Sorcerer in the Marvel Universe

"Our order has witnessed empires rise and collapse. We’ve watched species emerge, flourish, and disappear into history."

Evenson closed his eyes and sighed.

"But after countless millennia..."

"...only one thing has remained truly eternal."

"The foolishness of mortals."

Now that the Ancient One had accepted the possibility of a far greater threat, he didn’t immediately press his advantage. Instead, he let the silence linger before continuing.

"They’re astonishingly difficult to unite."

"Pride."

"Self-interest."

"Short-sightedness."

"Those flaws will become the very reason our civilizations perish."

He met the Ancient One’s gaze.

"Sorcerer Supreme..."

"Allow me to give you one final lesson."

A woman’s voice echoed through the chamber.

It was low.

Steady.

Filled with restrained hatred.

"I am the Swarm. Armies crumble before me. Worlds burn beneath my feet."

The illusion shifted again.

This time the setting felt strangely familiar.

Unlike the mystical grandeur of Dalaran or the radiant splendor of the High Heavens, this was unmistakably a human city.

Towering skyscrapers.

Broad avenues.

Steel and glass stretching toward the horizon.

The aircraft streaking through the sky were more advanced than anything Earth possessed, yet not so alien that humanity couldn’t imagine reaching that level in another century.

Then the nightmare began.

Colossal living warships drifted overhead.

They released enormous pod-like organisms that plunged toward the city like meteors.

Each impact crater erupted with life.

Not human life.

Insects.

An endless tide of them.

The Swarm flooded through the streets.

Power-armored soldiers disappeared beneath churning waves of claws and fangs.

Towering bioforms dozens of meters tall smashed through skyscrapers as though they were made of paper.

Heavy armored vehicles were crushed beneath living mountains of flesh.

Within minutes the defenders had been forced back to a vast plaza dominated by a colossal statue.

Their final defensive line.

Their last stand.

They never had the chance.

Gigantic subterranean creatures burst from beneath the earth while the main Swarm attacked head-on.

The defense collapsed almost instantly.

High above, burning starships tumbled from the clouds.

The battle had never been confined to the ground.

One crashing vessel erupted in a blinding explosion.

White light swallowed the city.

When it faded...

Only one figure remained standing.

She overlooked the ruins like an empress surveying her kingdom.

Her graceful body was encased in chitin.

Blade-like wings of segmented bone spread from her back.

Her long hair had become writhing skeletal whips lined with vicious barbs.

Even the strange, organic heels supporting her feet somehow appeared natural.

Every individual feature inspired revulsion.

Together...

They formed a terrifying kind of beauty.

"I will have my revenge upon this world."

"For I am the Queen of Blades."

The woman’s face retained unmistakably human features.

Glowing violet markings traced across her skin.

Her eyes radiated the same eerie purple light.

The Ancient One’s breathing stopped.

"Dark psychic power..."

She stared at those glowing markings.

They were disturbingly familiar.

Whenever she drew deeply upon the Dark Dimension’s power...

Similar patterns appeared across her own body.

"No..."

She whispered.

"The darkness she commands..."

"...is far greater than mine."

Evenson nodded.

"Sarah Kerrigan."

"Once she was a Ghost operative serving one of humanity’s great powers in the Koprulu Sector."

"A once-in-a-century prodigy."

"She earned countless victories defending humanity from the Zerg."

His voice became colder.

"Then ambition and betrayal abandoned her to die."

"The Overmind transformed her into this."

He looked toward the ruined city.

"She returned at the head of the Swarm."

"And personally destroyed the civilization she had once sacrificed everything to protect."

He paused.

"During every Rise of Darkness..."

"The Swarm becomes one of the greatest threats in existence."

"They rival even the Burning Legion."

A bitter smile crossed his face.

"A memorable lesson."

"Humanity’s own darkness created the monster that consumed it."

The Ancient One accepted the revelation with surprising calm.

She had simply run out of astonishment.

Perhaps retirement truly had been overdue.

"And she’s part of this... Rise of Darkness as well?"

"Yes."

Evenson sighed.

"And the Swarm exists frighteningly close to our own universe."

"When the darkness rises..."

"Their hunger becomes insatiable."

"They devour every form of life they encounter."

The Ancient One’s voice trembled.

"Tell me..."

"...that there’s a way to defeat them."

At last.

Evenson knew he had reached the moment he’d been steering toward.

Strip away every comforting illusion.

Eliminate every alternative.

Leave only one possible path.

People would cling to that path with everything they had.

He answered honestly.

"No one has ever truly defeated the Burning Legion."

"No one has ever truly defeated the Swarm."

The color drained from the Ancient One’s face.

Then he continued.

"But..."

"They can be stopped."

She let out a long breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.

"What do we have to do?"

Evenson rose from his chair and clasped his hands behind his back.

"Invading a new universe isn’t easy."

"Just like the Chitauri."

"They need gateways."

"The larger the invading force..."

"...the larger and more stable the portal must become."

"The strongest beings require even stricter conditions before they can cross."

"So they begin with a small opening."

"They send an advance force."

"Then they reinforce the gateway."

"They expand it."

"And only after that..."

"...does the real invasion begin."

He turned sharply to face her.

"So our only chance..."

"...is to destroy the advance force before the portal fully stabilizes."

"If we fail..."

"The main army arrives."

"And then..."

"There is no victory left to achieve."

The Ancient One considered his explanation carefully.

"It sounds straightforward."

"If that’s the case..."

"Didn’t the worlds that were destroyed think of the same strategy?"

"They did."

Evenson nodded.

"But even the advance force is powerful beyond imagination."

"Stopping it requires every available resource."

"Every nation."

"Every organization."

"Every hero."

"Everyone."

She smiled bitterly.

"That may be the hardest part."

After centuries of watching humanity, she knew its habits all too well.

Even with a knife at civilization’s throat...

People often refused to stand together.

"Which is exactly why..."

Evenson’s true objective finally emerged.

"In the years ahead, I’m going to force that unity."

"My methods may not always be legal."

"They may violate conventions."

"They may appear cruel."

"Manipulative."

"Even dirty."

"But they will be necessary."

He looked directly into the Ancient One’s eyes.

"If possible..."

"I want your support."

She fell silent.

The decision wasn’t as difficult as she expected.

She herself drew upon forbidden power for the sake of protecting humanity.

If questionable methods truly represented civilization’s only hope...

Could she honestly condemn them?

She drew a slow breath.

Her eyes swept across everyone gathered in the room.

She was about to answer...

Then her gaze stopped.

On the Eredar twins.

A memory clicked into place.

She finally understood why several figures from Evenson’s visions had seemed strangely familiar.

Her expression hardened.

She slowly turned toward him.

"They’re demons."

"Burning Legion demons."

"And unless I’m mistaken..."

"They’re the same race as the monster who destroyed Dalaran."

Her voice became sharp.

"Would you care to explain that, Evenson?"

...

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