When your speed surpasses the speed of light, space can no longer restrain you. Any spatial rifts become mere illusions.
True extreme speed can alter time itself. Traveling to the past or returning to history becomes a simple operation.
At that moment, Blaine felt an immense pressure crushing his body. Every step he took afterward became increasingly difficult.
He didn't know what kind of force could make even a physique beyond god-level register damage.
When Blaine opened his eyes, the sight before him left him stunned. His danger sense instantly activated, and a splitting headache struck—so sharp that for a second, he wondered if he had run straight into the domains of Galactus or Death themselves.
The scene looked strangely familiar. Then realization struck, and Blaine cursed loudly.
"Fuck! Fuck! Fucking hell—don't tell me this is the Dark Dimension! The same damn place Doctor Strange ends up in! Oh, wait—he hasn't even been here yet."
"The Ancient One's magic… it must've originated from here."
He was surrounded by masses of dark matter—thick, cloud-like formations swirling all around him. They weren't just black; they shifted between dark red and deep violet, every color suffocatingly dark, pressing in on his senses. Some areas shimmered faintly, reflecting light like blackened glass.
"Great. I just got used to the pressure of open space, and now I have to adapt to the dark matter realm."
In the universe, Blaine could move freely, as easily as walking on solid ground. But here, that confidence was gone. The dark matter around him felt hostile, like even brushing against it would make his body ache. It didn't actually harm him, but it was enough to make him wary. He moved carefully, avoiding contact.
"Damn it. By all logic, my speed should've exceeded light speed—I must've slipped through the cracks in space."
"I broke the speed threshold. I shattered that barrier. So why can't I move back through time?"
"If you're not letting me go to the past, fine—but why the hell bring me here?"
Blaine felt as though a thousand wild horses were trampling his brain. His face twisted in confusion, but since he was here, he might as well look around and figure out what made this place so different.
"If the Ancient One found her magic here, maybe I can find something too. With my luck, I should be able to, right?"
"What could it be? I've already mastered temporal stasis, and my teleportation's stronger than her portals. So what's left? Some kind of creator-level magic, maybe? Come on, God of Luck—don't fail me now."
Blaine had a strange feeling he hadn't come here by accident. It was as if some will had guided him—a divine setup, perhaps. The thought made him grin. He could already imagine the kind of power he was about to uncover.
"Oh, and this Dark Dimension... it's said to hold immense power."
"Uh—hey, Brother Dormammu, I just ended up here by mistake, alright? Don't hold a grudge."
Still moving cautiously, Blaine was daydreaming about unlocking some new ability when an icy voice shattered the silence. The suddenness of it made his blood run cold.
"Little mortal… how did you enter my realm? Why have you disturbed my rest?"
"No… what are you talking about—?"
"Oh, come on! God of Luck, don't screw me like this. Are you kidding me right now?"
Hearing another voice besides his own, Blaine's face twisted into despair beneath his hood.
And sure enough, the very next second, what he dreaded most appeared.
Directly ahead, in a mirror-like wall of dark matter, a massive, faintly visible face took form. Its features were sharp and defined, far too perfect for a human—almost regal rather than monstrous. Despite its strange beauty, the sheer presence it radiated screamed 'power.'
Even from a distance, without approaching, Blaine could feel the crushing energy it emitted. Just standing there made his skin crawl, his nerves tremble.
'Too powerful.' That was his first thought.
"Damn it… when did my level-450 physique turn into trash? I thought I was finally strong enough to strut around the cosmos—"
"Then this guy shows up and reminds me I'm still an ant."
He wanted to cry. He'd finally broken the speed threshold, and this was his reward? The first time he got here, and he had to meet 'him'?
"Little mortal, tell me—how did you get in here?"
Dormammu's voice boomed again. Maybe because he sensed Blaine's shock, he didn't kill him outright.
"Uh… I—uh—I kind of… ran here by accident? You believe that?"
Blaine's tone was pitiful, his words tumbling out fast. 'You're asking me how I got here? I'd like to know that myself!'
"Are you not afraid of me? How dare you speak in such a tone?"
"Afraid? That word's not in my dictionary."
His mouth said one thing, but his heart screamed another. Of course he was afraid—who wouldn't be? But as an A-rank Bounty Hunter, admitting fear out loud was beneath him.
Besides, he wasn't defenseless. He had plenty of life-saving skills, and though he knew he was completely outmatched, he wasn't about to roll over and die.
"It's been a long time since I met such an amusing human," Dormammu rumbled.
Then his expression shifted, and a beam of black light suddenly shot toward Blaine.
"Damn it! Seriously? Attacking without warning? That's dirty even for you!"
Blaine yelled furiously, his body already moving. Even with his current power, he couldn't believe Dormammu would ambush him like that.
He didn't care about avoiding dark matter anymore—he just ran.
Even though his speed was heavily suppressed here, he'd already broken the threshold. He pushed himself to the limit, barely dodging the deadly beam.
The place where the blast hit—the mirrored dark matter—was pierced clean through as if it were thin paper. But it didn't stop there. The surrounding area began to fracture, splintering outward in every direction like shattered glass.
"Well now… this is getting interesting," Dormammu said, a twisted grin in his tone. "Let's try again."
As Blaine dodged that first strike, another wave of dark energy surged toward him. The glow was dimmer, but the power behind it was far greater.
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