As the Dark Dimension energy filled the skies of the planet where the group was located, suddenly, all areas covered by the energy saw space roll back like a curtain.
Without a sound, a massive rift was torn open out of thin air.
The intangible space seemed like a piece of torn paper, as an endless stream of Dark Dimension energy poured out from the rift.
From sky to ground, as far as the eye could see, everything was engulfed in purples, blacks, reds… all kinds of ominous colors.
An eerie, corrupted, and malevolent aura surged forward, like a tiger covered in tentacles bursting out of its cage, roaring and baring its bloody maw toward everyone.
That energy—if an ordinary person were to come into contact with even the slightest bit—would be eroded and turned into a monster. It was unimaginably lethal.
But for Kaecilius and the others who had long grown used to contact with Dark Dimension energy, this was nothing new.
In fact, their chanting even grew faster, as they were eager to welcome their great lord.
With every line of the incantation, the rift in the sky grew larger, and the small dimension's state of invasion worsened.
When they finished the final line of the incantation, whispering "Great Dormammu"…
At the rift in the sky that continued spewing out energy, a massive face appeared.
That was Dormammu.
Just his head alone was several dozen meters tall. His true body had already merged with the Dark Dimension and would not appear unless absolutely necessary.
"Who is it… Hmm? You again!! Kaecilius!"
Dormammu's giant head emerged with an indescribable sense of oppression.
His enormous eyes seemed to conceal an entire universe. Just a single glance released a black hole–like pressure that radiated outward.
No one dared speak loudly under such majesty.
Kaecilius and his followers had already knelt on the ground the moment Dormammu appeared, chanting praises to the great lord.
But Dormammu's awe-inspiring presence shattered in the next instant.
His gaze swept across every planet in the small dimension, and the greed in his eyes burst forth, his desire undisguised.
Yet when he saw that the ones performing the ritual were Kaecilius and company, he instantly lost his composure.
"This isn't even Earth this time—how is it you offering the sacrifice again!?"
Dormammu's expression turned wary, and he scanned the surroundings once more. "Where is this dimension's Strange? Why hasn't he shown himself yet!?"
On the ground, the corner of Lyon's mouth twitched.
Though across countless parallel universes, Dormammu wasn't a singular entity… There weren't many of him either.
This particular Dormammu had probably been screwed over by quite a few Doctor Stranges.
So the moment he saw Kaecilius, he reflexively thought of Strange—like a cat that had once been bitten on the tail by a mouse.
Kaecilius and his followers looked at each other in confusion.
Strange? Who was that? They'd never even heard the name.
"Great Dormammu!" Kaecilius felt the need to explain.
Half-kneeling on the ground, he said, "This dimension is an unclaimed realm I offer to you. I beseech you—allow us and Earth to become one with the Dark Dimension!"
"Where is Strange?" Dormammu ignored Kaecilius. He only cared about Doctor Strange.
If he didn't track down Strange, it was like having swallowed a fly—utterly unbearable. He couldn't focus on anything else, not even this unclaimed dimension.
Even though a small dimension with a diameter of ten trillion kilometers was, in terms of allure, no less than Earth…
Because of that disgusting guy Strange…
In the past, having to give up on Earth was nothing more than losing a single planet.
"This…" Kaecilius choked for a moment, then forced himself to say, "Great Dormammu, please forgive me—I truly don't know who this 'Strange' is."
"You don't know? How could you not know?" Dormammu's imposing presence was already shattered into pieces.
"He obviously wouldn't know, because Strange is still just an ordinary man right now," Lyon spoke up at this moment.
"An ordinary man? He's not even a sorcerer yet?" Dormammu was briefly stunned, then suddenly looked relieved.
He finally cheered up: "So this time I can devour this dimension without any obstacles?"
"Excellent. All of you have done very well!" Dormammu even assumed Lyon was one of his believers.
After all, in this desolate micro-dimension, the only living beings present were the ones in front of him.
Surely among these devout followers offering up a dimension, there couldn't be some scheming outsider mixed in, right?
"Your wish is to join the Dark Dimension, right?" Dormammu was pleased and decided to grant his followers' wish.
Kaecilius trembled all over at those words.
It was happening—it was finally happening. After waiting for so many years, he was finally about to achieve success.
As long as he became part of the Dark Dimension and transcended time, he believed he could surely bring back his dead wife and child.
"Yes, great Dormammu, that is what we have longed for," Kaecilius nervously lowered his head.
"A fine wish. I grant it to you—from this moment on, you are part of the Dark Dimension… and part of me as well."
Dormammu's words sounded a little strange.
But Kaecilius and his followers were too overjoyed to notice; they fell prostrate to the ground, offering endless thanks.
The very next moment—
The Dark Dimension marks on their foreheads suddenly lit up.
Scarlet runes emerged uncontrollably, growing ever hotter and brighter, like flowing blood.
A torrent of dark energy gushed out from the runes, engulfing the nine of them.
Within a single breath, violet-black energy began erupting from their bodies, corroding and charring their tissue chunk by chunk.
"Wh-what's happening?! Aahhh! My… my flesh is melting!"
"I can't—! My soul—it feels like it's burning!"
"Aahhh, it hurts, it hurts so much! The energy of the Dark Dimension… it's devouring my life—no…!"
"Dormammu… Dormammu is devouring us!"
In their final moments, the defected sorcerers finally realized—they had been deceived by Dormammu.
The so-called joining of the Dark Dimension turned out to be nothing more than becoming a tiny piece of its nourishment.
The so-called immortality was, in fact, becoming a part of Dormammu—immortal only because one existed as a fragment of him.
"No… this can't be real…"
Kaecilius's body rapidly cracked apart, splintering into tiny fragments that were pulled into the Dark Dimension.
He collapsed powerlessly to the ground, memories of his wife and son in life suddenly flashing through his mind.
These memories had sustained him until now—and now he was about to lose them forever.
"But… that's not what it said in the Book of Cagliostro…"
His tearless eyes brimmed with regret and unwillingness.
"Of course the page you read didn't say that. You have to finish the book," Lyon said, standing beside Kaecilius, sending him off for the last time. "That kinda book always leaves the cost of dark magic until the end."
"You… you knew this all along!" Kaecilius, reduced now to nothing but bone, looked at Lyon with hollow sockets.
"Even if I'd told you earlier, you wouldn't have believed me," Lyon replied. "I came here for Dormammu."
"So that's it… Superman… don't let Dormammu invade Earth. You must stop him. Please…"
Kaecilius shattered completely, vanishing into the Dark Dimension, and his voice was carried far away by the wind.
"I already said, I came here specifically for him." Lyon looked up at Dormammu's massive head.
"You… you're not my follower?" Dormammu was confused.
Why was there still one person here, alive and well, standing so casually?
"Dormammu, I've come to bargain."
As soon as Lyon opened his mouth, it triggered Dormammu's Doctor Strange PTSD.
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