HIATUS

Ethan's POV:

My conversation with Howard was suddenly interrupted when both Howard and I were wrapped with a whip that was glowing in orange-like color. A few meters away from us was a circular portal, 2 men and 1 woman came out. They were wearing robe-like attires. The 2 men were the ones who seem to conjure the whip.

"What is going on? Do you know these people Ethan?", Howard asks with confusion.

"Masters of the Mystic Arts, I have no qualms with your order. Yet, why are you doing this?" I asked them.

There was a small chance that the moment I did the Impure World Reincarnation technique that the sorcerers would somehow learn of it. It seems my hypothesis was right.

"What you are doing is going against the natural order. Bringing the death back from the pure lands is something our order will not allow you", said the woman. The woman proceeds to conjure 2 swords, one in each hand.

"Too bad", I said to the three of them. I did a substitution jutsu to escape, this made the sorcerers shocked.

"How?!" the woman said.

"I don't know. Watch your surroundings", one of the sorcerers said.

"Bringer of Darkness Technique," I said. Suddenly the three sorcerers lost their eyesight and they could only see pure darkness surrounding them. The Bringer of Darkness Technique was an A-rank jutsu that was made by Tobirama Senju. This is a genjutsu that I have been practicing for a while now.

"Fuck! I can't see" said the woman.

"Shit!"

"Focus!" said one of the male sorcerer.

"What did you do?" Howard asked me.

"The Bringer of Darkness Technique is a technique with the purpose of eliminating the eyesight of a target. Right now all they can see is pitch darkness" I replied to him.

I didn't want to hurt these sorcerers so the best way to handle this mess is to knock them out or to incapacitate them. Silently I walk behind each sorcerer and I did the "Body Pathway Derangement Technique", with none of the 3 sorcerers being able to see what was going on in their surroundings it was fairly easy. The 3 sorcerers were then on the ground struggling to get up.

"That was anti-climatic", Howard said as he approaches one of the 3 sorcerers twitching on the ground.

"What did you do this time? How did you prevent them from moving and more importantly who are these people?", Howard asked.

"I channeled a small amount of electricity through their bodies. This electricity targeted their nervous system and rearranges the body's signals. These people are sorcerers, they protect the world from the supernatural...", I said to Howard.

"…Interesting ability, if they want to move their right hand then their left hand may move. Am I correct?"

"The signals rearrangement is random but you're correct"

"I still barely believe what is happening today. Powers, magic…this has destroyed my rationale of reality", Howard said to no one in particular.

"Now you know that this universe has so much to offer. We sho----", before I could finish what I was talking the surroundings suddenly had a crystal-like glimmer to it. Looking up above you could clearly see a crack-like mirror. The trees started to move from the ground as if moving like a puzzle. Up was down and down was up. The very reality was being manipulated.

The ground that I was standing on started to form like a sort of combat ring, seeing this just strengthens the belief of Howard that everything he knew, everything he thought was impossible was actually probable.

"The mirror dimension", I whispered.

Suddenly 4 circular portals appeared, each of the 3 sorcerers who could not move had a portal appear on the ground they laid causing them to be teleported out of the area.

The last portal appeared in front of me. A bald woman slowly walks outside of that portal, she is wearing a yellow robe.

The woman said to me, "You have an interesting ability young man, to incapacitate 3 masters of the mystic arts in such an easy manner is quite a feat".

"It is an honor to meet a woman such as you, Ancient One", I said to her.

The Ancient One is an individual who I really respected. The woman has been the Sorcerer Supreme for centuries if not for multiple millennia.

"You know of me?", the Ancient One said with curiosity.

"Of course, you are the current Sorcerer Supreme of planet earth", I said to her.

"hmm… That is extremely intriguing… Throughout the different future that I have seen you have never existed. Tell me, do you know why?", She said as she scrutinizes me.

'She hasn't seen me?' I thought.

"Are you saying that you can't see me…while using the Eye of Agamotto, the Time stone?" I said to her. Telling her that I know the existence of the time stone is a gamble in itself.

"How could you know that?" the Ancient One said, as she conjured 2 battle fans, one in each of her hand. The moment I say something not appropriate I'm sure a battle would commence. Truthfully I'm not sure if I can win a fight against the Ancient One.

Just in case I discretely activated a seal, the seal is now crawling throughout my body. The seal was designed to protect me from the Ancient One's one-hit KO move. The ability to force someone out of their body and into their Astral Form. The seal has never been tested but I believe theoretically my seal could work. This seal was designed for stuff I refer to as 'just in case moments".

"Just like you, I could see the future. The future after your death and it ain't a pretty sight", After thinking my option clearly, at this moment the only way to salvage this situation is to tell the Ancient One that I know the future.

"I am here to prevent that ugly sight. I didn't hurt the 3 previous sorcerers, in an hour or two they will be able to gain full control of their bodies. I do not want to have bad blood between us. Just like you and your order, I want to protect earth, no I want to protect this universe", I said to her.

"Activating an ability that links another dimension is protecting the universe? The ramifications of your actions could lead to something beyond your control", the Ancient One stated.

"The hypocrisy in you is staggering Ancient One. Aren't you at this moment channeling powers from the dark dimension to remain alive? You and I are not that different. We have the methods that can be labeled as taboo, but we do it to achieve the greater good", I said to her.

Suddenly she conjured multiple glass shards, each glass shard hovering above her and she said in a low voice, "hmmmm…greater good…".

With such speed the glass shard began to target me, they move incredibly fast, that even with my Kage Level speed some were still able to wound me.

'Fuck! So be it' I thought to myself as began dodging the shards. While dodging the shards, I quickly did multiple hand signs and molded chakra in my stomach, " (Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Missle Jutsu.) The Fire Dragon Flame Missle is a high-velocity technique, it went pass the glass shard and went straight to the Ancient One. One of her battle fans transformed into a shield, blocking the attack. Seeing this, I bombarded her multiple ninjutsu. You can barely see the shield due to me spamming multiple jutsus.

Suddenly a battle fan hit my back causing me to bleed. I look behind me and I saw the Ancient One, it seems she conjured a portal to escape my bombardment.

The two of us then began our close combat fight. She was able to keep up with my speed, in fact, she was clearly putting pressure on me. But how? I should be faster than her? This is very interesting.

Slowly, multiple wounds were being formed in my body.

I activated my Yang Seal to heal me in the midst of battle. Every time I try to punch her, she was able to either deflect it or conjured a miniature shield to block the attack.

'Damn it. She has been fighting for centuries now. I can't beat her in hand to hand combat, I need an opening', I thought to myself.

I performed the"Bringer of Darkness Technique", hoping to give me an opening to incapacitate her.

"WHAT!" I shouted as I saw my jutsu having no effect on her.

"Those techniques will not work on me", she said as she increases her speed. My shock gave her the opening she needed to tap my chest. The moment she did that the seal I made to prevent me from going to Astral Projection failed. I saw my literal body fall in front of my eyes.

"Damn it, the seal didn't work", my astral self said.

"You need to polish your skills more", the Ancient One said to me.

The Ancient One stared at my floating Astral form and she said, "The greater good… I can only hope that you know what you're doing. For the universe has deemed you worthy to have such knowledge, something they did not allow me to see".

Slowly the Ancient one cancels the alterations she did in the surroundings and removes us from the mirror dimension.

"Come see me, when you believe that the time is right. We can have a proper conversation while drinking tea", she said as she conjures a portal and slowly walks towards it. Before she took her final step in the portal, she returned my astral self back to my body.

"What a night", I said to myself as I lay on the ground looking at the stars.