After Martin and the Ancient One departed, the shattered Dark Dimension fell silent once more. Countless stars began to collapse into oblivion, and only Dormammu's lifeless body remained, drifting through the void, eternally.
Much later...
A new figure stepped into the void.
"The Dark Dimension... reduced to this?" The voice was tinged with awe. "Wait... is that—?"
The figure halted in mid-air, eyes fixed on the corpse suspended in the dimensional aether.
"Dormammu… is dead? He was actually killed?!"
The Grandmaster stood in stunned disbelief.
One of the oldest beings in the universe, a member of the Elders of the Universe, and a being of near-Skyfather-level power, the Grandmaster had always been driven by curiosity.
So when the cosmic rumors pointed him toward the recently devastated Dark Dimension, he'd come to investigate, convinced his power would protect him from any lingering danger.
What he hadn't expected… was to find the corpse of a god.
He stood atop a collapsed, fossilized star, eyes wide in disbelief as he stared at Dormammu's remains. And then, slowly, wonder gave way to greed.
"Arrogant youngsters," the Grandmaster muttered, reaching toward the remains with barely suppressed glee. "To leave the corpse of a black magic deity behind… and not even bother to claim it?"
With a flick of his wrist and the murmur of ancient spells, he carefully extracted the essence of Dormammu's broken form and stored it away.
And just like that, the death of Dormammu became the most explosive rumor in the known universe.
The Grandmaster's whispers spread like wildfire.
From the cosmic citadels of the Celestials to the psionic archives of Titan, every power that mattered felt the aftershock.
"Dormammu… the Devourer of Worlds… slain?!"
"The entire Dark Dimension has collapsed? Whoever did this… must be terrifying."
"No Skyfather, even at peak power, could've done this while Dormammu still reigned. Not without… something more."
"It has to be the Infinity Stones. That man, Martin, he must've killed Dormammu himself. The residual fragments confirm it."
"Then the Space Stone is in Martin's hands. Confirmed."
But what shook the universe even more deeply was Martin's origin.
A low-born human from a primitive world—Earth, a backwater planet barely capable of interstellar travel. And yet, he'd wielded the Space Stone. Not just survived its power, he mastered it.
"Even cosmic gods hesitate to wield an Infinity Stone. How did a mere human… succeed?"
"He didn't just survive it, he weaponized it. Destroyed the Dark Dimension. Killed Dormammu. It's mythology come to life."
And so, Martin's name was carved into the memory of the cosmos.
Until someone found a way to stop him, no one dared provoke him.
His legend only grew.
In ancient, undeveloped civilizations across the galaxy, projections of his battle with Dormammu had briefly pierced through rifts in space-time, flashes of light and wrath etched into the skies.
In awe and terror, tribal peoples carved Martin's likeness into stone, holding nightly ceremonies in his name.
And so, a new cosmic status quo was born:
A human who could wield an Infinity Stone, was no longer a man.
...
Earth, Hydra Secret Facility.
A blue vortex bloomed open in the middle of Hydra's most secure base.
"Who's there?!"
"Security alert! Intruder detected!"
The base's multi-layered defense system, cybernetic sensors, mystic wards, mechanical turrets, and infrared locks, all activated at once.
The energy signature of the vortex was massive, undeniably hostile. Sirens screamed as security teams and enhanced agents flooded in.
Dozens of automated turrets snapped into position, energy barrels glowing hot.
From within the swirling blue light, a solitary figure stepped out, calm, composed, utterly unimpressed.
Martin emerged from the dimensional gate like a man on a casual walk, not like someone invading one of the most dangerous terrorist organizations on Earth.
His gaze swept over the Hydra soldiers with barely a flicker of interest. With a wave of his will, he scanned the facility's layout, instantly detecting countless psychic dampeners and telepathic jammers.
"Send out your leader," Martin said coolly. "Or everyone here dies."
Hands in his pockets, he strode forward, completely ignoring the trembling soldiers who held him in their crosshairs.
Suddenly—
WHOOSH!
A missile launched from one of the shoulder-mounted turrets.
Martin turned his head, barely glancing at it. His gaze alone, suffused with crushing willpower, detonated the missile mid-air.
And then—
A blur of motion.
A soldier lunged at him, metal arm raised, striking with brutal force.
Winter Soldier.
The vibranium-enhanced punch would've caved in a truck, registering over five tons of impact force. But Martin merely raised one hand.
CLANG!
The punch stopped cold.
Winter Soldier's battle-hardened instincts screamed a warning.
Too strong. Too calm. Get out, NOW.
Martin tilted his head, and with the flick of a wrist, ripped the vibranium arm clean off.
CRUNCH.
One brutal kick later, Winter Soldier was sent flying like a broken puppet, slamming into the wall hard enough to crater it. Blood sprayed from his mouth. His ribs shattered. His organs ruptured.
Had it not been for Hydra's bioengineering and Martin's playful restraint, the Winter Soldier would've died on the spot.
"—Stand down! Now! That's no way to treat an honored guest of Hydra!"
A sultry voice echoed through the chamber.
Madame Viper emerged, graceful, poised, yet clearly rattled.
The world's most powerful woman in the shadows, Viper controlled intelligence networks across continents, including S.H.I.E.L.D. itself. And she knew better than most how dangerous the man before her was.
A man who had battled a god, and won.
To antagonize him… was to invite total annihilation. Especially with an army of Cybertronians at his command, masters of electronic warfare.
Hydra wouldn't last a day.
"Lord Martin," she said, lowering her head in deference. "What can Hydra do for you? Whatever you require, it shall be done."
She dipped slightly forward, her posture both submissive and… revealing.
"Tell Strucker to come out," Martin said simply, hands still clasped behind his back. "I'm here for two people."
"Erik's children. I know you took them. I'm taking them back."
His voice was calm, his tone even.
"Refuse me, and you all die."
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