"Now's our chance!"
The devouring of the draconic projectile was fully within Woz's calculations. In its plan, the roles of Hela and Menis weren't to overwhelm Cuba, the devotee of Dormammu, through sheer might.
After all, that was simply impossible.
Hela, still a spiritual entity, lacked both her full strength and the ability to wield her powers freely.
Menis, relying on his ancestral treasure, the Millennial Eye, might be a formidable figure in Midgard, but before a follower empowered by Dormammu, he was still outmatched.
But none of that mattered.
In Woz's strategy, as long as Hela and Menis could buy just one minute, that would be enough. With its deep understanding of Cuba's energy patterns, Woz was confident it could dismantle the magical trap laid by the disciple of Dormammu within that time, and recover the bodies of Lothar and Hela.
In fact, just a second ago, everything had seemed to be going smoothly.
But then, just one second later...
Rip!
Flesh exploded midair above the Nordic expanse, falling like crimson snowflakes. The extra-dimensional creature summoned by Pharaoh Menis through the Eye of Horus lasted only a single second against Cuba.
One second, and blood spattered in all directions.
"That's it? That's all you've got?"
"How dull."
"I thought your power might stir me, if only a little."
Standing beneath the drifting blood mist, clad in pristine white untouched by gore, Cuba raised his gaze toward Hela, who had just lowered her bow.
With a casual sweep of his right hand, his surging magical energy sent Woz's robotic body crashing violently to the ground, its circuits shorting from the blow.
The silver crucifix that bound the bodies of Lothar and Hela was just a step away from the fallen robot.
And yet, that single step might as well have been an abyss, impossible to cross.
"No! Just a little more—!"
Woz, controlling the robot, reached out desperately to breach the magical barrier erected by Cuba, but its massive form was instantly diced into fragments by the formation, sending snow flying in all directions.
This can't possibly be a power attainable by any human of Midgard…
Shaken and uncertain, Hela tried to return her soul to her body, only to find that she could no longer connect with it.
"You're right," Cuba said coolly. "This isn't my power. It's the power of the great lord of the Dark Dimension, Dormammu."
"You can hear my thoughts?" Suspended midair, Hela's expression darkened.
"Telepathy. One of the many wonders of the great Dormammu." Cuba spread his arms, ominous dark energy gathering around his form.
"Spit!"
Recovering from the backlash of the Eye of Horus, Pharaoh Menis spat in Cuba's direction with undisguised contempt.
"Traitor to your race!"
"Betrayer of Midgard!"
"Enemy of mankind!"
Each accusation fell like a blade, stabbing deep into Cuba's chest, into his very heart.
"Traitor?"
The handsome man's smile widened. Arms spread, head cocked, his expression turned condescending.
"I once believed in humanity. I truly thought we could forge a better world with our own hands."
"But I was wrong."
"I became a disciple of the Sorcerer Supreme, only to be told to avoid meddling in Midgard's internal affairs. That old man told me our order's mission was to stop extra-dimensional demons from entering this realm."
His mocking smirk gave way to a grim seriousness as he shifted his gaze toward the ready stance of Hela.
"I've seen war, wars your Asgard started."
"My parents were slain when I was just three."
"So tell me, when Agamotto forbade me from using my power to exact vengeance, when he told me not to change this decaying world… how could I not despair?"
Cuba's smirk deepened, sharp and bitter.
"No… you wouldn't understand."
"Why did I study the arcane arts?"
"If I can't avenge my parents who died in war, then what were those two tears I shed at their grave even worth?!"
"So your revenge is to side with Dormammu? To hand over the very world your parents once lived in?" Menis interjected, cold and cutting.
"You think this is some kind of joke?"
"Why would you think that?" Cuba asked, his tone calm but forceful.
"War. Disease. Bloodshed. This world is plagued with misfortune. But Lord Dormammu's coming can renew it. Why is that a joke?"
"Under Dormammu, humanity will evolve, transcend itself. Why is that a joke?"
"Do you even understand his power?"
He pointed to his chest with one hand, then to Woz's crumpled robotic frame amid the debris, and finally to Hela, still floating in silence.
"Menis, you're from Midgard. You should be standing beside me, not siding with a warmongering Asgardian and an artificial intelligence from Centauri."
"Sorry. I can't give up being human," Menis replied, steel in his voice.
"You traitor."
"Transcend humanity? That's bullshit!"
With strength returned to his limbs, Menis once again traced his fingers over the Millennial Eye hanging at his chest. His fighting stance said the rest.
Cuba, still youthful in appearance, let out a slow, disappointed sigh. Dense darkness began to encase his slender body.
"What a pity," he said. "Then watch closely... this is what it means to transcend humanity."
Silently, the dark energy reshaped his seemingly frail body. As snow fell around them, the darkness peeled away to reveal a silver-white figure, crowned in gold, wrapped in a black sash.
"Taguba."
"The Ultimate Darkness."
His visage exuded a kingly dominance, sharp features, defined muscles, and a commanding presence. Raising his right hand high—
Boom!
Black energy surged from beneath his feet, carving a strange symbol into the snow-covered earth. Then it blasted Hela and Menis from the sky!
Crash!
Their bodies hit the ground hard, snow flying everywhere.
Buzz!
A red flame erupted from Cuba's left hand the moment he raised it, engulfing Hela, Menis, and Woz, setting their bodies ablaze.
"Hela!!!"
In the Dark Dimension, the scene disrupted Odin's focus. Distracted by the broadcast, he failed to notice a blade slicing into his side.
Thankfully, the Destroyer Armor absorbed most of the blow, only sending off a few sparks, no serious harm done.
"Focus, Odin. This is battle," Thanos said flatly, slashing down a Dormammu avatar with his massive blade.
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