In fact, when Strange asked this question, it meant that things had entered a new cycle.
According to the Law of Murphy, if there was a tendency for things to go bad, then it would definitely go bad. So when Strange rushed into the police morgue through the teleportation spell, he was attacked by a dozen or so ghouls that had just been born.
He spread out his hands, and two dazzling and scorching rune halos spun in his palms. He waved his hands, and the halos seemed to be entangled by an invisible string. They circled around the broken morgue and killed all the weak ghouls.
Of course, the ghouls were not the key. This disgusting thing that evolved by devouring corpses was a relatively low-end trash even in hell. Any apprentice with a little bit of magic could kill them.
The most important thing was that in front of Strange, the steel bed where Isabella's body was placed was empty.
"F * ck!"
Doctor Strange waved his fist at the sky fiercely. His rationality urged him to return to the New York Sanctum as soon as possible. A moment later, all the people in the Sanctum who could still move were sent out to search for Isabella with tracking spells. But it was obvious that since the mysterious creatures had done such a thing, they must have been fully prepared. Four hours later, when night was about to fall on New York, and the people who had been busy for the day were ready to get off work and rest, there was still no news.
"Hmm … I don't really understand. What are you guys so nervous about?"
Seiber calmly sat on a chair in the Sanctum. Opposite him was Hogness, who had a serious expression, and Strange, who had a gloomy expression. He raised his teacup and took a sip of the hot tea. "Didn't they say that demonic powers that appear in the modern world in the form of possession are not worth mentioning?"
"That's under normal circumstances …"
Strange explained with a gloomy face.
"The situation now is obviously not normal. I told you before about the 'Hell Bible' that circulates in hell. Do you still remember? There is a description of Mamen in it. He said that he will completely enter the modern world at a certain time, build his own army, and reopen the World Gate for hell. There are conditions for this complete entry, especially when the Barrier is intact. It is almost impossible to achieve. "
The old Magician Hogness added.
"With the three Sanctuaries, the will of the Sorcerer Supreme can easily cover the whole world. Similar to this kind of high-level demon entering the world, it can't be hidden from her, but there is another situation, which has only been successful several times in the past hundreds of years. They first descend on a prepared carrier with their spirit, and then through some special strange object, they create a temporary connection between various dimensions. This way, they can cause a jump between dimensions, blind the eyes of the Ancient One, and finally enter the world in a way of smuggling."
"It's a very complicated and precise process. The slightest mistake will lead to a complete failure. But the advantage is that once they succeed, they can use the chaos between dimensions to construct a portal to another dimension in this world without destroying the Sanctum and the Kamar-Taj Barrier …"
Hogness stroked his beard and looked at Saber.
"Don't tell me you don't know what this means. Once the aura of hell rushes into the modern world, it will completely change the environment around the portal. What I mean is, once a true hell on earth appears …"
"The agreement between the Sorcerer Supreme and the gods will collapse."
Saber certainly knew this, but he still had doubts. He looked at Hogness, hesitated for a moment, and whispered, "But I heard that in Gotham … there is already a small hell …"
Hogness glanced at him and shook his head.
"In the dimension, there is no permanent passage across dimensions. The dark aura that occasionally opens, even the holder himself can't control the operation of that small place … It's not called hell on earth. At best, it's just a large hell enchantment. Only the existence of a true trans-dimensional dimension can be called hell on earth."
The three of them fell silent. The situation before them was so bad that even a simple-minded person like Seb could feel the pressure that he hadn't felt in a long time. He touched his face and said, "Alright.
"Then what does this have to do with the weapon that stabbed the Son of God? Wait … I seem to understand. You mean that the Spear of Destiny, when held by the shaman, can cut through all obstacles, so it is the "key" to open the dimensional passage this time? "
"Yes!"
Hogness looked at Strange and sighed. "The Spear of Destiny has had many owners in history, but none of them were able to use it to do what they wanted. Its last owner was the leader of the Nazi regime, Hitler. When he was about to lose, the Spear of Destiny abandoned him and disappeared. Before I fell asleep, I secretly searched for it, but unfortunately, it seemed to have disappeared in the modern world."
The old sorcerer rubbed his beard and narrowed his eyes.
"Now it seems that the thing was taken by one of the rulers of hell, and he must have planned all of this for more than a few decades. I have to say, we are now at a disadvantage in terms of information …"
He closed his eyes and thought for a few minutes, then said in a low voice,
"Call them back, Strange. Contact Kamar-Taj. We have to prepare for the worst."
Saibo was stunned for a moment. The old magician had obviously given up on the search and was preparing to fight against the villains from Hell. He asked curiously.
"Doesn't Kamar-Taj have that kind of large-scale search spell? It can directly find the place where they are. "
Strange looked at him and said helplessly.
"What kind of books did you read when you were at Kamar-Taj for half a month? Now, the spell with the widest search range can't cover the entire New York City. There are 30 million people here. Once that kind of large-scale search circle is activated, the other party will definitely be able to sense the fluctuation of magic. It's equivalent to our useless efforts. And now, it seems that Mamen has already chosen Isabella Dawson as his carrier. The other party has prepared everything. We really don't have much time. "
"It sounds very dangerous …"
Saber scratched his chin. He took a deep breath, patted his clothes, and stood up.
"Then, I'll be leaving first. Good luck."
After that, he turned around and was about to leave. Strange looked at Saber in surprise and shouted, "What are you going to do? Aren't you going to stay here and fight? "
"Hey, you've known me for a long time …"
Saber turned his head and looked at Strange with a strange gaze. "Do you think I'm the kind of person who makes trouble out of nothing? Besides, if they attack Gotham, I'll consider it. This city … I'm sorry, I have no feelings for this city. It's not worth the risk. By the way, thank you for your story. It's very interesting, really. "
After saying that, he hesitated for a moment and looked at Strange. "Looks like you're ready to be a hero. I have to say, this is a stupid choice, but since you're an adult, I can help you take your Palmer away. If you die here, I'll help you take care of her. Of course, it's best if you don't die."
"Wait."
Seeing that Saber was about to go downstairs, Hognes, who had been silent, suddenly said, "Can you spare five minutes for this old man?"
Seiber looked at Hogness suspiciously. He thought for a moment, nodded, and sat back down on his chair. Strange turned around and left under Hogness's signal, leaving the two of them to their own devices.
"I used to be a guy who didn't get up early without benefits."
Hognes took out a white ivory pipe from his arms, put it in his mouth, and blew out a smoke ring comfortably. He looked at Saber, and his old eyes were full of scrutiny. "So I know how to deal with guys like you. Asking for help is the most disgusting thing. It means that you either have to pay some price, or you have to pay a debt of gratitude …"
He stretched out a finger and waved it in front of Saber's eyes. "In this world, debt of gratitude is the most difficult thing to repay. So, I think we can deal with all this in a more direct way. I heard that you came to New York to clean up this time because you were hired by the Ancient One, right?"
Hognes took the pipe out of his mouth.
"I don't want to lie to you and say that we have victory in our hands. That would be too hypocritical. The New York Sanctum is not strong enough now, and these damn gods launched such a risky plan. There must be a corresponding guy to stop the Ancient One. We need your strength, so … what price did she offer?"
Saber didn't hide it. With a flick of his left hand, the sandalwood fan appeared in his palm. The old sorcerer took it and looked at it carefully in his hand.
"Tsk tsk, a magic item that has been contaminated with spatial attributes because of long-term contact with dimensions and space is equivalent to a Dimensional Pocket worth tens of thousands of gold. The Ancient One is really generous …"
He returned the sandalwood fan to Saber, and said in a smiling voice, unlike his usual seriousness and harshness.
"But look at New York now, it's as clean as a piece of white paper, so this business is not a loss … Let's also make a deal, Saber Hawke, following the ancient principle of equivalent exchange, I, Hognes Leonid Ivanovic, hire you to fight for me until the end of the battle. During this period, you need to go forward bravely and win every battle. In exchange, I will pay you enough …"
When the old sorcerer's expression became serious, pieces of golden flame runes shone in the air and finally bloomed in front of Saber's eyes. Hognes stretched out his left hand and wiped the runes with a drop of purple blood on his finger. The runes jumped even more wildly. He looked at Saber.
"Are you willing to accept my employment?"
"So, 300 years ago, you used this ritual to choose mercenaries?"
Saber stuck out his tongue and licked his lips. "Interesting. This looks fun, but old man … I want to see the goods first!"
Hognes took a puff of his cigarette and threw a bag to the table. Saber picked up the bag and took out a small black war hammer. It was only half the size of his palm. He looked at Hognes in confusion, and the latter opened his mouth and chanted a silent spell. The war hammer in Saber's hand suddenly popped out.
When it was enlarged by 10 times, it turned into a two-handed war hammer. It looked dark and swarthy, but when Seiber stood up and grabbed the war hammer with his left hand and swung it out, the weapon let out a long hum and the already huge war hammer was elongated once again. The war hammer was split into four parts, and the surface of the war hammer was pierced with terrifying conical nails. At the top of the war hammer, a sharp spear tip popped out, making it look like a ferocious armor-piercing hammer.
Saber swung the war hammer a few times. Its weight and balance were perfect. It was very heavy, so it must be very lethal.
"What is this?"
Saber played with the new toy in his hand and looked up at Hognes. The latter looked at the war hammer with a hint of nostalgia in his eyes, but it disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Don't underestimate it, Saber Hawk. The previous owner of this weapon was a deity, Ares, the God of War. You might have heard of his name in myths and legends. He was in charge of war, calamity, and rampaged through the mortal world. He was an evil deity through and through. However, this weapon is the real deal. Although it can't be considered a divine weapon, it was forged with ancient craftsmanship. It's sturdy, reliable, and most importantly, it's different from your saber … "
The old sorcerer paused and emphasized his words.
"It has a soul, but whether or not you can awaken it depends on your ability. Legend has it that it is the scepter of the War God, and it has the blessing of the gods. I don't know if this is true or not, but I think it is very suitable to use it as the price of hiring you … In our era, a good warrior without a good weapon would be laughed at by others. I think you will not disgrace it."
"I think it is quite suitable too."
Saber's face was full of undisguised joy. He liked the war hammer very much, especially the stories and legends that it came with. It was like a collector's item. However, he rolled his eyes and threw the war hammer on the table.
"But it is not enough! I want the sorcerer in the New York Sanctum who specializes in summoning to help my The Devil Gang complete the second demon summoning. In a battle like this, ordinary people are not very useful. I think you can understand. "
"You are so greedy. And this idea is disgusting!"
Hogness said in disgust. He waved his hand. "The last Tsar asked me to make a talisman for him. For that, he paid me a whole house worth of gold coins as a reward. But considering your combat power, it is not impossible. But since you have added a condition, I will add one too!"
The old sorcerer's eyes were fixed on Saber like a hawk.
"This battle! You and your people will be here. If you don't win, you will die! "
Saber hesitated. He did not avoid Hogness's gaze and said frankly.
"I can't influence the decisions of others, but at least I can promise you that I will fight here until the last moment. If you die early, I will retreat without hesitation!"
"Good! Deal! "
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
