Within the collapsed mountain range, Dormammu struggled to rise.
But Lyon's fist followed once more, slamming into his face.
Boom!
Dormammu's just-lifted head was again smashed hard into the bedrock, sinking several kilometers deep.
An invisible shockwave spread out as the fist collided with his flaming skull.
The surrounding terrain was peeled away layer by layer by the impact wave.
Tectonic plates trembled, the ocean rolled back—everything seemed to be reenacting the second day of the Creator's work from Genesis.
Amid Dormammu's wailing—Smach!
Lyon stepped onto his enormous face, fists rhythmically pounding downward.
Each punch resounded with a boom that could be heard across the entire world.
Each strike drove Dormammu several more kilometers toward the planet's core.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The heavy pounding sounded like heavenly thunder clapping—an ominous accompaniment to Dormammu's anguished cries.
The two plummeted together toward the center of the Earth.
Dormammu's massive body shattered the crust.
Countless fragments, broken into dust, rained down on Lyon like droplets at the peak of a fountain.
He remained unmoved, expression cold, eyes ablaze with excitement.
Since crossing into this world, Lyon had never enjoyed beating someone this thoroughly.
Dormammu, with his undead attributes, was simply the world's best punching bag.
The two drew ever closer to the planet's core, and the temperature began to rise.
After another crushing punch, Lyon suddenly drew back his fist, gathering energy, with the power of laws swirling around his forearm.
In the next instant, he threw a full-force punch—approaching the speed of light!
If his previous blows were a series of standard punches—
Then this was a serious punch!
Countless quintillions of tons of force, combined with light-speed velocity.
As this punch was unleashed... the entire world seemed to fall silent in that moment.
Time suddenly stretched infinitely long.
All sounds rapidly receded.
Every particle in the air, every shard of rock, hung suspended in place.
The world seemed to transform into a static ink-wash painting—so breathtakingly beautiful it made one want to play a waltz.
But in the very next second, this serene ink painting was suddenly torn to shreds.
In the vastness of the universe—Drip!
A single point of light ignited, then expanded rapidly.
The planet where Lyon and Dormammu had been—exploded.
There was no sound in the cosmic void.
Only the radiant brilliance of the explosion.
A planet shattered in an instant, from the inside out.
It broke into evenly distributed fragments—
Blasting out in every direction under the force of the blast.
The scene was so magnificent, it resembled the most timeless image from a fantasy tale.
Suddenly, a dark silhouette shot forth from the heart of the flames.
It was Lyon and Dormammu.
Dormammu's massive head tilted backward again and again, his limbs limp and drifting in the void alongside his bobbing head.
Lyon was still pummeling Dormammu!
Every punch he threw carried force strong enough to destroy a star.
Dormammu's flaming head had already swollen into something resembling a jack-o'-lantern, yet Lyon still wasn't ready to stop!
Under the continuous blows, both Dormammu and Lyon—who was standing on Dormammu's face—plummeted together into the massive continent that spanned tens of thousands of kilometers.
Boom!
They crashed to the ground, the impact kicking up a storm of dust.
Sound returned.
It was that same familiar thudding again, like someone relentlessly pounding a slab of beef—determined to tenderize it into the most perfectly chewy cut of meat on Earth.
Only when Dormammu was slammed deep into the ground, creating a chasm ten thousand meters deep, did Lyon finally stop.
With a satisfied expression, he let out a long breath—looking exactly like a fitness junkie who had just finished a killer set of squats.
Deep in the abyss...
Dormammu's head was down, legs up, barely clinging to life—he had even temporarily lost consciousness.
But it was just that: temporary.
He was a being of pure energy. As long as energy remained, no matter how severe the injuries, he could rapidly recover.
To truly kill him, one would have to drain or completely exhaust all of that energy.
Lyon hovered midair above the abyss, analyzing coolly, "Dormammu possesses a concept-level immortality. As long as someone still believes in him, he can resurrect infinitely."
"So killing him outright here isn't cost-effective. Better to beat him some more and then threaten and bribe him—I might even be able to squeeze out a few benefits."
A few minutes later.
Fully recovered, Dormammu climbed out of the abyss like a deranged Tarzan.
He had probably been pummeled senseless, because he'd even forgotten to use magic—actually scaling the cliff face with his bare hands like a mortal.
Hovering before him, Lyon remained calm while Dormammu's flaming head still burned.
But this time, the overwhelming arrogance was gone.
"Supreme Sorcerer… state your terms," Dormammu said in a tone that still tried to sound lofty, but was clearly softer now—no longer domineering.
This was different from the negotiations forced on him by Strange using the Time Stone.
This time, Dormammu had truly been beaten into submission.
It was like the difference between a monkey flaunting a nuclear launch button and a true warrior earning respect through raw power and bare fists.
Dormammu had never before seen someone like Lyon—someone who relied solely on physical strength to reach an All-Father level of power.
Everyone else, whether Odin or the Celestials, derived their might from external energy sources.
Even then, that energy often came from beings of even higher standing, not from themselves.
To a being like Dormammu, true strength deserved genuine respect.
As long as Lyon's demands weren't too outrageous, Dormammu was ready to agree.
However, the moment Lyon opened his mouth, his demand shot through the heavens:
"I want half of the Dark Dimension's dominion."
"…." Dormammu was silent for a few seconds, genuinely thinking he'd misheard. "What did you just say?"
"I said, I want dominion over half of the Dark Dimension." Lyon shrugged. "Come on, Dormammu, don't be so serious. If you can't accept it, try counteroffering—everything's negotiable."
Truthfully, even one percent would be a huge win for Lyon.
But while Dormammu was stunned, he wasn't stupid.
The flames on his head flared hotter again. "Are you toying with me!? Throw that idea of yours into the void, or I won't mind beating you down again!"
"So you're saying negotiations are off the table? No to half—how about a quarter? Think about it," Lyon said, hands open.
But after hearing that, Dormammu didn't hesitate to attack again.
Lately, he'd been particularly sensitive to the topic of dimensional authority.
"Shut your mouth!" Dormammu shouted, summoning his power with a wave of his hand. A surge of dimensional energy tore through space, latching onto a planet and forcefully hurling it toward Lyon.
"So angry? Hurting your enemy's HP by a thousand while injuring yourself by eight hundred?" Lyon wasn't one to back down.
He raised a hand in turn, unleashing the power of the Space Stone, grabbing hold of another planet in the void and flinging it toward Dormammu.
Their battle erupted once more.
…
Elsewhere—
After Lyon entered the World Ring,
The mages of Kamar-Taj took their positions.
Defense teams in place, offense teams in place, control teams in place…
The three major Sanctums and the Himalayan stronghold were all on high alert.
Inside the London Sanctum, Mordo was coordinating roles with Master Kynir and Master Hamir.
In the Hong Kong Sanctum, Pietro patted his chest in front of Wong, assuring him that everything was under control with him there.
In the New York Sanctum, Tony gathered all the Men in Black stationed in the city.
Following Lyon's instructions, he distributed some of the sanctum's magical artifacts that could be wielded by ordinary people.
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