Twenty-one sorcerers vs a guy who has been learning magic for two weeks didn't go as it would have sounded on the cover.

It started with a barrage of spells coming my way. I stood my ground and cast my largest [Shield] into existence.

I had refined the Shield spell and now it was multilayered, interwoven with wards and simply put thick enough to withstand multiple missiles.

[Spell Learned: Dark Energy Blasts]

"Do you guys have a group name? It's for my internal monologue, you see."

"Chain your attacks, you idiots." Spoke the growly voice of the leader guy admonishing his followers.

I increased the strength of my shields and waited for the barrage. I knew [Group Casting], an utterly useless skill considering I was fighting alone but didn't know chained attacks.

Imagine my surprise when the next bolt that hit my shield almost cracked it. Almost. Or maybe not.

It did squat if I was being honest. Recreating the shield was a child's task.

I saw the surprise on their faces as their combined spell didn't do a thing. I didn't even gain a new skill or a spell because "chained attack" was the same as group casting.

"You guys have to create a standardised nomenclature for your spells. It's not chained casting, it's group casting." I lectured and saw them tense.

"You five spread out and take the arrogant sorcerer down." ordered the leader. And here I was hoping that they would all stay clumped up and directly in front of me.

I dropped my great shield and put on the dome shield again as the five he pointed at surrounded me and he tried to move on with the rest.

Only to be surprised when none of their sling rings worked.

You see, I was really into warding. Warding against all sorts of attacks, especially someone teleporting into my room when I didn't want them to.

"[Ward: Sling-ring Teleportation]"

I had cast it for the entire library, my current range for that ward. I would have to find out who the guy was especially since the eyes he looked at me at that moment reminded me of another pair of eyes that had looked at me during my arrival.

However, he didn't look interested in fighting me at that moment. Instead of teleporting he tried to just walk away with his followers after a single look around.

"It is a temporary ward around the library, keep walking."

[Spell Learned: Greater Dark Energy Blast]

I was moving to intercept when one of my opposing mages cast a decently charged energy blast at me. This one did crack my shield enough that I grew worried.

I focused on the five surrounding me. Two of them were preparing spells as three moved towards me with weapons conjured in their arms.

Though they were dreaming if I they thought I would put down my shield and meet them hand to hand.

I took a deep breath and started casting.

—

"[Physical Enhancement], [Wind of Kado], [Conjure Fire], [Lazer Party]."

The last one was of my own make, if you couldn't tell. I had modelled it after cyclops' power after finding a reference to a "dimension where all there was this red energy that knocked people away when touched."

I had stopped standing in a single position and was running around as I cast those. I had looked for something that would let me fly but hadn't found any spells to help me with it.

[Wind of Kado] and [Lazer Party] did what I wanted them to, both of them knocked out who I was aiming it at. It worked because neither of them were stopped by the default sorcerer shields.

[Conjure Fire] was less useful since the sorcerer I had sent it at had absorbed the attack with something of his own.

[Spell Learned: Energy Absorption (Lesser)]

It was actually a good thing since that taught me [Energy Absorbtion]. I was able to weave that new spell into my own [Dome Shield] before the second volley of spells from the two standing farther away from me could hit me.

There was one melee guy left and two proper sorcerers.

The melee guy charged at me as I poured more mana into my shield as more of the dark energy blasts hit me.

Here was a fun thing about melee sorcerers I had noticed. They didn't look up. Or down.

"[Conjure grass]"

I spoke and created a shoot of grass tied together in front of the charging melee guy who I was keeping a good distance from. Just simple grass. Tied together. Placed at just the right space to trip him on his face.

For a second we all stopped. He had hit his chin on the way down and was bleeding profusely onto the floor.

I chucked as I cast more [Conjure grass] and effectively locked him from moving. I also made sure to [Conjure grass] around the other two that I had knocked down as well.

More spells uselessly hit my dome as I turned to the other sorcerers and spoke.

"Now that only the real sorcerers are left, you guys want to show me a new spell or two?"

"Who are you? I don't recall a sorcerer of your ability in my time." One of them asked me and since they were ignoring my question, I ignored his.

I bought my hands up towards my two opponents and spoke.

"[Greater Dark Energy Blast]"

They fell down as they stood.

—

I rushed behind where the rest of them had gone. I walked through halls of hurt and dead students. I knew that just the time stone wouldn't be enough to bring back the hurt ones so I kept on the enemy's track.

I found myself in front of three great doors that lead to the 'sanctums' that protected the Earth and then I knew what they were going to do.

They were going to weaken the protections around three of them, my heart thudded in my chest I knew enough to know the implications of what would happen if they were able to do it.

I chose a door at random and walked through it hoping that I wasn't too late.

—

And I was too late. The protector of the New York sanctum lay dead. The leader, Kaecilius, had the ancient one and Mordo dead on his feet. And had a large glowing ball of energy in his hand.

[Spell: Celestial Inferno- 60% analysed]

Fuck. I couldn't let him go ahead with his plan.

"[Chains of Krakkan]" I spoke and a hundred chains broke were summoned and shot towards Kaecilius.

Only to be intercepted by his gaggle of followers.

Energy bolts came at me and I put up my greatest spell shield again.

"[Mists of Munnopor]" I created an obscuring mist around me that only I could see through and tried to get close to Kaecilius before he could finish casting.

I didn't get close before someone in the group cast an unobscuring spell.

[Spell Learned: Truthseeker's Lantern]

This time I was close enough to the enemy sorcerers when I was unobscured by the closest enemy sorcerer. Ignored my shield using some sort of anti-shield skill that I didn't see him cast and threw me.

As I went flying, as I desperately cast spells to cushion my fall and as I started at the evergrowing orb of energy in Kaecilius's hands all I could think was that I had fucked up somehow and somewhere.

—

I crashed into a glass case and only the last-minute shield I had cast along with the [Physical Enhancement] I cast had saved me.

The orb grew brighter in the distance. And some sorcerers were on their way to intercept me.

I shakily stood up and started casting again.

"[Wind of Kado], [Conjure Fire], [Lazer Party] and umm—[Slippery Floor]."

The large guy who had thrown me the first time jumped towards me. He jumped impossibly high and came down on me with a fist strong enough to crack me if it hits me. I poured more mana into my [Physical Enhancement] since I knew he could bypass my shield somehow.

Only to not need it when a red—cape, intercepted the jumping man in mid-air and threw him to the side.

Finally, my gift kicked in and told me what was happening with that guy.

[Skill Learned: Ignore Magical Defenses]

Delightfully straightforward and definitely useful. I cast it on myself. I would need to actually work on this one to get it working with my other spells or skills.

I looked over at the [Celestial Inferno], it seemed—half-formed.

[Spell: Celestial Inferno- 87% analysed.]

It wasn't looking like I could stop him without using an infinity stone outside of whatever protection Kamar-Taj had. I opened the Eyes of Agamoto.

And I rewinded the progress Kaecilius had made with his spell.

And that finally got his attention. He started at me as someone he can't ignore. Ten of his followers still stood but to my relief, more sorcerers from Kamar Taj were coming through to keep them company.

"Sorcerer, I do not know your name."

"Strange."

He nods. I knew names had little value outside of when communing with the fae.

"Good. Strange, would you not join us? Our crusade is the most righteous one there is. I will summon Lord Dormamu to our reality. He will bring a land free from the ravages of time. A prosperous land without death or destruction. Your Ancient One lied to you. She told you to keep away from the true mysteries of the universe as she hoarded resources for herself. She prolonged her life and kept that gift away from anyone but herself."

So it was Dormammu I was going to be dealing with. I sighed.

"Come on. We both know you are not interested in getting me to your side. Let's just get started."

To my surprise, he looked sad. He—he actually thought I might have changed my stance and let him invite Dormammu of all entities. That's what a zealot was, I suppose.

He was preparing something, I could tell. My gift parsed it as the flying red cape came and rested on my shoulder.

[Skill: Boon of the Dark Dimension - 31% analysed.]

I only had enough time to think, that it was the most complex skill I had encountered so far. Then he started bending reality.