"Dormammu, you're going to regret this!!"
Aron suddenly roared, his voice echoing through the entire dimension.
"Come on, make me regret trying!"
Dormammu laughed, his voice rumbling like thunder. "Show me that you have what it takes to make me regret it!"
His enormous hand rose high, and black energy thickened around it. Waves of darkness spiraled down toward Aron as Dormammu doubled the power of his devouring force.
In his eyes, Aron was nothing more than a toy he could twist at will.
"Heh... khm... Dormammu, I warned you."
The pain ripping through Aron's body suddenly doubled, but he didn't retreat. Instead, he activated the source of his divine magical power.
Unknowingly, an energy channel had already been established between him and Dormammu.
A massive amount of force began to flow from the darkness and surge into Aron's body.
That energy then poured into his small universe, because Dormammu's power was so immense that Aron could use it not only to defend himself but also to restore what had been destroyed within his universe.
Dormammu was devouring Aron, but at the same time, Aron was using that same current of energy to recover and expand his limits.
The cycle was paradoxical, yet perfect:
Dormammu devoured Aron, while Aron used Dormammu's power to absorb and convert his energy into his own.
In other words, Dormammu was unknowingly using Aron's body as a transit station, devouring his own power.
Although Dormammu had previously stolen most of Aron's energy, now the balance had shifted. Once the cycle was established, Aron began to restore his strength faster than Dormammu could consume it.
He fully opened the channel, taking every possible advantage.
The result was clear: Dormammu could no longer keep up with his rhythm.
Slowly but surely, Aron's small universe, which had been on the verge of collapse, began to recover and soon returned to its original, stable state.
And then Aron summoned the God of Magic.
He seized the moment and placed it directly within his Eternal Night World.
This time, however, the difference was immense.
Before, when Aron had created the God of Magic, it had been the God of White Magic, a being infused with the energy of Vishanti.
But now, using the pure dark power of Dormammu, he formed the God of Black Magic.
Its aura was terrifying, powerful, and merciless.
Aron knew he could transform energy between light and darkness, but now was not the time.
He planned to borrow a bit of white magic energy from Vishanti later, to recreate the God of White Magic before merging the two forces into one perfect deity.
For now, efficiency was more important than perfection.
The God of Black Magic had fully condensed. This time, its body was larger, and its power much deeper. All thanks to Dormammu's strength.
At that moment, Aron was completely restored, resurrected in radiant energy.
And to waste not a single trace of power, Aron maintained the energy flow Dormammu was sending, using all that strength to build and expand his Eternal Night World.
Dimensional boundaries expanded as Aron refined the structure of his world, transforming it into something stronger and more magnificent.
As for his small universe, he decided to leave it untouched for now.
There was simply too much work to do on a higher level.
Meanwhile, Dormammu began to feel something strange.
"Why do you still have so much energy!?" he roared in confusion.
"My energy is infinite!!" Aron shouted, though he knew he was bluffing.
Dormammu fell silent, watching suspiciously.
By his understanding, the energy of a pocket universe couldn't last this long, it should have collapsed long ago.
But Aron's universe not only endured, it was becoming more stable.
Even worse, the energy he felt coming from the other side of the channel began to seem… familiar.
Too familiar.
It was his own energy!
"What have you done!?" Dormammu roared in fury.
"Me? Nothing special." Aron laughed softly, his voice dripping with irony.
"Something's wrong…"
Dormammu closed his eyes to focus, and in the next moment, they flew open wide as he realized the horrible truth.
"Damn it… you're the one who connected to me and are using my power!!"
At that moment, he finally understood.
Aron was using the Dark Summoning Ritual, a method Dormammu himself had created to grant power to his followers.
Many mortals and demons had used that ritual to gain access to his power. He allowed it, knowing it would bring him more worship and therefore more strength.
And the price for them always came later, when Dormammu claimed their souls.
That's why, at first, he hadn't paid attention to Aron's energy channel.
He thought it was just another follower trying to borrow his power.
But now…
the energy he was losing was turning back against him.
"How did you do this!?" he screamed, grinding his teeth as dark sparks erupted from his eyes.
"Excuse me? So you finally figured it out? What a shame." Aron shook his head with a faint smile. "I was beginning to think you'd be stupid enough never to notice."
"You think you can still deceive me?" Dormammu snarled. "The initiative of any summoning ritual lies in my hands! If I wish, I can end it at any moment!"
He sneered confidently, believing he was still in control.
With a single gesture, he tried to shut down the energy channel.
But… nothing happened.
He couldn't close it.
The channel remained open, as if it now belonged to Aron.
Dormammu felt the ground slipping from beneath him.
He was the source of energy, but he no longer had control over it.
He couldn't understand how this was possible.
All summoning rituals were his.
But this time, his opponent was not an ordinary mortal.
"Impossible…!" he muttered, clenching his fists.
"Stop the devouring, maybe the channel will close on its own…"
He tried to halt the energy flow, but that too failed.
Aron immediately felt the flow slowing down and smiled.
"Dormammu, let me remind you, even if you stop, the passage won't close."
His voice was calm, but there was a dangerous tone beneath it.
"In other words, if you give up, you'll lose everything."
"You…" Dormammu stopped, realizing what that meant.
"I told you you'd regret it," Aron said slowly, a cold smile spreading across his face.