"Honestly, I'm far more interested in these dimensional intruders than providing backup to a battle that's already well in hand," Marcus said, his eyes beginning to glow with predatory anticipation as void energy rippled outward from his position.
The Ancient One chuckled at his obvious enthusiasm, her hands never pausing in their defensive gestures as she continued to repel the various entities attempting to force their way into Earth's reality. Having an ally in this interdimensional battleground was a welcome change from her usual solitary vigil.
"Since you're so eager to engage," she said, golden chains erupting from her hands to bind what appeared to be a massive blood-red appendage emerging from a spatial rift, "allow me to provide introductions."
The crimson limb writhed against her mystical restraints, dripping with a substance that was simultaneously liquid and gas, defying conventional physics in ways that made reality itself recoil. The Ancient One's chains ignited with purifying flame, causing the bound appendage to smoke and burn with an eerie crimson light.
"This particular nuisance," the Ancient One said conversationally while maintaining her mystical grip, "is the Blood Monarch of the Blood Dimension. Essentially a cosmic vampire with delusions of godhood—all the predatory instincts of a apex predator combined with the ego of an entity that's never encountered meaningful resistance."
The burning continued, but as expected, the flames had no lasting effect. What the Ancient One had captured was merely a manifestation of blood and dark energy, not the Blood Monarch's true form. The creature's actual body remained safely within its own dimension, manipulating events through these projected extensions.
"Fascinating," Marcus murmured, studying the writhing appendage with professional interest. "A dimensional entity that specializes in hematological manipulation. The power signature is... substantial."
Marcus could sense the vast energies flowing through the Blood Monarch's manifestation, cosmic forces that could be harvested and repurposed for his own use. The dimensional demons weren't just threats to be repelled—they were resources to be exploited, sources of power that could fuel his continuing evolution.
"Powerful, dangerous, and most importantly, accessible," Marcus said with obvious satisfaction. "I like this arrangement already."
Without further preamble, Marcus allowed his Ember Warframe to manifest, flames erupting around him as the armor materialized with dramatic flair. The transformation was accompanied by a surge of heat that made the air shimmer and distort, turning the interdimensional battleground into a furnace.
"I'll handle the immediate threats here," Marcus announced, already forming a massive fireball in his hands. "Tony and the others can manage their little skirmish without constant supervision."
The fireball grew rapidly as Marcus channeled power through his Fire Essence, the flames taking on an almost stellar intensity that outshone the Ancient One's mystical fires. When he released the attack, it struck the Blood Monarch's appendage with devastating effect.
HISSSSSS
Where the Ancient One's flames had merely singed the creature's manifestation, Marcus's cosmic fire actually destroyed it. The appendage disintegrated into ash and vapor, completely annihilated rather than simply burned.
"Much better," the Ancient One observed with approval. "That level of thermal intensity should actually pose a meaningful threat to these entities."
With Marcus engaged in active combat, the Ancient One shifted her focus to broader battlefield management, weaving protective barriers around their position while monitoring the conventional battle taking place in normal space. Her mystical sight could perceive both dimensions simultaneously, allowing her to coordinate defenses across multiple planes of existence.
Marcus, meanwhile, was preparing to escalate his assault significantly.
"Time to test the full potential of this integration," he said, activating the Fire Essence enhancement he'd created from the Eternal Flame.
The transformation was immediate and dramatic. Where Marcus had previously radiated heat like a bonfire, he now blazed like a miniature star. The flames covering his armor shifted from orange and red to brilliant white-gold, reaching temperatures that approached stellar cores.
The Blood Monarch's manifestation recoiled from the sudden thermal assault, the creature's form beginning to sizzle and steam as the intense heat affected even its non-physical components.
"Impossible," the Blood Monarch's voice echoed across dimensions, carrying rage and disbelief in equal measure. "In my own realm, I could extinguish you with a thought! This primitive world's protections are all that prevents your immediate destruction!"
The entity was correct, of course. Within the Blood Dimension, the Blood Monarch wielded absolute authority, capable of reshaping reality according to its will. But here, in the neutral space between dimensions, it was limited to manifestations and projections—still dangerous, but no longer omnipotent.
"Don't assume that fire is your weakness," Marcus replied with dark amusement. "That would be far too simple."
The Blood Monarch gathered its power, and the crimson substance surrounding its form began to boil and churn with supernatural energy. Blood flames erupted around the creature—not normal fire, but something that burned with hunger and malice, flames that consumed hope as readily as oxygen.
"Blood Meteor Barrage!" the entity roared, and dozens of crimson projectiles erupted from its form.
Each meteor was a condensed mass of blood and dark energy, burning with that terrible crimson fire as they arced through the interdimensional space toward Marcus. They moved with guided intelligence, adjusting their trajectories to compensate for evasive maneuvers.
Marcus grinned behind his armor's faceplate. "Two can play at that game."
He raised his hands toward the sky, and the space above them suddenly blazed with stellar fire. Dozens of white-hot comets materialized in response to his will, each one burning with the condensed power of the Eternal Flame.
"Stellar Bombardment."
The opposing meteor swarms collided in a spectacular display of pyrotechnics, crimson blood-fire clashing against golden star-flame in explosions that sent shockwaves through multiple dimensions. But as the battle continued, Marcus's attacks began to dominate.
This was the unique capability of his Ember frame—flame consumption. Every fire that his cosmic flames touched and overcame added to his own power, creating a feedback loop that made him progressively stronger throughout the battle.
As more blood meteors were consumed by his stellar fire, Marcus's comets grew larger and more numerous. The enhancement from the Eternal Flame amplified this effect dramatically, turning what should have been an even exchange into a progressively one-sided assault.
"You're disappointingly weak," Marcus called out as his flames began to dominate the battlefield entirely. "Is this really the best the Blood Dimension can manage?"
The interdimensional space around them was transforming into a sea of fire as Marcus's power continued to escalate. The flames no longer simply burned—they actively sought out sources of energy to consume, turning the entire battleground into an extension of Marcus's will.
"Fury Vortex," Marcus announced, and the flames began to spiral into a massive cyclone with himself at the center.
The vortex pulled in energy from across the battlefield, feeding on the ambient power that leaked through from various dimensions. Even the heat from his previous attacks was drawn into the spiral, creating a self-reinforcing cycle of destruction that grew stronger with each passing moment.
Marcus materialized his signature war blade, the weapon forming from crystallized fire and void energy. The blade's edge blazed with white-hot intensity, hot enough to cut through dimensional barriers themselves.
"If this is the limit of your power outside your home dimension," Marcus said, raising the weapon for a finishing strike, "then it's time to end this charade."
He vanished from his position, moving with speeds that transcended normal space-time. The war blade carved through reality itself as Marcus appeared directly beside the Blood Monarch's manifestation.
"Inferno Blade Strike!"
The enhanced attack channeled the full fury of the Eternal Flame through Marcus's weapon, creating a blade of fire that could theoretically wound even cosmic entities. This wasn't just heat—it was the fundamental force of stellar creation weaponized for destruction.
CLANG CLANG CLANG
The Blood Monarch desperately formed defensive implements from its own substance—hardened blood that took the shape of curved scythes and shields. But the weapons were inadequate against Marcus's enhanced capabilities, each defensive measure lasting only moments before being overwhelmed by stellar fire.
"Blood River Torrent!" the entity roared in desperation.
The Blood Monarch's form dissolved entirely, transforming into a raging river of crimson liquid that surged toward Marcus with devastating force. But this wasn't merely liquid—it was animate malevolence given physical form, filled with countless grasping claws and snapping jaws that sought to tear apart anything they touched.
Marcus responded by compressing his flames to their maximum intensity. The fire around him condensed from brilliant white-gold to almost transparent blue-white, reaching temperatures that approached the cores of neutron stars.
"Stellar Impact!"
Marcus lifted his foot and brought it down with tremendous force, channeling the compressed stellar fire through the point of contact. The resulting explosion created a hemispherical wave of annihilation that incinerated everything in its path, stopping the Blood Monarch's river attack completely.
The entity's form recoiled in shock and pain as portions of its manifestation were actually destroyed rather than merely dispersed. This level of thermal intensity was apparently sufficient to cause genuine damage even to a dimensional entity.
"Blood Spear Formation!" the Blood Monarch attempted desperately.
Dozens of crimson spears erupted from the creature's remaining mass, each one connected to the main body by threads of living blood. The weapons moved with coordinated precision, attempting to overwhelm Marcus through sheer numbers.
Marcus simply activated his stellar impact ability again, creating a spherical explosion of compressed fire that annihilated the entire spear formation in a single burst. The threads connecting the weapons to the Blood Monarch burned away completely, severing the entity's connection to those portions of its power.
"Pathetic," Marcus said dismissively as he advanced on the increasingly desperate creature. "This is the legendary power of a dimensional demon? I expected more from a cosmic-level entity."
The Blood Monarch's remaining form coalesced into increasingly dense defensive barriers, layer upon layer of hardened blood and dark energy designed to absorb and deflect attacks. But Marcus could sense the creature's growing panic—it was running out of options and power.
"Meaningless," Marcus declared, raising his foot for what would likely be the finishing blow. "Against stellar fire, conventional defenses are worthless."
He brought his foot down with tremendous force, and the ground beneath them exploded into incandescent fury as the compressed power of a star's core was released in a concentrated burst.
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