At an altitude of 2500 meters above Times Square, in the heart of New York.
Shii shii shii.
The sound of dimensional doors opening echoed from dozens of sling rings around my body, which was floating with the cloak of the Sorcerer Supreme. Those who stepped out from the portals were disciples of the New York Sanctum, wearing dark reddish-brown battle suits woven with enchanted fibers, overlaid with chains of magical armor. The armor was coated with a special silver finish that maintained stable temperature between -50 and 250 degrees Celsius, protecting the wearer from any external influence.
It was the new battle uniform I had developed, and there were optional accessories for customization.
Like Wong, who was flying beside me with the newly improved levitation boots. They now included two new life-protection enchantments. One, if the boots detached from the wearer or detected an uncontrolled fall, they would instantly warp the wearer back to the emergency ward's expanded dimension at the New York Sanctum. Two, if the magical mechanism failed, the mechanical system would deploy a thick magic-infused rubber cushion around the body like an eggshell to prevent impact.
There were also glasses, necklaces, bracelets, rings, and other items with special attributes depending on how each user chose to adapt them. Even the weapons stored in the New York Sanctum had been dusted off, studied, improved, and distributed to every disciple without restriction. No more ranking systems or qualification rules like before.
"I never thought I'd protect New York from another interdimensional threat again... How many times has it been this month?" Wong asked, his tone slightly worried. "Never before has any year seen two dimensional invasions in the same place this close together."
"The last time it was the Chitauri. What alien race will it be this time?"
"Or maybe a sorcerer from the other side of the world trying to play around, poking through this fragile dimension for fun?"
"Whoever they are, we'll give it our all."
"Ha ha, my Staff of Watoomb is calling for battle."
"My Staff of One is itching to show its power too!"
The disciples spoke with excitement, no longer anxious or fearful like during the first Chitauri invasion. It was good that they'd adapted quickly. Still... weren't they being a little too careless?
I frowned slightly, making a mental note to give them a proper lecture after this about the duty of a true guardian of the world.
Looking down, I saw S.H.I.E.L.D. already sealing off the area, just like during the Queens incident. Snipers had taken positions on rooftops, helicopters patrolled above ready to open fire, and a tank battalion was advancing from the west, expected to arrive in 30 minutes at their current pace.
'Because New York was attacked in 2012 before, they're so quick to prepare now,' I thought, nodding in satisfaction at the city's readiness and efficiency. More than half the civilians had already been evacuated.
'Good, if only the politicians don't order another NUKE strike. Last time Iron Man carried the bomb into the portal. This time, it'd be me or the sorcerer team opening a portal to send the NUKE somewhere else... Maybe... the Pentagon. The place where the defense department gives those launch orders. Heh.'
If I could return to my old world and open a portal to send a BUSTER CALL shell back to destroy Marineford, that would be quite entertaining. Too bad... Sengoku the Fleet Admiral, Corazon's foster father, was there.
'Then maybe I'll open one to Doflamingo instead. Heh heh heh.'
As I entertained that thought, I didn't forget to extend my magical senses and Haki observation toward the dimensional rift. And then I froze — the energy signature felt disturbingly familiar. But before I could identify it, it was too late.
Shii... shi shi shi...
Whooooshhhhhhhh!
Whaaaaaa!
Screams erupted as the levitation enchantments failed all at once. Even my own Cloak of Levitation lost consciousness... Yes, my cloak had its own mind and will. But the mysterious energy wave — from the same dimension as the 4 Tomahawk group chasing ABX-257 — spread out, instantly disabling all magic in the area and expanding to cover nearly all of New York.
Luckily, the protective enchantments of the New York Sanctum activated as designed. Whenever an interdimensional invasion or strange energy appeared, it would form a special dome to contain it within New York. I reinforced it further by drawing power from the Time Stone to separate the city's time-space from the outside world for 24 full hours. After that, the dome would dissolve and merge both timelines back together.
Those outside the dome wouldn't notice a thing. For them, only a split second would have passed, while we — the sorcerers — had 24 hours to solve the crisis, repair everything, and erase the citizens' memories of what happened.
"Didn't think that mechanism would activate this fast. I just set it up myself," I muttered while walking midair with my own leg strength — using the Moon Walk, one of the six secret techniques of the Marines. I'd been trying to teach it to the Kamar-Taj disciples, though only Wong and Mordo could manage it for short bursts.
"What's going on? Magic isn't working at all!" Wong tried to summon the Shield of Seraphim as a platform for the falling disciples, but nothing appeared. "Even the warp link to the Sanctum is dead!"
"Remember what I told you... about ABX-257?"
"I remember," Wong nodded. "Don't tell me..."
Before he could finish, a portal opened, and a humanoid figure stepped out — head engulfed in blue-white flames, wearing a black suit and light-blue tie, but from the waist down clad in a short white Greek-style tunic with a red-edged golden sash. The upper half looked modern, the lower half ancient.
"So this is the world where ABX-257 escaped to... The amount of magical energy here is sufficient. Worth devouring," it said in a deep, echoing voice like one speaking inside an ancient stone amphitheater. Then it turned toward us and laughed.
"Heh heh. Opening a portal at high altitude and watching sorcerers fall — always such a pleasant sight."