Chapter 171: Dormammu Retreats
The Eye of Agamotto finally opened.
A glowing green light emanated from Gene’s chest as the power of the Time Stone surged outward. The very fabric of space around him froze—time stood still, held captive by the stone’s overwhelming force.
Dormammu narrowed his crimson eyes as he stared at the eerie green radiance on Gene’s chest. A sense of dread crawled up his spine. He had never encountered something quite like this before—an object so ancient, so fundamentally alien, and so terrifying in its quiet power.
He felt fear. A sliver of pure, unfiltered fear.
"I don’t care what trickery you’re playing at, Earth sorcerer," Dormammu’s voice rumbled across the Dark Dimension, thunderous and defiant. "In my realm, you’ll never defeat me."
The words weren’t just for Gene—they were for himself. Dormammu needed to believe it. In this realm of his own creation, he was the god of all things. He controlled the rules. He twisted the laws of physics and magic with ease. Here, he was omnipotent.
Yet despite his conviction, that tiny gem of fear in his core remained.
With a bestial roar, Dormammu summoned a gravitational pull so great it began to collapse nearby star-cloaked nebulae into his body, devouring planets and fog like a black hole. And then, from the depths of his being, he unleashed it—a blazing purple beam of raw power hurtled toward Gene like a meteor crashing through creation itself.
Gene, calm as ever, gently rotated the floating Eye of Agamotto. Time magic rippled outward, forming green rings that coiled around his arms like liquid silk. Before him, a mystic dial-shaped spell circle materialized, glowing and spinning.
The beam struck.
But it was as though it had entered molasses. It slowed. Slowed. Then froze—mere inches from Gene’s body.