"Ding…"
"Fifteen minutes are up."
"Okay, got it."
Hearing the system's prompt, Blaine immediately flew back, widening the distance between himself and Dormammu. He had set this alarm intentionally before entering the Hunter Space—it was his reminder that the countdown was over.
In this world of dark matter, it was nearly impossible for Blaine to reach his usual faster-than-light speed. His only hope of escape lay with the weakened version of the Space Stone ring.
With a flick of his wrist, the Flood Dragon Trident vanished into the Hunter Space.
"Old monster, how about finding yourself a flying saucer?" Blaine taunted.
"Little ghost, are you trying to run away? What's the matter—afraid?"
Being seen through so easily was an uncomfortable feeling. Blaine didn't dare open a spatial rift right away. If Dormammu blocked the area and trapped him mid-escape, it would be a disaster.
Besides, once the rift opened, there was a four- to five-second delay before he could pass through. If Dormammu struck during that window, the demon could break free of his prison—and Blaine would be forever remembered as the idiot who let him out. He might not fear Dormammu personally, but right now, he certainly couldn't defeat him.
"Come on," Dormammu growled. "Show me what tricks you have left to slip away from me. I'm curious how you got in here—and how you think you'll get out."
"Look at me? Then look at yourself… why don't 'you' come out?" Blaine muttered under his breath, a mischievous grin flickering across his face.
"Since I can't outsmart him, let's do this the simple, rough way," he said aloud.
In a blink, a sleek bow appeared in Blaine's hands—the Elemental Bow, upgraded to level forty.
"A cloud-piercing arrow can cross thousands of miles," he murmured, notching the string.
He was intimately familiar with the motion of drawing and aiming. Without hesitation, he began forming his strongest elemental arrow—the only kind that could manifest under this crushing spatial pressure.
Ever since upgrading the Elemental Bow to level forty, Blaine hadn't used it once. To be honest, he wasn't entirely sure what its power truly was; he only had a vague sense from the system's description.
On the status panel, a small note described the new feature: an additional one hundred elemental arrows generated daily. The total count of ordinary arrows had long reached into the tens of thousands—Blaine had lost track of the exact number of zeroes. Those regular arrows felt almost useless now—too weak to rely on, but too valuable to discard.
Still, there were never enough elemental arrows. After reaching level forty, the standard versions were no longer satisfying. Thankfully, he now received hundreds of 'upgraded' elemental arrows each day—and when you saw the word "upgraded," you knew it meant extraordinary.
As the elemental energy gathered in his hands, the air around him shimmered. Even in the vacuum of the dark dimension, Blaine could feel a sudden, tangible heat.
"Fire element? Let's check it out!"
The moment he spoke, a fiery red arrow formed at the bow's tip. When Blaine released the string, the arrow shot forward like a wild stallion unleashed, surging straight toward Dormammu. Whether or not it struck true didn't matter—once loosed, nothing could stop it unless it was completely annihilated.
"Huh? Interesting… you still possess such power?"
It seemed Dormammu recognized the arrow—or at least the advanced fire element it contained.
This flame was no ordinary fire. Normal flames were extinguished by water or wind, but this—this was a celestial blaze. Even without air or oxygen, it continued to burn. The upgraded flame could scorch not just flesh and bone, but the very soul itself. Unreal, perhaps—but in the Marvel multiverse, nothing was impossible.
Like dark matter itself, the enhanced fire element was something beyond nature, a force drawn from another universe entirely.
When the flaming arrow streaked toward him, Dormammu reacted instinctively. He opened his mouth and spewed a thick wave of dark matter to intercept it.
Blaine expected his attack to be swallowed whole—but before the dark matter could touch the arrow, it erupted into a massive burst of fire.
The explosion was so intense it seemed to melt the surrounding space. From that alone, Blaine realized that his advanced elemental arrow was at least as powerful as Dormammu's own dark energy beams—maybe even stronger. The revelation shocked him.
"You can even wield refined fire? What else can you do, brat?" Dormammu roared.
"Oh, definitely more. Let's try this next."
The "refined fire" Dormammu mentioned clearly referred to Blaine's advanced flame arrow. And since he asked whether there was more—well, Blaine was nothing if not accommodating.
He drew the Elemental Bow to its full arc once more. Another upgraded arrow began to take shape. Just as it was about to fully condense, Blaine made a small, almost imperceptible motion.
A faint light flashed. The arrow's surface changed—it was no longer smooth. Fine, intricate patterns appeared across its shaft, like invisible hands etching runes in midair. Among them, faint traces of a pentagram shimmered.
"Refined thunder?!" Dormammu's booming voice trembled with disbelief. "Brat, where 'did' you come from?"
Now his curiosity turned to awe—and fear. Not only could Blaine wield the techniques of Atlantis and mimic Dormammu's own dark powers, he had survived a direct hit from dark matter itself. And now, this child could summon refined elements—fire and thunder both. No ordinary being could do such things.
"Tell me," Dormammu demanded, "which Creator God's child are you?"
Blaine smirked. "Take my shot first—then we'll talk!"
He closed his eyes, channeling all his mental energy into the arrow. Its tip sharpened into a blinding point, aimed directly at Dormammu.
"Whether I get out of here or not… that's up to you."
He thought this silently, then released.
In the distance, Dormammu froze. From within the blazing arrow, he sensed something—an unfamiliar, dreadful force. For the first time in eons, Dormammu felt the chill of death.
'Swish. Swish. Swish.'
The arrow flew so fast its shadow vanished; only the sound tore through the air. Dormammu didn't even have time to react—before he could move, the arrow had already reached him.
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