Ch.255 The Stones Bring Disaster

The Mirror Dimension's freaky powers were on full display right then and there.

Sudden shifts in direction, scrambled attacks, and a dazzling barrage of "special effects."

Back in his past life, some joker said the Ancient One died because the effects budget got too high.

Now, Ronan was in the same boat.

Hela, who'd just been sent flying, wiped the corner of her mouth and glanced at her palm.

A smear of crimson blood stained her hand.

She couldn't even remember the last time she'd bled.

"Guess I underestimated you."

"Making me bleed? That's enough to make me see you in a new light."

Hela flicked her hand lightly, splattering the blood from her right hand onto the ground.

Ronan shot a look at the blood on the floor and couldn't help but smirk.

Hela really didn't fear a damn thing.

Didn't she know there were spells out there that could use someone's blood to cook up all kinds of nasty deaths?

If you couldn't dream it up, a sorcerer could still make it happen.

Too bad those tricks were tagged as black magic by Kamar-Taj standards.

For white-magic users like them, dipping into the dark stuff was off-limits.

Get caught, and the consequences weren't worth mentioning.

So, Ronan could only pull his gaze back with a twinge of regret.

Some lines you just don't cross—break it once, and there's a second time, then a third.

Eventually, the line keeps sinking lower.

"Planning to use my blood, huh?"

While Ronan's mind was spinning a hundred different ways, Hela's familiar voice piped up from behind him.

Ronan's pupils shrank—he hadn't clocked Hela sneaking up behind him at all.

Even though—

Watching the "Hela" in the distance slowly crumble away, plus that portal behind her, it hit Ronan like a ton of bricks.

He'd been on guard this whole time, but Hela pulled some move he didn't even know about, slipping past his radar.

And now she was right behind him!

"You're right—I was thinking about using your blood."

"And I've been waiting for the freshest batch!"

With that, a sly curve tugged at Ronan's lips.

His left hand twitched just a bit.

But Hela didn't give a damn about Ronan's little mood shift—instead, she clapped her hands together hard.

"Don't even think about pulling that trick again!"

A massive surge of energy exploded from Hela's body, ripping a gaping hole right through Ronan's Mirror Dimension.

From that tear, a flood of seawater roared out like a tidal wave, barreling straight for Ronan.

Ronan's clone popped up from behind in a flash, stepping in to keep Hela busy.

Meanwhile, the real Ronan shot toward the monstrous wave, kicking off the same gig Strange pulled in the 616 universe.

They call it "Sorcerer Tames the Flood."

Glancing at Hela, Ronan's clone couldn't help but wonder.

This water—could it be from all those years Hela was sealed up on Earth, her own—

Cough, cough, cough.

Either way, Ronan wasn't taking it lightly.

Hela tearing open his Mirror Dimension meant she could absolutely bust out of here if she wanted.

But instead of bolting, she unleashed this flood.

There had to be some secret Ronan didn't know about.

With that in mind, Ronan peeked at his hand of cards—all dozen or so marked with one word.

Steady!

His hands formed a seal at his chest, then slowly parted.

The Eye of Agamotto flickered into view right there.

As it opened, the Time Stone inside glowed with its signature light.

At the same moment, the raging tidal wave froze midair in the next second, like some glitch in reality.

Magic arrays for controlling the Time Stone flared up on Ronan's wrists.

He raised his left hand slow, fingers curling slightly, twisting counterclockwise in the air.

The water that'd already crashed into the Mirror Dimension hit rewind like a video on playback, surging back through the gap in a rush!

In less than a second, every drop that'd flooded in was gone.

And that hole in the Mirror Dimension? It fused back together under the Time Stone's power.

Like nothing ever happened.

After pulling that off, Ronan let out a soft breath, his left hand swiping down from his neck in a quick motion.

The Eye of Agamotto and the Time Stone vanished.

Sure, he could tap the Time Stone's power, but like the other Infinity Stones, it wasn't something you could just mess with freely.

The six Infinity Stones could let a user borrow their juice to a point.

But lean on them too hard, and the price gets downright terrifying.

Play with time, and time'll play you right back.

That's why, even when he faced Scarlet Witch, Ronan didn't bust out the other Infinity Stones.

"The power of time?"

"The Time Stone?"

Hela swatted away the clone blocking her path, staring at Ronan with a heavy look.

From the start of this fight, she'd been all chill vibes.

Even after Ronan tagged her, her expression didn't budge.

But the second she saw the Time Stone in Ronan's hands, her face shifted.

"Nope, you got it wrong."

Ronan shook his head, denying it with a straight face and zero guilt.

Not a blush or a skipped heartbeat.

"No way. How's the Time Stone in your hands?"

"That thing shouldn't even exist in—"

Hela didn't buy Ronan's dodge, muttering to herself.

Her brows knitted tight.

You could tell she was seriously wary of the Infinity Stones.

"I told you, you're seeing things. No way that's possible."

"Also, what's an Infinity Stone? Maybe you should explain."

Ronan didn't flinch, even tossing the ball back in her court like a jerk.

Hela just gave him a deep, piercing look.

"Your skills really aren't your average sorcerer's."

"But I've got one warning for you: those Stones are strong, sure, but they're also the root of disaster."

"Prophecy says these Stones bring endless calamity to whoever uses them."

Hela didn't care how much Ronan denied it—she was dead-set that the Time Stone was in his grip.

And judging by her vibe, she had a major beef with the Infinity Stones.

Ronan suddenly remembered: when Hela scoped out Odin's vault, she spotted the Infinity Gauntlet stashed there.

Back then, she'd said one word: "Fake."

Meaning "phony," "forged."

But when Ronan used that Gauntlet, it did control the Infinity Stones.

So, in Hela's mind, neither Asgard nor the Nine Realms had anything that could wield the Stones.

They shouldn't even exist here.

Wait—hold up!

She did recognize the Space Stone in the vault and even said, "This one's not bad!"

Ronan snapped back to that memory.

But it was at this very moment that a black spike suddenly pierced through Ronan's back!

Hela's voice rang out once more.

"I told you, my dear."

"The Stones will bring you disaster, won't it?"