Marvel Cybernetic Girl

The Supreme Sanctum of Asia had fallen?!

Kagura's eyes widened in shock. "Cortana, is that intel accurate?"

"Absolutely, Master," Cortana replied without hesitation.

"The Argos Project's surveillance satellites have confirmed the destruction of the Asian Sanctum. The fate of the mystic sorcerers stationed there is currently unknown."

"The units who assisted in its defense have temporarily retreated to their respective support bases."

As Cortana delivered her report, data streams and visual feeds from New York began appearing in the holographic UI—comms logs, observation records, everything displayed in front of Kagura in real time.

Impossible.

Even if the information was one hundred percent verified, her first reaction was disbelief.

It simply didn't make sense.

Dormammu's focus was clearly centered on Kamar-Taj.

Even Kaecilius had been sent there.

They were throwing everything they had into attacking Kamar-Taj to wipe out the mystic stronghold and seize the Time Stone.

So then… how could Kamar-Taj have held out—thanks to her and Stephen Strange's efforts.

And yet the Asian Sanctum, which should've been under less pressure, ended up destroyed?

Were the heroes protecting it slacking off?

No… no, that doesn't add up either.

Kagura paused and recalled the recent news of the Ancient One's disappearance.

A darker possibility suddenly struck her.

Could it have been the Ancient One herself who attacked the Asian Sanctum?

The truth was as shocking as it was tragic.

It had to be her.

The Ancient One, now completely corrupted and controlled by Dormammu, must've used dimensional sorcery to leap across space and time.

Leaving Kamar-Taj and appearing in Asia—only to personally destroy the very Sanctum she had protected for centuries.

That would explain everything.

Kagura didn't know the full power levels of the heroes stationed at the Asian Sanctum.

They could easily handle ordinary grunts—maybe even a few demon hounds from the Dark Dimension.

But if their opponent was the Ancient One herself… that changed everything.

Frankly, Kagura didn't need to know exactly how the Ancient One destroyed the Sanctum or how valiantly the defenders fought. All she had to do was think realistically:

Given the state of her own dimensional-tech weaponry, still mid-modification… even if she brought every member of Griffin Security and the full force of the Avengers—

Would that be enough to defeat a fully unchained Ancient One?

It wasn't impossible.

But a guaranteed win? Absolutely not.

In fact, if the Asian Sanctum had not fallen despite facing a reality-warping, dimension-bending master far beyond Kaecilius… that would've been the real miracle.

"Kagura, you don't look good," Stephen Strange said, walking up and placing a hand on her shoulder. "Something happened? Is this about the Ancient One?"

"It is," Kagura said grimly, nodding.

"The worst-case scenario has come true. The Ancient One… may have completely succumbed to Dormammu's corruption."

"She's become his avatar, his puppet in this dimension… and she's the one who destroyed the Asian Sanctum."

"…That's bad. Really bad," Strange muttered, face darkening. "If it's the Ancient One… she knows all the secrets of the Eye of Agamotto."

"Dormammu may now be aware of the future where we used it to defeat him."

"Exactly. Dormammu used to fear the Time Stone because he didn't understand it. But now, things have changed," Kagura said.

"With the Ancient One's deep knowledge of the Time Stone, it may no longer be a threat to him."

"If she shared her understanding with Dormammu, we might lose our advantage in any battle involving the stone."

"What are you planning to do?" Strange asked. "Dormammu won't stop. Sooner or later… we'll be forced to face the Ancient One herself."

"I know," Kagura replied, clenching her fists. "But I'm not backing down. The good news is—we already know Dormammu's next target."

"He's coming for New York. Which means the final battle will be fought on my home turf!"

"Hey, what's going on with you two?" Mordo walked over, noticing their somber expressions. "Have you figured out Dormammu's next move?"

"And what about the Ancient One's disappearance?" he added. "Whatever's happened, we need to tread carefully."

Should she tell Mordo the truth?

Was he ready to learn that his beloved mentor had broken the ultimate taboo?

Or… would that revelation need to come from the Ancient One herself?

Now wasn't the time for internal fractures. The world was hanging in the balance.

After a brief pause, Kagura made her decision.

"We just got word from Rhodes Island Industries," she said. "The Asian Sanctum has fallen."

The moment she spoke, an uproar broke out among the mystic sorcerers.

And understandably so. Anyone with a functioning brain could see what that meant.

The fall of the Asian Sanctum left only one final stronghold: the New York Sanctum.

Wong was the first to recover from the shock. "Then we need to head to New York—immediately!" he shouted. "That's our last line of defense!"

"He's right! Defend the Sanctum, to the last breath!"

"We can't let our final bastion fall!"

"Let's go!"

The mystic sorcerers all roared in agreement, their spirits reignited.

But amid the rising fervor, Mordo remained calm.

He turned to Kagura.

"And the enemy? Who was strong enough to destroy the Asian Sanctum?"

"We're not sure," Kagura replied. "But likely someone at least as powerful as Kaecilius—maybe even stronger."

"And I suspect they might try to attack Kamar-Taj next, once we shift our focus to New York. If our base and home are destroyed, the mystical shield won't last long."

"You make a strong point," Mordo nodded. "Here's what we'll do: You, Stephen Strange, and Wong go to New York."

"I'll stay here with the others and defend Kamar-Taj. If anything urgent comes up, we'll use the Sling Rings to open portals and coordinate."

"Great idea," said Strange. "That sounds like a solid plan."

Truth be told, whether intentional or not, Mordo's proposal conveniently kept him from having to face his fallen master directly.

Given the circumstances, that was probably for the best.

"Then it's settled," Kagura said firmly. "New York is mine to protect. That's my home—I won't give it up to anyone!"