"It's over."
Thanos swung his blade with all his might. Space shattered instantly, massive fissures ripping across the nameless planet.
The cracks spread skyward, surrounded by countless shards like broken glass. Thanos recognized them immediately-spatial fragments. Beyond them lay the Mirror Dimension where the mage had been trapped.
With such destruction and the mage's depleted mana, Thanos was certain the man was dead.
Planting the Tyrant's Blade into the ground, he removed his helmet. He had to admit-the opponent had pressured him. But only the victor remembered the rival; the loser belonged in the world of the dead.
Clearly, he was the victor. The mage and his dimension had vanished.
"A fine opponent, though a nuisance," Thanos muttered. "Several of 'me' died just now. This trip has been troublesome; I'd better leave quickly."
"I'm afraid you're next. I can't let you leave." Strange's voice echoed across the space.
Thanos's pupils dilated. How could he hear the voice of a mage who should be dead?
He grabbed his weapon, scanning the battlefield. Battles raged in the distance. The pitch-black rift still stretched skyward.
Then he noticed it. The surrounding space was compressing, shrinking.
"This is-" Thanos whispered, disbelief evident. Things had gone badly.
"This is inside the Mirror Dimension." Strange appeared, ethereal and illusory.
He looked wretched. A long gash ran across his chest, bleeding steadily. Yet his left hand glowed golden, the wound slowly healing.
Thanos's nerves tightened. He hadn't expected this. His situation was far from favorable.
"Why?" Thanos asked. "When did you set all this up?"
"When you were at your most confident."
Strange's voice was weak, yet he grinned. "I know the gap between us. I knew defeating you would be difficult. I knew you discovered my weakness, so you stayed close, waiting for a chance to strike."
He sat, exhausted. His mana was failing.
"But you only had two chances to kill me: first, while I was casting; second, when I entered the Mirror Dimension and the spatial forces could have destroyed me."
"Correct," Thanos nodded, slowly replacing his helmet. "But how did you bring me into the Mirror Dimension?"
"Simple. I anticipated your intent and planned accordingly," Strange said, glancing at his wound. "I knew when I'd be most vulnerable. I allowed you to land a hit."
"But you have Holy Light. You believed you wouldn't die." Thanos' eyes narrowed. "You're confident... and lucky."
Indeed, Strange had used Holy Light to bait the attack. Thanos had seen only its offensive applications and ignored other effects-like healing.
"My luck was good," Strange said, sighing. "I coated my body with Holy Light to heal instantly. When you struck, I used spatial power to redirect the blow. Your attack was terrifyingly strong, and even dumping the energy into the void, I was still badly wounded. Fortunately..."
"Fortunately, the portal you opened let me walk right in," Thanos muttered. He realized he had charged blindly into Strange's Mirror Dimension.
The space had been fragile, yet Strange dared gamble with his life-and could redirect attacks. Thanos had no choice. Once inside a spatial mage's Mirror Dimension without mastery of spatial magic, escape was impossible.
"Do you intend to seal me here forever?" Thanos asked, eyes narrowing at Strange, who was slowly recovering. "Aren't you afraid I'll break out and kill you?"
"I am," Strange replied calmly. "But I won't give you the chance. My mentor said: show no mercy to your enemy. And I want to test my new magic-I haven't had the chance."
"Your mentor... a child of pure chaos," Thanos said, laughing, gripping the Tyrant's Blade. "Come then! Show me your magic. Give no openings, or I will kill you!"
"I know. You are formidable. However..."
Strange's mana erupted violently. "Goodbye, Thanos."
The Mirror Dimension collapsed. Space shattered violently around him. Thanos screamed silently as the void imploded, reducing him to a million broken shards.