— — — — — —
In a dimension saturated with spine-chilling dark energy—known as Darkforce, or Dark Matter—a flaming-headed demon entity let out a thunderous roar that echoed across the void.
In response, a surge of kaleidoscopic purple energy erupted outward, engulfing the entire dimension in an instant.
Planets—so numerous they made counting by the billions meaningless—were torn apart like fragile bubbles in a crashing tide of dark energy.
And at the center of this storm of destruction, throwing a cosmic tantrum like no other, was none other than the ruler of the Dark Dimension himself—Dormammu.
Long ago, Dormammu and his younger twin sister, Umar, were born in the dimension of the Faltine, a race of powerful, energy-based beings. But unlike their kin, who existed in harmony with the flow of energy, the twins defied tradition. They craved form. They craved power.
By gathering matter to themselves—a forbidden act among the Faltine—they disrupted the natural order. Their rebellion culminated in the death of their own parent, Sinifer, and for that crime, they were exiled.
Cast out from their home dimension, Dormammu and Umar began wandering the multiverse, consuming matter and incorporating it into their very essence. Their search for greater power eventually led them to a realm unlike any other: the Dark Dimension.
There, their ambitions took root. The siblings seized control, and Dormammu—ever the hungrier of the two—abandoned his physical form entirely, fusing with the darkness itself. From that point on, he wielded the Dark Dimension's energies as his own, invading other worlds, stealing their power, and expanding his domain like a spreading infection across reality.
Naturally, like every other dimension-devouring tyrant out there, Dormammu eventually set his sights on Earth and its material dimension.
Now, everyone knows Earth is… special.
Even among the infinite multiverse, Earth stands out as one-of-a-kind. Even those high-tier beings who've collapsed countless timelines into a single existence wouldn't dare claim they could conquer Earth easily.
But hey… what if?
Dormammu was a dimensional overlord. Dreaming big was in the job description.
And it's not like he had to go all in. All he needed to do was keep an eye on Earth while doing his usual dimension-eating routine. If someone susceptible to corruption popped up? Great. He'd just toss over a blob of dark energy and see if they could open a gateway to connect Earth with his Dark Dimension.
Best case scenario? Jackpot.
Worst case? Meh. The dark energy he sent over was 'within acceptable power levels' anyway—barely a drop in the vast ocean of his power.
And then came the Ancient One.
Dormammu got played. Hard.
This time, when he sensed the Ancient One sneaking into his domain again, he didn't think much of it. He figured it was just like before—another attempt to siphon off some of his power.
He and the Ancient One weren't exactly strangers.
Ever since his plans to invade the material dimension centuries ago were foiled by that bald monk, the two had clashed plenty of times. And through those run-ins, they'd both come to a begrudging understanding:
As long as the Ancient One stood guard over Earth as the Sorcerer Supreme, Dormammu couldn't take it.
See, when you're fused with your dimension like Dormammu is, stepping outside it drastically weakens you. And in his weakened state, he couldn't beat the Ancient One.
Worse still, if Dormammu ever focused too much attention on Earth, other dimension-lords—who also had their eyes on that little blue planet—would pounce on his turf the moment he let his guard down.
Why was he so sure that would happen? Because it's exactly what he'd do.
Likewise, the Ancient One couldn't do much to him either.
As a dimensional lord, Dormammu had near-infinite authority inside his own domain. Unless someone could bring the kind of raw power that could outright flatten the entire Dark Dimension, there wasn't much they could do here.
The Ancient One might be powerful, but at best, he was just strong enough to avoid becoming Dormammu's plaything the moment he set foot in the Dark Dimension.
So, when the Ancient One suddenly showed up again, Dormammu figured, "Whatever. I'll let him swing by, slap him around a little, blow off some steam, and call it a day."
But then it happened.
While the Ancient One was pulling his usual distraction shtick, he snuck in another person—a third party who, while Dormammu wasn't paying attention, stole something precious from the very core of the Dark Dimension.
They didn't just snag a trinket or a shard of power.
They robbed him blind.
They stole a portion of the Dark Matter Essence—something Dormammu would normally only gain after devouring an entire small or even mid-sized dimension! That amount of energy wasn't just valuable… it hurt to lose.
"You fucking thief… robbing scum! Stealing what's mine?! I'll kill you a million times, you dirty bastard!
Cursing furiously, Dormammu waved a hand.
In an instant, all the planets that had been annihilated during his earlier tantrum were restored across the Dark Dimension, as if nothing had happened.
Then he raised a massive claw—and grabbed someone.
From one of those planets, a blonde-haired girl was yanked straight in front of him.
"Clea, my dear niece…"
Dormammu's deep, booming voice echoed as he spoke, "I'm going to open a portal to Earth. Go there. Find this person. Use any means necessary to bring him back to the Dark Dimension."
"Uh… about that…"
Clea blinked as she stared at the shadowy humanoid form Dormammu had conjured.
Wait a sec… Earthlings don't look like that, do they?
"Your vision is far too shallow," Dormammu snapped. "The outer form means nothing. You must learn to see past appearances… and recognize the truth."
"That man—that thief—only got away with this because he was helped by that despicable, shameless, conniving Sorcerer Supreme! While I was distracted, they snatched away a piece of darkness from me.
"Darkness... That thing to someone like you, born in this very Dimension, will shine like a lighthouse in the night. You couldn't miss it even with your eyes closed."
"…Got it."
Clea nodded seriously, staring up at the blazing black flame that burned atop Dormammu's form.
That flame was no ordinary fire. It was a manifestation of Dormammu's supreme authority over the Dark Dimension.
— — —
Kamar-Taj.
While Dormammu was still raging impotently back in the Dark Dimension, the other party involved was already grinning ear to ear, happily organizing his loot.
In his hands was a massive chunk of raw, unrefined Dark Matter—so potent that a single thread from it could create an entire galaxy.
As he refined and absorbed the essence, his Trait System immediately updated the stats for his signature ability, Divine Ki:
[IDivine Ki (Lv.86)]
[Lv.10]: +5 Divine Ki Power
[Lv.20]: +10 Divine Ki Power
[…]
[Lv.80]: +40 Divine Ki Power
With eight boost tiers from level 10 to level 80, his bonus Ki Power jumped from 144 points… to a staggering 180.
That's a 36-point increase—meaning a raw amplification of 2 to the 36th power.
That's 2³⁶ = 68,719,476,736 times stronger.
And on top of that?
The chunk of Dark Matter he devoured didn't just increase his strength—it gave him massive insight into the nature of darkness itself. His Ki had now taken on the same corrupting, all-consuming qualities as Dormammu's own.
As a result, his Divine Ki had jumped from Level 82 to Level 86 in one go. Four levels. Just like that.
"Hey, Sorcerer… who's our next target?"
With a grin, he rubbed his hands together in anticipation. "That last haul went way better than I expected... seriously, I'm feeling rich."
"Huh?"
"Next target, you say?"
The Ancient One narrowed his eyes slightly.
Something about the young man in front of him was starting to make him uneasy. That overwhelming sense of danger—just from the power boost he got from stealing Dormammu's essence—was not normal. Even he couldn't quite wrap his head around it.
But he didn't push for answers.
Instead, he opened a new dimensional gate, reached into a sealed section of his personal library, and pulled out a mysterious book—its pages whispering eerie, unintelligible chants as it opened.
.
.
.