Kaecilius suddenly froze because something strange was happening. The space beneath his feet was shifting backward, but his own body was gradually slowing until he came to a full stop. The space around him stopped too, as if syncing with his stillness.
His face turned serious.
Raising his right hand, he clenched his fist tightly. A blade of space formed instantly. With deliberate control, he slashed forward—and with a sharp crack, dozens of razor-thin ice shards appeared in midair.
Just thirty centimeters ahead of him was a thin ice spike made from these near-invisible flakes. If he hadn't reacted in time, the spike would've pierced his throat in the next second or two.
Sure, a throat wound wouldn't kill someone like him outright. But it would stop him from casting his most dangerous spells—and in a battle like this, that pause would be fatal.
Then a cold voice whispered in his ear, "Looking for me?"
Before Kaecilius could react, Mjolnir crashed into his ribs from the side.
The impact lifted him off the ground and sent him flying. Pain shot through his entire body.
This wasn't a fair fight.
Kaecilius was strong—on paper, a legendary-level mage—but his power came from Dormammu's forced enhancement. His blade of space was deadly, but Mjolnir hit like a truck.
Truth was, Daniel couldn't match Kaecilius with raw power alone. Without Mjolnir, he'd be outmatched. But Kaecilius wouldn't have reached his level without Dormammu's cheat code, either. They both relied on outside help.
That hit broke several of Kaecilius's ribs. Lightning surged into his body and started tearing him apart from the inside.
Daniel stepped forward but didn't chase. Instead, he sent Mjolnir flying toward Kaecilius again.
But just before it hit, Kaecilius raised his left hand—the one with the black ring—and pushed forward. It was like shoving a wall.
Suddenly, the space between him and Mjolnir shattered like glass. The hammer slammed into the broken fragments and got momentarily stuck.
Daniel didn't flinch. His eyes locked on Kaecilius, waiting.
A second later, Mjolnir burst through the shattered space, barely delayed.
In the real world, maybe that move would've worked. But here in the Mirror Dimension, the space was weaker. All Kaecilius managed to do was stall.
Daniel could see it clearly now: this was Karma Taj magic. Impressive space manipulation, for sure. But the Mirror Dimension was fragile. Against someone like Daniel—who understood spatial power and had an artifact like Mjolnir—it just wasn't enough.
Maybe this is why Strange later chose sacrifice when facing Thanos, Daniel thought briefly.
Then his eyes widened.
Mjolnir had just passed straight through Kaecilius.
A fake.
In that brief delay, Kaecilius had used a spell to leave a decoy. He was already gone—and Daniel hadn't even noticed him casting it.
That wasn't surprising. Within the Mirror Dimension, illusions like this could completely block perception.
But Daniel calmly stretched out his hand. Mjolnir stopped midair and flew back toward him.
Right then, a thin flash of light zipped through the air. Mjolnir jerked and flew downward instead. A few seconds later, it corrected its course and returned to Daniel.
He smirked.
Kaecilius had tried to throw it off course to stop Daniel from regaining control.
He was probably sneaking closer, trying to stay out of sight and away from Mjolnir. But that also meant he was moving slower, splitting his focus between stealth and disruption.
It didn't matter.
Still smirking, Daniel ran his left hand over the jewel at the top of his staff.
A cold wind suddenly erupted from his body, sweeping outward.
In moments, frost spread across every inch of the space.
"There you are," Daniel muttered, looking up.
Above him, Kaecilius appeared, aiming his space blade right at Daniel's head.
But before he could land the blow, a pale blue light shot up aiming toward his chest.
It was an ice sword.
Kaecilius was stunned. This guy was a powerful mage… and a swordsman?
Karma Taj mages were trained in close combat. That was part of what made them dangerous. But Daniel's strike was skillful and precise.
Kaecilius still tried to strike with the blade of space, going for Daniel's head. But Daniel didn't back down. His only goal now was to finish it—even if it meant taking a hit himself.
Kaecilius didn't have time to distort space again. At this distance, any spatial attack would affect them both—and he wasn't sure Daniel was even still standing there.
With a loud crack, the ice sword shattered against the blade of space. The shards scattered, some cutting across Kaecilius' face before he knocked them away.
Then he heard it—the wind behind his head.
His eyes filled with disappointment.
But he vanished a split-second before Mjolnir slammed into him. The hammer rocketed forward, then suddenly skipped past a long stretch of space and appeared right next to Daniel.
He caught it with one hand. Instantly, his body lit up with flowing lightning, crackling with energy. He swung Mjolnir through the air, lightning trailing behind in a wide arc.
He wasn't playing anymore.
But this was still the Mirror Dimension. If Kaecilius truly wanted to hide, he could.
Unless he moved. The moment he did, the shifting space energy would give away his location.
So Kaecilius stayed put—silent, waiting, maybe unsure… or just stalling.
Then, out of nowhere, a golden dimensional gate opened.
Daniel looked toward it.
Two figures burst through—Maria Hill and Rumlow, weapons ready.
They had already entered the secured vault earlier, but something was off. All the corpses were still there, but both the attacker and Daniel had vanished.
It didn't make sense. No one could've left—the space was sealed.
That left only one explanation.
Both Maria and Rumlow were seasoned SHIELD operatives. Maria had earned her Level 9 status through countless missions—so tough even Nick Fury had personally approved her promotion.
Rumlow, though officially a Level 7 agent, had authority beyond that. As SHIELD's Rapid Response Commander, he had access to top-secret files.
He even knew of Karma Taj.
Most world leaders did, but no one could find their location. They were a mystery.
Rumlow had worked a case in Nepal once—one that ended with an entire village wiped out. SHIELD traced it to a Karma Taj mage.
Nick Fury's files mentioned the Mirror Dimension clearly. Only that could explain a scene like this.
Now, standing inside it, Maria and Rumlow were on full alert.
The golden portal had reopened—meaning something had changed.
They exchanged a glance and, without a word, stepped through together.