Doom’s Plan

Darkness ripped across the sky like a black silk curtain, staining everything above in inky shadow. From the dimensional gateway machine, a vast and terrible power surged outward, tearing apart everything in its radius.

Three massive black beams shot up from the columns of the device, piercing into a realm far beyond this one.

A colossal vortex began forming in the air. Within its swirling void, a pair of blood-red eyes emerged, burning with greed as they stared down at this fragile world—like a predator ready to swallow the Earth whole, to extend its dominion over a planet brimming with life.

Doctor Doom, robed in emerald green, stood silently at the base of the machine. The vortex's dark light reflected against his steel-gray mask, casting his already imposing figure in an even more formidable glow.

Suddenly—golden light flashed.

Doctor Strange and the sorcerers of Kamar-Taj appeared in the streets below. Immediately, they were surrounded by Dormammu's fanatical followers.

"Attack!" Doctor Strange shouted, unleashing a bolt of magic that blasted the nearest cultist into the pavement.

Kaecilius stepped up beside him, a shimmering blade of semi-transparent energy forming in his hand. With swift precision, he struck down a sorcerer who dared attack him.

"So, you're the Ancient One's hand-picked successor?" Kaecilius sneered. "It's too late for all of you now!"

"No! It's not too late!" Doctor Strange shouted, conjuring golden mandalas around his hands. "Kaecilius, Dormammu is just using you! You're still nothing more than a pawn. Wake up now, and we can still stop him together!"

Kaecilius laughed maniacally. "Spare me your sanctimonious speeches. Darkness is coming to this world, and we will all bask in our god's glory!"

Doctor Strange clenched his teeth. There would be no reasoning with Kaecilius. Only one path remained—battle.

Wong and Mordo flanked him, each summoning their weapons. All three launched simultaneous attacks toward Kaecilius.

"Pathetic," Kaecilius scoffed.

Clang! Clang! Clang! He easily deflected every blow, his energy blade moving like liquid light.

"Your Sanctum is in ruins. Most of your allies are already dead. What do you think you're still fighting for?" Kaecilius roared, leaping high and swinging his blade down at Strange.

Doctor Strange barely caught the blow with his magic shields, the impact sending tremors through his arms. Kaecilius's darkness was overwhelming—raw, unchecked power.

"We still have hope!" Strange roared back, pushing with all his might and flinging Kaecilius backward.

High above, on the rooftop of a skyscraper, Victor von Doom watched it all unfold with cold, emotionless eyes. His pupils were black as ink, flickering with flashes of blood-red lightning.

The two dimensions had already begun to merge. Thick waves of darkness flowed into his body, strengthening him with every passing second.

He turned slightly—just as a beam of sapphire energy struck the dimensional machine.

"It's too late," Doom said calmly. "The gateway between dimensions is open. There's no way to stop it now. Even Dormammu himself can tear through the fabric of dimensions and descend into this world."

He turned to face someone—his former mentor.

Gene Mason.

The three massive beams of dark energy from the gateway flickered, dimmed—but the vortex above didn't shrink. It only grew larger, continuing to devour everything in its path.

Gene's armor re-scanned Doom. The readings were worse than before. The dark energy inside Doom had increased tenfold—and it was still rising.

"What's your plan, Victor?" Gene asked quietly.

———

"My plan is simple," Doom replied without hesitation. "I will defeat him."

He looked Gene in the eye. "After I defeat Dormammu, the Earth will be consumed by eternal darkness—but I will rise as the new god of the Dark Dimension. Dormammu will no longer be necessary."

Gene's visor flickered into a sharp, V-shaped glow. "You really think you can defeat him?"

"Doom can defeat anyone," he said, his voice like thunder. "Dormammu's power is vast, but it's not his power. It belongs to the Dark Dimension. Once Earth is absorbed into that realm… well, we'll see who truly reigns."

And in this, Doom wasn't entirely wrong.

Dormammu had not been born a god. He was once a sorcerer, like any other—until he entered the Dark Dimension and absorbed its power.

The Dark Dimension didn't serve Dormammu; Dormammu served it.

Even so, Dormammu had spent countless millennia harnessing that power. In his home domain, he was a god in all but name. For Doom to think he could defeat him there—it bordered on delusion.

To Gene, only two explanations made sense.

One: Doom had become drunk on his own power—his judgment clouded by the sheer magnitude of energy flowing through him.

Or two: Dormammu wanted him to believe that. It was a calculated manipulation. After all, Doom's arrogance was his greatest vulnerability.

And Gene strongly suspected it was the latter.

"Step aside, Gene," Doom said icily. "When I become the new ruler of the Dark Dimension, I won't trouble you."

Gene raised a hand, aiming it toward Doom. "Victor… even now, you're thinking of our past. That's touching."

The glow of his repulsor intensified.

"But you remember my promise, don't you? I swore to help free your mother's soul from hell."

His voice deepened.

"And I'm not the kind of person who likes to break a promise."

--------------

T/N:

Access Advance Chapters on my

P@treon: p@treon.com/MPHFics