Cruel to Be Kind is the fourth Quest in Act 7 Chapter 3: A Matter of Time, and was released on October 13, 2021. It contains 6 paths and has 7 Opponents per path, with Sorcerer Supreme 
, Symbiote Supreme or Doctor Strange as the final boss.
It is preceded by 7.3.3: Bootstrap and succeeded by 7.3.5: All Ravens Are Black.
Dialogue[]
Carina: Alright. You can come with us, Gwen. But only on the condition that you follow orders from now on.
Gwenpool: Understood! Gwenpool: If you don’t mind me asking, though: Why do we even need the Doc’s help? Your powers are all about controlling ISO and the Battlerealm, can’t you just kinda... fix it? Carina: Reality and cosmic causality are fickle things, Gwen. Trying to brute force reality to suit your desires tends to damage it; your actions being a prime example. Carina: More to that, if Kang’s Paradox Engine is drawing power from the damage present in spacetime--like he claims--then he would reap the benefit of any effort I make. Gwenpool: I see... Wow, I really screwed the pooch, huh?
Ægon: Do not wallow in your previous errors. You have an opportunity to correct your mistakes. Face this chance with valor.
- Transmission #1 - Upon starting the Quest
Caption: Much like the Avengers’ Tower before it, the Sanctum Sanctorum is in tatters, decimated by uneven earth and combat alike.
Caption: At the threshold of the Sanctum they find Doctor Strange, collapsed but alive. He reaches out as they approach, but they can barely hear his voice.
Doctor Strange: ... come... closer...
Guillotine: Hold on Docteur, we are coming! Caption: As they reach Strange, a magical barrier suddenly erects itself around the Sanctum and its surrounding region. In the same moment, Dr. Strange vanishes into thin air, fading away.
Guillotine: Malédict, a trap! Caption: Almost immediately, Kang’s voice rings out around them, seeming to emit from the reality warps he draws power from.
Kang the Conqueror: << Predictable! I wouldn’t even need to glance into the future to know you’d go to him first. Don’t worry though, I’ve brought in three specialists, I’m sure they can help you. Hah! >>
- Transmission #2
Symbiote Supreme: I have heard tell that your Symbiote Supreme serves Knull, acting as a maddened high priest and celebrating his name. Symbiote Supreme: He is no more than a court jester! A pathetic wretch, bent to serve a master with no goals, no ambition. Symbiote Supreme: I broke Knull upon the dry earth and supped upon his power, going beyond symbiote, beyond sorcerer, beyond god! Symbiote Supreme: But such power comes with a cost... a hunger unending, the gnawing mouth of the void itself. Symbiote Supreme: BUT YOU AND YOURS SHALL SUSTAIN ME FOR SO VERY, VERY LONG!
- Transmission #3 - Before fighting Symbiote Supreme
Caption: With the defeat of the Divergent sorcerer, the arcane barrier flickers, cracks, and fades from existence.
Caption: Despite the victory, the true Stephen Strange is nowhere to be found in the remains of the Sanctum.
Gwenpool: No sign of the Doc! Do you think he’s alright? Guillotine: I believe if he was hurt or worse, Kang would not have set this trap to waylay us. And if he were nearby, he would have helped us. Carina: Good point, Jeannine. He must have escaped in the midst of the attack. Which means we just need to track him down... Gwenpool: But how? Carina: I’m no Sorcerer Supreme, but I’ve spent some time in the Sanctum before. Let me take a look at the tools around here.
- Transmission #4 - On the final node