Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 1640 Kamar-Taj: The Time Stone

The architecture, through folding, rotating, and bending that transcend the mathematical laws of the material universe, displays nauseating angles that are utterly impossible in the material universe. These chaotic mirror images flicker and shift constantly, splicing, compressing, and stretching together like a kaleidoscope. The cramped elevator car climbs and falls like a roller coaster, the steel and brass elevator doors disassembled and replicated one by one, gaining potential energy as if from outside the atmosphere under the action of the ever-ascending steel cables, enveloped in plasma generated by friction with the air, roaring towards the two golden figures at the lowest point.

Threat. Threat. Threat!

The tactical system holographic projection inside the helmet flashed incessantly with symbols representing the highest threat level. Amon had never encountered anything like this before; even when facing that monster from another dimension in Attilan, the highest level of threat hadn't flashed. Amon heard the piercing noise that tore through the air before the needles even arrived, which then transformed into a muffled rumble. The power armor detected abnormal changes in wind speed and air pressure. The Royal Guard didn't understand what was happening, but he still miraculously pulled the trigger with one hand on his halberd, firing at the location from which the noise had originated. Several explosive shells destroyed a few burning steel needles two kilometers away, but this had no effect on the millions of burning steel needles that filled the entire sky, like a few pebbles thrown into a wave.

The Emperor stretched out his hand, showing no unusual energy except for the psychic glow emanating from his eyes and the back of his head. Amon rarely witnessed the Emperor display pure rage, but now he saw once again the psychic glow around the Emperor burning with fury, causing the air to boil and explode. Immediately, the relative position of the sky tilted towards the courtyard plaza where they stood, a scene that deeply shocked even the trained and modified minds of the Royal Guard. It was as if witnessing a magnificent mountain range, spanning an entire planet, folding and bending before them, then colliding with unimaginable force. The expected explosion or crash did not occur; instead, billions of mirror fragments swirled in the sky, combined, and then shattered again. Unrecognizable light was reflected by the chaotic mirrored sky, filling the entire space with a dizzying, chaotic kaleidoscope of colors.

The chaos and disorder of the Mirror Dimension demonstrate that the controllers of this space no longer possess complete rationality. As the supreme arcane art of Kamar-Taj, the Mirror Dimension typically requires multiple arcane masters to activate and cast it, and casting this arcane art demands a considerably profound knowledge of geometry and mathematics.

"Cover me, I need to seize control of this space."

Amon nodded, then swung his Guardian Spear once more, shattering the translucent humanoid mirror-like entities coming from all directions. Under the chaotic, sourceless light, even with the raster mode activated, the enemy's form couldn't be clearly discerned. Thermal imaging mode couldn't capture any heat, and infrared mode could only capture various long-wavelength rays reflected from the sourceless light, like disco balls dancing wildly in the night. Amon could only rely on his modified eyes to judge and identify targets. He was like a steel hurricane surrounding the emperor, wielding the Guardian Spear—so heavy it required several adult men to lift—at a speed even genetically modified warriors couldn't see. A torrent of glass shards rained down at the emperor and the Imperial Guard's feet.

Time ticked by, and Amon noticed that the courtyard where he and the Emperor stood was slowly expanding. High-speed rotating, contorted buildings were being compressed into bricks and added to the courtyard's edges. To the Imperial Guards, this seemed to represent the Emperor gradually seizing control of the space, chaos being replaced by order and stability. However, this arrangement didn't last long. By the time the Emperor gestured for Amon to stop, shards of glass had piled up around them.

"There will be no more enemies. The being behind the veil wants to achieve its goal as quickly as possible. It has no patience to continue." The Emperor gripped his holy sword tightly. The distant buildings parted like doors, and a figure in an earthen-yellow robe slowly approached. He shouted in a voice audible even from the other side of the earth, "Leave the Sorcerer Supreme's body, or I will banish you! I will not only banish you, but I will also go to your dimension and kill you! Your dimension is not always safe, Dormammu!"

"It's a pity we had such pleasant conversations in the past. This conversation shouldn't involve outsiders, especially your genetically modified pet." The being with the appearance and body of the Sorcerer Supreme slowly moved in front of the Emperor. Although the tactical command system didn't indicate any danger, the Royal Guard's Amon remained on high alert, for this was the only creature he had ever seen capable of moving freely in this space. This being with the appearance of the Sorcerer Supreme had a rune resembling the mathematical symbol π on its forehead. "You know the glory I've shown you. To you, the human race is nothing more than insects kept in a glass jar. Admittedly, the insects in that jar have their own social system, but what does that have to do with you? Are you human? No, you are just like me. You should come to my side and find your rightful place in this cruel universe."

"You are nothing but a puppet without self-awareness. You think the Dark Dimension belongs to you, but you are nothing more than a dog that acts as an agent at your master's feet, obeying orders to fetch the ball back. This is all you have done, Dormammu. The power you think you have is obtained by giving up your soul. I despise your self-righteous glory."

Amon took a deep breath, his honed muscle memory preparing him to attack his target at any moment.

"We've had this conversation many times." Dormammu, staring at the Sorcerer Supreme's appearance, shook his head slightly. "Every time you give me the same answer. Next, you'll ask me to leave the Sorcerer Supreme's body and free his soul, even though you know I can't do it. Go on, I have infinite time, and you don't."

"You can't use the Time Stone, can you? Or rather, you can't find it because the Sorcerer Supreme hid it." The Emperor stepped forward, sword in hand, gesturing for Amon to follow behind him, a formation to supplement close-quarters combat. "Every word you speak is a lie, Dormammu. You're not as carefree as you seem. The Sorcerer Supreme's power is causing you considerable trouble." He extended his hand, and a deep green, emerald-like glow pierced through the Sorcerer Supreme's body, falling into his hand with unparalleled speed—Dormammu attempted to intercept, but the spell the Sorcerer Supreme had taught the Emperor possessed extraordinary complexity and secrecy. Even Dormammu couldn't immediately break the spell and retrieve the Time Stone hidden within the Sorcerer Supreme's soul. The stone floated silently above the golden-armored hand, Dormammu, clad in the Sorcerer Supreme's skin, contorted his expression far beyond the limits of human facial muscles.

Dormammu licked his teeth.

The slight refraction of light reflected from its hands alerted Amon. The Royal Guard informed the Emperor of this via the powered armor's communication system, to which the Emperor merely nodded, indicating he knew Dormammu was casting a spell. "She once tried to suppress the consciousness within me and take control, but when she couldn't escape me, this was a debt she incurred when she drew energy from another dimension." It opened its eyes, glaring at the Emperor. "Yes, the Sorcerer Supreme is still alive; she lives in this body, suffering torment. I care not for this energy node of the material universe; all the mysteries of time are merely basic knowledge to me."

"Amon." The Emperor clenched his fist, wrapping the Time Stone in his fingers.

"Yes, my lord." Amon took a deep breath, his back arching, and in the next instant, he shot forward like an arrow. The bottomless chasm between Dormammu and the Emperor stretched out, and with each step the Royal Guard took, flat stone bricks that had once been made of glass, statues, or building facades paved beneath his feet. Amon didn't notice the deep green light swirling around him, because in this space, the devices built into his power armor for measuring stellar angles and planetary time were ineffective, but he still found that his movements had inevitably become faster, and his potential energy had increased accordingly. The three-meter-tall golden giant's swirling gusts of wind crashed into an invisible layer of glass, and the Royal Guard shattered the magically constructed glass with a single punch, a thin layer of black smoke rising from the shards.

Immediately afterwards, the Emperor's figure hurtled toward Dormammu at a speed that even the Royal Guard couldn't match.

The burning holy sword was raised high and then slashed down, its scorching blade and billowing hot air coming within a finger's width of Dormammu's forehead, yet it couldn't advance. Before Dormammu could even smile, a fist filled with rage slammed into his chest, sending Dormammu, clad in the body of the Sorcerer Supreme, flying backward—from Dormammu's perspective, the two events occurred simultaneously, without a clear sequence. But from the Emperor's perspective, the swing of the sword and the punch still had a sequence; this was the art of manipulating time—accompanied by two muffled gunshots characteristic of explosive guns, the glassy shield on Dormammu shattered in succession, and the Royal Guard lowered their smoking spears, immediately following the Emperor's footsteps. A deep green, emerald-like halo enveloped Dormammu. As if a cassette tape were rewinding, the Sorcerer Supreme's body returned along the parabolic trajectory from his blast, and the Emperor thrust the burning holy sword straight through the shield, which had been disrupted and unable to form properly, and into the Sorcerer Supreme's chest.

Dormammu smiled at the emperor.

"You don't actually think this is victory, do you?"

The body hanging from the sword spoke, as if physical damage had no effect on it. Surprisingly, Dormammu's wrist was also burning with an emerald halo, which, to the Royal Guard, appeared to be Dormammu emitting a high-speed scream. Only the Emperor, being close enough, could clearly hear the malice emanating from every word Dormammu spoke. The Emperor calmly watched the latter, only the emerald halo around his wrist bursting with unprecedented brilliance.

"Even if the Sorcerer Supreme is helping you, even if your physical body cannot wield my power, you will not win so easily."

Dormammu grasped the burning sword with his bare hands, the pure flames instantly scorching his hand until it was withered and blackened. Yet, Dormammu, unfazed, forcefully pulled the holy sword from his grasp, his body floating in mid-air. The Royal Guard watched helplessly as Dormammu broke free, anxiously trying to rush forward to help but unable to move. The Emperor slowly countered Dormammu's immense power, his movements as slow as an insect trapped in amber. The struggle with Dormammu was not merely a contest of physical strength, but also a battle of understanding and deciphering the arcane arts of time. Every second, hundreds of completed time-manipulation spells were created and then dismantled; each creation and dismantling meant that either the Emperor or Dormammu had regained the ability to act.

(End of this chapter)