Chapter 223

The moment Eren stepped into his home, his eyes caught a flash of bright yellow in the living room.

The golden robe resembling a monk's attire, along with a brass pendant on the chest—made up of interlocking rings with a faint green glow at the center—clearly hinted at the visitor's identity.

Though her face was partially concealed beneath the wide yellow hood, the iconic outfit alone was enough for Eren to immediately guess who it was.

The Sorcerer Supreme of Kamar-Taj, the guardian of Earth—The Ancient One.

At the moment his gaze landed on her, the figure—who had been gently toying with Oddball, suspended midair by golden magic runes—slowly lifted her head.

What entered Eren's vision was an extremely androgynous face.

However, different from the image he had in mind, the Ancient One before him bore a strange, lotus-shaped black mark on her forehead.

That is...

Eren's body stiffened at the sight, but the Ancient One gave him a warm smile.

"You're back. Long time no see—or perhaps I should say, our first meeting, Eren."

Her voice, like a kind neighbor or relative, washed away Eren's initial shock and traces of fear.

In the next second—

His mental field surged into a meditative state, cleansing his mind of distractions born from the clash between life and death, calming the ripples in his spiritual lake.

In an instant, Eren reached a tranquil, mirror-like state of complete inner clarity.

With his emotions soothed, the look in Eren's eyes toward the Ancient One became serene.

"'Long time no see'? 'First meeting'? That's an odd thing to say."

"But regardless of whether we've met before, you showing up uninvited and imprisoning my pet like this isn't exactly polite."

Watching Eren swiftly regain composure, the Ancient One—even though this wasn't her "first" time seeing it—still found it remarkable.

What a resilient mind.

Such resolve and mental strength would make even the outer gods of alien realms struggle to corrupt him.

With a mind like this, if he had studied Kamar-Taj's teachings, he might have become another Sorcerer Supreme on par with Stephen Strange.

Another guardian of Earth.

Such a pity.

This incredible seedling had chosen a path that walks hand-in-hand with madness.

She remembered the countless versions of Eren she had glimpsed while traveling the time stream using the Eye of Agamotto. With a faint sigh in her heart, she raised a hand—

The golden array and chains binding Oddball shattered into countless specks of golden light.

Freed from restraint—

Oddball, who had been imprisoned for so long, roared and lunged at the Ancient One, its abyssal jaws wide open, as if to devour her whole.

Simultaneously, a weak mental message reached Eren's mind.

"Master... run..."

As that message rang out, the floor beneath Eren shifted, pushing him toward the door.

Just as he was about to be expelled from the house by the self-defensive mechanism, Eren shook his head and said aloud, "Oddball, stand down!"

With the command, the terrifying, black-glowing maw froze right before the Ancient One.

Although Oddball stopped its bite, the sheer force of its lunge sent a gust of wind that blew the Ancient One's hood back—revealing her bald, gleaming head.

Facing the monster that seemed ready to swallow her whole, the Ancient One didn't show a flicker of fear. On the contrary, she reached up and gently patted Oddball's head, murmuring with admiration—

"What a loyal little creature."

That single stroke sent shivers down Oddball's spine. It instantly pulled back its gaping mouth and flashed to Eren's side, standing firmly between him and the Ancient One.

Though Eren had called it off from attacking, Oddball still stood guard with unwavering loyalty—determined to keep its master safe.

Seeing the creature plant itself between them again, the Ancient One said:

"Truly devoted. Had I not sealed it earlier, it would've used every last bit of strength to block my entry. And the only ending for it would have been death..."

Hearing this, Eren gently patted Oddball's head in reassurance and said flatly:

"Then I suppose I should thank you for showing mercy?"

The Ancient One offered a sincere expression of apology.

"No, it was wrong of me regardless."

Halfway through speaking, she retrieved a small wooden box from her sleeve and lightly tossed it toward Eren.

The box landed gently in his hand.

"I took this star core from the body of an astral predator I recently eliminated. If your little friend devours it, it will gain significant benefits. Consider it compensation."

She glanced again at the loyal Oddball, clearly fond of its tenacity.

Even without opening the box, Eren could already sense a powerful spiritual force radiating from it.

If Oddball really consumed it, its growth would leap forward.

From this gesture of goodwill, Eren could faintly guess the Ancient One's attitude toward him.

After accepting the box, he looked at her and said, "I'll accept your gift for Oddball. Now, can we talk about why you're here?"

Seeing Eren relax his guard a bit, the Ancient One smiled warmly once more.

"You should know me already. In our 74,986 first encounters, you've directly identified me in 5,769 of them. Of course, more often than not, you pretended not to know me."

"But in that moment your eyes met mine, they betrayed you."

"There's no need to be hostile. I'm not your enemy. I came here seeking your help."

Help? From me?

Eren's eyes flickered.

With her intentions laid bare, the wariness in Eren's heart eased slightly.

He gazed at her, then deliberately glanced at the Eye of Agamotto on her chest and said,

"I do know of your existence. The Guardian of Earth. Bearer of the Eye of Agamotto. The Supreme Sorcerer of Kamar-Taj."

"But that's exactly why I'm curious—what could someone like you possibly need from someone like me?"

"'Someone like you'?" The Ancient One chuckled and shook her head. "You've never been 'someone like that,' Eren."

"On the contrary, you are the anomaly of this world—the one who brings both hope… and destruction."

She gazed at Eren deeply and continued,

"Your fate is… strange. Even with the Eye of Agamotto, I cannot see it. But your presence has undeniably altered this world's destiny."

"According to the teachings passed down by the line of Sorcerer Supremes, I should have erased you before you caused greater ripples—and guided the world's path back to order."

"But last night, I changed my mind."

Last night...

That keyword made everything click for Eren.

Before he could speak, a portal—crackling with golden sparks—opened up before him.

On the other side was the room he'd cleared out on the third floor—for the Byron Conversion Array.

Seeing the Ancient One walk straight through it—

Eren couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth.

Seriously? You couldn't walk up a few stairs? You had to use a portal?

Still, he followed her through.

Oddball, as always, stayed close at his side.

As soon as they entered—

The portal swirled shut, vanishing without a trace.

...

Inside the room where the Byron Conversion Array was installed—

The normally hidden formation, veiled in space, was fully revealed under the Ancient One's glowing gaze.

From the ceiling, chains of golden energy extended into the void, continuously drawing in power from the Dark Dimension, disassembling and transmuting it into a gentle, golden energy.

The Ancient One looked up and murmured,

"What a brilliant concept…"

Seeing the admiration in her eyes, Eren spoke,

"So... the real reason you're here is for this array, isn't it?"

The Ancient One nodded.

"That's right. To be frank, Earth has long been coveted by gods and beings from other realms."

"Recently, several extradimensional demon lords joined forces to invade. Though we repelled them, the sanctum's defensive barrier was damaged, letting dimensional energies seep through."

"The worst offender is the Dark Dimension. Though I acted fast after returning, the corruption had already begun. If left unchecked, those dimensional powers will soon pinpoint Earth's inner coordinates, open stable rifts, and launch a second invasion."

"Before, all I could do was track down and gather that energy bit by bit, exiling it to other dimensions so they'd destroy each other."

"But that was slow. Then I noticed the Dark Dimension's influence fading over New York—and found this…"

She pointed at the Byron Conversion Array above.

"This formation doesn't belong to any magical system I know. But it's brilliant. With it, not only can we purge hostile dimensional energy—it even converts it into something… useful."

"I came here today to ask for the blueprint for this formation. And as payment—you may name any price. If it's within my power, I'll grant it."

She spoke with uncommon generosity.

In truth, the array was more important to her than she admitted.

After Eren had left earlier, the Ancient One had already done deep analysis of the array.

Besides purifying invasive energy leaking from Earth's damaged barrier—

It could cleanse the Dark Dimension energy inside her own body.

To drive back the demon lords, she had borrowed vast power from the Dark Dimension.

But the price was heavy—the corruption had worsened.

If this continued, her lifespan might end even earlier than in her original fate.

Though the Ancient One did not fear death—

Now was not the time.

Because, through the Eye of Agamotto, she had glimpsed something—

A shadow outside this world, drawing ever closer.

Within it lay a terrifying, nameless being. Under its influence, the world's fate twisted and turned, shifting radically.

The world's original destiny had been completely derailed.

And it could collapse at any moment.

In this state—she couldn't afford to die.

Not yet.

The next generation of heroes wasn't ready.

And so—

When she discovered that the Byron Conversion Array could purge the darkness inside her—

She made her choice.

Even if it meant humbling herself before Eren, she would do it.

(End of Chapter)

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