Marvel: The Ultimate Superman-Chapter 169. Learnable, But Only the Dark Magic Version

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When they said "Black Queen," Nolan instantly knew who they meant Selene Gallio, the shadow that once stood second only to Sebastian Shaw in the Hellfire Club's dark hierarchy.

The Club had crumbled after Shaw's death. Its surviving members scattered into obscurity, or worse... into hiding. But Nolan knew some were still out there. Immortals like Selene didn't just vanish.

And then there was Azazel the so-called "Red Devil." His origins were still shrouded, but the power he wielded? Worth dissecting.

Nolan watched the expressions on Charles and Hank as realization dawned.

They thought Nolan was just a genius. Maybe an overpowered mimic. A man who copied powers with science and tech, not magic.

But now?

He wasn't just a mimic.

He was a sorcerer.

A powerful one possibly more potent than Wanda, who just unleashed raw Chaos Magic capable of rewriting reality.

Charles swallowed. This shattered everything he'd believed about Nolan's limitations.

Nolan saw it in their eyes and said plainly, "The world is deeper than you know. You're lucky the Phoenix didn't destroy it. There are beings who would've stepped in."

"Like you?" Charles asked, skeptical.

Nolan smirked. "No. Someone like the Ancient One would've handled Jean."

He paused.

"Mirror Dimension. Infinite recursion. Boom contained."

Charles looked shaken. But Nolan wasn't finished.

"You didn't teach Jean to control it," he said, eyes cold. "You locked her away from it. You were afraid. If the Phoenix chose her, she deserved to master it not be imprisoned. Just like Wanda."

Wanda tilted her head. "Jean? Who's she? Girl or guy?"

"Girl," Nolan said. "Phoenix Force host. Same Omega-class level as you. She had potential just like you. Different styles, same scale."

Wanda narrowed her eyes. "You comparing me to her?"

Nolan caught the warning in her voice and quickly changed the subject, He narrowed his eyes with a quick thought.

"Why are you all still here?" he asked, glancing at the X-Men trio. "Want me to write you a formal invitation to leave?"

Truthfully, he'd been waiting for Erik to show up so that he could test Wanda's emotions. Her progress was too slow, held back by the constant mess the Avengers kept dragging her into.

They saw her as a trump card. A weapon to deploy when things spiraled out of control.

No one was training her. No one was helping her grow.

Not properly.

Earth's defenders were too busy playing heroes. If they'd spent a fraction of that energy improving themselves, maybe Thanos wouldn't have walked in like he owned the place.

Erik turned to Wanda. "So... it's true. You're really my daughter?"

She retreated behind Nolan like a shadow. "I don't have a father," she said, voice icy.

Even if the DNA lined up, she wasn't interested in a reunion. The man who mattered now was in front of her, not someone who abandoned her in a lab.

Charles stepped in, gently. "Wanda, he's still your father. That connection... it means something."

"Stop." Nolan raised a hand. "Don't do that. Erik didn't raise her. Didn't protect her. Blood alone means nothing."

He looked Erik dead in the eye. "You want her to call you 'Dad'? Earn it."

Before the melodrama could drag on like a CW season finale, Nolan clapped his hands.

Three glowing portals lit up beneath Charles, Hank, and Erik.

Fwoomp.

They vanished.

Wanda blinked. "Where'd they go?"

"Dropped them in an alley near Midtown. They'll be fine."

She beamed. "Can you teach me how to do that?"

"You can learn," Nolan replied. "But first we're going to meet someone."

"Who?" she asked. freēwēbnovel.com

"Earth's Sorcerer Supreme. My teacher."

He raised his hand, conjuring a portal that shimmered into Kamar-Taj.

Wong and Mordo weren't there this time. Just the Ancient One, seated peacefully behind a tea table with three cups already waiting.

She smiled as they entered.

"Come," she said warmly. "Sit."

Wanda hesitated, nervous in the presence of someone with such gravity. It felt like meeting Nolan's mother if his mother were an immortal bald monk who could rewrite fate.

"This isn't regular tea," the Ancient One said gently, sliding a cup toward Wanda. "It's milk tea. You might like it better."

"Thank you," Wanda murmured, taking a seat beside Nolan and mimicking his posture.

The Ancient One nodded in approval. "Congratulations," she said to Nolan. "You've stepped forward on your path. You've done well."

Nolan bowed his head. "Master... I want to teach her."

"I know." The Ancient One sipped her tea. "You may. But she'll need to interpret the dark magic variant of the teachings. It can't be handed to her. She must uncover it herself."

"And time magic?" Nolan asked.

Her smile faded. "Absolutely not. No one short of multiversal ascension should ever tamper with time."

"But what if she's... you know..." Nolan made a buzzing sound to avoid speaking his name.

The Ancient One narrowed her eyes. "Even if she is the favorite child of that one... invoking him directly is dangerous. Names hold power."

"Even here?"

"Even in this sanctum," she confirmed. "Despite the Vishanti's protection, this place is still tethered to the arcane balance. Speaking his name too many times might attract his gaze. And his gaze... is a curse."

Nolan bowed again. "Understood."

"As Sorcerer Supreme," she continued, "you must remember: anyone who tampers with the time stream becomes your enemy. Regardless of motive."

He responded solemnly. "Yes, Master."

"But if it's Dormammu?" she added casually. "Call him a dog if you like. He's not on the same level as the Vishanti. If you offend him fight him. Brutally."

Nolan grinned. The Ancient One always had a way of being terrifyingly practical.

"Then to bring Pietro back," he asked, "Wanda can't use time. Only soul magic?"

"Yes," the Ancient One said. "But for that... she'll need to venture into Helheim."

Nolan's eyes narrowed.

So it was true.

The key to resurrection wasn't just in the body... but the spirit.

And that spirit now wandered the land of the dead.

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