Marvel: Hunter

Chapter 428 428: Misunderstanding

The Sorcerer Supreme, the Ancient One, stood with her hands clasped behind her back atop the snowy peak. The biting wind, sharp as blades, made her cloak flutter wildly, giving her an ethereal, almost immortal presence.

"Coming."

Suddenly, without turning around, the Ancient One spoke to the empty air in front of her.

"Coming."

Even more strangely, a voice answered from that same empty space.

That voice belonged to Blaine. Back in Kamar-Taj, he had sensed someone calling him and had agreed to meet here. After a brief moment of thought, he knew it could only be the Ancient One.

Naturally, Blaine had no particular thoughts about it. After all, she was the Sorcerer Supreme—something like this was nothing more than a trivial display of her abilities.

"I've noticed you for a long time."

"I know."

"Then why are you only now seeking me out?"

"What? Is this how the Sorcerer Supreme welcomes guests—meeting them on a mountaintop for a fight?"

"Won't you invite me in for some tea?"

Their exchange was brief, a simple back-and-forth. In just a few sentences, Blaine realized that the Ancient One had likely mistaken his intentions, assuming he had come to challenge her. To avoid harming innocents, she had deliberately chosen the remote peak of the Himalayas as their meeting place.

However, the Ancient One also seemed to realize her misunderstanding. It wasn't entirely her fault—after all, Blaine's strength spoke for itself. Especially after his high-profile global appearance, it was impossible for her not to be aware of him. Among those who remained hidden or worked behind the scenes, perhaps there were other powerful figures, but in the public eye, the Bounty Hunter was undoubtedly among the strongest.

"Please."

Now that Blaine had made his point clear, the Ancient One smiled faintly and moved her hands in front of her. A golden portal, tall enough for a person to walk through, opened before him.

Blaine, however, seemed unimpressed by the portal. He remained where he stood, making no move to step inside.

"Oh… haha…"

The Ancient One let out a soft, wry laugh, assuming Blaine did not trust her. Without further hesitation, she stepped forward and entered the portal first.

As she passed through, Blaine's figure vanished as well—but instead of using the portal, he teleported.

At the foot of the Himalayas, in Kamar-Taj, the door of an old building opened to reveal a completely different scene inside.

The first thing that caught the eye was a Japanese-style living room. Yet under Blaine's perception, he could sense that there was an entirely different world beyond it.

A group of plainly dressed people stood within—of various skin tones: Black, Asian, and Caucasian. Among them were not only those with healthy bodies, but also individuals missing limbs or bearing physical disabilities.

Despite their conditions, there was no trace of sorrow or bitterness on their faces. Instead, they carried calm, focused expressions.

On their fingers, each wore a ring-like device, something akin to a knuckle guard, connecting the middle and ring fingers.

With these small implements, they practiced.

In the square beyond the living room, some were training in magic, while others wielded mystical weapons. Golden magic circles shimmered and rotated in the air, varying in size and form.

The entire scene was dazzling—like stepping into a fantastical realm, a strange and wondrous world of magic.

"Is this a magic academy?"

"Truly worthy of being called a magician's paradise."

"The Ancient One is admirable."

Indeed, setting aside just how powerful the Ancient One's magic was, her character alone was beyond reproach. Not only had she taken in so many disabled and homeless people, she also taught them the mystic arts. Such compassion was rare.

When he was a child, Blaine had once been a boy filled with fantasies about magic. He had dreamed of flying around the world on a broomstick, wielding a wand to help the weak, uphold justice, and maintain peace. Through books, he had glimpsed a magical and dazzling world he longed for.

Now, in a way, that wish had come true. Although the magic of Kamar-Taj was quite different from what he had imagined, this place still felt like the magical paradise he had once dreamed of.

At this moment, Blaine was like a curious child. His enhanced vision lifted into the air, and with his powerful mental perception, he continuously scanned this seemingly ordinary yet profoundly magical courtyard.

"Aren't you going to come inside and sit?"

It wasn't until the Ancient One appeared beside him that Blaine realized he had lost himself in the moment. Having just arrived, he had already begun examining everything in sight—it was indeed a bit impolite.

Feeling slightly embarrassed, Blaine quickly followed the Ancient One into the room.

Inside the living room, the two sat cross-legged, facing each other.

"Tell me—why are you here?"

Looking at the Bounty Hunter seated across from her, his entire body concealed beneath a black robe, the Ancient One sensed a faint but unmistakable pressure emanating from him. Not only that, but for some reason, she felt an oddly familiar presence from him—like an echo of someone from an impossibly distant past. Yet she was certain they had never met.

She could not explain it.

"Aren't you the Sorcerer Supreme?"

"Can't you tell why I'm here?"

Blaine, in turn, examined the bald woman before him. She did not appear particularly old—perhaps in her forties or fifties. Her head was smooth, her yellow robes simple, and her face bore no visible wrinkles.

There were many rumors about the Sorcerer Supreme—that she had lived for tens of millions of years, experienced countless eras, and possessed immortality.

But Blaine knew those were exaggerations—stories that did not hold up under scrutiny. Living for tens of millions of years was, in itself, an obvious impossibility.

He also knew that in her earlier years, for reasons unknown and through some unknown battle, the Ancient One had lost her original path to true immortality. Though her aging was extraordinarily slow and her lifespan extended far beyond normal limits, she was not truly eternal. She would still grow old. She would still die.

At this moment, neither of them trusted the other. Their words carried subtle probes, each testing the other's depth.

This was not Blaine's original intention, but after activating his mind-reading ability, he found that he could not perceive her thoughts at all. His usually infallible technique had failed.

How could that not make him wary?

Especially when facing someone as formidable as the Ancient One—an entity comparable to Dormammu.

And Blaine was not the only one on guard.

At this moment, the Ancient One felt the same.

In this world, there were very few individuals she could not see through.

Rare—so rare that they were almost nonexistent.

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