"The Bindings of Genesis!"
Ben didn't hesitate. In his radiant Anodite form, he thrust his hands forward, and the ambient mana of the cosmos answered his call.
From the depths of the endless void, ribbons of blinding pink and white energy erupted like celestial shrouds. They lashed out, wrapping around the mountain-sized visage of Dormammu, binding the Demon God like a prisoner in chains.
Under the crushing weight of this high-density Mana, Dormammu roared in confusion. He felt a sudden, terrifying sluggishness seep into his essence. The vast, turbulent dark energy that usually obeyed his every whim became inert and viscous, refusing to flow.
Simultaneously, the spell forced a physical compression. The swirling gas and cosmic debris that made up Dormammu's avatar were crushed inward, condensing rapidly. The planet-sized face shrank, solidifying until a humanoid figure hovered in the void—a being of burning fire and shadow, looking like a cosmic version of the Human Torch, but infinitely more malevolent.
"What sorcery is this?"
Dormammu struggled furiously, his flames flaring, but the mana bandages only tightened. The energy burned him, searing his dark essence with the purity of life.
At that moment, the dread realization hit him: The being before him wasn't just a powerful sorcerer. He was a peer. A fellow Dimensional Lord.
"Strange!" Dormammu bellowed, his voice shaking the surrounding asteroids. "You dare bring another God to fight your battles?"
Doctor Strange, floating safely behind Ben's radiant aura, raised an eyebrow. He looked at the shrunken, human-sized Dormammu and felt a vindictive thrill.
"Are we really close enough friends for me to play fair?" Strange quipped, his hands readying a spell. Given his history with Dormammu—which consisted entirely of being murdered thousands of times in a time loop until the demon got annoyed—Strange was overjoyed at the prospect of actually winning a straight fight.
"Mr. Ben," Strange called out, "do not give him a chance to breathe."
"Way ahead of you," Ben replied, his voice humming with power.
Ben was already weaving a complex lattice of spells, layering them over the bindings to isolate Dormammu from his power source. Anodites were not just batteries of mana; they were masters of manipulating the fundamental energies of reality. A sufficiently powerful Anodite could temporarily dampen even a Kryptonian's solar absorption or seal a sorcerer's connection to their patron deities.
Ben was attempting to sever the link between Dormammu and the Dark Dimension itself.
"Dormammu, you're finished!" Strange shouted, allowing himself a moment of triumph.
However, the humanoid figure of flame merely sneered.
"Fools."
A low, vibrating hum began to emanate from the surrounding void. The mana bindings creaked under sudden pressure. The energy of the Dark Dimension, though suppressed, began to force its way into Dormammu's body like water breaking through a dam.
BOOM!
The terrified energy expanded explosively, distorting space and time around them.
Strange, who was currently running on magical fumes, yelped and darted behind Ben for cover. "I thought you severed his connection! Why does he still have so much power?"
"How could I completely sever it?" Ben glanced back at the sorcerer, his glowing eyes narrowing. "We are literally inside him, Strange. This dimension isn't just his battery; it's his body. No matter how many firewalls I put up, he's the administrator. Even if I block ninety percent of his input, the remaining ten percent of an infinite dimension is still... well, infinite."
Ben paused, assessing the situation. "And frankly, right now, his local bandwidth is better than mine. My dimension, Genesis, is in a completely different universe. I'm roaming on crappy signal here."
Strange looked at him, dumbfounded. "You mean... right now, in this specific location, your magical output is lower than his?"
"Yep," Ben nodded naturally. "Home field advantage is a real thing in metaphysics."
Strange felt a headache coming on. Are you trying to get me killed?
"How foolish, Strange," Dormammu laughed, his voice returning to its thunderous volume as he began to grow again, shredding the pink ribbons. "You understand nothing. You brought a false god to die on the border of Hell."
Dormammu turned his burning gaze toward Ben. "I am grateful you brought me the wizard I wish to kill, but I am furious that you dared to disrespect me."
The shadows of the dimension began to coil like serpents, aiming at Ben.
"Once I kill you, I will find your dimension," Dormammu threatened, his greed palpable. "Your world will become my feast. Your power, your people, everything you own... I will devour it all!"
Ben scoffed. "With an appetite like that, who do you think you are? Galactus?"
He cracked his neck—a gesture that looked strange on a being made of light. "You want to talk about eating? Let's see who has the stronger stomach. Strange, cover me."
"You've doomed us!" Strange complained, his hands trembling as he prepared a shield.
"Relax, Doc," Ben said dismissively. "If Plan A doesn't work, we move to Plan B. Watch closely."
"Plan B?"
"Yeah…. Ghostfreak."
The brilliant, blinding light of the Anodite vanished instantly.
Darkness reclaimed the space, but only for a microsecond. From the spot where the Anodite stood, a horrifying chill swept outward. Ben had transformed back into Ghostfreak.
But this wasn't the passive, floating phantom from before.
"Graaaah!"
Ben unleashed a guttural roar. The protective skin on his chest tore open again, and this time, the transformation was grotesque. The tentacles within didn't just wave; they exploded outward, elongating into massive, shadowy conduits that plunged deep into the fabric of the Dark Dimension.
Instead of fighting the darkness, Ben was drinking it.
He was getting stronger by the second.
"Is... is this the solution?" Strange watched in awe and horror.
"It's working!" Strange yelled. "But... brother, your absorption speed isn't fast enough! He's breaking the last of your seals!"
Across the void, Dormammu roared, shattering the final remnants of the Anodite's bindings. A wave of pure destruction hurtled toward them.
"That's why I brought you," Ben's voice rasped from the center of the writhing tentacle mass.
"What do you mean?" Strange asked.
Ding.
A massive surge of pure, refined mana slammed into Strange's spiritual core. It was the magical equivalent of a direct wire transfer. Ben was filtering the raw dark energy he consumed, converting it, and funneling the excess straight into Strange.
The loan had arrived in his account.
"Stall him," Ben ordered. "And don't forget the terms: nine out, thirteen back. That's compound interest, Doctor!"
Strange's face darkened. Damn it. Who am I fighting for here? You're charging me predatory loan shark rates to save the world?!
"Answer me!" Ben yelled as the attack closed in.
"Fine!" Strange screamed, tears of financial despair nearly welling in his eyes.
He couldn't argue. Dormammu had broken free.
"By the Seven Rings of Raggadorr!"
Strange slammed his hands together. The crimson energy, fueled by Ben's donation, erupted into a massive, impenetrable shield—the Red Ring of Raggadorr—just as Dormammu's blast hit.
BOOM!!!
The impact was cataclysmic. Even with the boost, Strange felt his bones rattle. Dormammu was pressing down with the weight of a universe.
Strange gritted his teeth, sweat pouring down his brow. He was no longer the novice who had come here to bargain. He was the Sorcerer Supreme in training. He shifted his hands, turning the shield into a kaleidoscope of mirror dimensions, deflecting and confusing the attacks.
But the mirror images shattered one by one.
"How much longer?!" Strange screamed over the roar of magical fire.
Behind him, the ghost was changing.
Ben's body began to contort, the grey skin darkening to absolute black. He was no longer just absorbing the dimension; he was merging with it. He was becoming a shadow within the shadow, a virus in the system.
"NOW!"
Ben roared.
Suddenly, the single eye on Ghostfreak's inverted skull snapped wide open.
It wasn't just an eye. It was a window into the void.
Ben projected a concentrated blast of psionic terror, amplified by the Dark Dimension's own atmosphere. He stared directly into the metaphysical heart of the Demon God, injecting the one thing Dormammu had never truly felt: Fear.
"AAAAH!"
Dormammu shrieked, recoiling. "You dare use my own essence against me?!"
It was a violation. It was as if a burglar had broken into a house and started beating the owner with his own furniture.
Dormammu tried to strike back, but he found his control slipping. Ben wasn't just drinking the energy anymore; he was hijacking the network. By cutting off the source and instilling fear, Ben had severed Dormammu's command over his own realm.
"You wanted to eat?" Ben's voice was a multitude of whispers now, echoing from every shadow. "You are on the menu!"
The massive tentacles, now thick as skyscrapers, pierced through Dormammu's fiery humanoid form.
Slurp.
It wasn't a battle. It was a feeding frenzy.
Ben drained the essence of the Demon God in the blink of an eye. The fire sputtered and died. The humanoid form collapsed into a wisp of pathetic smoke, which was then sucked into the tracks on Ben's chest.
Silence fell over the Dark Dimension.
"He... he's dead?" Strange lowered his shield, panting heavily.
Then, the Doctor shook his head, his knowledge of the arcane surfacing. "No. Dormammu is a concept as much as a being. He is immortal. As long as there are those who worship him, as long as the Dark Dimension exists, he will eventually reform. He can be resurrected."
Ben floated back down, reverting to his sleek, black-and-white humanoid form, brushing invisible dust off his shoulder.
"He won't be resurrected," Ben said calmly.
"How can you be sure?"
Ben tapped his chest.
"Because I didn't just eat his energy, Strange. I ate his name. Everything he was, everything he owned... it's mine now."