Dormammu, utterly convinced of his claim over the Xenomorphs, focused his power and struck directly at Adam.
Countless particles of dark magic coalesced into purple spikes, as if a corner of the cosmos itself had collapsed. They came down like a dense barrage of light, slamming toward Adam with overwhelming force.
Adam simply lifted his head sharply. His eyes blazed with an extraordinarily powerful heat vision. With a swift turn of his head, he annihilated every last magical attack.
His form moved like lightning... almost teleporting... as he streaked through Earth's outer space at incredible speed. Each strike he made erased vast swaths of dark magic.
Adam was fully experiencing his current power level and adapting to it quickly, layering on repeated amplifications.
For a brief moment, he thought to himself that a true Superman would have a massive home-field advantage just by fighting in outer space.
The distant sun floated there, generously pouring out its light.
Even with the power of a million stars from his pocket universe at his command, Adam couldn't claim to be the equal of a million Supermen combined.
"Is this all the power you have? Is this the limit of the Xenomorph Master? What right does someone like you have to command creatures like the Xenomorphs? You might as well join them and become part of me."
Dormammu let out a terrifying laugh. Every note of it sounded like the universe itself whispering.
"Don't let him fool you," the Ancient One warned. "We're fighting on our home ground. He wants to lure you into charging straight at him so he can swallow you into the Dark Dimension. Even I wouldn't be able to save you then."
Entering the Dark Dimension would be catastrophic. Without the power to shatter an entire dimension, facing a complete Dormammu head-on meant there would be no escape.
The Ancient One activated the Eye of Agamotto once more, channeling the power of time into visible green light. With a casual wave of her hand, she seemed to effortlessly reverse everything before them.
Even a being as powerful as Dormammu, who could stand outside the flow of time, couldn't avoid having his traces in the material universe corrected when directly interfered with by the Time Stone.
On top of that, the Book of the Vishanti, the Cauldron of the Cosmos, and a host of other divine artifacts under the Ancient One's control hammered at Dormammu simultaneously.
Dormammu harbored a deep resentment toward the Ancient One... partly because she possessed far too many powerful relics. No matter how the battle went, she always had another formidable artifact to pull out.
In this fight, the Ancient One took the initiative, shouldering the majority of the pressure coming from Dormammu.
"I'm curious... every single being who's set their sights on my Xenomorphs, whether mortal or god, only sees how wondrous these creatures are. They want to claim them, reshape them into whatever they imagine. But none of them have truly understood why I can control the Xenomorphs... I quite like the title 'Xenomorph Master.' But even you, Dormammu, haven't grasped what that title truly means."
Adam drew in a deep breath. At that moment, he wielded roughly three times Reynolds' power. It wasn't enough to defeat the current Dormammu... whose upper half had already emerged from the Dark Dimension... but it was only the beginning.
He experimented with inverting and layering the power of the million stars.
Boom!
A sound like countless planets colliding erupted from Adam's body, or perhaps like billions of stars suddenly reversing their flow of time and flipping their magnetic fields.
Adam began reversing the叠加 of the stellar power. This action caused his aura to surge once more, doubling in intensity.
But it still wasn't over. He pushed further, compressing the million stars' power in opposing directions to complete the first true叠盒.
His body expanded again, growing taller and more imposing. The immense energy within him desperately needed an outlet.
The colossal Dormammu was the perfect target.
Adam spread his arms. His form was tiny by comparison, but the golden energy net bursting outward from his body expanded at a furious rate, carving out a vast golden domain amid the endless darkness.
Energy clashed against magic, canceling each other out before fading into nothingness.
Adam accelerated with a thunderous roar. In an instant, he broke through the dark magic restraints and appeared right in front of Dormammu's main body. From a great distance, he unleashed a punch. The golden energy inside him triggered what felt like an endless cycle of stellar explosions. Billions of units of power converged under his control and surged straight toward Dormammu.
The blast tore through space and struck Dormammu's head with solar-level golden energy. A gaping, unburning void appeared in his skull. Swirling dark magic scattered, then regrouped to begin repairing the wound.
The Ancient One struck in perfect sync. She raised the Book of the Vishanti in one hand. The ancient tome flipped through its pages on its own, unleashing streams of sacred magic... powerful enough to be inscribed in the halls of sorcery itself... that rained down on Dormammu like a storm.
Dormammu roared in fury, the sound shattering distant planets. With a wave of his massive hand, he summoned countless devastating magical storms, intent on devouring everything in sight.
But the Ancient One had already positioned the Eye of Agamotto in front of her, flinging Dormammu's attacks into the far corners of time.
"Is this the full extent of your strength? After exhausting every trick, all you've managed is a tiny scratch on me? I could keep this fight going for a million years! I doubt you two can last that long!" Dormammu lowered his enormous, flaming head.
"A million years? Why don't you say that to the God of Black Magic and see if he agrees with your nonsense? Those words would only carry weight if every bit of power you used was truly your own... if you were the origin of black magic itself."
As Adam spoke, he pressed his assault ruthlessly. In that short span, his power had tripled once more.
It was now enough to make even Dormammu... who had partially emerged from the Dark Dimension... feel a twinge of pain.
Adam's gaze sharpened. With his naked eyes, he could perceive every microscopic particle, watching atoms and molecules shift and recombine. His vision pierced space itself, settling on Dormammu's body: a colossal form wreathed in magical flames, surrounded by brewing dark magic. Deeper in the Dark Dimension, other shadowy creatures drifted about.
Adam knew those were entities that had wandered in from the borders of Hell... too numerous to kill completely.
Just as Dormammu had said, the power Adam currently wielded still fell short of truly defeating him.
He assessed his own condition. The mental strain was reaching unprecedented levels, but he estimated he could hold out a bit longer.
He glanced worriedly at the Ancient One, who spoke little but acted with unmatched decisiveness and precision. Every spell she cast struck at Dormammu's vital points. Most shockingly, she had started with white and demonic magic but had since dropped all pretenses, unleashing black magic without restraint... the more dangerous and vicious, the better... pouring it all onto Dormammu.
At first, Adam had feared the Ancient One would break first. Now it seemed Dormammu might be the one whose resolve would crack.
"At least in this universe, I am the supreme authority of black magic. Even the one you trust, the Ancient One, is nothing more than a thief who steals my power. Look at her face. Feel her strength. Without my generous gifts, she would have died long ago! And now she dares use black magic against me? Oh, finally done pretending? Instead of using my power, you're going straight to him to borrow black magic? How foolish."
Dormammu's voice pierced directly into Adam's mind, reaching all three layers of his consciousness. The demon god tempted him: "What good is following a mere mortal like the Ancient One? Her lifespan is a mere few centuries, prolonged only by theft. Why not change your perspective and come to me instead?"
"You? So that's what you want... to make me your lackey?"
Adam shoulder-checked through several strands of dark magic, the overwhelming energy attached to his body shredding them apart and expanding the golden domain further. "Serving as a servant to a cosmic god isn't shameful. Don't forget your human origins! Think of Kaecilius. You could be stronger than him... more exalted. On every planet, in every world across the cosmos, mortals and gods alike would bow before you, because you are my servant."
Dormammu continued his seduction: "Moreover, your ability to command the Xenomorphs marks you as their origin. Your human heritage is your greatest weakness. Why not seize this chance to cast it aside and worship me as a Xenomorph?"
"Not bad. Under different circumstances, I might even feel tempted," Adam replied. "But I've thought of a better idea. If I can make you feel some real pain, wouldn't that prove just how extraordinary I am? After all, even the ancient Dormammu couldn't take me down."
The Ancient One's expression remained unchanged throughout. She knew someone with Adam's personality would never submit to a demon god... not even a single-universe-level dimensional one.
"I recall you mentioned having more than one contingency plan," the Ancient One said, slapping her hand forward. Using the Eye of Agamotto as the core, she wove a dense web of time in front of them both.
She asked directly, "Do you have any reliable methods left for dealing with Dormammu? You know we can't hold out much longer. We're relying more and more on the Time Stone. Dormammu is in poor shape too... his power has been drained by me over the years... but he can probably endure longer than we can."
"If you mean raw power strong enough to fight him one-on-one, then no. I'm a man, not a god. More precisely, I'm the Xenomorph Master. It's impossible for me to kill an enemy of Dormammu's caliber at this stage."
But there were ways to tip the scales.
The Ancient One had her artifacts. So would Adam.
Asgard.
Every Asgardian was watching the great battle closely. Some reckless ones were even clamoring to head to Midgard and join the fight.
"When we were in trouble, the people of Midgard helped us. Now that they're facing danger, we can't stand by idly."
"With Jotunheim's forces in retreat, this is the perfect opportunity."
"You idiots... do you really think Adam and the Xenomorphs represent all of Midgard? Those are two different things. If we're helping anyone, it's Adam, not the rest of Midgard!"
"Where is the king? We haven't received any orders from him yet."
Asgardian honor meant they would never retreat, even knowing darkness lay ahead.
Thor felt the same. He marched into the hall accompanied by several Xenomorphs.
"My brother, do you even know what you're doing? You're dragging all of Asgard into a war we can't win! Our opponent is a true demon god... nothing like the enemies we've faced before."
Loki gripped Gungnir tightly, his face grim as he stared at Thor. His gaze kept drifting to the tall, powerful Xenomorphs.
"When we warred with Jotunheim, Adam didn't believe we could win either, yet he kept sending aid. What have we done for him?" Thor declared loudly.
Loki was furious. "You already gave him Mjolnir! That's the weapon of the God of Thunder... something no mortal should ever wield. Isn't that enough? It's only because you command the Xenomorph army that I haven't demanded its return in the king's name!"
Thor shook his head. "It's not enough. He lifted Mjolnir himself... I didn't hand it to him. You know that. One hammer alone wouldn't have brought us to this point. If not for Dormammu's invasion of Midgard, we would have received far more Xenomorph reinforcements."
"And that's your reason for declaring war on Dormammu in Asgard's name? What do we even have to fight him with?"
"We can send some items from the vault to Adam. Heimdall told me Adam used a powerful spell to fuse with a Xenomorph. He's currently fighting alongside Midgard's Sorcerer Supreme to hold off Dormammu. We can transport some divine artifacts to him... just as he helped us."
Loki sat on the throne, knuckles white around Gungnir. His face flushed and paled by turns. Sometimes he genuinely wanted to smack his foolish brother with the spear.
He was certain Thor knew full well that Adam had sent troops to capture more Asgardian prisoners, using them to create stronger parasitic units.
Just look at the Frost Giants already captured... six hundred of them.
Loki even debated whether to wake the sleeping Odin. The situation had spiraled beyond his expectations. But doing so would ruin everything he had worked for. He was supposed to prove he was the superior heir... far better than Thor.
Hiss!
One of the Xenomorphs suddenly let out a cry.
"What is it saying?" Loki asked, scowling.
Thor thought for a moment. "If I'm not mistaken, it wants to borrow the Destroyer armor... No... this isn't its own thought. It's Adam's. Adam needs the Destroyer!"
"The Destroyer?" Loki fell silent. It was a tremendously powerful artifact, though not on the level of Gungnir. Besides, it had been stored unused in the vault for a thousand years.
Seeing Loki's hesitation, Thor simply bypassed him and strode into the vault, hauling out the Destroyer armor.
Loki frowned deeply, suppressing his anger, and used the rights of the All-Father to release the armor's control permissions.
"I only hope he doesn't tarnish this weapon of history and glory with humiliation and defeat," Loki said. "If lending out one idle suit of armor is enough for him to drive Dormammu away, then so be it."
Heimdall immediately activated the Bifrost, sending the Destroyer armor to Midgard in an instant.
Dormammu noticed the move as well, staring intently at the signature rainbow bridge.
A few thousand years ago, Dormammu wouldn't have dared extend the Dark Dimension's reach to Earth like this and cause such a commotion.
Everyone knew how ferocious the aged Odin had been... fearless against any foe, Gungnir in hand and ready to charge.
But now? Rumors of Odin's death spread everywhere. Given that the proud All-Father had yet to appear and no word had come from the war between realms, it was clear he was gone. What use was sending one Destroyer armor now?
Dormammu grinned savagely and moved to sever the Bifrost and destroy the armor.
But Adam had already acted. He shot forward like a meteor, colliding with the precisely arriving rainbow bridge.
The Destroyer armor... once worn by Odin when facing the Celestials... now clad Adam's body.
The red Cloak of Levitation fluttered automatically, draping over the armor's shoulders.
"Is this one of your contingencies?" the Ancient One asked.
"Exactly. What did you think a contingency plan was? It's not some wish-granting machine that solves everything. Making the most of limited resources to achieve maximum effect... that's the real point of my battle plans."
The Destroyer armor granted Adam comprehensive boosts... from mind to soul, cell to body. Under the super-armor's enhancement, everything surged explosively.
Even in the early stages of wielding it, Adam could clearly feel his capacity limit expanding once more. He finally understood why the aged Odin had dared wear this armor and lead the gods of the World Tree against the Celestials.
Like a true celestial god, Adam rampaged across the vast cosmic battlefield, smashing through everything in his path with far greater force than before.
For a time, Dormammu's attacks struggled to land any meaningful blows.
"Again and again... why does this insignificant planet always produce beings who oppose me?"
Repeatedly frustrated, Dormammu's patience finally ran out. As one of the notable demon gods of the cosmos, he should stand supreme. Why did these lowly ants keep rejecting his offered olive branch?
All he wanted was to devour Earth, kill the Ancient One, and claim the Xenomorphs. Was that really so excessive? For a cosmic demon god, wasn't this perfectly ordinary?
Even the Celestials sustained themselves on countless sentient beings.
"You're wrong, Dormammu. You're the one opposing me... not the other way around."
Adam and the Ancient One stepped out from the protective magic array around Earth, gradually forcing Dormammu back toward the Dark Dimension.
Dormammu was indeed powerful, but that power stemmed from his status as a pinnacle Faltine sorcerer who had seized control of the Dark Dimension.
Without the Dark Dimension, he was ultimately just a powerful sorcerer. Thanks to long years of accumulation, he might still surpass the Ancient One when she wasn't using artifacts, but he lacked the overwhelming presence of his complete form.
Golden power unleashed endless collisions.
Dormammu struck again and again, all in vain. Even when he achieved clear results, the Eye of Agamotto made time lose meaning. Only the endless, looping battle wore down his strength.
He repeatedly tried to swallow Adam into the Dark Dimension. Once inside, he would be a true cosmic demon god, easily dismantling Adam's resistance, perfectly integrating the Xenomorphs into the Dark Dimension, and transforming them into dark creatures.
But Adam would never allow Dormammu free rein.
Planets trembled and shifted under the fierce clash. Some drifted from their orbits and eventually shattered, their billions of years of existence reduced to a fleeting dawn in deep space before vanishing.
At this point, no one cared about the fate of other worlds. Their eyes were fixed solely on Earth.
If not for the World Tree's structural support around Midgard... making it unnaturally resilient... other planets in the system, even the sun itself, might already be heading toward extinction from the mere shockwaves of Dormammu's attacks.
Dormammu looked at the heavily armored Adam. He didn't know how much longer Adam could last, but whenever he neared his limit, the Eye of Agamotto would flash, restoring him somewhat. This gradually silenced Dormammu.
With the Time Stone in his opponent's hands, he was at a disadvantage. Even as a time-defying demon god, his power wasn't infinite.
"Hand over the Xenomorphs, and I can grant you immortality. I'll craft you a custom magical body. Anything you desire, I will bestow."
Dormammu attempted mental magic to brainwash Adam. Every word was an invasion of his mind, trying to color Adam in his own shade.
"What good is following the Ancient One? Living as a human who dies after mere decades or centuries? Anything she can give you, I can give. Anything she can't, I can provide as well! Your method of projecting your mind onto Xenomorphs resembles astral projection, but it's far inferior to the real thing. With my help, I can perfect that ability. Combined with my modified magical Xenomorphs, you could appear anywhere in the universe... or even parallel universes... in an instant."
It was a tempting vision. Adam thought so as he felt the mental magic frantically invading, attempting to dissect his consciousness and soul. His face remained expressionless.
By this stage of the battle, everyone present gradually understood: it was an endless stalemate. As long as the Ancient One held, and the Time Stone maintained the temporal flow, they wouldn't lose. The worst outcome was a time loop of endless repetition.
But they also couldn't charge into the Dark Dimension to beat Dormammu senseless.
"Dormammu, I think you've misunderstood my purpose in this fight from the very beginning... Did you think I was showing off my talents to negotiate a better price? Or demonstrating the Xenomorphs' potential to demand a bribe? Neither."
Adam suddenly smiled. Sure enough, even a demon god was still a form of life. And all life followed certain patterns of thought.
"In your eyes, what are the Xenomorphs? Just tools for you to twist and command? A medium to help you invade Earth?" Adam said. "To me, the greatest meaning of this battle is introducing myself to the entire universe... and pushing the Xenomorphs out into the cosmos."
"Sooner or later, every planet will have Xenomorphs. Every battlefield will see my Xenomorph armies."
"The rarest species, the most precious memories, the most hidden abilities across this universe will all become mine. I will achieve a grand unification of genes, transforming every mystery and beauty in the cosmos into one word... Xenomorph! And if I had to add another word to that, it would be me: Adam!"
There was something eerily calm in Adam's smile. He knew that even teaming up with the Ancient One, they couldn't kill Dormammu. The best they could do was drive him back like a beaten stray dog, forcing him to retreat after heavy losses.
Xenomorphs were a species born for battle. Only through combat could they continuously acquire new genes, enriching Adam's gene pool and providing a solid foundation of power.
Reynolds was a prime example. In the future, many more like him would appear.
Mr. Blue had been advancing the Xenomorph gene bank project under Adam's direction all along.
All genes that Xenomorphs could replicate and absorb would eventually become part of the entire species... available for use whenever needed. That was Adam's goal.
Spreading Xenomorphs and his own influence into the most chaotic, brutal, and bloody corners of the universe was also part of the plan.
Stepping forward to confront Dormammu was the best entry Adam could add to his personal resume. It would earn him the attention of the entire cosmos.
Just look at this battle: he had survived and forced Dormammu to retreat. What kind of formidable figure could accomplish that? Wouldn't the lifeform cultivated and promoted by such a person deserve the worship and faith of every warmonger?
They must vigorously cultivate the Xenomorphs. The Xenomorphs were the truth of the universe... the future of all worlds.
Adam also pondered one thing: in the infinite multiverse, aside from the rare numbered universes, most would ultimately serve as backdrops for multiversal events... reduced to dust assessing the scale of destruction in clashes between gods, quietly vanishing.
Since there were zombie universes, cancer universes, spider universes, AI universes, and symbiote universes, it was only reasonable for a thriving Xenomorph universe to emerge in this vast multiverse as well.
With infinite possibilities, failing to establish one's own universe would be embarrassing when introducing oneself on a multiversal scale.
In developing the Xenomorphs, Adam was dead serious about leaping to higher specifications and witnessing grander vistas.
"...What a madman. Just a lowly creature lost in fantasies. That day will never come. Without the support and modification of a god like me, you and your Xenomorphs are nothing but inferior lifeforms. You can't even solve the basic problem of lifespan."
"That's not something you need to worry about. But you'll see the future eventually. I hope you don't die before then."
Adam's body was nearing its limit. Even with the Time Stone periodically restoring him, it couldn't truly rewind him to before the fusion of his three consciousnesses... that would create a time loop.
For one final push, Adam unleashed everything he had against Dormammu. As the gateway to his pocket universe, the massive stellar energies converged on him. In an instant, the light he radiated was bright enough to scorch away all darkness within sight.
Bolstered by the Destroyer's divine power and the Ancient One's timely casting of the Book of the Vishanti... at great cost, flooding him with vast magic... Adam transformed into a golden giant capable of wielding stars. Rolling golden energy centered on his body, driven by reckless determination, slammed forward. Silently, a golden fissure tore across Dormammu's colossal form.
Much of Dormammu's body, which had emerged from the Dark Dimension, was forced back by the blow.
The massive black clouds finally began to dissipate slightly. The dark dimensional rift that had nearly torn the entire solar system in two slowly started to close as Dormammu retreated.
But Dormammu hadn't been idle. Avoiding a full time loop as best he could, he had used his enormous mass to press against Earth, hammering the magical arrays again and again.
"He took roughly several hundred Xenomorphs with him," the Ancient One told Adam.
"Yeah, I felt it. Since he couldn't grab me, he went after the regular ones, trying to salvage something," Adam nodded slightly.
The Ancient One warned, "We're both sorcerers. Our ways of thinking overlap. If I'm right, he'll try using analytical black magic for reverse-engineering... working from the bottom up to decode you, the source of the Xenomorphs, and ultimately brainwash you."
"Brainwash? I like that word."
Adam slowly dispersed the golden energy that had become a heavy burden. In the night sky, it scattered into countless stars. For a moment, it felt as if the entire solar system... the whole World Tree... was cheering his victory, celebrating the dispersal of darkness and the return of light.
But it was only an illusion.
Adam tapped his head. Just before his consciousness detached from Reynolds' body and returned to his own, he said, "I have many traits, but the biggest one is my mind. Dormammu tried to invade my brain, but he quickly stopped and withdrew. Who ends up brainwashing whom... he still doesn't know."
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