Chapter 198: Dimensional Collapse
[Treatment Evaluation: S-Rank — Perfect.]
[Divine Hand Copying Initiated.]
[Copy Progress: 15%... 37%... 62%... 89%... 100%.]
[Copy Complete.]
[Successfully copied SS-Rank Talent: Chaos Magic (Complete).]
[Ability Description:]
Chaos Magic is a primordial nexus force connected to the existence of the Scarlet Witch. It manipulates probability, causality, magical law, and reality itself. At full mastery, the user may rewrite matter, energy, magical phenomena, and localized universal constants within the limits permitted by their own power and the stability of the surrounding reality. Effects may become permanent unless counteracted by equivalent or superior mystical authority.
Lynn became completely still.
Chaos Magic.
Not Wanda's current, partially mastered version.
The complete ability itself.
A faint crimson glow slowly emerged from his palm.
Unlike Wanda...
There was no instability.
No emotional turbulence.
No whispers.
No instinctive urge to reshape reality.
The ability copied through the system was perfectly synchronized with his own consciousness, responding with absolute precision.
Lynn quietly observed the scarlet energy flowing between his fingers.
He casually pointed toward a cheap plastic ballpoint pen lying on the reception desk.
Chaos Magic wrapped around it.
The pen shimmered.
A second later...
The disposable pen had become a black lacquer fountain pen fitted with an eighteen-karat gold nib.
Lynn picked it up.
Examined it.
Even the internal ink reservoir had been rewritten.
Not illusion.
Not molecular rearrangement alone.
Reality itself had accepted the new result.
"...Useful."
The scarlet energy dispersed.
Lynn placed both hands inside the pockets of his white coat.
His eyes swept once across the empty clinic.
Then...
Golden sparks silently appeared behind him.
A portal unfolded.
There were too many newly acquired abilities.
Too many reputation rewards.
Too many experimental ideas.
It was time to organize everything properly.
West Manhattan.
Underground Research Base.
The portal opened directly into the central laboratory.
Over two thousand square meters of vibranium-reinforced infrastructure surrounded him.
Environmental controls automatically activated.
Temperature stabilized.
Humidity adjusted.
The lighting system illuminated Zone One.
The quantum precision fabrication platform rested quietly at the center of the laboratory.
Nearby stood the modified genetic analysis system jointly rebuilt from Wayne Technologies and Stark Industries equipment.
Lynn approached the central console.
Several commands were entered rapidly.
"Seal every external communication channel."
"Lock all blast doors."
"Activate full-spectrum electromagnetic shielding."
"Begin dimensional fluctuation monitoring."
"Authorize highest laboratory security level."
Acknowledged.
The entire underground complex entered complete isolation.
Only then did Lynn walk toward the center of the testing chamber.
He slowly raised one hand.
This time...
He no longer suppressed Chaos Magic.
Scarlet energy erupted.
Dark crimson streams spread outward like living silk.
The entire testing chamber was instantly illuminated by red light.
The air itself seemed to bend.
Reality became noticeably unstable.
First Test.
Matter Rewriting.
Lynn placed a fist-sized piece of raw vibranium onto the testing platform.
Chaos Magic enveloped it.
Vibranium...
The rarest metal on Earth.
A substance whose unusual molecular lattice allowed it to absorb and redistribute enormous amounts of kinetic energy.
One of the most structurally stable materials known.
Its probability was rewritten.
The metallic surface rippled.
Its silver-gray color vanished.
Seconds later...
Only an ordinary puddle of water remained.
Lynn crouched.
He dipped one finger into it.
Cool.
Liquid.
Chemically normal.
Hydrogen.
Oxygen.
No residual vibranium signatures remained anywhere.
Even the All-Seeing Eye confirmed the result.
Reality itself now recognized the substance as water.
Lynn stood again.
"If vibranium can be rewritten..."
"So can virtually anything composed of ordinary matter."
Second Test.
Atmospheric Conversion.
Lynn traced a circle through empty air.
Scarlet light expanded.
Within the enclosed volume...
The probability governing molecular identity shifted.
Oxygen molecules ceased existing.
Chlorine molecules replaced them.
A pungent odor instantly filled the chamber.
Lynn frowned.
He casually waved his hand again.
The chlorine disappeared.
Fresh oxygen immediately returned.
The Immortal Body rendered poison meaningless to him.
The smell...
Was another matter entirely.
Third Test.
Localized Spatial Distortion.
This experiment demanded far greater precision.
Unlike rewriting matter...
Space itself possessed far greater structural stability.
Lynn concentrated.
Chaos Magic compressed into a sphere surrounding his body.
Reality trembled.
The chamber walls curved slightly.
Straight edges appeared warped.
Laser alignment systems began reporting impossible geometric values.
Within the sphere...
Euclidean geometry briefly ceased being reliable.
Three seconds later...
The phenomenon collapsed naturally.
Lynn lowered his hand.
He evaluated the result silently.
The magical consumption was extraordinary.
For Wanda...
Attempting something like this in her current state would likely result in complete mental collapse almost immediately.
Lynn merely felt mild fatigue.
The endless energy circulation of the Immortal Body, combined with Iron Will, rendered such expenditure almost negligible.
One hour later...
The testing chamber returned to normal.
Lynn now possessed a thorough understanding of Chaos Magic's current capabilities.
He opened the system interface.
His attention settled upon another ability.
[SS-Rank: All-Dimensional Magical Affinity & Spatial Analysis (Incomplete — 86%)]
The inheritance originating from Kamar-Taj.
Knowledge accumulated over centuries by the Sorcerer Supreme and generations of Masters of the Mystic Arts.
The ability itself remained incomplete because Lynn had copied it before fully mastering every aspect of their accumulated knowledge.
Now...
He possessed something capable of completing it.
Lynn took a slow breath.
"System."
"Activate the Ability Forge."
The laboratory lights flickered.
For the first time in quite a while...
The system's notification carried unmistakable weight.
[Ability Fusion Activated.]
[Selected Abilities:]
SS-Rank — Chaos Magic (Complete)
SS-Rank — All-Dimensional Magical Affinity & Spatial Analysis (86%)
Estimated Result: Unknown.
Proceed?
"Proceed."
[Fusion Initiated.]
Everything exploded.
Not physically.
Conceptually.
Lynn felt as though an entire star had detonated inside his mind.
Countless centuries of accumulated mystical knowledge flooded directly into his consciousness.
The dimensional theories developed by the Masters of Kamar-Taj.
The structure of magical geometry.
The topology of mirror dimensions.
The mathematical foundations behind portal construction.
The manipulation of eldritch energy.
The metaphysics governing dimensional boundaries.
Every spell.
Every theorem.
Every symbolic language.
Everything poured into his mind simultaneously.
Then...
Chaos Magic answered.
The wild, primordial force erupted violently.
Unlike the carefully disciplined sorcery practiced by Kamar-Taj, Chaos Magic recognized no formulas.
No circles.
No incantations.
No carefully balanced structure.
It simply rewrote reality through raw will.
The two systems collided directly.
The result...
Was catastrophic.
A dimensional storm erupted inside Lynn's body.
Throughout the underground laboratory...
Emergency alarms activated simultaneously.
WARNING
LOCALIZED DIMENSIONAL INSTABILITY DETECTED
Red emergency lights flashed continuously.
Within three meters of Lynn...
Reality began breaking apart.
Fragments of golden eldritch glyphs collided with streams of crimson Chaos Magic.
The two forces rejected each other.
Merged.
Separated.
Collided again.
Eventually...
Both colors disappeared.
Something entirely new emerged.
Dark golden radiance.
A color that neither Kamar-Taj magic nor Chaos Magic had ever produced independently.
Lynn remained standing at the storm's center.
Every cell within his body experienced simultaneous destruction and reconstruction.
His Immortal Body accelerated regeneration to its absolute limit.
Muscle fibers disintegrated.
Regenerated.
Collapsed again.
Bones cracked.
Reformed.
Cracked once more.
Neural pathways continuously rewired themselves under the influence of two incompatible systems attempting to become one.
Pain flooded every nerve.
It surpassed anything he had experienced since acquiring the Immortal Body.
Yet...
Not a single sound escaped him.
His jaw remained clenched.
His feet never moved.
The progress bar continued advancing.
[Fusion Progress: 23%...]
The dark golden light intensified.
[Fusion Progress: 47%...]
Hairline fractures appeared across the surrounding space itself.
Not merely in the walls.
Reality.
Through those cracks...
Countless impossible geometries flickered briefly before disappearing again.
[Fusion Progress: 68%...]
Blood flowed from Lynn's nose.
The Immortal Body repaired the ruptured vessels almost instantly.
Only for another rupture to appear elsewhere.
His body entered an endless cycle of destruction and regeneration.
[Fusion Progress: 89%...]
His consciousness expanded.
He no longer felt as though he was merely learning magic.
He felt as though reality itself had begun teaching him its native language.
A language predating both science...
And sorcery.
[Fusion Progress: 95%...]
[Fusion Progress: 98%...]
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