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.
Gene's left hand formed a seal. He twisted the "dial" counterclockwise.
The beam recoiled—literally. It reversed its trajectory and slithered back into Dormammu's core like an angry serpent returning to its master.
Dormammu gagged. The energy re-entered him violently, as if he were swallowing lava. Smoke and fragments burst from his massive form. Nebulae reassembled. Mist reformed. Everything reset—returned to where it had been moments before.
The demon god was caught in a loop.
And then came the déjà vu.
"I don't care what trickery you're playing at, Earth sorcerer," Dormammu declared again, unknowingly repeating himself. "In my realm, you'll never—wait… What?!"
His expression cracked into stunned disbelief. "Wait… what did you just do?"
Gene said nothing.
"RAAAHHH!!!" Dormammu screamed in frustration and rage, launching entire worlds toward Gene. The celestial bodies collided midair, unleashing infernos and splintering explosions. The destruction surged toward Gene with unstoppable momentum.
But once more, Gene turned the dial.
Like reversing a movie, fire retreated, shattered planets reassembled, and Dormammu's apocalyptic assault faded as if it had never happened.
"This is impossible!" Dormammu howled. His sharp, glowing tendrils lashed out, aiming to impale Gene—but they too rewound before they could land.
This… this was the power of Time.
Dormammu, god of a timeless realm, had no understanding of the very concept now being weaponized against him.
In the MCU's lore, the Dark Dimension is eternal—outside time. Dormammu had no frame of reference, no resistance, no counter to temporal manipulation.
Now, in this infinite realm, Gene was the master of time.
And Dormammu? Just another creature shackled by its absence.
The demon god roared again. His planet-sized fists rose into the air, ready to pulverize the pest before him. But time magic surged—green light twisted around his massive body, binding him mid-swing.
Frozen.
Gene floated forward until he was face-to-face with Dormammu's suspended scowl. The energy of the Time Stone bloomed from the Eye of Agamotto like a flower of wrath, coalescing into a pulsating green orb that hovered in front of Gene.
"I told you," Gene said coldly. "If you dared come to Earth, I'd smash that ugly face of yours and send you crawling back to the hole you came from."
The energy sphere flared—and fired.
A devastating green beam shot into Dormammu's face. His colossal form shattered—cracks spiderwebbed across his darkness-forged body. With an unearthly scream, his corrupted flesh disintegrated into black mist and ash.
Gone.
The great god of the Dark Dimension was obliterated by the power of time.
Or so it seemed.
A booming voice echoed from the void, thunderous and furious:
"Foolish, arrogant Earth sorcerer! Do you think a trick like that can defeat me?! You'll regret this! There will be consequences!"
Power rippled through the collapsing dimension. Everything—the light, the planets, the fog—began to recede.
Gene sensed it: Dormammu wasn't dead. He was retreating.
The dimension itself began to shift, folding in on itself. Pathways to Earth closed. The mist drew back. The once-unstoppable tyrant was fleeing—running from the one who now held dominion over time within his own lair.
Yes.
Dormammu was running away.
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T/N:
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