Chapter 156: Possessed by the Dark Entity
The one who had infiltrated the S.W.O.R.D. armory in the dead of night to steal the dimension-crossing device wasn't some outsider—it was none other than the machine's original inventor: Victor Von Doom himself.
Only, something was clearly off about him.
His once-handsome face was now marked with scorched black veins, and near his eyes, violet tendrils—like the roots of some ancient tree—stretched outward toward his temples. The corruption of the Dark Dimension was evident.
"It's Dormammu, isn't it? He made you a promise," Gene asked in a low, steady voice as he watched Doom's twisted form. "Since when?"
"Two days ago," Doom replied, dryly. His voice had become raspy, darker—yet eerily calm. Not even a trace of shame for being caught red-handed.
"I should've guessed it, shouldn't I, 963?" Gene muttered. "What I didn't expect... was that you'd actually accept Dormammu's terms. I always thought someone like you would never submit to him—not for your own sake, not even for your mother's."
"He made me a promise," Doom said, his tone sharp as cold steel. "And Doom does not bow to anyone. But he gave me power. Endless, unfathomable dark power. And right now, I need power."
As he spoke, Doom raised his hand. A surge of black energy erupted from his palm, sending out a shockwave that made the entire chamber tremble.
Gene's trench coat flared violently in the wind, but he remained unmoved—an immovable pillar in the eye of the storm.
"So you believe that by drawing power from Dormammu, you'll be able to challenge Mephisto and rescue your mother from the Hell Dimension?" Gene asked, his voice still even.