The death of Satanish sent shockwaves through Dormammu and Mephisto.
The two exchanged glances.
Meanwhile, Aaron was still in the process of absorbing energy, preparing for a swift battle.
The goal had to be completed before any reinforcements arrived.
However, while their plan seemed solid, reality was far more unforgiving.
Though Wanda was still inexperienced, her Origin Magic Power was the real deal.
Even without learning dark magic, she had mastered a considerable amount of sorcery under the guidance of Aaron and Amora.
Her skills might not have been all-encompassing, but it was impossible to defeat or repel her using conventional means.
With his vast combat experience, Mephisto shattered the forbidden magic circle and launched a counterattack against Wanda with full force.
He struck at moments when she least expected it.
Ordinarily, Wanda might have been overwhelmed.
But after drawing power through the magic net to strengthen her body, Mephisto found himself at a severe disadvantage.
Ordinary attacks could no longer harm her.
She could easily withstand his magical assaults with her overwhelming magical energy.
This realization left Mephisto so frustrated that he nearly coughed up blood.
He was usually the one overwhelming his enemies with raw magical power—yet now, he was the one being crushed by a mere girl!
Turning the tide?
Realizing he couldn't hold off Wanda for much longer, Mephisto shifted his focus to Jean.
Raising a hand, he cast an illusion and rushed toward her.
But to his surprise—
Wanda, having been trained in illusion magic by Loki and Aaron, saw through his trick instantly.
"Demon, where do you think you're going?"
Seeing Mephisto abandoning the fight to charge at Jean, Wanda quickly gave chase.
Damn it!
Mephisto cursed inwardly.
Since when had Earth become filled with so many powerful beings?
First, the God of Magic who had forced an entire dimensional world to its knees. Then, Jean, the host of the Phoenix Force. And now, a young girl awakening her Origin Magic Power.
The worst part?
These monsters were all working together!
Facing any one of them alone would be daunting, but together?
This mission was meant to corrupt the Phoenix, yet they had instead stumbled upon an army of formidable foes.
They had personally taken control of the demon's body, yet they were now the ones struggling to hold on.
Alexander!
Dormammu, already struggling to maintain his presence, grew even darker upon seeing Mephisto being chased by the young sorceress.
"What the hell are you doing? Didn't you say you'd get rid of her quickly?"
"The magic circle is broken now—why isn't this over yet?"
"Don't tell me you can't even take down a little girl from Earth?"
Dormammu's voice carried a deep resentment.
"You should perceive her magic before complaining! That girl is far from ordinary!" Mephisto snapped, his face grim.
"How unusual? Can she be stronger than you, Dimensional Lords? Mephisto, you better not be slacking off!"
Dormammu highly doubted Mephisto was giving his all.
Knowing him, it was entirely possible.
Whenever there was an opportunity to cut corners, Mephisto would never exert unnecessary effort.
If something could be achieved through trickery, he would never choose brute force.
"I wish that were the case! That girl is just… weird!"
Mephisto was at a loss for words.
"Enough talking. I'm going to use that move."
A chilling indifference flashed in his eyes.
Dormammu's expression shifted. "Are you sure? …Never mind. You're right. We don't have time to waste."
He glanced at the sky.
By now, Aaron had nearly absorbed all the residual energy left behind by Satanish's destruction.
Their time was running out.
Any second now, they would be facing a fully powered God of Magic—who had already forced Satanish into self-destruction.
And this was Earth.
His territory.
If they couldn't even handle his companions, how could they hope to stand against Aaron in his prime?
"Create an opening for me!"
"Got it!"
Dormammu nodded.
In truth, his current state was far from ideal.
Strength-wise, he was weaker than Satanish, who had already retreated early.
Because whenever he manifested a physical form in the real universe, his power was severely diminished.
In fact, Mephisto was stronger than him in this realm.
Among the three of them, Satanish had been the strongest, while Dormammu was the weakest in this fight.
Yet that fool had been crushed before they could even complete their mission.
This left them with no choice.
If they wanted to corrupt the Dark Phoenix, they had to resort to drastic measures—even if it meant self-sacrifice.
"Heh!!"
"Let's die together!"
Dormammu gathered his remaining power—
Then, his entire body disintegrated into pure dark energy.
It condensed into a massive humanoid figure.
It had glowing purple pupils, an enormous and terrifying form.
This Dormammu resembled the one Aaron had once glimpsed through the occult, but it was far smaller and less substantial.
A mere shadow of the real thing.
As he let out a thunderous roar, thick black mist devoured the sky, pulling the heavens into utter darkness.
It was as if an endless night had descended.
Suspended within the gloom were countless shadowy blades, sharp and glinting ominously.
These were energy blades, crafted from transformed matter.
No known metal in the real universe could withstand them.
And yet—
Aaron returned at that moment.
His gaze landed on the transformed Dormammu, unfazed.
If Dormammu had been in his own realm, Aaron would have approached with caution.
But here?
This was merely a weakened doppelgänger, barely reaching the sub-Heavenly Father level.
If this was supposed to be a threat, Aaron might as well go back to sleep.
Not to mention, if he didn't handle it, either Wanda or Jean could do it on their own.
The only reason Dormammu and Mephisto had lasted this long against Wanda was their superior combat experience.
But once Wanda and Jean had honed their abilities—
Forget these two.
They could invade the dimensional realms and take the fight to them!
"Let me handle this."
Dark Phoenix's voice was laced with irritation.
She hated the way the demons were eyeing her like prey.
That wouldn't do.
If they wanted a fight, she would crush them instead.
"I'll do it," Wanda raised a hand.
But before she could finish speaking—
Dark Phoenix surrounded them in a shield of Phoenix Force, cutting off any external influence.
At that moment, Dormammu's attack descended.
Countless energy blades rained down.
Yet the moment they entered the Phoenix Force barrier, they disintegrated, their energy effortlessly absorbed.
Some of it flowed toward the three of them.
Wanda hesitated, then lifted her hand and waved it gently.
To her surprise—
She actually absorbed the dark energy!
She froze.
Could she absorb energy now?
Just as she was about to experiment further—
Aaron stopped her.
"Don't absorb recklessly. These energies can have a serious impact on you. You'll end up overloaded."
Wanda nodded, but her curiosity was piqued.
"Then… can I absorb your power?"
Aaron glanced at her and recalled how she had absorbed Agatha's magic in Westview and even drained Captain Marvel's energy in the parallel universe.
Maybe it was possible.
And if so, it could accelerate her growth.
"Go ahead. Try it."
Wanda smiled.
Her transformation had begun.
And for Meåhisto—
It was the beginning of his worst nightmare.
Under Wanda's control, the magic quickly transformed into an innate part of her power.
Her pupils turned red, her gaze growing intense and enigmatic.
The energy radiating from her was becoming stronger and stronger.
Aaron, far from being alarmed, was pleased.
Wanda was on the verge of advancing into the full-fledged Scarlet Witch ahead of schedule!
It was well known that, although Scarlet Witch had always been a powerful hero on the mystical front, her true peak came after she absorbed Agatha's magic. In one swift move, she inherited centuries of accumulated knowledge, triggering a massive transformation.
At that moment, she became the true Scarlet Witch.
She could even claim the title of the strongest Avenger.
Thor and Captain Marvel, at this point, might not even be her match.
Her mastery of the Darkhold further elevated her magical understanding.
Afterward, she single-handedly laid siege to Kamar-Taj, annihilated the entire Illuminati across the multiverse, and overpowered Doctor Strange himself.
Compared to the Wanda who, in Avengers: Endgame, nearly tore Thanos apart, this version was vastly stronger—by a significant margin.
After all, she was the force that turned Doctor Strange 2 into what was essentially a Scarlet Witch solo film.
It was true that borrowing magic power could make one stronger.
But absorbing these energies and fully integrating them into her own being was an entirely different level of evolution—one that set Wanda apart from other sorcerers who merely relied on the magic net for power.
Of course, even if others wanted to copy her method, it wouldn't be realistic.
Only a rare few, like Wanda or Agatha, had the ability to absorb others' magic without consequence.
And most importantly—none of it would be possible without Aaron's approval.
If he didn't allow it, Wanda wouldn't be able to absorb it.
As Wanda's power surged, Dormammu and Mephisto's expressions darkened.
A breakthrough?!
Did they really think so little of them?!
Mephisto was growing frantic.
It was already difficult enough for them to dominate the material world as it was.
If their enemies continued to grow at this pace...
Once Dark Phoenix, the little girl, and the God of Magic reached their full potential—who would be hunting whom?!
He hadn't forgotten what happened to the Purple Dimension and the Sixth Dimension!
"Damn it, we have to execute the plan now. We can't let them grow any stronger!"
Mephisto steeled his resolve.
Then, his body exploded.
Under the shroud of dark energy—
He charged at Dark Phoenix from behind.
"Hm?"
Dark Phoenix, still focused on countering Dormammu, sensed no threat from the energy.
She was about to ignore it—
But Aaron intervened.
At that moment, an invisible black aura slipped past the layers of magic and penetrated directly into Dark Phoenix's body.
"It's negative energy!"
Aaron's expression hardened.
He was right—Mephisto was trying to corrupt Dark Phoenix!
The two demons had willingly sacrificed their believers to work together, injecting pure negativity into Dark Phoenix to awaken her darkest instincts.
Unfortunately for them...
Dark Phoenix had already been reshaped.
"It's over."
"Wind of Watoomb!"
A surge of magical wind swept through, compressing Dormammu and Mephisto's energy into a confined space.
Dormammu struggled to break free—
But Aaron didn't hesitate.
He began absorbing their energy without mercy.
After all, with their power reduced to mere energy constructs, Dormammu and Mephisto were nothing more than appetizers.
Why wouldn't he indulge?
Soon, every trace of their energy was devoured.
Aaron turned around—
A delicate fragrance filled the air.
Then, soft curves, a slender waist—
A gust of warmth brushed against him.
Dark Phoenix, her red eyes glowing, parted her lips slightly.
"I want..."
Negativity struck!
Mephisto had never imagined—
His plan would fail so spectacularly.
After all this time, did he really think Dark Phoenix was still a mindless force of destruction?
Seeing what was about to happen, Aaron didn't hesitate any longer.
He grabbed Dark Phoenix and vanished.
Then—
He tossed little Wanda outside the door and slammed it shut behind him.
Wanda blinked, her curiosity burning.
Her cheeks flushed.
"Wanda, don't eavesdrop. You're still too young."
Amora ruffled her hair playfully.
Wanda pouted, reluctant to leave.
She glanced back three times before finally walking away, leaving Amora chuckling.
Turning to Sif, Amora smirked.
"Our Valkyrie is still so shy? This is a golden opportunity! If you don't take the initiative, who knows how long you'll have to wait for Aaron to retreat again?"
"Hmph! Mind your own business!"
Sif shot her a glare, feeling both annoyed and conflicted.
"Hey, don't say I didn't warn you."
Amora shook her head as if she pitied her.
"After all, we're the only two Asgardians here. I was just looking out for you."
With that, she turned and sauntered away.
Once out of Sif's sight, a sly smile spread across her lips.
With a slow, graceful sway of her hips, Amora disappeared into the night.
That evening, thunderstorms rolled across New York State.
The storm raged throughout the night.
By morning, the Hudson River had risen, its waters nearly overflowing.
And in the midst of it all—
The city carried on.
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