Kaecilius struggled to defend himself against Pietro's super-speed, barely managing to hold his ground as he was battered black and blue.
Due to the chaotic interaction of gravitational and magnetic forces, the space here was unstable, making it impossible for him to escape into the Mirror Dimension. This significantly weakened his combat effectiveness.
Meanwhile, Pietro's speed had multiplied tenfold since the battle began. A fierce wind howled across the battlefield as he used metal chains to bind Kaecilius and his followers.
On the other side, Magneto and Talbot were still locked in a stalemate. Pietro grabbed a heavy iron rod and charged toward Talbot.
Just as he was about to reach him, Pietro felt as though he had slammed into an invisible wall. His body was forcefully flung backward.
"Damn it! That hurts like hell!" Pietro groaned, clutching his forehead as he landed hard on the ground.
Both Magneto and Talbot had surrounded themselves with an invisible force field, making it nearly impossible for most people to get close—though certain unique magical attacks could bypass it.
Pietro got to his feet, rubbing his head. "Right, Garus gave me something good. Time to see if it's as powerful as he claimed."
He reached into the pouch on his back and pulled out a short, glowing rod.
"Is it over?" Dr. Will peeked out from his hiding spot, scanning the scene.
On the ground, Kaecilius and his followers lay defeated, tightly bound by twisted metal chains.
"Dormammu is coming. Nothing you do will change that," Kaecilius sneered, unbothered by his capture. His real concern was Dormammu's punishment.
Talbot, on the other hand, looked frustrated. He found himself enveloped by an unknown force, rendering his gravity-controlling abilities useless. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't manipulate anything beyond his own body.
Though his power was immense, he hadn't had enough time to fully master it.
"Hey, listen, I only wanted greater strength to fight Thanos. I never planned on going against you guys—I'm a superhero!" Talbot protested.
Pietro scoffed. "You? Take on Thanos? Keep dreaming."
As Talbot and the others were loaded onto a helicopter, Dr. Will asked, "What should we do with these people?"
Magneto replied, "Dormammu's followers will be handed over to the Ancient One. As for Talbot, he goes to Coulson."
Talbot had once been a soldier and had some ties to Phil Coulson. Coulson had already contacted them earlier regarding Talbot's situation, though none of them had expected him to take such a drastic turn.
Kaecilius' appearance was an unexpected complication. Pietro had a bad feeling—could Dormammu be aligning himself with Thanos?
That would be disastrous.
Pulling out his phone, Pietro made a call. Moments later, a portal of golden sparks appeared before him, and a group of figures emerged.
Mordo stepped forward and immediately spotted Kaecilius lying on the ground.
"Traitor. This time, you'll be imprisoned forever."
Kaecilius responded with a cold, mocking smile.
"Thank you all," Mordo said. "Now, I'll take them to my master."
For years, they had been defending against Dormammu's cultists, who always struck from the shadows. Finally, they had a moment of respite.
As Kaecilius and his followers arrived at Kamar-Taj, they were immediately surrounded.
The Ancient One set down her book and rose to her feet. "Mordo, bring him to my chamber."
"What's wrong, Master? Do you have something to hide?" Kaecilius taunted.
The Ancient One remained silent, her expression unreadable. Mordo, who had been about to drag Kaecilius away, hesitated.
"Do you know," Kaecilius continued, "I once admired the Ancient One. But then I discovered that she, too, draws power from the Dark Dimension. How is she any different from Dormammu?"
Mordo's fist smashed into Kaecilius' face. "Lies! Where's your proof?"
Kaecilius coughed up blood but smirked. "Tell me, Ancient One, why have you lived for so long?"
The Ancient One remained silent, lost in thought.
"My master has entered this world," Kaecilius continued. "He will soon arrive on Earth. And I… I will ascend to the Dark Dimension and attain eternal life."
"You're naive, Kaecilius," the Ancient One said, shaking her head. "I once took you into the Dark Dimension. Did you see any life there? Dormammu doesn't want to share his power—he seeks to consume everything. Earth is just another feast for him, and you? You're nothing but a pawn."
Kaecilius sneered. "I don't care about any of that. The real problem is… this time, Dormammu isn't coming alone. You'd better protect your Eye of Agamotto."
As the Ancient One hurried away, giving brief orders, Mordo followed closely behind.
...
Ten days later, a massive fleet entered the solar system.
"We've arrived. What a beautiful planet," a deep voice rumbled. "It reminds me of Titan."
"Dormammu, I hear your forces failed. This planet's defense system is already in place," Mephisto commented.
Dormammu felt his pride wounded. "You should know, Mephisto, Earth's defenders are no pushovers. Even with Garus gone, the others are still formidable."
His temper flared, but he knew he couldn't afford to turn against his allies—not yet, anyway.
"Hmph!" Dormammu snorted before tearing open the command room's hatch and stepping out. He had been struggling to enter this universe for ages. Now, he wanted to see for himself what these humans were truly capable of.
Drifting into the cosmic void, Dormammu relinquished his humanoid form. A towering, colossal figure materialized above Earth, his body pulsating with prismatic energy—a manifestation of pure dark power.
His mere presence caused several nearby satellites to fail. Even from the planet's surface, his enormous silhouette was faintly visible, sparking mass panic.
Dormammu opened his mouth, unleashing a blinding purple beam. It tore through the void, obliterating defunct satellites before hurtling toward Earth.
"Boom!"
The ground trembled violently. A bottomless crater formed where the beam had struck.
On Earth, alarms blared across the floating city.
Dr. Will wiped the sweat from his brow and shouted, "Activate the planetary defense system—NOW!"
The system had just been installed and hadn't even been properly tested. They never expected the enemy to arrive so soon.
As Dormammu prepared another attack, a golden barrier shimmered into existence above Earth, intercepting his energy blast. The two forces clashed for several tense moments before stabilizing. The system held.
"Perfect! It worked!" Cheers erupted in the control room.
"Don't celebrate too soon," Dr. Will warned. As Azeroth Technology's chief engineer, he knew how much energy the system required. Dormammu's attack had nearly overwhelmed it. The Dark Dimension's overlord was far stronger than they had anticipated.
In Azeroth, the system had been able to hold off the Burning Legion because of the Well of Eternity's limitless energy—and the protection of Azeroth's world-soul.
"Deploy the Stardust Core. We must ensure Garus can return."
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TN: This fanfic has been fully translated and is available on my Patreon —— PATREON.COM / PRIMALDEMON