Chapter 49.
Ancient One no longer retained her strength at that moment. Her right hand was raised slightly, and to everyone's shock, the ground beneath them began to rise. In an instant, they were thrust into the sky, entering the dark, endless expanse of the cosmos.
At the same time, Dormammu, in the Dark Dimension, became aware of an intruder in his realm. He sensed the familiar energy of one person—the same person who had thwarted his plans to consume Earth for centuries. Not only was this intruder a problem, but she was also feeding off the dark energy in Dormammu's domain, a resource that gave him immense power and near immortality. Dormammu's rage grew as his life force, which he so fiercely guarded, was being siphoned away.
While Dormammu simmered in anger, Ancient One and the others had already reached him. With a few cryptic hand gestures from Ancient One, a turquoise light enveloped them all, and they vanished without a trace.
The war was about to begin.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Tony, caught in the midst of his own memories, was suddenly jolted by the sound of metal clashing, snapping him back to reality.
"Uh, Felix, you came back now. How did I even survive this month?" Tony said, still dazed as he saw Felix standing in front of him.
"I've died 81 times in less than three hours, experiencing all kinds of death, and it's still fresh in my mind," Tony added with a grimace.
He could still feel the lingering pain. Though his steel armor was tough, Dormammu's massive hand had struck him directly. Even with his shock-absorbing technology, the impact had caused serious damage.
"My strength's still holding up, though," Tony continued. "Captain and the two mages have died more than I have—they've already been through hundreds of deaths."
As he moved around, Tony couldn't help but boast to Felix about his resilience.
"How many times has he died?" Felix asked, pointing toward Thor, who was still clashing with Dormammu.
"Uh, he hasn't… cough, let's not talk about that. Do you have a way to deal with this monster called Dormammu?" Tony quickly deflected the conversation, somewhat embarrassed.
Thor hadn't died yet, and his strength seemed to have grown significantly over the past month. Tony was starting to suspect that Thor might have been given a boost, especially after he had destroyed the Destroyer—an opponent far stronger than himself—with his hammer. But now, seeing Thor wielding an axe, Tony felt that Thor was much stronger than he was.
"Also, do you know the woman who calls herself Ancient One? I get a bad vibe from her. She always holds back her strength when guarding the temple, never helps, and just watches us die. It's like she's enjoying the show!" Tony whispered to Felix.
Felix chuckled. "Tony, you're overthinking it. Master Ancient One has been protecting Earth for hundreds of years. She wouldn't have bad intentions."
"What? She's lived for hundreds of years? That's insane!" Tony exclaimed, his eyes wide with disbelief. He had assumed Ancient One was only a few decades old.
Though stunned, Tony quickly considered Ancient One's time manipulation powers, and the idea of her living for centuries no longer seemed so outlandish.
"Alright, don't worry about Master Ancient One. But about what you just said—did you really die 81 times, or are you just saying that because you keep getting wiped out in your squad?" Felix asked, raising an eyebrow.
Tony shrugged. "What's wrong with that? My squad is my output. If I die, it's like the whole group is done for, right?"
Though embarrassed, Tony was adamant that he was the main contributor to his team's efforts. As for Thor? Well, Tony couldn't count on Thor being part of his squad—he was 'extra.'
"Okay, fine. You've worked hard. Rest up, and I'll take it from here," Felix said, patting Tony's armored shoulder.
"Alright, it's all yours. Go beat that giant face didoe" Tony responded, knowing that if Felix was confronting Dormammu head-on, he must be confident in his abilities. Without hesitation, Tony activated his armor, flew into the air, and headed toward Ancient One.
"Hey everyone, how's it going? I just showed off some real heroism, didn't I?" Tony said, landing near the group with a grin, waving enthusiastically.
"Oh, hello there! I don't recognize you… I'm Tony Stark. Mind telling me your name?" Tony's eyes fell on Annie, who had been brought by Felix.
"I'm Annie, brought here by Felix," she replied coldly, her expression unamused as she stared at the armored man before her. She couldn't help but think of a similar superhero from her own world, but that one was far inferior to the Sevens.
"Ah, you're with Felix? Then I guess you're my friend too, since he's my friend. If you ever need help, don't hesitate to come to me. I'll be there for you!" Tony continued, oblivious to Annie's thoughts about him being just a minor hero.
"Mr. Stark, I believe I heard you just now... were you implying that I have ulterior motives?" Ancient One, who had been observing, suddenly spoke up with a smile.
"Uh, no, absolutely not. You must have misheard! Let's just watch Felix battle, shall we?" Tony stammered, his unease growing as he recalled Ancient One's ability to manipulate time. The thought that she might have lived for centuries unsettled him, so he quickly tried to cover his earlier comments.
As Tony departed, Felix returned to face the massive, dry-barked visage of Dormammu. His face seemed to ripple like waves. This time, however, Felix didn't engage in an immediate attack. Instead, he floated calmly towards Dormammu's face, landing gracefully and speaking with a hint of mischief in his voice.
"Dormammu, I'm here to discuss terms with you!" Felix declared, his voice calm yet filled with determination.
Just as he was preparing to confront Dormammu, a sudden burst of laughter interrupted him.
"Haha! Felix, you're here! I was wondering who possessed such immense strength! But what is there to discuss with this monster? If we join forces, we can easily take him down!" The voice belonged to Thor. Upon spotting Felix, his face lit up with excitement, and he brandished his Stormbreaker axe in front of him. In his enthusiasm to join forces and defeat Dormammu, Thor seemed to have forgotten that only moments ago he had been chased by the very same monster.
"Watch out behind you!" Felix calmly warned, though he was not overly concerned about Thor's safety.
Boom!
Thor, true to his reckless nature, became too absorbed in his excitement, forgetting that he was facing Dormammu. As he turned toward Felix, he failed to remain alert to the impending threat. Dormammu's giant hand struck Thor from behind, sending him flying through the air.
As Thor was sent hurtling, Dormammu's voice echoed ominously in Felix's ears.
"What terms do you wish to discuss?" Dormammu's tone was laced with curiosity. Despite having clashed with Felix earlier, Dormammu recognized the strength in the figure before him and opted to hear him out rather than attack outright. Though Dormammu felt confident in his power, he was curious about Felix's intentions.
"I want you to abandon your plans to invade Earth," Felix said, his tone firm. "How about taking your followers and leaving this planet for good? Do you agree?"
Although Felix was confident in his ability to defeat Dormammu, he knew the dark dimension was Dormammu's home turf, making him nearly invincible in this realm. Felix had already proven he could harm Dormammu, but defeating him was another matter entirely. The dark energy within this dimension was vast and abundant, allowing Dormammu to heal from injuries almost instantly. Felix had struck Dormammu earlier, creating a large hole in his palm, but by now, the damage had already been repaired.
"No," Dormammu replied coldly, his enormous purple eyes narrowing. "I have desired this planet for countless years. I've tried to invade it many times, only to be thwarted by that woman. Now, I have an opportunity to finally succeed, and I will not abandon it."
"I will consume the Earth completely, annihilate all its inhabitants, and turn it into nourishment for my Dark Dimension. Then I will absorb the planet into my domain."
Dormammu's words were filled with resolve and anger, especially when he mentioned the Supreme Sorcerer. Felix couldn't help but wonder: what had Ancient One done to anger Dormammu so much? The hatred Dormammu held for her was palpable.
"In that case," Felix said, his voice growing more forceful, "for the countless lives on Earth, I'll force you to agree."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Felix felt a surge of righteous power. This was his battle of justice, and Dormammu was the villain he was destined to defeat. Felix couldn't help but smile at the cliché of it all—just like in the movies, anime, or novels, before the hero and villain clash, the hero always has to deliver a memorable line. And apparently, it worked to boost his morale.
Of course, Felix didn't expect to persuade Dormammu with just words. He simply wanted to offer Dormammu a way out before the real battle began. Once he wounded Dormammu, he knew the monster would have little choice but to retreat.
"Damn, I need some background music for this!" Tony shouted from a distance, realizing that the moment had arrived. "In my music, nobody can beat me!"
As Felix began to gather his energy, his aura grew stronger with each passing second. With a commanding gesture, Felix's clothes began to flutter as though caught by a wind. He slowly levitated into the air, and a small arc of silver lightning crackled between his fingers, spreading across his body. In an instant, Felix was covered in dazzling silver lightning, his presence radiating with power.
At that moment, Felix's energy was on par with Thor wielding the Stormbreaker. Yet, this was not his full power; his aura continued to rise, showing no signs of stopping.
With the soaring background music, Felix's power reached a crescendo. The space around him was filled with blinding silver lightning, and within the dark dimension, he appeared as though he were the ruler of this realm.
The lightning crackled and pulsed with intensity, gradually evaporating the surrounding dark energy. Within a few moments, the vast dark energy within a radius of several meters began to dissipate, leaving an eerie calm in its wake.
Dormammu, though composed of the purest dark energy, could not help but feel discomfort as Felix's presence grew more overwhelming. He could sense that the small figure before him was no longer just an opponent to face—Felix had become a force of nature in his own right.
The battle between the two was about to begin in earnest.
Dormammu could feel that his time was running out. The intensity of Felix's presence was overwhelming, surpassing even his own power in this constrained state. If he didn't strike now, he feared he might lose his chance. Unlike when he had faced weaker beings like Iron Man, where he had merely played with them, this time was different. Even Thor, the son of Odin, hadn't truly posed a significant threat to Dormammu. Without his father's presence, Dormammu felt untouchable, even in his own dark dimension. It was said that Odin was getting old, and Dormammu didn't believe he could pose a serious threat anymore.
But Felix, in that moment, was a different story. His power, his aura, was far beyond what Dormammu had expected. It was more intimidating than anything he had felt just like Odin in his prime.
"Finally, I've been waiting for you!" Felix thought, recalling the saying that when two martial arts masters fight, they often stand in stillness, each waiting for the other to make the first move. The one who hesitates will surely lose. Even though Felix and Dormammu weren't traditional martial artists, their battle of wills and power had some similarities. In the clash of momentum, Felix was undoubtedly the superior.
Dormammu knew he could no longer delay. He opened his massive, dark mouth like a black hole, drawing in the dark energy from the surrounding dimension. The energy spiraled inside him, rapidly increasing in speed and force. The dark energy swirling within him seemed to crush the very fabric of space, making it feel as if the surrounding reality was being compressed. The sheer power he was amassing was terrifying, and it felt as though the very air itself was being squeezed out of existence.
"Come out! An old friend I haven't seen for a long time!" Felix called out as he prepared to counter Dormammu's incoming assault. He didn't care that his words might seem dramatic; he knew it would be effective. Raising his right hand, he concentrated, and a small blue light appeared out of thin air, hovering in the palm of his hand. The tiny speck rapidly grew, expanding like a star being born.
In a blink, the light flared into a brilliant blue glow, spreading out on both sides, quickly forming into a long, bar-shaped object about two meters in length. The object radiated a blinding blue light, making it difficult to distinguish its shape at first.
With a sharp motion, Felix closed his hand into a fist, and instantly, the blue light coalesced into a strange silver weapon. It was a three-pronged, two-edged sword, its design sleek and lethal. The blue light flowed inside the weapon, resembling electricity coursing through its form. Felix held the weapon confidently in his right hand, letting it hang by his side. The tip of the blade pointed diagonally downward, ready for battle.
This was the weapon Felix had forged with the help of the dwarves, the three-pointed double-edged spear. And now, it was time for it to show its true power.
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