilling, Mordo. It is not even about the vow. It is because... I simply cannot."

Mordo’s eyes widened. "What? You, the Sorcerer Supreme, cannot kill a metahuman? How is that possible?"

He was prepared for many excuses, but this sounded like a lie told to a child.

"You don’t believe me?" She asked.

Mordo shook his head firmly.

"Thank you for the vote of confidence, but I am no god," The Ancient One smiled. "My power has limits."

"But Jason is no god either!" Mordo countered. "I’ve seen his file. He’s an absorber. He takes kinetic energy, potential energy, solar... but surely he can’t absorb magic? Or dark energy?"

"At the time, he couldn’t," The Ancient One explained. "But there is a power within Jason... something I have never seen before."

"The Mind Stone?"

"He has the stone, and I have the Eye," She said, referring to the Time Stone. "Infinity Stones can cancel each other out, which is why I couldn’t trap him in a time loop forever. But beyond the stone, there is another force nestled within him."

Mordo’s expression turned grim. "Is it powerful?"

"I tried to purge it," She admitted with a nod. "I failed. That power has fused with his soul. As long as it remains, Jason Walter cannot be killed by any means at my disposal."

"Have you used the Eye to look into the future?"

"Countless times. But Jason’s future contains infinite possibilities. Even with the Time Stone, the path is obscured."

"Infinite possibilities... because of that unknown power?"

"Yes."

Mordo swallowed hard. "Then... What happens to us? In those futures?"

The Ancient One looked at him, her gaze as calm as a still lake. "We lose far more than we win. The odds are narrow."

Mordo’s composure broke. Panic flared in his eyes. "Then what do we do? How do we win?"

The Ancient One patted his shoulder with a small laugh. "Why be so tense? Let nature take its course."

"Let nature take its course?" Mordo was baffled. The survival of Kamar-Taj and the world was at stake, and she wanted to wait?

The Ancient One steered the conversation away. "By the way, how long has that boy been waiting outside the gates?"

"You mean Strange?" Mordo blinked. "About five or six hours now."

"Six hours. That’s enough," she nodded. "Bring him in."

Mordo hesitated, still wanting answers.

"You care about the future," The Ancient One said softly. "Then know this: Stephen Strange is the most vital piece in dismantling the Joker Organization."

"I... I understand."

Satisfied with that answer, Mordo turned and left the hall.

Once he was gone, the Ancient One turned toward a dark corner of the room. "The room is empty. You can come out now."

Seconds later, a cloud of black mist swirled from the shadows, coalescing into a gaunt, skeletal figure.

"Such sharp senses," The figure rasped, eyeing her intently. "I thought I had hidden myself well."

The Ancient One didn’t flinch at his horrifying appearance. "To pierce our wards and bypass the senses of my masters... your power is formidable. I know most practitioners in this realm, yet you are a stranger."

The creature—Voldemort—twisted his lips into a ghastly smile, his fingers tightening around the Elder Wand. "Allow me to introduce myself. Though among sorcerers, we usually greet each other with more than just words."

Before she could respond, he flicked the wand with a violent snap. "CRUCIO!"

A bolt of sickly green light streaked from the wand’s tip, aimed directly at the Ancient One’s heart.

The Sorcerer Supreme, having lived for a millennium, had seen every form of treachery. With a casual flick of her palm, a golden mandala shield manifested. The curse struck the shield, erupting into a flurry of sparks before dissolving like salt in the ocean.

Voldemort’s brow furrowed. He wasn’t surprised she could block it, but the way she did it was wrong. Where was the incantation? Where was the wand? What were those runes on the shield? They were both sorcerers, yet they were speaking entirely different languages.

The Ancient One’s expression turned serious. "Magic I have never seen... dark, venomous, fueled by pure malice. Who are you? Where did you learn such arts?"

Voldemort thought. But this bald woman wouldn’t know the name. Despite the surprise, his ego remained intact. He kept his chilling smile. "What do you think?"

"The Dark Dimension? Another planet? Or perhaps... another universe?"

Voldemort raised the Elder Wand again. "Your magic is fascinating. If you defeat me, perhaps I’ll tell you."

He swept the wand through the air. Suddenly, the shadows in the corners of the room began to writhe.

Massive pythons, as thick as a man’s arm, slithered across the floor, their fangs bared and tongues flickering. Since magic was being blocked, he would test her physical defenses.

"Summoning serpents. Channing," The Ancient One remarked flatly. "Unfortunately, I have no love for snakes."

She stomped her foot. A circular wave of golden energy rippled across the floor in all directions. The pythons were incinerated the moment the energy touched them, turning into pillars of golden flame.

The golden fire was anathema to such dark creatures. They thrashed violently before crumbling into black ash.

In the center of the hall, Voldemort held his wand high, a pale blue shimmer of protective magic surrounding him, but the golden fire had already completely engulfed his sphere. The Ancient One’s attack had included him; without his shield, he would have been ash.

Even with the shield, the fire clung to him like pitch. He cast several counter-spells, but the flames refused to die.

This woman was terrifying. A simple stomp of her foot produced a spell of such magnitude. Her power was an abyss. He had only traded two blows, yet he already felt the urge to retreat. This was not his system of magic; he was unprepared.

He attempted to Apparate away.

"The conversation isn’t over," The Ancient One smiled. "Stay a while longer."

The Apparition succeeded, yet Voldemort found himself standing in the exact same spot in the hall. He hadn’t moved an inch. For the first time, the Dark Lord felt a prickle of genuine panic. He was facing an unknown enemy and an unknown magic.

The unknown was the source of all fear.

The Ancient One stepped toward him, a wave of her hand extinguishing the fire on his shield. "Now, I believe you can give me my answer. Who are you? And where did this magic come from?"

"I..."

"Ancient One! I have brought the—"

Mordo appeared at the door, leading a blonde, disheveled man with curly hair.

Voldemort raised the Elder Wand and roared, "AVADA KEDAVRA!"

A jet of green light streaked toward the blonde man at blinding speed. It was a gamble. He bet that a hero like the Ancient One wouldn’t let a Muggle die—just like his old teacher, Dumbledore.

He bet correctly.

While Mordo stood frozen, the Ancient One moved with the speed of a teleporter, appearing in front of the stranger. She traced a line in the air, and a golden shield manifested. The Killing Curse slammed into the shield with the sound of a hot iron meeting cold water.

After a few seconds of violent friction, the curse’s energy spent itself, leaving a blackened crack in the Ancient One’s shield.

She thought, staring at the fracture.

When she looked up, the noseless freak was gone.

"Ancient One! Who was that monster?" Mordo gasped, finally recovering. He had felt the breath of death as the curse passed him.

The Ancient One returned to the center of the hall, her expression grave. "That is not for you to know. Take Mr. Strange to his quarters. Have him wash up and rest."

Mordo looked frustrated, but he knew better than to argue. He led the shell-shocked Stephen Strange away.

Left alone, the Ancient One’s brow furrowed.

There was only one way to find out. She reached out her hand, and the Eye of Agamotto opened, the green light of the Time Stone illuminating her palm.

A long time passed before the Ancient One finally opened her eyes and closed the Eye.

No wonder she had never met that man. He was a new friend summoned from another world by Jason Walter.

Through the stone, she had scoured the past and future, and she understood Jason’s nature better than anyone. The source of all the world’s calamities was the unknown power tethered to his soul. That power was so immense it didn’t just enhance Jason’s strength; it could breach the walls between dimensions, dragging beings from other universes into their own.

And that was why Jason’s future was a blur.

The Ancient One walked to the window, staring up at the vast expanse of the cosmos. "Jason Walter..." She sighed. "Where exactly is your presence leading this world?"

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