𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘴 ۞ 𝙙𝙤𝙘𝙩𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚

17

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The dark dimension was the same as it looked from the outside. Stephen observed with bewilderment and concern while The Cloak of Levitation slowed to a stop, stopping on top of what seemed like a small planet-like sphere to land on and continued observing the Dark Dimension.

You better come back, Stephen Strange.

Stephen closed his eyes as he took a deep breath to calm his nerves, Lenore's words popping up in his mind as well as her face. Just the thought of Lenore helped him conquer his anxiety.

He looked upon his forearm and using the time stone in the relic he wore, he created multiple green magic circles—a spell for a time loop. This way, if ever he dies, he would just come back alive and if it goes according to plan,he would be able to come back to Lenore like he intends to.

Stephen turned around, tearing his gaze away from his forearm and onto the view in front of him. Just behind Stephen, a massive eye was staring at him. Stephen was unfazed as the giant reeled back, revealing it's full form to him. Stephen spotted another sphere in front of the one he was standing on and decided to glide there, now, he was standing before the giant.

As Stephen strode closer to the giant, he glanced at his forearm, seeing the time-loop spell still intact.

He peered up to the giant, eyes filled with determination as his lips let out the words; "Dormammu, I've come to bargain."

"You've come to die!" Dormammu snarled as he moved closer to Stephen, "Your world is now my world, like all worlds."

Stephen spotted the incoming barrage of spiked rocks coming his way, immediately prompting him to summon a pair of Mandalas to shield himself from the falling projectiles. Some he deflected, redirecting them away from him. After he redirected what he deemed to be the last projectile thrown at him, he let out an exhausted grunt, weariness evident in his actions as he turned around.

Dormammu opened his mouth, a bright light generating from inside of it before a powerful blast came out. On instinct, Stephen brought his right arm forward, using the shield to protect him from the blast. He bent his body, keeping his feet firmly planted to the ground as the force of the blast was pushing him backward, inch by inch.

But the shield could could only endure so much and soon, it was starting to no longer hold back the blast. When he noticed this, Stephen glanced up, seeing that his arm was shaking in exhaustion and his mandala starting to break.

Within a few moments, the mandala was destroyed and the blast hit him. The most disintegrated Stephen, leaving no trace of him from where he stood.

The Dark Dimension was silent for a moment and Dormammu felt triumphant of what he did.

It was.only short-lived as at the same moment, the time began to reverse, the spell that Stephen had created beforehand brought back everything to the time when he first created the spell.