"What's happening?" Strange asked loudly. "What's going on?"
Wong and Mordo quickly opened the doors to all three Sanctums, confirmed everything appeared secure, then closed them.
"It's not coming from any Sanctum..." Mordo muttered, clearly uncertain about the source.
All six turned as a young sorceress in her early twenties rushed into the chamber with panic written across her face.
Mordo immediately approached her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "What's wrong?"
"Kamar-Taj," she gasped. "It's under attack!"
Mordo's expression turned horrified. "Who? Kaecilius?"
"Pretty bold move, don't you think?" Robbie said, unwinding the chain from his chest and letting it dangle from his hand. "Didn't we just say—"
"No. Not him," the young sorceress interrupted. "It's worse."
Celeste's eyes widened as she realized who would dare assault the primary stronghold of the Mystic Arts.
"Muur," she said aloud.
"Shit, we're going!" Bucky said, breaking into a run without warning.
Robbie immediately followed, with Celeste and Mordo close behind.
"Wait, wait, what?" Strange said with a hint of fear. "Muur? That guy you just mentioned who has dozens of demons inside his body?"
"Yes," Wong said, clasping his hands together to form a glowing sphere. "Doctor Strange, I would appreciate your assistance if you're willing."
Though hesitation showed in his eyes, Strange stepped forward and raised his hands.
"What are we doing?" he asked.
"Erecting a barrier to repel any creatures Muur sends against us," Wong said bluntly. "Mirror my hand movements in the opposite direction."
Strange could only nod, still visibly startled by the unfolding situation, and began mimicking Wong's gestures—albeit in the reverse pattern he'd instructed.
Meanwhile, Bucky sprinted toward Kamar-Taj's exit, wielding a glowing staff and wearing some kind of bracer on his metal wrist.
With his super-soldier enhanced legs, he raced ahead of most others, with only Robbie, Mordo, and Celeste keeping pace.
They soon reached the exit and burst out of the sanctum to witness Rakghouls terrorizing the people of Kathmandu.
"Rely on the Force," Celeste whispered in horror.
It didn't take long for Bucky and the others to realize these Rakghouls ravaging the city weren't the typical strain they'd encountered before.
Most had grotesque tendrils and appendages sprouting from them.
Some possessed serpentine tails, others bore curving goat horns. There were bat wings, overly muscular arms, and other indescribable limbs belonging to no known animal found on Earth.
"Great. They're all infused with demonic energy now," Robbie said, igniting his chains with hellfire before whipping the nearest demonically-enhanced Rakghoul.
The chain pierced straight through the Rakghoul's chest and rapidly coiled around the corrupted creature, which was quickly reduced to ash.
"We need to get these people to safety," Bucky shouted over the chaos. "Contain these bastards in one area and stop them from spreading this damn plague further."
"Oh, hell!" Robbie said in horror, looking ahead.
All eyes turned toward a street engulfed in flames and terror...
And Rakghouls literally erupting from the ground itself, appearing increasingly demonic.
"Damn," Barnes couldn't help but say. "He's not even infecting people anymore. He's just creating them directly."
"We must eliminate them immediately," Mordo stressed.
Celeste nodded, igniting her lightsaber. "Yes, we should—"
Before she could finish, golden symbols suddenly descended upon the large gathering of mystics.
The symbols infused each sorcerer, disappearing upon contact with their bodies, and a golden aura surrounded everyone.
Then the air around them seemed to crack and fracture, and out stepped none other than the Ancient One.
The Sorcerer Supreme.
She stood facing the growing army of Rakghouls with steely determination.
The Ancient One glanced back at her many students and two guests residing at Kamar-Taj.
"These runes will protect you from the Rakghoul plague," she announced, her voice amplified by magic for all to hear. "Mordo, your mission is evacuating this city's people to safety. Use the Waters of Idunn to aid those already infected. The rest of you—destroy every Rakghoul you encounter. They will show you no mercy."
Mordo nodded and called out loudly, prompting most sorcerers on his right to follow him.
The remainder divided into groups of three to seven and dispersed across Kathmandu.
Only Bucky, Celeste, and Robbie remained with the Ancient One.
"How long will your ward last?" Robbie asked immediately.
"You needn't concern yourself with that, Mr. Reyes," the Ancient One said. "Zarathos will simply burn the plague away from you regardless."
"Well, no point holding back then." Robbie looked skyward, and instantly Ghost Rider replaced him.
He proceeded to use his hellfire to propel himself airborne, hurling his flaming chain to snare a flying Rakghoul and drag it down to incinerate.
Bucky assessed the situation, then snorted. "I doubt it'll last forever, but I'll make use of every second."
The Ancient One chuckled. "I am the Sorcerer Supreme, Mr. Barnes. It will endure as long as I will it."
"Glad to hear it," Bucky said, spinning his staff. A blade extended from the staff's end and swiftly pierced the skull of a Rakghoul lunging at him.
Celeste charged forward, using spell-enhanced Force telekinesis to pull a Rakghoul closer so she could bisect it with her lightsaber.
The Ancient One observed this calmly, hearing a violent humming sound from behind.
She glanced back at Kamar-Taj, now glowing with a mystical barrier freshly erected around the entire structure.
"Wong," the Ancient One thought with a smile. "Ever thorough."
Without even looking, the Ancient One raised her hand. A complex symbol materialized and expanded into a shield, blocking the Rakghoul lunging at her.
The Sorcerer Supreme slowly rotated her hand and clenched it into a fist.
In response, the magical barrier blocking the Rakghoul before her ensnared the demonic Sith spawn and began crushing it.
It shrieked loudly and writhed in agony as the sickening sounds of burning flesh and breaking bones filled the air before it was reduced to nothing.
The Ancient One then extended her other hand, forming a glowing runic fan, and opened her clenched fist to create another.
She gracefully leaped into the air and began releasing spells in all directions, targeting every Rakghoul she could perceive or sense.
Elsewhere, Bucky, Celeste, and Robbie battled a horde of Rakghouls bound together by Ghost Rider's molten chains.
Those at the cluster's edge were burned directly by the superheated metal, while those in the center struggled desperately to break free.
As some began leaping clear, Celeste and Bucky eliminated them in rapid succession.
Once the numbers diminished, Robbie yanked his chains—the links blazing with hellfire—melting Rakghoul flesh and tearing them apart.
On Mordo's front, several of his students escorted civilians away from the battle while he acted as vanguard.
Any Rakghoul foolish enough to pursue them was met by Master Mordo's formidable might.
He dispatched another Rakghoul and looked up to see two more charging him, only for micro-portals to appear instantaneously, closing just as quickly as they'd opened.
The portals sealed within the ghouls' torsos, bisecting them cleanly.
From another portal emerged Wong and a visibly reluctant Doctor Strange.
"How severe is the situation?" Wong asked immediately.
"Chaos," Mordo said bluntly. "Muur is summoning Rakghouls directly—not just infecting people with the plague. Worse, they're markedly different from what we've encountered before."
Wong understood instantly. He conjured a portal for one Rakghoul to leap through, then created another for it to emerge and collide with a fellow Sith-spawned creature, tearing into it with its teeth.
Strange observed all this with deep consternation on his face.
"Stephen," Mordo said, his voice firm, capturing his attention. "You're a physician, aren't you? Some civilians have been evacuated to safety—they're undoubtedly wounded. Find them and see what you can do medically. If necessary, use your sorcery to suppress the plague in any infected."
The surgeon hesitated briefly, but upon seeing a brother and sister being escorted to safety, his expression hardened. He immediately and resolutely pursued them.
"We need to locate Muur," Mordo said. "He's undoubtedly here somewhere."
"It shouldn't prove difficult to find him unless he's concealing his presence," Wong said, releasing a spell that sliced through several Rakghouls. "The priority is containing and destroying these rampaging spawn."
"Then let's continue," Mordo said, leaping high with the Vaulting Boots of Valtorr and striking down a flying Rakghoul with the Staff of the Living Tribunal.
Wong, along with several other sorcerers and apprentices, summoned multiple portals to traverse and attack the Rakghouls rampaging through Kathmandu.