# Chapter 18: The Dark Lord's Fall
Lin Chen stood at the dimensional boundary, his enhanced perception allowing him to witness the confrontation between Doctor Strange and Dormammu despite its location in a realm outside normal reality.
The purple void of the Dark Dimension pulsed with malevolent energy, and within it, the massive burning face of Dormammu glared down at the seemingly insignificant mortal who had dared to enter his domain.
His system suddenly activated, flooding his vision with information.
[DETECTED: Dormammu - Primordial Inter-dimensional Entity]
[SYSTEM ANALYSIS: DORMAMMU]
Race: Faltine / Primordial Inter-dimensional Entity
Origin: A being of pure mystical energy, originally a sorcerer exiled from the Faltine Dimension for his insatiable hunger for power and chaos. He later merged with the Dark Dimension's energies, becoming one with the chaotic realm he now rules.
Analysis: The subject is not a physical being, but a gestalt entity composed of original Faltine essence and the very fabric of the Dark Dimension itself.
Age: Approximately 15.8 billion years old. Dormammu existed before most of the known universe took its current form.
Currently Threat Level: Universal+
Reasoning: The subject possesses near-absolute power within its native dimension. Primary goal is not simple conquest, but the absorption of all universes into the Dark Dimension, effectively erasing them from existence.
[Abilities]
- Dark Dimension Authority: As the sole ruler, Dormammu has complete, absolute control over the Dark Dimension and can manipulate its reality at will.
- Dimensional Absorption: The ability to consume entire universes and merge them into the Dark Dimension. This strengthens Dormammu and erases the absorbed realities from existence.
- Power Bestowal: Can grant immense power to mortal followers, though this is a parasitic connection that eventually allows Dormammu to absorb them entirely.
- Cosmic Energy Projection/Manipulation: Manifests raw, destructive energy in the form of blasts, beams, and flames powerful enough to destroy planets.
- Immortality & Regeneration: Functionally immortal. Exists outside of time and can regenerate from having essence shattered across multiple dimensions.
- Flames of the Faltine: Body composed of mystic energy that can be weaponized into fire capable of harming cosmic beings.
- Dimensional Absorption: Can absorb essence of a single dimension or pocket universe, but requires significant energy.
- Telepathy & Telekinesis: Possesses immense psionic abilities on a universal scale.
- Cosmic Energy Projection: Manifests as powerful energy blast, but without Dormammu's dimensional fuel, highly unstable.
- Matter Manipulation: Allows manipulation of matter on a localized scale.
[Weaknesses]
- Dimensional Dependency: Powers significantly weakened when operating outside the Dark Dimension.
- Arrogance: Tendency to be boastful and arrogant, often underestimating "lesser" beings.
- Temporal Trapping (Critical Vulnerability): Existing outside linear time makes Dormammu vulnerable to temporal paradoxes or time-looping abilities, as he cannot comprehend or adapt to such threats.
Lin Chen's eyes focused as he processed this information. Dormammu is 15.8 billion years old. He's older than most stars in the universe. And Doctor Strange is about to face him with nothing but cleverness and the Time Stone.
---
Inside the Dark Dimension
Doctor Strange stood before the cosmic horror that was Dormammu, his Cloak of Levitation billowing dramatically despite the absence of any conventional atmosphere.
"Dormammu!" Strange's voice rang out with surprising confidence. "I've come to bargain!"
The colossal, burning head of Dormammu manifested fully in the void, his voice a chorus of screaming souls and cosmic fury.
"You've come to die!" Dormammu roared, his words shaking the very fabric of the dimension.
"Your universe is now my universe, like all others! I will consume your reality and add it to my collection!"
With a casual wave of his massive hand, the ground beneath Doctor Strange—if it could be called ground in this timeless void—shattered into fragments. Cosmic energy tore through Strange's body, disintegrating him atom by atom.
The pain was instantaneous and absolute. Strange's consciousness flickered—a flash of agony and then nothingness.
Then he was back, standing in the same spot, the words fresh on his lips as if the death had never happened.
From his observation point, Lin Chen watched with intense focus.
[DING!]
[Detected: Cosmic Energy Manipulation available for absorption!]
[Detected: Enhanced Mental Power +24.5 from observing dimensional combat!]
[Confirm acquisition Y/N?]
"Yes," Lin Chen confirmed immediately.
Energy flooded through him—understanding of cosmic forces, the mathematics of dimensional energy manipulation, the mental discipline to channel power that could destroy planets.
His mental power increased to 146.3.
This is incredible, Lin Chen thought with satisfaction. But there's more to observe here. The real power is what Dormammu possesses—his authority over the Dark Dimension itself.
---
"Dormammu! I've come to bargain!" Strange declared again.
Dormammu's confusion was palpable. "What? You dare—"
He obliterated Strange again with a blast of pure cosmic fire.
Strange reappeared instantly. "Dormammu! I've come to bargain!"
"This is meaningless!" Dormammu roared, incinerating Strange with flames that could consume stars.
Strange returned. "Dormammu! I've come to bargain!"
Again and again, the loop repeated. Each time, Dormammu killed Strange in a different horrific way—disintegration, incineration, crushing, tearing apart at the molecular level. Each time, Strange returned with the same words, the same unwavering determination.
[DING!]
[Detected: Space Manipulation available for absorption!]
(Lin Chen these abilities are connected with his mental power.)
[Detected: Enhanced Mental Power +28.7 from continued observation!]
[New Mental Power: 175.0]
Lin Chen felt his consciousness expand dramatically. The mathematics of space manipulation flooded his mind—the ability to fold space across long distance, to create portals between two different places, to manipulate the very fabric of space itself.
The Dread Lord's form solidified again, and for the first time, a flicker of genuine confusion appeared in his flaming eyes.
"What is this... an illusion?"
Dormammu demanded, his voice carrying a note of uncertainty.
"No," Doctor Strange replied, his voice weary but determined. "This is real. This is my universe. And this... is time. Endless, looped time!"
Strange smiled faintly, a grim and exhausted look in his eyes. "Unless you agree to my terms, we will be here forever. Me dying over and over, and you..." He paused meaningfully. "...getting very, very bored."
Brilliant, Lin Chen thought with genuine admiration.Dormammu exists outside of time—he can feel the loop repeating, can remember each iteration, Dormammu is trapped in a way he's never experienced before.
Then Lin Chen felt it—a profound shift in the dimensional energies around him.
[DING!]
[Detected: Dark Dimension Authority (Complete) available for absorption!]
(Two owner can't exist due to dark Dimension uniqness)
[WARNING: This ability requires integration with a dimensional realm. Standard version requires host to merge with dimension and abandon physical form.]
[SYSTEM OVERRIDE: Customized version available. Host can maintain physical form while possessing full dimensional authority. Beginning absorption...]
[Dark Dimension Authority Integration: 1%... 2%... 5%...]
Lin Chen's eyes widened as the realization hit him.The system is absorbing Dormammu's authority over the Dark Dimension. I'm literally stealing his power as the ruler of this realm.
---
Dormammu suddenly froze mid-sentence. His massive burning form flickered, and for the first time in billions of years, the ancient entity felt something he'd never experienced before: helplessness.
"What... what is this?!"
Dormammu's voice carried genuine terror now. "Who dares—"
He tried to assert his authority over the Dark Dimension, tried to reshape reality with a thought as he'd done for eons. But nothing happened. The dimension that had been an extension of his very being was no longer responding to his commands.
"NOOOO....!"
Dormammu roared, his voice shaking the void. "This is MY DOMAIN! I AM THE DARK DIMENSION!"
But even as he screamed his denial, he could feel it—his connection to the dimension was being severed, stripped away by some unknown force. The authority that made him a god in this realm was being stolen.
[Dark Dimension Authority Integration: 47%... 68%... 89%...]
Dormammu thrashed wildly, desperately trying to withdraw from the loop, trying to retreat deeper into his dimension to preserve his power. But it was too late. The Dark Dimension was already out of his control.
"WHO ARE YOU?!"
Dormammu screamed into the void, sensing but unable to see Lin Chen at the dimensional boundary. "SHOW YOURSELF, THIEF!"
[Dark Dimension Authority Integration: 98%... 99%... 100%]
[DING! CONGRATULATIONS!]
[Dark Dimension Authority (Complete) ACQUIRED!]
[Host now possesses absolute control over the Dark Dimension. All matter, energy, and reality within this realm answers to host's will.]
Lin Chen felt a surge of power unlike anything he'd experienced before. The entire Dark Dimension—a realm larger than multiple universes combined—was now connected to his consciousness. He could feel every particle, every energy stream, every dimensional fold within this infinite space.
More than that, he felt Dormammu's presence—now reduced to a small sphere of consciousness and will, desperately clinging to existence without the dimensional power that had sustained him for billions of years.
It's time to finish this.
Lin Chen raised his hand and opened a portal directly into the Dark Dimension. He stepped through, materializing in the void where Doctor Strange and Dormammu had been locked in their temporal battle.
Strange, noticed the newcomer immediately. His eyes widened with shock and confusion.
Dormammu's reduced form—now just a black sphere of concentrated consciousness—pulsed with desperate fury. "YOU! You are the one who stole my power! Return it! RETURN WHAT IS MINE!"
Lin Chen didn't respond with words. Instead, he reached out with his newly acquired authority and mobilized the full power of the Dark Dimension itself.
The response was immediate and overwhelming.
Infinite energy rushed toward Lin Chen from every corner of the dimension—cosmic power, dimensional forces, the accumulated energy of billions of years of existence. It converged on him like a tsunami of pure power, covering his mortal form completely.
In a minute, Lin Chen's physical body replaced by something far more terrifying.
A giant figure materialized in the void—dozen of times larger than Earth, composed of swirling cosmic dust and dark energy. The form was humanoid and clearly recognizable as Lin Chen, but on a scale that defied comprehension. Stars could fit in the palm of his hand. Planets would be mere toys to this titan.
Doctor Strange stared up at the cosmic giant, his mind struggling to process what he was seeing. What... what has he become?
Lin Chen—now existing as a dimensional entity—stretched out his massive hand. With a thought, he could reshape entire sectors of the Dark Dimension. He tested his new capabilities, flexing powers that Dormammu had wielded for eons.
He created and destroyed matter with gestures. He bent space into impossible configurations. He manipulated time within localized areas. He generated cosmic fire that could consume multiple star systems. He projected energy beams capable of cracking planets.
This is the power of a dimensional lord, Lin Chen thought with awe. This is what it means to be a god.
He looked down at the small black sphere that contained Dormammu's consciousness—all that remained of the once-mighty entity.
"Please," Dormammu's voice was barely a whisper now, stripped of all his former arrogance. "Please, I surrender. Take the dimension. Just let me exist. I will leave this realm forever. I will—"
"No," Lin Chen's voice boomed across the dimension like thunder from a billion storms. "You've consumed countless realities. Destroyed infinite lives. Your existence is a threat to all universes."
He raised his massive hand, and the some power of the Dark Dimension concentrated into a single point.
"Wait! We can bargain! I can give you knowledge!... Power! I can—"
Dormammu's desperate pleas were cut short as Lin Chen's power descended.
The black sphere containing Dormammu's consciousness was struck by the concentrated dimensional energy. For a moment, it resisted—the will of a being who had existed for 15.8 billion years fighting against annihilation.
But Lin Chen's authority over the dimension was absolute now. The sphere cracked, then shattered, and Dormammu's final scream echoed across the Dark Dimension—a sound of rage, terror, and the ending of an ancient evil.
Then silence.
Dormammu, the Dread Lord of the Dark Dimension, the consumer of universes, the being who had terrorized reality for billions of years, was gone.
Completely and utterly destroyed.
Lin Chen felt the last traces of Dormammu's essence dissipate into nothingness.
He turned his attention to Doctor Strange, who was still frozen in shock, the Time Stone glowing around his neck.
Lin Chen's cosmic form spoke, his voice carrying across dimensions: "Doctor Strange. You fought bravely and cleverly. But this threat required a more permanent solution."
Strange finally found his voice. "What... what are you?"
"Someone who understands that some threats can't be bargained with or imprisoned," Lin Chen replied. "They must be ended."
He noticed that Strange was attempting to restart the time loop—a defensive measure against this new unknown entity.
Lin Chen simply reached out with his dimensional authority and broke the loop effortlessly. The Time Stone's power was impressive, but with his time manipulation boosted energy within the Dark Dimension, his authority was absolute.
"I mean you no harm," Lin Chen assured him. "The Dark Dimension is now under my control. I will ensure it threatens Earth no more."
With a gesture, Lin Chen opened a portal and gently transported Doctor Strange back to Hong Kong, outside the dimensional rift.
Then Lin Chen began the process of transforming himself back. The cosmic form dissolved, the dimensional energy retreating, until he stood once more in his original human appearance—though now connected to an entire dimension on a fundamental level.
He waved his hand, and the Dark Dimension began to fold in on itself, hiding within the fabric of space. It was still accessible to him, still under his complete control, but no longer threatening to break through into the material universe.
[HOST STATUS]
Lin Chen
(Cosmic Form: Dark Dimension Lord)
(Note: All attributes within Dark Lord Form reached above Universal scale)
├── Strength: 310 tons, (Universal Scale+)
├── Physique: 2747.8, (Universal Scale+)
├── Agility: 32 m/s, Universal Scale+ (near omnipresent)
├── Mental Power: 175.0 (omniscient)
└── Special Abilities:
├── Ultimate Regenerative Healing Factor (Cellular Immortality)
├── Weather & Lightning Manipulation (Continent Level+)
├── Temporal Manipulation (Continent level)(But Universal scale+ due to Dark Dimension)
├── Space Manipulation (Solar system level normally)(In Dark Dimension, it's Universal Scale)
├── Cosmic Energy Projection
├── Matter Manipulation (Localized)
├── Levitation Magic
├── Dimensional Blade Magic
├── Dark Dimension Authority (Complete)
│ ├── Absolute control over Dark Dimension
│ ├── Reality manipulation within dimensional space
│ ├── Dimensional absorption capability
│ ├── Cosmic form transformation
│ ├── Immortality & Regeneration
│ ├── Telepathy & Telekinesis
│ └── Power bestowal
└── Portal Magic
Lin Chen smiled with satisfaction. He had just defeated a being that had terrorized the multiverse for billions of years. He had claimed an entire dimension as his domain.
But his moment of triumph was interrupted by a familiar voice crackling through his communication device.
"Boss? Are you there?"
"Oh god, what's happening to me?"
Daisy's voice was frayed with panic, sounding like it was coming from inside a roaring engine.
Lin Chen's expression immediately shifted to concern. "Daisy, I'm here. What's wrong? Where are you?"
"I… I don't know what's happening?" she choked out, waves of feedback crackling after her words. "I was just at home, and… and everything started to shake. Like, really, really shake."
"An earthquake?..."
Lin Chen asked, already opening a portal back to his warehouse.
"I… I don't know!" she whispered, her voice both a plea and marvel. "It feels like it's coming from me. Like I'm causing it somehow. Boss, I'm scared. Everything around me is vibrating and—"
"Don't panic," Lin Chen interrupted firmly. "I'm coming right now. Just try to stay calm and breathe."
The signal broke up again as he stepped through the dimensional portal.
---
Lin Chen's Warehouse - A Moments Later
Lin Chen materialized in his warehouse to find chaos. Furniture was rattling violently, glasses and equipment were vibrating off shelves, and the entire structure was shaking as if caught in a localized earthquake.
At the center of it all was Daisy, kneeling on the floor with her hands pressed against her head. Visible waves of energy rippled outward from her body—vibrations that distorted the air itself and made everything around her shake violently.
[Subject: Daisy Johnson (Partner)]
[Status: Awakening in Progress - Unstable]
Current Attributes:
├── Strength: 470 kg
├── Physique: 3.8
├── Agility: 5 m/s
└── Mental Power: 7.8
[ANALYZING... POTENTIAL POWER SOURCE: INHUMAN GENE ACTIVATION]
Ability: Vibrational Manipulation (Seismokinesis)
Status: Currently uncontrolled and rapidly escalating
Her Inhuman genes are activating, Lin Chen realized immediately. She's becoming extremist.
He approached carefully, using his enhanced durability to withstand the violent vibrations emanating from her body.
"Daisy," he said calmly, kneeling beside her. "Look at me. Focus on my voice."
She turned her tear-streaked face toward him, her eyes wide with terror. "Lin Chen, I don't know what's happening! I feel like I'm going to tear everything apart! Make it stop! Please make it stop!"
"It's not going to stop," Lin Chen said gently but firmly. "This is part of who you are. Your genes are awakening, giving you abilities you've always had but never accessed before."
"I don't want abilities!" Daisy sobbed, another wave of vibrations rippling outward and cracking the concrete floor. "I just want to be normal!"
"Normal isn't an option anymore," Lin Chen replied, placing his hands on her shoulders. His physique easily withstood the vibrations. "But you don't have to be afraid. You just need to learn control."
He looked into her eyes with absolute confidence. "Daisy, listen to me. This power is part of you. It's not something separate or foreign. It's an expression of your will, your emotions. Right now, you're afraid, and that fear is making the power wild and uncontrolled."
"How do I stop being afraid?" she asked desperately.
"You don't," Lin Chen said with a slight smile. "You accept it. Accept that you have this power. Accept that you're different now. And then you decide what to do with it."
He kept his voice steady and calming. "Focus on your breathing. In and out. Feel the vibrations—don't fight them. They're part of you. Like your heartbeat, like your breath. Natural. Normal for you."
Daisy closed her eyes and tried to focus on breathing. The vibrations continued but began to stabilize slightly, becoming more rhythmic and less chaotic.
"That's it," Lin Chen encouraged. "The vibrations respond to your emotions and intent. When you're calm, they're calm. When you're focused, they're focused. You're not being attacked by a foreign force—you're just learning to use a new part of yourself."
Minutes passed as Daisy gradually gained control. The violent shaking subsided to gentle tremors, then to barely perceptible vibrations, and finally to stillness.
She opened her eyes, exhausted but no longer panicking. "What... what am I?"
"You're Inhuman," Lin Chen explained gently. "A subspecies of humanity created thousands of years ago by alien experimentation. Your genes give you the potential for superhuman abilities. What just happened was your genes activating—your transformation into something more than human."
Daisy looked at her hands, which were still trembling slightly. "So I can... make earthquakes?"
"Among other things," Lin Chen confirmed. "With training, you'll be able to control vibrations at every scale—from shattering a glass to leveling buildings. You'll sense seismic activity before it happens. You might even be able to fly by vibrating the air molecules around you."
He helped her to her feet. "But right now, you're exhausted. Your body just went through a massive transformation. You need rest, and then we'll begin training you to control your abilities properly."
Daisy leaned against him, physically and emotionally drained. "I'm sorry I called you panicking."
"Never apologize for that," Lin Chen said firmly, holding her close. "You're going through something terrifying and you needed help. That's exactly what I'm here for."
He looked around at the damaged warehouse—cracked walls, shattered equipment, furniture scattered everywhere. "We'll need to reinforce this place. Your powers are going to require some adjustments to our living situation."
Despite her exhaustion, Daisy managed a weak smile. "So now we're both super-powered freaks?"
"We prefer the term 'enhanced individuals,'" Lin Chen replied with mock seriousness, then grinned. "But yes. Now we're both freaks."
He guided her toward the bedroom.
"Rest now."
As Daisy fell into exhausted sleep, Lin Chen stood by the window, looking out at the city. In a single day, he had defeated a cosmic entity, claimed an entire dimension, and watched his partner transform into a superhuman.
---