Chapter 30: The Artworks of War
In the vast Dark Dimension, countless dead, silent planets drifted in the void.
For countless eons, an unknown number of living planets had been devoured by Dormammu, ultimately turning into dead stars, becoming mere adornments in the Dark Dimension.
The invincible and mighty Dormammu angrily rolled over, seething with rage.
In this vast universe, while there were a few troublesome deities or planets, none were a thorn in His side quite like Earth.
Look, just a moment ago, He had sensed an individual on the tiny planet of Earth attempting to steal black magic.
Although the amount was minuscule, about the same share He had apportioned to Kaecilius's underlings, that was no reason for these Earth-ants to brazenly provoke Him!
Having to deal with the Ancient One was bad enough; after all, the Ancient One was powerful!
"Let me see who did this..."
Dormammu opened His terrifying, planet-sized eyes. In His vision, endless magical particles surged like rivers, available for Him to command at will. Through black magic, His vision extended all the way to a dark mage on Earth.
And He saw the one stealing His power... a Deviant?
No, it wasn't a Deviant; it just bore a slight resemblance in appearance.
Dormammu almost thought the Celestials had created a brand new species of Deviants. If that were the case, He would have to be somewhat wary. After all, the Celestials were a terrifying cluster of gods, all starting at the strong Skyfather level; their power was too immense.
"Hmm? This little thing is interesting. Does it inherit power through genetic substitution?" Dormammu took a second look, His interest immediately piqued.
Even for an ancient god like Him, it was the first time He had seen such a peculiar species.
He had seen plenty of beings that grew stronger by eating their enemies, a typical example being a few Deviants and the notorious Oblivion Brood of the universe.
But a being that seized another's power through parasitism? That was a first.
"This thing is called an Alien? It can even inherit the authority of the black magic I bestowed upon the mages of Earth in this manner..." Dormammu's eyes lit up, brighter than a star.
If He could analyze the life essence of this life-form, and then use it as a basis to create a vessel that could perfectly inherit His power, yet on a higher level, one that certain troublesome beings wouldn't recognize as His shell...
Honestly, the prospect was too promising. It was far better than constantly raising His own debt ceiling to bestow black magic upon Kaecilius and that bunch of third-rate mages.
If He had any chance to infiltrate Earth Himself, Dormammu would have to be insane to resort to His current method—cultivating proxies to contend with the Ancient One!
It had reached the point where every time Dormammu paid the price for using black magic, He had to endure ever-increasing suffering.
Quickly, Dormammu first cut off the possibility of the Alien stealing the power of black magic. Simultaneously, He used black magic to transmit information, issuing an important directive on the matter:
At any cost, seize this creature known as the Alien!
Kaecilius quickly received the command from Dormammu. His eyes sharpened as he stared intently at Du Wa, unable to hide his astonishment.
"It seems your master has issued you a new command. I don't think you're surprised because of my Aliens," Du Wa said.
"That's right. Your performance seems to have satisfied my master—extraordinarily so," Kaecilius said frankly, continuously sizing up the surrounding Aliens. He was clearly considering what means to use to quickly clean up these things.
Du Wa was also constantly prepared. At that moment, the Abomination Alien stepped out from behind Du Wa.
He might question Kaecilius's ideals, but he would not doubt his opponent's power. Kaecilius was once the Ancient One's chief disciple and now wielded both the white magic of the Vishanti and the black magic of Dormammu. His power was exceptionally formidable.
With mirror magic alone, if Kaecilius were to successfully cast it, Du Wa's situation would become extremely precarious.
"This risk was necessary; otherwise, I couldn't confirm certain things. But battling you under these circumstances is beyond my expectations... I will not give you the opportunity to use mirror magic," Du Wa said.
He had already confirmed that the Alien that had burst from the chest was unable to wield black magic. Coupled with Kaecilius's reaction, it must have been Dormammu who intervened, denying the Alien's "access rights."
This was normal, and it was nothing to be dejected about.
"For some reason, I feel as if you know me very well. You also know a lot about black magic and a lot about my master, Dormammu... Whatever the reason, you'll soon be one of us."
Kaecilius raised a hand toward Du Wa. "Truth belongs to Dormammu. Offer up the Aliens, become a glorious member of our ranks, and I will spare your life."
Without hesitation, Du Wa displayed extraordinary decisiveness and attacked.
Mirror magic wasn't invincible; its casting conditions were extremely strict. Du Wa would never wait passively.
In an instant, Du Wa rushed forward, and the Aliens scattered around him attacked at the same time.
Under normal circumstances, Du Wa wouldn't act personally, as there was no need. He knew exactly where his own strength lay. As long as he didn't die, even if only a single Alien remained hidden somewhere in the world, and even if all the other Aliens were wiped out, that lone survivor could evolve into a Queen on the spot. The entire Alien species would never perish.
But in the current situation, facing such a dangerous enemy, Du Wa led the charge himself.
Swish!
His movement was so fast that, to the naked eye, it left afterimages. His robust arms swelled visibly with each swing, as every muscle fiber seemed to activate, erupting with overloaded power.
Kaecilius's eyelid twitched, but he still attacked immediately.
A multitude of thin, red magical threads grew from his hands, forming a dense web that stretched toward the Aliens pouncing from all directions.
"This is the magic of Kamar-Taj. How ironic," Du Wa sneered. On a mental level, he relayed intelligence about this spell to all the Aliens.
The many Aliens bound by these slender whips began to leap and scramble repeatedly across the surrounding walls. A portion of them unhesitatingly tore open their own bodies, using their highly acidic blood to clear a path, corroding the thin energy whips to create an opportunity for the other Aliens.
Charging most fiercely, of course, was the Abomination Alien. With its powerful self-healing ability and unrivaled physique, it rampaged through the web-like space woven from golden-red energy whips, violently crashing and pulling.
Several Deviant-Aliens were also particularly active. Possessing the superior genes of the Deviants, they already had a talent for absorbing energy. They immediately extended fleshy tendrils from their bodies, latching onto the energy whips and beginning to forcibly extract their power to sever them.
The troops Du Wa had built through so many different means were, at this moment, showing their fangs for the first time.
(end of chapter)