The one-eyed Dormammu opened his massive, blood-filled maw. In front of him, an energy sphere the size of a small asteroid rapidly condensed.
Ifrit raised both hands as well. Between his palms, a blazing sun surged upward—matching Dormammu's attack in sheer intensity.
"Die!!"
With a roar, Dormammu launched the energy sphere toward Ifrit.
At the same time, Ifrit hurled his own attack. The two forces collided midair.
BOOM—!!
An unprecedented explosion tore through the Dark Dimension. Within several kilometers, every planet caught in the shockwave shattered into dust. The space between Dormammu and Ifrit was instantly cleared—utterly empty.
Below, at the Sanctum, Doctor Strange and Kaecilius both stopped fighting and looked up.
Not just them—everyone present raised their heads as a massive burst of fire rippled through the dark sky, followed by violent tremors across the entire dimension.
---
In the void, Ifrit and Dormammu faced each other from afar.
Dormammu's fury deepened. He hadn't expected that, aside from that old bastard Ancient One, Earth would produce another human this powerful.
Ifrit shook his arms, then pushed off violently, launching himself toward Dormammu once more.
Dormammu exhaled torrents of purple flame.
Ifrit crossed his arms and took the blast head-on. His advance slowed—but did not stop.
"ROAR!!"
With a furious howl, flames erupted from Ifrit's arms—blazing orange-red fire clashing directly against Dormammu's purple inferno.
The two fires collided midair.
Though Dormammu held the upper hand, Ifrit's flames were gradually eroding the purple fire.
"DIE!!"
Dormammu roared again, increasing his output.
The purple flames surged forward, overwhelming Ifrit. His arms began to buckle under the pressure—his strength failing.
BOOM!!
At last, Ifrit could no longer hold on.
The purple flames engulfed him completely, blasting through several planets behind him.
---
When the flames dissipated—Ifrit was gone.
Dormammu paused, sensing the space—then burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! In the end, just a weak and pathetic human. Not even one ten-thousandth of that old fossil Ancient One!"
His laughter echoed through the entire dimension.
"…Hm?!"
Suddenly—
A streak of orange flame tinged with blue shot forward, slamming into Dormammu before he could react, knocking him backward.
The flames dispersed.
Ifrit reappeared.
But he was no longer the same.
Behind him flowed ribbon-like strands of blue fire, shimmering like the tail feathers of a phoenix. His entire body was engulfed in multicolored flames.
This was the fusion form of Ifrit and the Phoenix—a union of destructive fire and rebirth.
"T-This… impossible!!"
Dormammu stared in shock. No being should have survived that attack—not even the Ancient One.
"ROAR—!!"
Ifrit roared again.
A blazing sun-like fireball formed between his hands—this time laced with streaks of blue flame.
He hurled it.
Like a meteor, it crashed directly into Dormammu's face.
---
At that moment—
The entire Dark Dimension fell silent.
The explosion blazed across the void, yet no sound followed—as if even sound itself had been annihilated.
Then—
Space began to collapse.
A black point formed, expanding like a black hole, devouring everything nearby. Planets were dragged in, crushed into nothingness.
When the flames faded—
Dormammu's enormous face was half gone.
Only one eye and part of his mouth remained. The rest had been obliterated.
---
"Human… you are the first to push me to this extent," Dormammu said.
"Even the Ancient One never achieved this."
"What do you want? Or… you could serve me. I will grant you the entire universe."
Ifrit sneered.
With a casual wave, a flaming blade shot toward Dormammu.
"Human—don't push your luck!!"
BOOM!
The blade exploded against his remaining face.
To Dormammu, this was pure humiliation.
"Withdraw from Earth," Ifrit spoke—Karl's voice echoing from within.
"Take your hounds with you. Never step foot here again."
"…Hmph."
Dormammu snorted—but said nothing more.
That silence was agreement.
He had no choice.
The power he projected was nearly exhausted. Without his true body, he could not defeat this monster.
---
Above the Sanctum, a massive burst of flame erupted.
A colossal beast emerged from the Dark Dimension—trailing radiant, multicolored tail feathers like wings.
Ifrit circled once, then crashed down onto the ground.
Everyone stared at the hundred-meter-tall creature in awe.
Compared to Dormammu, he had seemed small—but that didn't mean he actually was.
Kaecilius looked on in terror.
He felt no trace of dark energy from the beast—which meant only one thing:
It had nothing to do with Dormammu.
It was tied to Karl.
---
Ifrit ignored everyone beneath him and looked up at the Dark Dimension.
"ROAR!!"
He let out a thunderous roar, flames bursting from his eyes—a clear warning.
The effect was immediate.
Kaecilius and the zealots began to ignite with purple flames. Their bodies disintegrated into ash, drawn helplessly upward into the Dark Dimension.
Within seconds, all of them—including Kaecilius—were gone, absorbed into Dormammu's realm.
---
At the same time, the Dark Dimension began to recede.
It shrank, pulling away from Earth.
At the very end—
A massive purple eye opened in the void, staring down at Ifrit.
"ROAR—!!"
Ifrit roared back, flames surging violently around him, fire spilling from his eyes in defiance.
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