Chapter 85: Chapter 85: Battle of mind and will
As soon as Strange refused to hand over the Time Stone, Supergiant's patience snapped. Her glowing eyes flickered with malice, and without warning, she lunged at Strange with her telepathic might, attempting to invade his mind.
The air around them crackled with energy as her dark power swirled like an invisible storm.
Strange's eyes glowed with mystic energy, sensing the onslaught, and with a flick of his hands, a shimmering barrier of magic formed around him. Supergiant's psychic force collided with the barrier, and the ground beneath them trembled from the clash of powers.
Ebony Maw, meanwhile, hovered casually behind, his arms crossed as he observed. "It seems, Doctor, that civility is off the table. A shame."
With a fluid motion, Maw gestured toward the Sanctum's interior, and various objects—books, statues, and even sections of the wall—lifted into the air, twisting and spinning at his command.
They shot toward Strange like projectiles, forcing the Sorcerer Supreme to deflect them with rapid hand movements and spells.
The mystical sigils he conjured blazed bright in the dim light of the Sanctum, creating a dazzling display of defensive magic.
"Two against one?" Strange muttered under his breath. "I've faced worse."
Supergiant, snarling in frustration, pushed harder with her telepathy. "You cannot resist me forever, mortal! Give in!"
Strange gritted his teeth, feeling her presence press harder against his mental shields. He knew that if she broke through, she could control his mind entirely. In a swift move, he called upon the Eye of Agamotto, opening it with a surge of green energy.
The Time Stone's glow illuminated the room, momentarily halting Supergiant's advance as she recoiled from its power.
Strange used the brief respite to conjure the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak, sending glowing red tendrils of energy spiralling toward his attackers.
The bands snaked through the air, seeking to bind both Ebony Maw and Supergiant.
Maw, unfazed, raised a hand and stopped the crimson tendrils mid-flight, twisting them in place with a mere flick of his fingers.
"Such quaint tricks, Doctor," Maw said, twisting his fingers again to send the tendrils back toward Strange, now imbued with his own telekinetic force.
Strange barely managed to dodge, teleporting across the room in a flash of golden light, the tendrils crashing into the wall behind him with a burst of red energy.
Supergiant took the opportunity to launch a new assault. Abandoning her psychic attack, she raised her hands and summoned dark, ethereal blades that materialised from thin air.
With a high-pitched shriek, she hurled them toward Strange, who quickly conjured shields of energy to block the assault.
The blades clanged against his mystic defences, each impact sending sparks of magical energy through the air.
But she didn't stop. She waved her hand again, and the Sanctum itself seemed to warp as her telekinetic power lifted the entire floor beneath Strange's feet, twisting it like clay.
Strange stumbled but quickly floated above the distortion with a levitation spell, his Cloak of Levitation fluttering as it lifted him higher.
He countered with a powerful incantation, his voice ringing through the air as he summoned bolts of lightning that crackled toward Supergiant.
The energy struck her, but she absorbed it, feeding off its power. She grinned wickedly. "Is that the best you've got?"
Ebony Maw, watching from the shadows, finally decided to act. He gestured again, this time pulling at the fabric of reality itself within the Sanctum. The walls around them began to distort, stretching and bending as if they were in a hall of mirrors.
Maw used his mastery of telekinesis to manipulate the entire space, turning Strange's Sanctum into a disorienting labyrinth of twisted architecture.
Strange felt the shift immediately as the room bent and stretched around him, making it harder to navigate or focus.
He could feel the combined might of his two enemies pressing in on him. But he was the Sorcerer Supreme, and he wasn't done yet.
He closed his eyes, focusing inward, and began to chant an incantation. The Eye of Agamotto glowed brighter, and suddenly, time itself slowed.
Supergiant and Ebony Maw, still moving but sluggish, looked around in confusion as the world around them seemed to freeze.
Strange raised his hand, summoning the Winds of Watoomb, a powerful gust of mystic wind that blew through the Sanctum, scattering Ebony's floating debris and blasting Supergiant back.
For a moment, it seemed as though Strange had gained the upper hand. But Supergiant, even in slowed time, broke through the effects with sheer force of will. She screamed in rage, her voice shattering the temporal spell and bringing time back to its normal pace.
Ebony Maw smirked, floating calmly above the chaos. "You are skilled, Doctor Strange. But this is inevitable. The Time Stone will be ours."
Strange summoned more energy, preparing for another round of combat. But he knew he was running out of time and options.
Two formidable foes—one a telepathic terror, the other a master manipulator of matter itself—were pushing him to his limits.
Supergiant hurled another volley of psychic blades, while Ebony Maw's telekinetic grasp tightened around the very structure of the Sanctum, making the walls creak under the pressure.
Strange conjured every spell he could, spinning in mid-air, blocking and countering, but the relentless assault from both foes began to wear him down.
A blast of energy from Supergiant knocked him back, and Ebony Maw's telekinetic grip seized his arm, forcing him to the ground. Strange struggled, but Maw's control over matter was too strong.
"Give us the Stone, Strange," Maw hissed, his voice as calm as ever, but with an underlying threat.
Strange, panting, clutched the Eye of Agamotto, his eyes glowing with defiance. "Not today."
With a final surge of strength, he unleashed a massive wave of mystic energy, knocking both of his attackers back and freeing himself from Maw's grasp. But even as they were thrown back, Strange knew it wasn't enough.
They were too strong, and the Sanctum was falling apart around him.
Ebony Maw and Supergiant recovered, both smiling darkly as they prepared for the next round. The battle was far from over, and Strange knew he was in for the fight of his life.
-
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As Doctor Strange struggled to hold off Ebony Maw and Supergiant, Wong and several Masters of the Mystic Arts arrived through shimmering portals, immediately springing into action.
Wong conjured defensive barriers, reinforcing Strange's position as the other Masters unleashed blasts of magical energy at the invaders.
The scene exploded into chaos. Supergiant, her patience long gone, fought viciously, her telepathic onslaught targeting the minds of the Masters.
Many fell to their knees, clutching their heads in agony, their mental defenses shattered.
Wong fought to protect them, weaving spells to counter her attacks, but even he felt the strain.
Ebony Maw, calm and calculating, manipulated the environment effortlessly. Stone pillars and relics rose from the ground, striking out at the sorcerers.
Wong countered with the Staff of the Living Tribunal, sending beams of pure energy toward Maw, but each was deftly redirected, leaving Wong on the defensive.
[A/N: I'm actually curious why its called the staff of LT]
The Masters of the Mystic Arts were powerful, but Maw and Supergiant were relentless. Supergiant's psychic energy overwhelmed their mental shields, forcing them to retreat as Maw twisted the very space around them, throwing off their focus.
Strange, exhausted, saw his allies falling one by one. He conjured the Flames of Faltine, sending spiraling fire toward Supergiant, but she absorbed the magic, laughing as she redirected it back tenfold.
The blast sent Strange crashing to the ground, his Cloak barely managing to soften the impact.
Wong, struggling but determined, cast one final spell—binding chains of mystic light to hold the invaders. For a moment, it seemed to work, but Maw's telekinetic power broke free, snapping the chains as if they were nothing.
He floated toward Wong, a grim smile on his face.
"You are delaying the inevitable."
With a surge of telekinetic force, Maw lifted Wong and the remaining Masters into the air, immobilising them completely. Supergiant strode forward, her eyes gleaming with victory.
"The Time Stone is ours."
In one final act of defiance, Strange tried to summon the Eye of Agamotto, but Supergiant struck first. Her psychic blast hit him squarely, knocking him unconscious as he collapsed to the floor.
The Sanctum lay in ruins, and the Masters were defeated. Ebony Maw and Supergiant stood victorious, the Time Stone now within their grasp.
-
However,
Without hesitation, Peter swung through the shattered windows of the Sanctum, his momentum carrying him right into the fight. He expertly landed a split kick, striking both Ebony Maw and Supergiant simultaneously, sending them stumbling back in surprise.
"Hey, no need to trash the place!" Peter quipped, landing gracefully as he shot a web to the ceiling. "What, no invite for ol' Spidey?"
Supergiant hissed, clearly frustrated by the unexpected interruption. Ebony Maw, his expression unchanged, floated back to his feet, narrowing his eyes at the young hero.
[Flashback]
Peter Parker was swinging through the city, patrolling the streets as usual. His evening had been relatively quiet—stopping a few petty crimes and helping an old lady find her lost dog. But as the night grew darker, he noticed a strange surge of energy coming from the direction of Greenwich Village.
"That's...weird," Peter muttered to himself, sensing the abnormal magical energy. He shot out a web, changing direction toward the source. His Spider-Sense began tingling, growing stronger the closer he got to the Sanctum Sanctorum.
As Peter neared the building, he caught sight of something even stranger—a full-on battle between what looked like a group of sorcerers and two figures that clearly weren't your average villains.
The Sanctum was crumbling, and Spider-Man's instincts kicked into high gear.
[Flashback End]
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"Spider-Man," Strange coughed out, struggling to stand. His magic was waning, and he knew it. The fight had taken everything out of him, and they were outmatched. He ripped the Eye of Agamotto from his neck, the Time Stone gleaming within it.
"Take this. You must get it far away from here. They can't have it."
Peter's eyes widened behind his mask as Strange tossed the Eye to him. He caught it with one hand, instantly realising the weight of the responsibility.
"Whoa, whoa, wait—me?"
"Go!" Strange ordered. "Now!"
Before Peter could even respond, Supergiant lunged at him, her psychic energy crackling. Peter dodged, flipping acrobatically as he shot webs to blind her momentarily. Maw, meanwhile, sent shards of broken debris flying at him.
Peter was fast, using his agility to leap out of the way, but the fight was intense.
He fired a web at Ebony Maw's hand, trying to yank him off balance, but Maw countered with a blast of telekinetic force, sending Peter crashing through a wall.
Dazed but determined, Peter shook it off and swung back into the fray.
"Not so fast, creepy floaty guy!" Peter shouted, managing to get close enough to kick Maw in the chest. Supergiant snarled and sent another psychic blast toward him, but Peter sensed it just in time and flipped out of the way, narrowly avoiding the attack.
Knowing he couldn't hold them off forever, Peter made a snap decision. He shot two quick webs at the ceiling, yanking himself upward as fast as he could.
"Sorry, but I gotta jet! Magic rock stuff to protect and all that."
Ebony Maw tried to pull him back with his telekinesis, but Peter was faster, using his webs to slingshot himself out of the Sanctum and into the night sky.
"Thanks for the workout! Gotta run!"
With the Eye of Agamotto safely in hand, Peter zipped through the city streets, trying to figure out where to go next. All he knew was that he had to get as far away as possible.
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