Chapter 28

Latveria, located in Eastern Europe and bordered by Serbia and Hungary, is a backward feudal monarchy. The people suffer from poverty and ignorance. Lacking valuable natural resources like minerals and oil, the great United States of America claims to be there to "liberate" the poor people of Latveria while simultaneously sitting idly by and interfering in the internal affairs of other countries.

At this moment, in front of a village, a circular portal made of countless lines of fire slowly opened. Under the leadership of the Ancient One, everyone stepped through and arrived in this wilderness, untouched by modern industrial pollution.

Abel looked around, took a deep breath, and sighed. "It's really a country with a beautiful environment. I wonder where this is?"

"This is Latveria in Eastern Europe, a small, backward, and poor agricultural country. It's precisely because of this that the followers of Dormammu from the dark church have taken refuge here to avoid our notice. I must say, their plan has been quite successful, as they have gone undetected by the Latvians."

After speaking, the Ancient One waved her hand to open another portal. They immediately saw a tall and handsome young man, about Abel's age, emerge from the other side. He stepped through the portal with a calm demeanor, carefully observing the six individuals present. Upon noticing Abel, he gazed at him for a moment before bowing slightly to everyone.

"Hello, Masters. You can call me Victor. I am also a sorcerer, though not as powerful as you; I'm just a beginner," he said.

The Ancient One, Abel, and the others returned the gesture with slight nods.

The Ancient One and Victor exchanged glances, and she said, "Mage Victor, please lead us to the dark church."

"I would be honored. Please follow me," Victor replied.

Under Victor's guidance, they proceeded toward the nearby village.

Standing in the woods outside the village, Victor turned to face the group and stated, "Look, everyone. All the people walking around the village are members of the dark church. You don't need to show mercy here."

"How can you be certain that everyone in the village belongs to the dark church? If not, we could end up harming innocent people," Mordo interjected.

Victor looked at Mordo and explained seriously, "The doctrine of the dark church is highly exclusive. If someone refuses to believe in their teachings, they will be sacrificed to Dormammu, whom they worship. So, those innocent people are either already sacrificed or are destined to be sacrificed. In either case, they would not be wandering about the village freely."

After Victor's explanation, Mordo fell silent. Although he had a rigid personality, he was not unreasonable.

"If we want to enter the village, we'll need some cover. Ancient One, could you take care of that?" Agatha suggested.

Hearing Agatha's words, the Ancient One nodded slightly and replied, "Of course."

As she stepped forward, the Ancient One formed a seal with her hands and then pushed her palms toward the village. Instantly, a strong wind began to swirl, kicking up fallen leaves and debris, and it picked up speed rapidly.

The Wind of Watoomb!

The fierce wind swept through the area, forcing the villagers to seek shelter from the storm. The combination of the high winds and the flying debris made it nearly impossible for anyone in the village to see what was happening outside.

"Ancient One, it seems your power has grown since our last encounter. That's truly impressive," Agatha commented. "Now, I will seal off this area to ensure that none of the dark church members can escape, and to prevent the power of the dark dimension from leaking out of the rift connecting to it."

Agatha then placed the black cat she had been holding onto the ground and knelt, spreading her fingers against the earth while quietly chanting spells.

The space around the village began to distort, with the air density fluctuating and creating a surreal effect. It was not just an optical illusion; the very fabric of space was being altered by Agatha's magic.

The distortion was brief, quickly returning to normal, but everyone present understood that the village's space had fundamentally changed. Those with stronger magical sensitivity could feel the difference more acutely.

Abel couldn't help but sigh, feeling amazed by the dual magic displayed by the Ancient One and Agatha. He realized he still had a long way to go in his own magical studies.

"Alright, you can set off now. Be careful. If you encounter an enemy you can't defeat, come to me or Agatha immediately," the Ancient One instructed.

The others nodded in understanding.

Seeing this, the Ancient One opened a portal, leading everyone to the village's border. Agatha took the lead as they approached the village. When she reached the barrier she had created, she snapped her fingers lightly, opening an entrance, and the Ancient One and the others followed her into the village.

At this point, most members of the dark church were huddled away from the wind, unaware of the stealthy entrance of the Ancient One and her companions.

Making a subtle gesture, the Ancient One stepped onto the void and raced toward the core area of the village. Agatha and Jericho split off to take different routes.

That left Abel, Victor, Daniel, and Mordo standing together.

Both Mordo and Daniel were trained at Kamar-Taj and preferred to fight together, so they didn't plan to separate.

Just as Abel was preparing to act alone, Victor suddenly called out to him, "Master Abel, would you team up with me?"

Victor's strength was decent—Abel perceived it to be comparable to Daniel's. Accepting the invitation, he nodded and said, "Sure, let's work together."

Victor signaled for Abel to follow him and then turned to leave.

Seeing this, Abel nodded to Daniel and Mordo before following Victor.