"You've got to be fucking kidding me! You really think I'm some pushover Bounty Hunter you can mess with?"
As the energy beam closed in on him, Blaine rolled across the ground like a lazy donkey, narrowly dodging the hit.
The move wasn't graceful by any means, but with no one else around to see it, he couldn't care less.
Unfortunately, the next second proved him wrong. The beam didn't explode upon impact like before—it curved midair and came straight for him again.
"Fuck! A tracking shot? Seriously? You've got no shame!"
The roll had only bought him a short distance, and the ray didn't slow at all. Before he could even start running, it was already in his face.
"Well, guess that's my cue!"
'Puff!'
The beam pierced through the air—then Blaine vanished.
"Hmm? Where did he go?"
In a blank, white expanse, Blaine stood frowning, deep in thought.
That's right—at the last possible moment, he'd jumped into the Hunter's Space.
Here in the dark dimension, his speed had been heavily suppressed. Dormammu, however, wasn't limited at all—he could easily keep pace with Blaine's movements, even while attacking. The realization was maddening.
He had thought he was fast enough to rival light itself, yet Dormammu still managed to close the gap. It was beyond frustrating.
As Blaine glanced around the white void of the Hunter's Space, he suddenly understood why moving through open space had felt so natural to him—it was the same sensation he'd trained under here. The only real difference was color: the Hunter's Space was white, the universe black. Otherwise, they were identical in form and emptiness.
"Off topic, Blaine. Focus."
He shook his head, forcing himself back to the situation at hand.
Now that he was inside his Hunter's Space, the oppressive pressure of the dark realm vanished. The stabbing headache eased instantly, confirming that it was Dormammu's presence that had triggered his danger sense.
Even the lingering pain from brushing against dark matter earlier was fading, though it still burned faintly—a sensation Blaine hadn't felt in ages.
It reminded him of the first time he got hit by a rocket launcher: it didn't hurt much, but who the hell enjoys being blown up for no reason?
"Why isn't the cooldown for the Weakened Space Stone ring over yet?" he grumbled. "Just my luck."
Then he clenched his fists. "No, I can't just keep hiding. So what if it's Dormammu? I'm a Bounty Hunter with built-in bugs."
"You can't keep dodging forever, Blaine. It's been too long since you've had a real fight—everyone else was either too weak or too slippery."
"This guy? He's the perfect sandbag."
With that thought, some spark of courage—or insanity—flickered inside him. If he wanted to level up, this was his best shot.
The weakened Space Stone would be ready again in less than fifteen minutes. That meant Blaine just had to hold out until then. And if things went south, he could always retreat to the Hunter's Space. Time didn't flow the same way here anyway.
"You can't stay a coward forever. If you're a man, fight like one."
With that, Blaine stepped out of the Hunter's Space.
"Huh? Brat—where the hell did you come from?"
Blaine's sudden reappearance startled Dormammu.
"Old monster," Blaine smirked, "I was gone for just a moment and you already missed me? You're really playing the waiting game, huh?"
But as he looked around, he realized something was off. The once-solid clouds of dark matter were now scattered and torn apart, as though a massive explosion had ripped through them.
Didn't take a genius to guess what happened. Dormammu must've thought Blaine had slipped into a spatial crack and blasted the whole area in frustration, hoping to flush him out.
Too bad for him—even a thousand years of experience couldn't help him guess where Blaine had really gone.
"I've searched this entire realm," Dormammu rumbled, his tone curious. "Now I'm even more intrigued. Where did you come from?"
No wonder. Dormammu had been trapped here for countless ages. His yearning for freedom was boundless. And now, someone had suddenly broken into his prison—someone who might know a way out. Of course he was interested.
"You're strong, human," Dormammu said, his tone shifting, "but not strong enough to make me fear you."
"Interesting, interesting," he added, his massive face twisting into a grin. "The more extraordinary you are, the more you amuse me."
"Hey, watch your tone," Blaine shot back. "I'm not into guys, alright? Let's keep this professional between men."
Dormammu actually froze for a second. There hadn't been a mortal this mouthy in eons.
'Biu!'
Without another word, he fired another beam of dark energy.
"Really, old monster? That's your only move?" Blaine sighed, exasperated. "I get that one good trick can take you far, but you've been alive for centuries—can't you mix it up a little? Or do you just think I'm not worth the effort?"
As the beam hurtled closer, Blaine's mind raced for a counter.
"Damn it—too fast…"
He had hoped to outrun it, but that clearly wasn't happening.
"Fine, let's see how you like 'this!'"
He pulled something out of his inventory, a small but ominous-looking device.
"Absolute Hit—activate!" he shouted, hurling it straight into the oncoming blast.
'WENGGGGG—BOOM!'
For a split second, the dark dimension went silent. Then the explosion detonated, a roaring heat wave engulfing everything and sending Blaine flying backward.
Dormammu's beam disintegrated in the blast.
That's right—it was one of Blaine's recent purchases: Explosive TNT. The power lived up to the description—just one was enough to level a city.
The force was immense, almost comparable to his ultimate weapon.
"You brat," Dormammu growled, "even your toys are strange."
The two stared each other down—one ancient being of pure darkness, one reckless Bounty Hunter—each flinging insults like lifelong rivals.
"You old monster."
"You insolent brat."
For a moment, the dark dimension itself seemed to tremble, caught between laughter and chaos.
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