It was clear that Dormammu-Stark had been provoked.
A surge of dark energy erupted from him at that moment.
Steve Rogers, who had been pinning Dormammu-Stark down, was sent flying in an instant.
Huh?
Wait.
This scene felt oddly familiar.
Fortunately, this time, Steve had learned from his previous experience. Before the dark energy exploded, he had pulled out his shield and held it in front of him.
As a result, most of the impact was absorbed by the vibranium shield.
This made Ronan even more interested in vibranium.
From his limited understanding, he knew vibranium was one of the hardest metals in the world, and it was extremely rare.
Only Wakanda had significant reserves of it.
He had initially thought the "hardest" description referred to its physical properties, but now he realized vibranium could also resist energy-based attacks.
In other words, vibranium seemed capable of defending against both physical and magical attacks?
This thought made Ronan even more curious about vibranium.
Steve, who had been sent flying, didn't just sit there. He picked up his shield and charged at Dormammu-Stark again.
With his shield in hand, he swung it hard at Dormammu-Stark's chest.
However, just as the sharp edge of the shield was about to strike, Steve twisted his wrist and used the flat side of the shield instead.
Hum!
The shield collided with the dark energy protecting Dormammu-Stark's body, producing a deafening sound.
Steve used all his strength, but the shield didn't budge an inch.
For a moment, the two were locked in a stalemate.
But then, Dormammu-Stark, who had been scowling, suddenly smiled.
"You don't dare harm this body, do you?"
"To be precise, because he's your friend, you're afraid that damaging this body will kill him."
Dormammu-Stark seemed to have figured out Steve's hesitation.
Yes, the person before them was an enemy, but the body belonged to Tony Stark.
Any harm to the body would mean harm to Tony.
If it were just fists, that would be one thing—it wouldn't be fatal.
But Steve was holding a vibranium shield, which had few equals in terms of hardness.
That's why Steve had hesitated earlier.
Dormammu-Stark's words seemed to hit a nerve.
Steve just stared at him, still holding the shield, but he didn't say a word.
Seeing this, the dark energy around Dormammu-Stark began to seep back into his body.
"Go ahead, hit me. I won't resist at all."
"If you kill him, my consciousness will disappear too."
"This is the only way you can destroy me."
"I just want to know: do you want to save your friend, or save the world, even if it means sacrificing your friend?"
With that, Dormammu-Stark spread his arms, as if inviting them to strike.
You had to admit, in this state, he really did resemble Tony Stark when he was showing off.
Equally cocky, equally punchable.
Seeing Dormammu-Stark's smug expression, Steve showed no intention of attacking.
Because his thoughts had been laid bare.
He seemed to have only two options:
Either let Dormammu-Stark leave,
Or kill Dormammu-Stark to save the world—but at the cost of losing a friend.
This left Steve in a difficult position.
"Steve, don't hesitate. Keep hitting him!"
Just as Steve was torn, Ronan's voice came from behind him.
At the same time, a hand gently patted Steve's shoulder.
In that moment, Steve could clearly feel something different inside him.
He turned around in surprise to look at Ronan.
Ronan winked at him, the message clear:
Beat the crap out of him!
Understanding Ronan's meaning, Steve no longer hesitated. He charged at Dormammu-Stark.
Dormammu-Stark still wore a smile, confident that Steve wouldn't go for the kill.
As long as Steve didn't aim to kill, any physical damage would be meaningless to him.
Boom!
Steve was in front of Dormammu-Stark in an instant.
He punched Dormammu-Stark in the face, sending him stumbling back several steps.
However, Dormammu-Stark showed no intention of fighting back.
Instead, he tilted his head at Steve, signaling him to continue.
Steve didn't plan to stop either. Since Ronan had given the go-ahead, he would do his part.
Between him and Ronan, only Ronan could solve this problem.
Steve couldn't handle it alone, so he had to trust Ronan's judgment.
If Ronan said to beat him up, then beat him up!
Boom!
Steve threw another punch, landing squarely on Dormammu-Stark's cheek.
Dormammu-Stark's body swayed slightly, but Ronan noticed a faint green glow appearing around him.
This green glow seemed to lag behind Dormammu-Stark's movements by half a second.
Seeing this, Ronan smiled.
It was working!
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
This time, Steve seemed to recall all the times Tony had annoyed him.
He unleashed punch after punch on Tony's face.
Dormammu-Stark didn't fight back, just watched calmly.
He knew this level of damage couldn't kill him.
As long as he didn't want to die, he wouldn't!
However, he didn't notice that the green glow inside him was lagging more and more.
From less than half a second at first, to one second, then three seconds.
Boom!
By the time Dormammu-Stark was sent flying, the green glow took nearly eight seconds to catch up.
"Steve, now!"
Ronan shouted, and at the same time, his body disappeared from sight.
Steve, who had received Ronan's signal, stopped holding back. He summoned his shield and slammed it into Tony's face—no, more precisely, his forehead!
Hum!
A dull thud echoed, and Dormammu-Stark's ears rang with a buzzing sound.
The next second, something astonishing happened.
The green glow that had been lagging behind was forcibly ejected from Dormammu-Stark's body.
Even more shocking to Steve was that the green glow transformed into Tony Stark!
"What the FU*K?"
Both Tony's soul and Steve shouted the same phrase.
Tony was shocked to find himself in this state, and Steve was equally stunned to see Tony like this.
"What's going on? How did I—"
But before Tony could finish, Ronan cut him off.
"Enough. Let me clean up your mess first, then you can talk."
With that, Ronan appeared in front of Dormammu-Stark—or rather, the body now solely occupied by Dormammu.
Dormammu seemed to realize something was wrong.
The moment Ronan appeared, he unleashed the dark energy within him, attempting to self-destruct and take everyone with him!
But Ronan had seen this trick before.
As the dark energy erupted, Ronan snapped his fingers, and the Mirror Dimension enveloped them.
Every bit of dark energy was trapped inside.
"Dormammu, if this were your Dark Dimension..."
"No, anywhere outside this universe, I might not be able to deal with you."
"But this is Earth..."
Ronan smiled.
The three Sanctums on Earth not only protected the planet but also suppressed the power of the Dark Dimension.
That's why, when Dormammu had invaded Tony's body, he had been quietly gathering strength instead of immediately conquering Earth.
The reason was simple: he needed to accumulate more dark energy!
"Damn it!"
"What is the Ancient One to you?"
Now, Tony's face was contorted with frustration.
Even after unleashing all the dark energy in his body, it had no effect on Ronan.
Ronan raised his left hand, and a symbol began to glow in his palm.
When Dormammu saw this symbol, his frustration turned to fear!
"No, you're... Him?"
"Impossible, absolutely impossible!"
"He's gone, He should be gone!"
But before Dormammu could finish, Ronan's left hand was already on his forehead.
A powerful suction force emanated from Ronan's palm!
"He can't possibly have returned, and you're not Him!"
"I am the master of the Dark Dimension!!!!"
But these final words became Dormammu's swan song.
Countless streams of dark energy were sucked into Ronan's body through his palm.
Hum!
In that instant, Ronan's eyes seemed to pierce through Earth and the entire universe.
His soul was also drawn into an unfamiliar dimension.
"This is..."
When Ronan's vision cleared, he found himself in a place of darkness and emptiness.
Yet, he felt an overwhelming sense of familiarity.
It was as if he had been here before.
"Get out!"
"This place doesn't belong to you!"
Just as Ronan was deep in thought, a voice interrupted him.
A massive figure appeared beneath Ronan's feet.
The familiar face made Ronan immediately recognize who it was.
Dormammu!
So, you're hiding here, old man.
"You say this place doesn't belong to me, so why am I here?"
"Dormammu?"
Ronan looked down at Dormammu with a smile.
His condescending attitude was something Dormammu, who had always been the superior one, couldn't accept!
"Get out, you damned mortal!"
"How dare you set foot in my domain? I'll make sure you die here!"
With a roar, Dormammu's enormous mouth lunged at Ronan.
Facing such a gaping maw, Ronan was momentarily stunned.
In that moment, he seemed to remember something.
He raised his right hand and made a slight grasping motion.
Dormammu, who had been charging at Ronan, was suddenly struck by an invisible force.
The massive mouth that had been about to swallow Ronan was slammed into the ground.
Dark energy surged around Ronan, as if waiting for his command to act!
"Impossible!"
"How can you control the power of the Dark Dimension?"
Dormammu's face was filled with shock and disbelief.
He couldn't comprehend how a mere mortal from Earth could wield the power of the Dark Dimension!
Not only that, but Ronan had used that power to defeat him within the Dark Dimension itself!
But Ronan remained silent.
He waved his hand, and the dark energy around him solidified into a tangible form!
A massive black spear materialized above Ronan's head!
"Go."
"Let's see how powerful you are."
Ronan waved his hand again, and the black spear shot toward Dormammu at an unimaginable speed.
At that moment, Dormammu's instincts screamed danger!
He felt an overwhelming sense of crisis!
Immediately, he gathered the dark energy around him, forming an impenetrable shield above his head.
Hum!
The black spear collided with the black shield, and an ear-piercing screech filled the air.
Ronan narrowed his eyes, curious about the outcome.
Crack!
Finally, after what felt like an eternity but was only a few seconds, the clash reached its conclusion.
Dormammu's eyes widened in disbelief as he watched the black spear pierce through the shield and plunge into his body!
"Ahhhhhhh!!!!!"
Dormammu's agonized scream echoed throughout the dark space.
The spear had pierced through his body!!!
Seeing this result, Ronan smiled and opened his right hand again.
A torrent of dark energy began to gather around him once more.
But at that moment, a sharp pain shot through Ronan's mind!
Not good!
Ronan immediately realized what was happening.
This was a sign that his mental energy was running out!
In such a short time, Ronan's vast mental reserves had been nearly depleted!
As the pain grew more intense, Ronan knew he couldn't stay here any longer.
He glanced at Dormammu, who was still howling in pain, and smirked.
"Dormammu..."
"What's mine, I'll take back with my own hands one day!"