At the area that was once the Hong Kong Sanctum
Time . . . 1 second after I . . . Stephen Strange entered the Dark Dimension
Kaecilius burst out laughing the moment he saw me fly out looking a bit beaten up his laugh was like a beast thrilled to see a delicious prey within reach he probably thought I'd chosen to side with Dormammu by now
Because around my body there was a thick aura of dark dimensional energy . . . even stronger than Kaecilius and his followers who had pledged themselves to Dormammu
" Guess I should call you boss now . . . seems Lord Dormammu likes you . . . likes you more than us that's why he gave you this much dark power "
I didn't answer as I swept my gaze across the devastation even though only 1 second had passed in the real world for me who had died and revived 403 times it felt like . . . a year maybe? give or take a month or so I needed a moment to adjust and remind myself what I had to do next
But my silence caused confusion and misunderstanding for Wong Mordo and the Kamar-Taj disciples they must have hoped I'd become the new Sorcerer Supreme the successor to the Ancient One yet they all looked . . .
Sad hopeless angry and full of hatred toward me because I looked exactly like Kaecilius someone who had accepted dark power betrayed his path and sworn loyalty to Dormammu in exchange for the magic of the Dark Dimension
I didn't want anyone to stay trapped in those negative emotions even for a second longer because I'd already understood the mechanism of Dormammu's Dark Dimension it was formed by the gathering of negative emotional energy from living souls across the universe drawn here and merged together and now the Dark Dimension was already vast overflowing with energy it didn't need any more especially now that its master was gone and it was about to return to its natural state (?)
Dormammu was merely a necromancer from an ancient civilization who had reached this dimension deeper than anyone else and rose to power claiming himself as the creator of it even though it was a natural realm he had just been the best at controlling it for a time feeding on dark energy to extend his existence cheating death evading it longer than even the Ancient One's voice could echo . . . but now he'd been sent back by me to the Mother of Death herself
Just like Kaecilius and his followers who were about to follow their master puppets with their strings cut waiting to fall
Without Dormammu to control and supply dark energy to them they were nothing more than cars without fuel still able to move a bit but in a few more seconds . . .
The Dark Dimension would reclaim every drop of energy that had leaked out and take it back!
It was the natural mechanism that should have been from the start the dimension existed to gather negative emotion energy and keep it from spreading across the universe but Dormammu had defied that balance for so long
In truth right now I wasn't much different from the next master of the Dark Dimension able to command it freely with the greater magic within me a stronger mind and a powerful soul not to mention the Ope Ope Fruit's power which had somehow evolved enough to let me cast a ROOM as big as a solar system . . . though it did require dark energy to sustain it
Now that I'd returned to Earth my ROOM range was about half the planet maybe? from the first time when it was just 30 meters it had grown thousands of times a ridiculous leap in power
' With this ROOM now I can repair all of Hong Kong physically reassemble every structure precisely but for living beings . . . I'd need the Time Stone's help though that would bend natural law quite a bit and the whole world would become aware of magic dark lords from other dimensions and the secret order of sorcerers protecting the world . . . should we just let that happen? ' I thought quietly then shook my head and cleared my throat softly
Just a couple of light coughs but they sounded like the final bell of the main event fight announcing its end
Swoooosshhhhhhh
Aaaaaarghhhhhhhhhh
The Dark Dimension's sound roared as it sucked everything stolen from it back home but the dark energy had already fused with bodies minds magic and souls extracting it was agony pure torment like the screams of spirits from every hell across religions and legends wailing together until the air itself trembled
Their forms couldn't even be described with words too grotesque for any language yet it lasted only seconds before the darkness was pulled back leaving behind just the remains of what once were humans they looked like burnt rotten omelettes in a pan left unwashed for 7 days until it decayed and reeked beyond description I quickly waved my hand summoning the Winds of Watoomb to blow them back into the dark rift just in time before it closed
" Strange . . . what happened? " Wong asked his voice shaking from exhaustion his legs trembling probably because the adrenaline had finally stopped after the intense fight and his body realized it was " safe " again letting all the fatigue flood out at once
" Strange . . . the Dark Dimension has closed itself and pulled its energy back . . . from what I've read the Ancient One recorded that this only happens when the dimension loses its master . . . " Mordo's voice trembled too though he tried to stay upright forcing his voice louder so everyone nearby confused and dazed could hear all eyes turned to me waiting for an explanation of what had just happened
I nodded slowly confirming his words then added
" I used the Ancient One's trump card . . . the Time Stone to create a Loop of life dying reviving fighting enduring until I defeated the dark lord the dark energy clinging to me remained because I'd lived within that cycle 403 times which was about a year in real time it made me grow stronger even if it was only a year the constant near-death battles without rest the senses sharpened adrenaline never stopping they pushed my abilities so far that . . . I could reverse time here by one hour before the Sanctum fell restoring every life that was lost . . . "
Everyone who had survived around us widened their eyes more and more with each sentence then stared in astonishment like witnessing the most unbelievable thing in their lives I chuckled softly before asking them
" But should I do it? It's against nature defies the flow of fate . . . "
Will Law reverse time?What will he decide ??Find out in the next chapter