"Angry? Aren't you angry all the time?"
"But what good does that do? Do you have the ability to kill me?" said Alaric with a smile and immediately struck him with another punch.
"You...!"
Boom!
Suddenly, a violent black flame of magic erupted from Dormammu's entire body. This time, he didn't try to dodge the blow but let Alaric's punch swing through him.
But Alaric immediately realized something was wrong. His fist passed right through Dormammu's body as if striking into emptiness. The force of the blow was so great that inertia threw him backward.
"What just happened?" he asked in confusion, looking around.
Where Dormammu had stood, there was only a flame burning in the void, dissolving into nothingness.
"And where is he?"
"Alaric!"
The voice made him turn around. Dormammu appeared several dozen meters away, his body glowing with energy, and his voice sounded cold and commanding.
For the first time, Dormammu spoke his name with full respect and rage.
He had decided he would no longer waste time with physical blows. It was time to show Alaric what it meant to be the true master of darkness, to make him understand the difference between a mortal and a true Demon God.
This brat would never again have the chance to punch him in the face!
"What's that ability of yours?" asked Alaric, looking at him curiously.
Dormammu sneered with contempt. "Oh, this is the power of your lord of darkness, the great Dormammu!"
Boom!
The flame around him exploded, and without a single movement of his hand, the ruins around them began to levitate. Stone, metal, and ash merged into enormous black spikes that shot toward Alaric at the speed of light.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Alaric crossed his arms in front of him, protecting his head and torso. The spikes struck his body one after another, each impact shaking the air, but they could not pierce him.
When the smoke cleared, Alaric stood motionless, only a few scratches on his shoulders. The smile returned to his face.
"Hehe, you didn't expect that, did you? My magic doesn't just increase my strength, but also my defense!"
He crossed his arms over his chest and looked at Dormammu with an arrogant grin.
For a moment, Dormammu was speechless.
That cocky laugh echoed through the dark dimension, filling him with rage and unease.
He frowned, trying to understand what kind of magic this was.
He hadn't seen Alaric use any spells, movements, or words to trigger magic. He had simply transformed, enlarged his body and his power had exploded.
And now, even his defense had increased!
That was impossible for an ordinary mage.
"Is this magic that directly enhances the physical body?" Dormammu thought, analyzing him.
With all his infinite power and experience, he had to admit, Alaric's idea was brilliant.
No mage he had encountered through the eons of existence had ever managed to strengthen their physical body to such a level.
His power now was no less than that of some dimensional lords.
"You've made progress," Dormammu said coldly, "but it's not enough!"
He raised his hand, and the black flame in his palm twisted like a living serpent.
Alaric immediately heightened his perception, focusing on the surrounding space.
He knew, the attack wouldn't come directly.
And he was right.
From the darkness burst black chains, sharp and blazing, wrapping around his body in an instant.
"Oh, useless!" Alaric laughed.
Teleportation magic activated, and his body vanished from the spot in a flash of light.
"What—!?"
Dormammu turned, but it was already too late.
"Dormammu!!"
Alaric appeared behind him, teleporting directly above his head, and punched with all his might.
Boom!
Before his fist could reach the body, Dormammu's form suddenly exploded like smoke, turning into dark energy that enveloped Alaric.
The dark energy swirled around him, transforming into solid black chains that wrapped tightly around him, with hellish flames constantly searing his body.
"Useless," said Dormammu coldly, standing not far away. "I am the embodiment of the entire Dark Dimension. I am everywhere. You have nowhere to escape."
Alaric tried to resist, but he was overwhelmed by an incomparably powerful force that restricted his every movement.
The chain pulled him deeper and deeper into darkness, and its other end seemed to be connected to an infinite world with no end in sight.
The black flame raged more and more. Although his protective magic hadn't yet been broken, the rising temperature told him it was only a matter of time.
"I must admit, your magic is truly powerful," said Dormammu, observing him from above.
"Anyone else would already be burned to ashes."
"And you're quite powerful yourself," replied Alaric calmly. "It's terrifying to see how serious you get when you decide to fight."
Alaric sighed. He had thought that once his power increased, Dormammu would no longer be able to kill him over and over again like before. Yet now he realized that the longer the battle lasted, the more he could feel just how terrifying Dormammu truly was.
His power seemed endless.
When Alaric finally escaped from the magic circle, he realized he had only stepped out of a smaller one, and was now inside a larger circle that completely surrounded him.
But Alaric was not the kind of man to bow before the unknown. Instead of fear, excitement was born within him. He believed that sooner or later, he would discover the limit of Dormammu's power, and even surpass it.
"Isn't my strength obvious?" said Dormammu coldly. "Without time magic, you are nothing. Even if you come a thousand times, the outcome will always be the same. Come back when you've learned what helplessness means."
Alaric nodded. "Indeed."
Seeing that, Dormammu opened his mouth and exhaled a devastating breath of pure dark energy.
Alaric didn't back down. "But it's not over yet!" he shouted. "If you can use that kind of attack, so can I!"
He opened his mouth and released a brilliant beam of energy.
With his hands bound, he couldn't use much magic, but enough to fight back.
Boom!
The two powerful beams of energy collided in the air, locking in a devastating stalemate.
Dormammu: ???
You're using my own power against me?!
As Dormammu's strength increased, his energy beam gradually began to overwhelm Alaric's attack.
The intense purple light grew brighter and brighter in Alaric's eyes.