Chapter 74: Martin’s Infinity Gauntlet!

"A dangerous decision."

The Ancient One poured a cup of tea. As the steam rose in languid spirals, she spoke calmly, "This universe is full of warlords hungry for conquest, each with their own twisted ideals. If you truly wish to become one of them, then you'd best prepare for total war."

Martin's fist clenched tightly. "So?"

"So… you might consider staying on Earth."

The Ancient One extended a cup of tea toward him.

Martin frowned but didn't take the cup.

The Ancient One continued, "You're an anomaly, Martin. Across the trillions of futures I've observed, not once have I seen your shadow. And yet, here you are, rising at a mind-bending speed, shaking the very fabric of the cosmos. You've shattered the chains of time itself, transcended versions of yourself across countless parallel realities."

Martin took the cup and set it aside without drinking.

He knew better than anyone what he was.

A parallel version of him? Maybe.

But those so-called multiversal counterparts? At best, they were native variants, stray shadows in the Marvel multiverse.

A rare few might've become heroes or villains, but none were like him. They lacked his essence. They were fundamentally… lesser.

The Ancient One smiled gently. "Would you consider becoming Earth's next Sorcerer Supreme? The world needs a new guardian."

Mordo's expression darkened. "The Sorcerer Supreme? How could someone like him be Earth's protector?"

The Ancient One merely waved her hand dismissively, her gaze piercing straight into Martin.

Martin raised an eyebrow. "If I said I was interested… would you actually hand the title over?"

The Ancient One said nothing. Her silence spoke volumes.

Martin fell quiet, the Ancient One becoming ever more unreadable in his eyes.

"…I refuse," he said at last. "The Sorcerer Supreme? A planetary-level guardian? That's far beneath me. I will not chain myself to one insignificant world when endless multiverses lie ahead. Earth… is not worth the cost of what I seek."

The Ancient One exhaled a long, weary sigh.

Silence fell like a shroud.

Stephen Strange looked between them in confusion, unable to grasp what was happening, especially as terms like multiverse and Infinity Stones were casually thrown around.

"In that case," the Ancient One said solemnly, "I have no choice. Your ambition burns too hot. It'll incinerate the Earth in the process."

She raised her hand. The Eye of Agamotto on her chest began to rotate slowly. Time's energy stirred from within, resonating with the Eye itself. The power of the Time Stone awakened.

Martin's expression twisted with disdain. "You know what I hate most about you, Ancient One? You've been Sorcerer Supreme for five centuries, bound to this tiny rock, staring at the same horizon. Everything you are is caged here. You speak in absolutes… from a limited worldview."

He clenched his fist. Blue and yellow light surged around him, the ground of Kamar-Taj trembling violently.

Three Infinity Stones stirred inside him, their resonance shaking the ancient magical formation embedded deep within the compound. Divine light flared. The air thickened with power, cosmic and primordial.

"Martin! You're making a terrible mistake!"

Mordo shouted, voice raw with fury. He began rallying the sorcerers, preparing to activate the full might of Kamar-Taj's wards to stop Martin at all costs, for the Ancient One's will was law.

But with a flick of her sleeve, the Ancient One opened dozens of portals. Mordo, Strange, and the others were instantly teleported away.

Then she triggered another spell, layers of prism-like structures manifested in the air, fracturing space, folding reality. They sealed Martin off from the rest of the world.

"Your power is immense, Martin," she said, stepping forward. "But your ambition… your hunger… is even more dangerous."

With a gesture, enchanted relics soared through the air:

A crimson Cloak of Levitation fluttered in from the east.

A blue counterpart arrived from the west.

The Book of the Vishanti snapped open, flipping rapidly as page after page of eldritch secrets and sacred spells glowed with power.

The massive Cauldron of the Cosmos trembled with raw might, it was a vessel of divine observation, and it thundered through the air toward him.

The Eye of Agamotto pulsed as the Ancient One gripped it tightly and raised it high.

Green energy flared from within, time magic erupting outward like a tidal wave.

Martin's eyes narrowed.

These artifacts were not mere trinkets.

The Eye alone was left behind by the first Sorcerer Supreme, Agamotto. The Book of the Vishanti was backed by the triune deity, the Vishanti themselves.

This was a full-scale deployment.

"Impressive arsenal," Martin muttered. "But how many of these are truly usable? Compared to what I possess… they're nothing."

In the next instant, his Apex Armor unfolded from within his very being, encasing him in glistening cosmic plating. The Polarity Gauntlet snapped into place on his right hand, crackling with magnetic force.

Two Infinity Stones danced in the air above it, tracing dazzling arcs before—

Click.

They locked into the Gauntlet's twin sockets with perfect synchronicity.

VMMM!

A devastating shockwave blasted outward.

For the first time in recorded history, someone had wielded multiple Infinity Stones, without the Infinity Gauntlet. Martin had bypassed the Gauntlet entirely, using a Cybertronian relic, the Polarity Gauntlet, as a vessel for the Stones' wrath.

"You should've done this from the beginning, Ancient One," Martin said coldly. "If you truly believed I'd become Earth's destruction… you should've struck without delay."

He didn't resist as layer upon layer of prismatic barriers surrounded him, an effort to trap him within the Mirror Dimension. The Ancient One poured her might into severing him from reality.

But Martin… was holding the Space Stone.

Mirror Dimension?

Please.

In a single universe, unless a Multiverse-class entity intervenes directly, all forces fall beneath the might of Infinity Stones.

Martin raised his right hand. The Space Stone lit up, blazing with uncontainable energy. Blue light shimmered, and then...

CRACK.

The endless mirror planes shattered like glass, disintegrating into billions of shimmering emerald butterflies that floated gently through the air.

It was beautiful.

And it was utterly merciless.

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