The ancient roar of Dormammu tore through the eternal darkness, preceding a thick torrent of purple energy spat from his gaping maw. The blast, like a cosmic sledgehammer, flew straight at Kurohane, swallowing every chance of escape. He had no choice but to face it head-on.
Kurohane brought the two energy shields he was using together, protecting himself like a clamshell. The edges of the shields were as sharp as razor blades, making contact with the energy storm with the smallest possible area. Like a fish swimming against the current, Kurohane lunged straight at Dormammu!
Kurohane had been attacking Dormammu with everything he had so far, but his energy was far less than what Dormammu was using. Judging by the pressure coming from the Seraphim Shield, this guy was really giving it his all! Kurohane had been secretly using the Phoenix Force to reinforce the shields, but they were still vibrating precariously, looking like they couldn't hold on much longer.
Buzz—!
Just as the purple energy blast was fully released, it was neatly sliced into two by Kurohane. The two energy shields in Kurohane's hands also became tattered, flickering a few times before going out and disappearing as if their power had been cut. Wiping the nonexistent cold sweat from his brow, Kurohane gave a small cough.
"Ahem, my turn now, isn't it?"
His wings behind him flapped gently, and Kurohane used the Phoenix Force to simultaneously connect with two Holy Dimensions. All around Dormammu's large head, countless circular portals appeared. In the center of each portal, a long sword made of Holy Energy emerged!
The Book of the Vishanti did not record the spell Kurohane used; this was a spell Kurohane replicated based on a scene from an anime in his previous life. After all, he was now a Holy Dimension King, with full control over Holy Energy, so he could play as he pleased!
"Take this, my very own spell: Kurohane's Infinite Blades!"
The naming convention for Kamar-Taj spells had always been like this: the name of the Dimension King followed by the specific effect of the spell. For example, the Shield of Seraphim, the Vishanti's Light of Judgment, the Winds of Watoomb. Therefore, the move Kurohane copied from the anime naturally followed this naming style!
However, what Kurohane didn't know was that after he created this new spell, a record of this spell appeared in the Book of the Vishanti, and all sorcerers who could see the Book of the Vishanti could learn this move. They could absorb energy from the Heaven Dimension controlled by Kurohane to release this move, but because this move was highly destructive, the sorcerers needed to expend more Mental Energy when casting, and this Mental Energy would also help the Heaven Dimension grow! It was precisely because of this side-effect-free exchange that the Holy Dimension could simultaneously fight so many other Dimension Kings!
Countless long swords made of Holy Energy shot out from the portals, forming a wildly flashing barrage. Although these long swords didn't seem big to Dormammu, in reality, each long sword was a greatsword about five meters long, and they contained a vast amount of Holy Energy, resulting in a terrifying explosion the moment they came into contact with Dormammu!
Boom boom boom boom boom!!!
It was like pouring a basin of cold water into a pot of hot oil; countless violent ripples exploded on his face. The explosions layered on top of each other, forming countless black and white light vortices, finally merging into a massive energy storm!
The commotion from Kurohane and Dormammu was too great, even frightening the Valkyries who were battling on the other side. It was the first time they had seen Kurohane fight with everything he had, and his first battle was against an established Dimension King, and it was a fight to the death, with no intention of holding back!
Skuld, the Goddess of the Future, nudged the somewhat stunned Urd with her elbow and cautiously said, "Big sis, did you know our new boss was this strong?"
"That's not important, what's important is... were there any inappropriate things we said before? Will he make things difficult for us later? Enslave us for life?!"
"That's a bit unreasonable. Kurohane helped us reshape our bodies and resurrected us the very first day he met us, and he gave you so much authority in Heaven. Where else can you find such a good boss?" Skuld grinned, finding it amusing to see her somewhat bewildered older sister, Urd. What Urd said before the battle just now had zero presence; Kurohane definitely wouldn't have liked it!
"Kurohane seems to like cool things, otherwise he wouldn't have had us change our hammers into long swords, and he also made sure each of us had wings on our backs. Aiding flight is one thing, but a more important reason is that it's cool! As long as you make those fierce women get their aura right later, Kurohane definitely won't be angry!"
Skuld's words were like a wake-up call to Urd; she immediately understood! She casually killed a dark creature, then started moving through the battlefield, discreetly telling the Valkyries to change their armor's appearance. It no longer had any meaning, she just wanted to leave a good impression on Kurohane!
Kurohane, on the other hand, didn't pay any attention to Urd and the others; it was time to really fight Dormammu to the death, and he couldn't afford to be distracted! Relying on the vast Mental Energy from the Phoenix Force, the portals that were opened were never closed. One second swords were being shot out, and the next second new swords were forming. If Kurohane's attack was described as a barrage of rockets, it was hard to say how many times the area had been damaged by now, in short, it never stopped!
The dark energy within Dormammu was also disappearing rapidly. This wasn't a big deal initially. Having been the King of the Dark Dimension for so many years, he had dealt with Holy Energy quite a bit and had long been accustomed to it. However, the attack Kurohane launched contained energy that constantly alternated between vitality and destruction. This energy caused great damage to his Mental Energy and Soul. The more he suffered this damage, the weaker his connection to the Dark Dimension became, until finally... he couldn't even sense the Dark Dimension anymore!
"What have you done to me?!" From within the raging energy storm, Dormammu's angry voice came out. He, the King of the Dark Dimension, couldn't sense the Dark Dimension while inside the Dark Dimension?! This was too terrifying!
"Dormammu, do you know where you lost?" The flaming psychic fire once again appeared on Kurohane's wings; there was no need to hide the Phoenix Force now. "In becoming the King of the Dark Dimension, you abandoned your body and your emotions. And now, I have used the Phoenix Force to restore all of that. You are now... just a mortal!"
The sky full of Holy Swords all disappeared, and the energy storm that had been stirred up gradually subsided. And in the center of this energy storm, a man in a black robe about 1.8 meters tall emerged. His face under the hood was filled with terror; it was Dormammu, who had regained his human form!