"Do you know the Daishinkan?"
"I was given a quick summary about the deities and the creation of our Universe. If I'm not mistaken, he can be considered Zeno's assistant."
"He's more of an advisor." Retorted the telepathic voice of the Tribunal. "The Daishinkan plays a crucial role in the flow of the Multiverse. Moreover, having enormous responsibilities, I can affirm with certainty the authenticity of what has been said to me."
"What are you talking about?"
"Soon, a tournament is to take place."
There was silence.
"So what?" Stephen asked. "I don't care about their divine tournaments. We were talking about the survival of the Universe."
"This tournament is about the survival of the Universe. If you decide to compete and win this tournament, our Universe has high hopes of surviving"
The annoyance that Stephen was feeling was replaced with curiosity.
"I want details."
"I do not have the details of which you seek." The Tribunal revealed. "The Daishinkan requested that I unite three warriors from our Universe and transport them to The One Above All's Palace beyond the Multiverse in roughly two Earth hours."
"Why only three fighters?"
"What is to come are only the preliminaries. We are a Pseudo-Universe, thus we must earn the rights to participate in the upcoming tournament of Universes. Though I must add, whichever fighters you choose for the preliminaries cannot participate in the tournament."
The curiosity that Stephen was feeling was once again replaced with annoyance.
"That seems a little unfair, don't you think?"
"The Daishinkan was given very strict orders from The One Above All. Three fighters for the preliminaries, and a full team for the tournament."
"So we have to pass this test without using our most capable fighters? And how many participants do we need for the actual tournament?"
"All will be revealed by the Daishinkan in time. If you are confident in your abilities, I'm sure you will find the warriors you need. Good luck Strange."
Before Stephen could say anything more, his astral form was sucked back into his living body within an instant. Startled, he caught his breath and leaned against the wall, surprising Wong who was standing right beside him.
"Stephen? Are you alright?"
Attempting to collect himself, the former Sorcerer Supreme looked around, and noticed that his comrade and the astral bodies of Odin and the Ancient One were exactly where they had been before he encountered The Living Tribunal.
"How long has it been since I left?"
"Excuse me?" Wong asked.
Seeming as surprised, Odin frowned. Eventually, the trio heard the Ancient One speak up.
"Upon being summoned by The Living Tribunal, only your soul is summoned and finds itself inside a dimension where time flows differently."
"Living Tribunal?" Wong repeated, looking at Stephen. "Did you really meet him?"
In response, Stephen sat down in an ancient royal chair and rested his head in his hands.
"It just never ends does it."
"What's going on? Is our Universe really doomed?"
Remaining silent at first, Stephen repeated everything that was told to him by The Living Tribunal. After hearing the full story, The Ancient One spoke.
"The Living Tribunal and the Daishinkan are forbidden to lie in regards to the potential destruction of a Universe. And if what everything you have said is true then we have no other options. If this is the only way to save our Universe, we must all act."
"And with which fighters?" Stephen asked. "There will be a preliminary test and a tournament. All we know is that we have to gather three fighters for the preliminaries, and those said fighters will not be able to participate in the tournament."
Stephen then looked over at his chessboard, each white piece representing an Avenger still currently active.
"It's not like we're brimming with options. We have no idea how many fighters we'll need. One? Ten? A Hundred? How many fighters do we have available? Tony Stark, T'Challa, Vision and Natasha Romanoff have all passed away. Steve Rogers and Clint Barton are all retired…"
"What about Bruce Banner? His physical strength could definitely come in handy." Wong said.
"Possibly, but he'd be at a disadvantage due to being only able to fight with one arm. Bucky Barnes and Sam Wilson are two possible options, they've both had military training so they could act more on a strategic front, though we don't know how strong these other universes fighters may be."
"What about that kid, Stark took under his wing? What's his name…Peter Parker?"
"Yeah, I know him. I don't think it's the smartest idea. I mean, the kids only sixteen and he's already had to deal with a civil war and the decimation of half the universe. He's only now just getting his life back on track, it wouldn't be fair of me to drag him back into all this. Wanda's gone off the grid and we've been trying to track her for months, wherever she is, she doesn't want to be found and we don't have the time to look for her."
"Alright, let's think on a cosmic scale." Wong said as he paced back and forth. "Carol Danvers."
"I'd much rather save her for the actual tournament, but if push comes to shove we can try to track her down for the preliminaries."
"I assume you'd want to save Thor for the tournament also?"
Stephen nodded. "Thor is definitely a heavy hitter…Think Strange! Who else is there? If this tournament has ten, fifteen or even twenty fighters it's going to become problematic for us."
"Keep a level head Stephen." Odin advised. "The Universe is a big place, there will be fighters aside from the Avengers out there willing to help."
It was as if a light bulb flickered inside of Wong's head. "You know, the Avengers aren't the only capable fighters out there."
"What do you mean?" Stephen asked, confused.
"The preliminaries, I'll participate."
"You?"
"It's not like we have much choice. Besides, the role of the Sorcerer Supreme is to watch over the realms and essentially the entire Universe. You of all people should know this. The preliminaries will be of a much lower level than the actual tournament, a good stage for me to participate."
"Spoken like a true Sorcerer, Master Wong." The Ancient One said.
"Alright, that's one down. Any ideas for two more?"
"Perhaps. We talked about one not long ago."
Wong walked over towards the chessboard, picking up the red piece that Stephen had placed only a few moments ago.
"Avengers potential recruit: Xu Shang-Chi"
"Can we really entrust him with such a mission? Need I remind you that he's barely scratched the surface of his potential, not to mention the risk of using the Rings. They're unstable and we have little knowledge of where they originated."
"I've seen him fight, he has a level of understanding that I've rarely seen in a martial artist. He has a natural born talent that just keeps increasing, a perfect candidate for a preliminary round."
"Alright, I trust you. And the last?"
Wong thought to himself for a few moments before nodding.
"I often train at a place called the 'Golden Daggers Club' in Macau which is run by Shang-Chi's sister, Xu Xialing."
"You know someone there?"
"My training partner, his name is Emil Blonsky."
Stephen looked at him weirdly.
"You mean the crazed super soldier that fought Banner over a decade ago?"
"I've been helping him control his power for a few months now. He's shown signs of improvement, though he could stand to work on his anger management issues. But aside from that he has strength that rivals Banners, plus he has two working arms."
"To be honest I would prefer someone else."
"It's like you said, we don't have many options. Emil will be my responsibility."
"Wong represents intelligence. Emil represents strength and Shang-Chi represents technique." The Ancient One said. "Indeed, it is true that these three fighters complement each other nicely. I must say it's strategically effective."
Stephen was still somewhat unconvinced but now they had three solid names, something that he couldn't complain about. He then nodded.
"I think we're set."
"In that case I advise that you work quickly and return at once. It's unwise to keep The One Above All waiting." Odin said.
"We wish you luck, Sorcerers. We will be watching." The Ancient One said as she herself and Odin disappeared into thin air.
DAMAGE CONTROL SUPERMAX PRISON
After walking through the inter-dimensional portal that Wong had created, the duo found themselves inside the most heavily guarded prison on Earth. The Damage Control Supermax Prison was designed to house some of the most dangerous beings on the planet. Stephen noticed that they were surrounded by more than a dozen cells, each containing a single prisoner. Their presence was quickly realized as the prisoners began to shout out.
"Hey, you! Come free us!" An Extremis Soldier shouted.
"How did you manage to escape!?" A former HYDRA Soldier yelled.
"You're lucky you're out there and I'm in here…" A Black Widow said menacingly.
Stephen and Wong ignored them and continued onward, however one prisoner did catch Stephen's eye. MacDonald "Mac" Gargan, also known as the Scorpion. Stephen didn't know much about him, only that he was one of the first criminals to be taken down by Spider-Man.
"Stephen, come on." Wong said.
Stephen shook his head of cobwebs as the duo approached the main cell in this section of the prison. This cell had double the amount of fortification than the others suggesting that the man inside was dangerous. Inside, the man repeatedly struck the punching bag in front of him with immense blows. He slightly turned his head to see Stephen and Wong watching him, however he simply went back to exercising.
"What do you want?"
"Not even a hello? How rude." Wong said.
In response, Emil brought back his fist and hit the bag with so much force that not only did it split in two, the metal beam hanger that the bag was hanging from bent from the pressure. Emil wiped his face with a rag before turning to the two Sorcerers.
"You know, a lot of people here would love to get their hands on you both."
"You're not curious as to why I've come to see you?"
"No. And I don't care." Emil said bluntly. "For over ten years I've been stuck in this bloody place, I've been in here staring at these walls for so long that I could honestly tell you how many bricks line these walls alone. I feel like by now I should've lost my damn mind."
"No one forced you to take the Super Soldier Serum Emil, that was your own doing."
Emil simply grunted in response. "Look, whatever happened on the outside, I'm innocent."
"Nothing happened. I've actually come with a proposition."
Emil looked at Wong with curiosity, Stephen decided it to be best if he let Wong do the talking.
"Macau?"
"Not exactly, there's a tournament coming up. Could use your help."
Emil sighed as he strolled over to his bed and sat down. "Sounds like a lot of effort. Besides, what's this guy got to do with it." He said, pointing at Stephen.
"Gentleman, I hope I'm not interrupting?"
Stephen and Wong turned around to see over a dozen armed soldiers, all aiming at them with specially designed rifles. In front of the soldiers was the man who was in control of the prison. Secretary Thaddeus E. "Thunderbolt" Ross, former Lieutenant General of the United States Army.
"Secretary." Stephen said with a nod.
"Stephen Strange." Ross replied before looking at Wong. "I thought we were in agreement that any visitation to Mr. Blonsky must be accepted by me Mr. Wong? Do you believe it's the smartest idea to suddenly appear in the middle of a prison?"
"Apologies for the inconvenience Mr. Secretary, but we need Emil." Wong stated.
"May I ask why you're in need with one of my most dangerous prisoners?"
"We're looking to recruit new members into the Avengers Initiative. Following the Blip, the Avengers were sent into disarray, many of its members are either deceased or retired. The rehabilitation of one Emil Blonsky isn't just for fun, we have full plans on making him a member."
Stephen knew that what Wong was saying was far from the truth, in all honesty he found it quite funny. Ross raised an eyebrow.
"Haven't you had enough trouble with Banner in the past?"
"It's because of the Avengers that Dr. Banner was able to figure out a way to control his alter ego. Emil is different in the sense that he can already control himself when in his mutated state, the question is, is he actually ready? Which is why we've devised a few tests so we can get a proper gauge."
"Isn't that for me to decide?" Emil said.
Ross thought for a few moments. "If I refuse, is there a possibility that I return to find that Mr. Blonsky is no longer in his cell?"
"It's probable."
For a moment, Ross looked undecided before sighing. "Mr. Blonsky will be your responsibility, anything that is to happen will be on your shoulders."
"Thank you Mr. Secretary." Wong said with a slight bow.
"I want him back by 8 P.M tonight, not a minute later."
Stephen nodded as he created an inter-dimensional portal inside Emil's cell. Emil stretched as he stood up, taking a few steps forward, now finding himself outside of his cell. He breathed in the fresh air and sighed.
"I could get used to this."
He suddenly felt a strange sensation on his left hand. He noticed that on the dorsal side of his hand was the symbol of a Chinese Dragon.
"The hell is this?"
"A simple restraining spell, it'll prevent you from transforming whenever you want." Wong replied with a smirk.
"Ugh…You're an ass." Emil grunted.
Stephen then created a new portal leading to a location on the opposite side of the planet. As Wong shooed Emil through the portal, Stephen turned back to Ross. "We'll have him back by bedtime." Ross nodded as the portal closed behind Stephen.
KAMAR-TAJ
Emil squinted as the sunlight blinded him briefly, however, once his sight was returned to him, he was greeted by an incredible landscape. The Nepal mountain ranges towering over the training grounds of Kamar-Taj.
"Where the hell are we?" Emil asked.
"We're in Kathmandu, Nepal. Specifically Kamar-Taj. The training grounds for the Masters of the Mystic Arts." Strange replied.
At that moment, a dozen Sorcerers turned towards the group and bowed. Specifically towards the Sorcerer Supreme, Wong. To Emil's shock, a green furred minotaur humanoid walked towards them, stopping in front of Wong and bowing.
"Sorcerer Supreme, to what do we owe the pleasure?"
"Greetings Rintrah, I'm here to see someone."
As Emil watched Wong casually talking to the minotaur, he took a moment to look around. Watching as rows of people practiced creating interdimensional portals with Sling Rings.
"So this is where they practice magic?" Emil asked.
"Do you think what we're doing is magic?" Strange replied.
"I've got no idea. All of it seems incredibly complicated so I'll just call it magic."
After speaking with Rintrah, Wong returned to his comrades.
"We can go see Shang-Chi."
"He's your student so it'd be best if you speak with him, I'll stay here and watch over our friend." Strange replied.
"Thanks for the trust." Emil grunted as he sat down sitting cross-legged on the floor. "Never mind. It's not like I came here for sightseeing."
Wong followed Rintrah, soon finding himself overlooking the main training yard where he saw groups of Sorcerers practicing together. In the middle of the training ground were a dozen Sorcerers who had formed a circle around one man. Standing still, the man known as Shang-Chi carefully observed his opponents. Though his birth name was Xu Shang-Chi, he was known as Shaun to most. Shaun took a lengthy inhale, gesturing with his arms before tracing a semi-circle on the floor with the toes of his right foot. Now assuming a combat stance, he opened his eyes.
That was the signal for his opponents to attack. Using only his hands, Shaun dodged a punch before placing a hand on the assailant's shoulder, spinning him around, rendering him unable to react before throwing him back to where he came from. After parrying a kick, Shaun evaded an attack by a Sorcerer who was wielding an Eldritch spear. Shaun spun around and used the palm of his hand to snap the spear in two before hitting a roundhouse kick, making the Sorcerer stumble back. One by one his opponents tried to take him by surprise or tire him out.
But despite their numbers, they ended up being pushed back whilst their numbers became less and less imposing. Remaining calm, Shaun analyzed their movements, predicted their next moves and formed counterattacks in his mind. Wong watched on as Shaun completely dominated the Sorcerers. Three archers took aim with Eldritch arrows. Shaun sensed the incoming assault, so in quick succession he used his foot to flick an Eldritch spear lying next to him into his hand. The Sorcerers launched their arrows towards him, however, Shaun used the end of the spear to easily knock away each arrow.
Shaun then spun around and threw the spear with all his might. The spear went flying past the archers and cemented itself in one of the many stone pillars surrounding the yard. Allowing his opponents to stand, Shaun bowed to each of them. He then looked over and saw Wong walking towards him.
"Master Wong."
"Shang-Chi."
"I told you to call me Shaun, too many bad memories come with my birth name."
"You cannot run from your past. Let me give you some advice, never forget what you are or where you came from. The rest of the world will not. Wear it like armor, and it can never be used to hurt you."
There was a long silence, the younger of the two then spoke up.
"It's not like you to come unannounced."
"Not a fan of surprise visits?"
"Whenever you come without letting me know in advance it usually means you have some sort of news to share." Shaun looked Wong up and down, as if scanning him. "So what's going on? Have you made a new discovery regarding my fathers rings?"
In response, Wong gestured to him to follow. "Let's have a talk."
…
"Preliminaries? I feel like a second rate soldier."
Despite Emil's grunts, Stephen remained in a cross-legged position, hovering above the ground. Having to think, he tried to plan the first preparations for the upcoming tournament. Unable to use his powers to see into the future, he could only speculate how many people he would need. But in any case, he was sure he had to bring together the most powerful people he knew. And the first of them was at the other end of the universe.
"Carol Danvers is going to be difficult to track down, since she can move faster than the speed of light it'll take a serious concentration spell to try and find her. Though…I do know someone that may be able to find her easier."
"Do you always talk to yourself?" Emil asked.
"You should be happy that you're even participating, you weren't even on my list. Wong put in a good word for you."
"So Wong came up with this idea then? You must really be desperate."
"I have to admit, if the Avengers hadn't suffered so many setbacks, we wouldn't have had any reason to come to you."
"Doctor Strange?"
Startled, the two men turned to see a young woman standing in front of them. She stared at Stephen with a certain sparkle in her eyes.
"It's you, isn't it? Is it really you? Holy shit dude, I am your biggest fan."
"Oh? Whose honor do I have?"
"My name is Katy Chen."
…
"So from what you've told me, Thanos would have saved the Universe." Shaun said.
"Essentially. Would you agree with that?"
"Not at all. Just like the rest of the world, Katy lost half of her family and I also lost a lot of my friends. Sacrificing half of the Universal population was not the solution we wanted."
"In that case, are you ready to help us?"
"I don't know if I can give you an answer, I don't know if I'm ready for such a responsibility."
"If you weren't ready, I wouldn't have come here. You've shown significant improvement in your training. You fight with honor and courage and to protect those around you. I truly believe that you are more than ready to take up the mantle."
For a moment, Shaun looked undecided but soon nodded.
"I planned on visiting my sister today after I had finished my training. There's nothing worse than having to face her when she's pissed. Last time she was angry at me she beat me in a fight and uploaded it on the web."
"Mm, I was there when it happened, I'll admit, even I admire her ferocious tenacity."
Shaun chuckled a little and turned to his teacher.
"So if we lose, our Universe is destined to die?"
"It's entirely possible."
"If that's the case then I suggest we get this over with quickly so I don't have to keep Xu Xialing waiting."
SANCTUM SANCTORUM
A few minutes later the group returned to the Sanctum.
"It was nice of you to give Katy an autograph." Shaun said to Stephen.
"If I'm being honest with you kid, it was just so she'd leave me alone…not used to that much attention."
"I was wondering when you would show up."
The group was startled by the sudden voice that they didn't recognize. Stephen looked and saw a much older man who must've at least been in his nineties, sitting in a chair reading a book dubbed 'Stan Lee: True Believer'. Stepping forward, Wong created two Tao Mandalas. However, Stephen stopped him as he could sense the old man's aura, it was the same as The Living Tribunals.
"I didn't expect you to look so different." Strange admitted.
"Is this him?" Wong asked to which Stephen nodded.
"My fifth-dimensional form cannot be perceived by three-dimensional beings, thus you see me in a form that's best perceived by you. I only allowed you to see my true self due to the fact that we were outside of the dimensional fabric."
Stephen noticed that not only did his appearance change but the Tribunal's entire personality had changed along with it.
"If I remember correctly, three warriors were asked for this event." The Tribunal said as he pointed out the four of them.
"I'm only here to spectate, I want to witness what The One Above All has to say about the tournament."
"Very well, as long as you don't interfere."
Suddenly, in a flash of blinding light, the group was transported from the Sanctum Sanctorum to a realm beyond their imagination.