Dormammu was not weak.
If he were inside the Dark Dimension, even a Skyfather would be unable to contend with his power.
However, outside the Dark Dimension, his strength would be weakened to the Skyfather tier.
Even if he used all his power to form an avatar, that avatar would only rank somewhere in the middle among Skyfather-level combatants.
He might not even be able to defeat Odin.
And when facing someone like Karl, a monster who kept improving even in the middle of battle, Dormammu naturally found himself like a lion trying to bite a hedgehog, with nowhere to sink his teeth.
In fact, he was being suppressed instead.
Dormammu had roamed the Multiverse for countless years. When had he ever suffered this kind of humiliation?
He could no longer endure it.
He directly mobilized the entire Dark Dimension and, on the spatial level, began making contact with Karl's Mirror Dimension.
Dark energy erupted wildly from his avatar.
The dark power spread all around him.
Even Karl's Mirror Dimension seemed as though it were about to be swallowed up and contaminated by that tyrannical force.
The brightness of the entire space seemed to drop by more than a little.
"What powerful dark force."
"Now this is getting interesting."
Karl licked his lips in excitement.
A look of anticipation flashed in his eyes.
The stronger the opponent, the better.
The stronger the opponent, the more he could learn from them.
"Human sorcerer, I will make you understand the might of darkness."
"You will sink forever into my dark kingdom!"
"Embrace the darkness!"
Dormammu shouted loudly.
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
A rapid vibration suddenly rang out.
Purple spikes abruptly appeared in midair where Karl was standing.
Even Karl could sense a dangerous aura from them.
A flash of golden light—
Karl teleported away and appeared elsewhere.
But those purple-black spikes seemed almost alive. They kept extending through the void, as though they were chasing him.
Dormammu did not press the attack.
Instead, he turned to look at Thanos.
"Now it's time for a piece of trash like you to be useful."
Dormammu spoke without waiting for Thanos to refuse.
He waved a hand.
Dark power flowed over Thanos like a shadow.
The next moment, mysterious black markings began spreading across Thanos's body as though they were alive.
In no time at all, they had covered him from head to toe.
"Dormammu, what did you do?!"
Thanos was both shocked and furious.
If he had sensed any danger, he would already have turned on Dormammu.
"What did I do?"
"I merely made you stronger."
"Only with greater power can you wield even more of the Infinity Stones' strength."
Dormammu spoke in a low, eerie tone.
At that moment, his eyes had completely turned black.
They looked like two black holes, and even Thanos felt a chill in his heart.
He knew this kind of power could not possibly come without a price.
But right now, he could not spare any thought for that.
He stretched out one hand.
The Infinity Stones on the Infinity Gauntlet blazed brighter than before, and far greater power burst forth.
It was as if the entire space had become filled with a violet force field.
Those strange black markings had clearly strengthened his body.
Using the Infinity Stones was no longer a burden.
Thanos raised his head to look at Karl, his eyes brimming with fighting spirit.
At the same time, Karl used his own tremendous power to stir the dense violet force field around him.
Then he turned his head—
and saw that both Dormammu and Thanos were clearly different now.
"It's one thing for Dormammu to break out with more power, but how did you get stronger too, Thanos?"
"So this is the legendary 'go dark and get thirty percent stronger,' huh?"
Karl said.
"Enough nonsense."
"Die!"
Thanos replied coldly.
Then he charged straight forward.
At that instant, Thanos had actually gained the ability to fly.
Clearly, his control over the Power Stone had undergone a qualitative leap.
The moment he reached Karl—
Karl casually lifted a hand.
There was not the slightest hint of fear in him.
Without another word, he threw a punch directly at Thanos.
Bang!
Their fists collided, and the air exploded outward.
The speed of their punches had already surpassed the speed of sound, producing sonic booms in the air.
"Not bad."
"Now you finally feel a little worthy, Thanos."
"Again!"
Excitement flashed across Karl's face as he drove another punch straight at Thanos's face.
The previous Thanos had been completely outmatched by him in raw physical strength.
Only now did he become slightly interesting.
The punch came like a starburst explosion.
Carrying fierce gusts of wind, Karl struck directly at Thanos.
Thanos's expression changed.
He crossed both arms in front of himself to block.
Bang!
Another dull impact rang out.
Thanos felt a throbbing pain in his arms, and even his brow twitched.
He could not suppress the shock in his heart.
This kid's fists were unbelievably vicious!
But Thanos was not someone who admitted defeat easily.
He pushed the energy of the Infinity Stones to the limit.
Purple energy instantly covered his entire body.
A savage expression appeared on Thanos's face.
His fist smashed downward, aiming directly for Karl's opening.
Karl's reaction was just as fast.
One arm swept across—
and directly deflected Thanos's strike.
At the same time, his other arm drove an elbow straight at Thanos.
Karl's fists were already tremendously powerful.
His elbows were even stronger.
With a single blow, the power shielding Thanos with the Infinity Stones let out a crisp cracking sound and shattered.
Thanos's face was filled with horror.
He was shaken to the core.
He hurriedly used the Reality Stone to restore his protective shield.
The two of them closed in and clashed again.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The sound of their collisions rang out continuously.
The aftermath of their battle was barely any weaker than Karl's battle against Dormammu.
The ground below was flattened once again by their attacks.
The Sorcerers on the ground, along with several members of the Avengers, were all dumbfounded.
"Master Mordo, are all you Kamar-Taj sorcerers... this fierce?"
Tony Stark glanced at Hulk without changing expression and spoke.
How was it that the two fighting in the sky
seemed even stronger in raw physical power than Hulk?
Hearing Tony Stark speak, Mordo's face twitched involuntarily.
What kind of joke was that?
The Sorcerers of Kamar-Taj were indeed powerful.
But that was only compared to ordinary sorcerers.
How could they possibly be compared to Thanos?
Karl was a complete exception, all right?!
That kid was a fully maxed-out monster in every category.
Wasn't it obvious?
Even Hulk himself looked visibly shaken.
"You've misunderstood."
"We don't have this kind of power."
"Karl is an exception even within Kamar-Taj."
Mordo said slowly.
There was one thing he had said wrong.
Karl was not merely an exception within Kamar-Taj.
He was an exception in the entire world of sorcery.
There was no one more monstrous than him in this world.
(End of Chapter)
[100 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter]
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