London, United Kingdom.
This was the stalemate zone where the Dark Dimension encroached upon the real dimension.
Meteors streaked, flames soared, golden light flashed, and darkness surged.
A continuous torrent of energy washed across the sky.
Parts of downtown London had already been destroyed, and the anomalies in the sky were so intense that even Nick Fury and Captain America in Vienna could see the dense blackness in the distant sky.
"Nick, do you think Watt can succeed?"
Steve gripped his shield and asked Nick Fury beside him.
He couldn't imagine how he could attack that thing in the sky with just his body and shield.
Should he fly a fighter jet loaded with a nuclear bomb into it?
He had flown such a fighter jet once seventy years ago.
But that time, it was to deliver a nuclear bomb launched by Red Skull to the North Pole.
This time, the enemy was clearly not on the same level as Red Skull.
Could a plane even get close?
"I don't know, but all we can do is trust Watt."
Black Halogen Egg tucked his hands into his coat pockets, clutching a red and blue pager, and said with a calm expression.
Maria Hill, who was at S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, speaking with the UN Security Council under Qingshui's proxy, echoed the same sentiment.
Above the Atlantic Ocean.
Tony, sitting in a helicopter, inserted his fingers into the safe beside him, allowing the nanometal to flow over his entire body, forming a form-fitting gold and red armor. Then he leaped out, his Arc Reactors functioning at full power, propelling the armor and Tony towards the United Kingdom.
"Okay, J.A.R.V.I.S., still no definite news from Watt and Watos?"
"No, sir. I have received a file from Watos. Mr. Nick Fury has also uploaded information to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Level 9 clearance database. This file details the beginning and end of this crisis, which is due to the death of the Sorcerer Supreme, Ancient One, who protected Earth, leading to the invasion of an extra-dimensional Dimensional Demon God coveting this dimension."
"What? Sorcerer Supreme?"
"Yes, sir. According to the information Mr. Nick Fury just uploaded, after Ancient One's passing, the Sorcerer Supreme will be succeeded by the current S.H.I.E.L.D. Director, Mr. Watt. Watos advises you not to play the hero. According to Mr. Watt's message, he stated that if you go, you would only be a hindrance."
"No, no, no. Watt can play the hero, but I, Stark, can't? Watt is looking down on me. And I'm not playing the hero; I'm just testing the performance of the Mark 46."
Tony looked up at the sky, a hint of worry hidden in his eyes.
Dimensions, demon gods—it sounded like an overwhelmingly powerful enemy, a matter of life and death that could affect the survival of all humanity.
If Watt lost, then what about them?
They had to do their part too.
Being a hindrance...
Tsk, since when was he, Tony Stark, considered a hindrance?
...
...
Above London, an endless shadow loomed.
This was the boundary between reality and the Dark Dimension.
Qingshui had mustered all his strength and had been fighting Dormammu for...
Twenty-five minutes.
Only twenty-five minutes had passed, and he already felt somewhat out of his depth.
Not even half an hour.
In terms of energy, he wasn't lacking.
Two Infinity Stones, both in quality and quantity, were no worse than the enemy's.
Qingshui's weakness was his methods.
There was a clear gap in their realms; whether it was the mastery of energy, the utilization of space, or the interference with matter, he had a significant disparity compared to his opponent.
The only area where he hadn't fallen behind was in the clash of spiritual will.
Qingshui had rarely encountered enemies who attacked from a spiritual perspective, and a direct contest of spiritual power during a battle was unprecedented.
But perhaps, once one's power reached a certain level, this clash of wills was inevitable.
Dormammu was already a Dimensional Demon God superior to conventional beings, and enduring this kind of spiritual pressure was not easy.
Perhaps an important prerequisite for becoming the Sorcerer Supreme was possessing a powerful mind capable of long-term resistance to such pressure.
If one couldn't withstand it, it would be easy to be deluded by Dormammu and become a dark wizard, one of his followers, just like Kaecilius.
Fortunately, Qingshui's mental strength was sufficient, and his mind had been strengthened through long-term study of the Mind Stone, enough to cope with Dormammu's threat in this regard.
Not to mention that the Mind Stone could now provide protection for Qingshui's mind.
Another ten minutes passed.
Electrolight II, which Qingshui was wearing, shattered.
"You really are a pain, Dormammu."
Qingshui sighed. With his right hand, he used the power of the Mind Stone to conjure a Shield of the Seraphim, capable of temporarily blocking Dormammu's attacks for a few seconds. With his left hand, he formed a spell sign, harnessing the Time Stone's power to rewind his own time.
The Electrolight Armor reappeared on Qingshui, good as new, and his physical condition was even restored to how it was thirty minutes prior.
Dormammu, however, stopped his attack at this point, silent for two seconds.
Two Infinity Stones, and both expertly wielded, unleashing their full power.
Unless the battle took place within his Dark Dimension, it seemed he truly had no way to deal with this sorcerer.
"As long as I can devour this dimension, I can give you whatever you desire. Whether it's wealth, power, or the knowledge to achieve greatness and become a god like me, I don't mind sharing it with you."
Seeing that defeating Qingshui would be difficult, Dormammu changed tactics, intending to persuade Qingshui with words.
Qingshui rested his chin in his hand, thinking for two seconds before speaking.
"You speak first, then I'll concede."
Even if you speak, I won't concede.
I still have to live on Earth!
Hundreds of billions in assets, immense social influence, and holding S.H.I.E.L.D., the strongest Earth military organization on paper besides the Five Great Powers.
If this place gets devoured by you, how am I supposed to live my decadent capitalist life of debauchery?
However, if you're willing to speak, I, Clear, Sorcerer Supreme, Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., controlling shareholder of Osborn Corporation, founder of Watt Group, Ancient One's elder brother, Watt, would reluctantly be willing to listen attentively.
"If you concede, I'll speak."
"Are you really going to speak?"
"I am."
"I don't believe you, so you concede first."
"I don't believe you either. What if you listen and then don't concede?"
"It's fine, I'll take the loss. You speak first."
Dormammu: ...
You're playing games!
No point talking, let's keep fighting.
...
At S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, Maria Hill stood ramrod straight in the center of the office, her pretty face stern, answering questions from the UN Security Council with neither subservience nor arrogance.
At this very moment, high-ranking officials from countless countries were watching the meeting online.
"Maria Hill, can you confirm that Director Watt can defeat this 'dark god' from another universe?"
An old white man stroked his chin, looking at Hill through the holographic projection as he asked.
He was America's representative to the Security Council.
Qingshui's status, power, and influence in this country were immense.
But no matter how great, they still needed to understand the situation clearly.
"I don't know, but I can only say that if even Director Watt cannot stop the enemy, then with all the data S.H.I.E.L.D. possesses, we cannot find another effective method."
"Defending Earth and managing all supernatural domains is S.H.I.E.L.D.'s responsibility, and it's also the most important factor in S.H.I.E.L.D. receiving Security Council support. Deputy Director Hill, if S.H.I.E.L.D. cannot fulfill its role, then the Five Great Powers behind the Security Council will consider using extraordinary measures."
The Great Britain representative spoke up.
Currently, all internet signals in London were disrupted by the intense energy fluctuations overhead, making it impossible to even know the situation in Downing Street, so they were the most anxious.
"Excuse me, Mr. Representative, are the 'extraordinary measures' you mentioned nuclear bombs? According to the detection records just sent by S.H.I.E.L.D.'s senior scientific consultant, Mr. Tony Stark, the energy data above London has already far exceeded the most powerful nuclear weapons ever created in human history.
Nuclear weapons may be completely ineffective.
In fact, if Director Watt weren't currently blocking the enemy outside the Earth's surface, London would have already been destroyed, and even the entire United Kingdom severely impacted."
Dormammu had the ability to devour the entire Earth.
And in front of Earth, a high-yield nuclear bomb might not even be as significant as a pimple.
Hill replied.
The Great Britain representative's expression was not good.
Meanwhile, the American representative's expression at this moment was worth savoring.
Nuclear weapons were the strongest weapons humankind currently possessed, at least for these national institutions.
And now, there was an individual who wielded power greater than nuclear bombs, unafraid of them.
Moreover, this person was an American, with significant influence in the country...
As his strength was demonstrated, while covert precautions would not lessen, there would be even more attempts by many to win him over, hoping to form deeper ties to gain greater power and influence.
The Polar Bear representative's face was calm as he looked at the East University representative.
"We trust that Mr. Watt, as the next Sorcerer Supreme, can repel Dormammu and protect Earth. To be frank, our S.P.E.A.R. has always maintained good relations with successive Sorcerers Supreme. This relationship can be traced back from the previous Sorcerer Supreme, Ancient One, to Zhang Jiao, the Sorcerer Supreme of the Eastern Han Dynasty, 1900 years ago. He had an extremely close connection with the founder of S.P.E.A.R., the great master Zhang Heng…"
The representative from East University smiled, seemingly both concerned and unconcerned about the situation in London.
While Watt might be American, East University and the Sorcerer Supreme have a nearly 2,000-year-old friendship!
This doesn't mean they fear Kamar-Taj's future attitude toward East University, because they know that since Watt can assume the position of Sorcerer Supreme, he must understand the extent of East University's power.
In the Marvel Universe, East University has far more confidence than America.
Aside from Zheng Xian, the director who inherited Zhang Heng's legacy during the Ming Dynasty and is no younger than Ancient One, there are also powerful entities like the Eight Immortals and Sun Wukong, as well as those equivalent to figures in the mythological system within K'un-Lun, such as the Jade Emperor, Thunder God, Lightning Mother, and Dragon King.
It's just that S.P.E.A.R. only looks after its own territory. Even if Qingshui truly loses, it wouldn't matter.
They could simply move their entire nation into K'un-Lun's small dimension and continue to exist there.
While doing so would require sacrificing a great deal of interests and paying a certain price, they could at least securely maintain their fundamental position.
However, they don't believe Qingshui will lose.
This is their confidence in the title of Sorcerer Supreme.
With the Time Stone, Qingshui can, at the very least, remain invincible, no matter what.
As long as there's the Time Stone and the Sorcerer Supreme, Dormammu poses no threat to Earth.
What East University is currently considering is how to continue maintaining friendly relations with the current Sorcerer Supreme.
…
…
Qingshui, standing invincible, was having a blast.
"Come on, old man, let's keep going. I have a few new talismans I haven't tried yet. Let's spar some more."
Qingshui had been fighting Dormammu continuously for three or four days by this point.
To be precise, it was three days and twenty-one hours.
In those ninety-three hours, Qingshui used the Time Stone twenty-six times. Four times he was on the verge of death, and twice he genuinely lost and died.
Then, he used the Time Stone's save function and, incidentally, sent a Shadow Clone to the outside world to handle various matters for him.
Not only that, Qingshui also adjusted the time ratio in this specific space to one to twenty.
This means that within the dimension invaded by Dormammu, Qingshui experienced ninety-three hours, while outside, only one afternoon had passed.
Qingshui believed Dormammu wouldn't keep dragging this out, but he also didn't want to be held up by Dormammu for too long, so he made this adjustment.
The reason it was one to twenty and not more was because, in Qingshui's current state, while fighting Dormammu, his body could only withstand that much additional power from the Time Stone.
Dormammu might not be strong at his own level, but he was definitely the most powerful opponent Qingshui had ever encountered.
If not for the two Infinity Stones he possessed, he truly wouldn't have been qualified to contend with an enemy of this caliber.
Although the battle was perilous, Qingshui exerted all his effort over these three days, using every skill he knew, yet he still couldn't gain any significant advantage against Dormammu.
At most, he could barely achieve a stalemate for a moment before being forced to use the Time Stone.
However, as time accumulated, Qingshui could also feel how quickly he was improving.
It was already very difficult for his current strength to make further progress.
Ordinary opportunities had little effect on his improvement, and great opportunities depended on timing, location, and human factors. Even if he could actively plan for them, they weren't always easily obtained.
Unless he could open up another world with a sufficiently high power level that offered stable opportunities, he could only rely on time to slowly grind his way up.
And having a Dimensional Demon God as a sparring partner, like now, was a rare occurrence.
For Qingshui, this was also an excellent whetstone.
With the Time Stone as a safety net, he could go all out.
Incidentally, Qingshui also discovered another use for the Mind Stone during the battle.
After entering a deep, perfect flow state, he could use the Mind Stone's incredibly pure and powerful mental energy to enhance his mind and improve his comprehension.
As a Dimensional Demon God, Dormammu possessed extraordinary abilities, and his application of spatial and other rule-based powers was beyond Qingshui's comparison.
However, with the Mind Stone, Qingshui, aided by his enhanced comprehension from the Mind Stone, managed to gain some insights.
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