Dormammu, who had broken free from the Mirror Dimension, materialized directly in the real world, plunging it into darkness once again, just as it had cleared up moments ago due to his previous disappearance.
People across the continent had not yet recovered from Dormammu’s previous vanishing act when he reappeared, igniting panic once more.
However, this time Dormammu, who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, actually kept his word. As the firepower from various countries and factions on the continent was once again directed towards him, Dormammu swiftly ascended into the atmosphere and then pierced through it, departing from Earth.
And so, the crisis that had the potential to annihilate Earth was averted.
Although Dormammu’s arrival had inflicted some losses on the continent, causing chaos and casualties in many major cities due to the panic it incited among ordinary people, these losses were considered acceptable compared to the catastrophic consequences of Dormammu actually consuming the Earth.
Boom!
As Dormammu exited the Earth’s atmosphere, the missiles fired at him exploded in the high skies, painting a fireworks display across the entire continent, marking his departure.
With Dormammu’s sudden departure, the people who had been plunged into despair had not yet fully recovered. They couldn’t discern what the black mist had intended to do.
Facing a being that they could sense as suppressing them on a life level, every person on Earth felt as though a heavy weight had been lifted from their hearts only after Dormammu had distanced himself.
As the official organization dealing with such special events, SHIELD finally issued a statement, officially declaring the crisis over. Although SHIELD’s message didn’t explain why the black mist had departed, astute individuals could discern that SHIELD had likely taken action to resolve the crisis.
In a top-secret military base in the United States, the President stared grimly at the screen in front of him. The screen displayed images captured by a satellite.
In the satellite images, Dormammu’s black mist, after leaving Earth, did not linger but sped away towards the distance. Eventually, in a blurry section of the satellite’s view, Dormammu vanished completely.
“SHIELD… Stark…” With a sigh of relief, the President muttered softly as the screen displayed only the vastness of space.
Since Captain America Steve Rogers had awakened from his seventy-year cryogenic slumber and taken over as Director of SHIELD from Nick Fury, SHIELD’s development had accelerated exponentially.
Of course, this was also in response to the escalating events happening on Earth. A year ago, no one would have expected Earth to face invasions from extraterrestrial civilizations and the consumption by cosmic lifeforms.
“Sir, this era has indeed changed,” The General standing beside the President suddenly spoke, responding to the President’s muttered words.
Hearing the general’s remark, the President’s eyes flickered, and he finally nodded in agreement. “Yes, indeed. This era has changed.”
Buzz, buzz, buzz!
When Dormammu agreed to Lin Rui’s negotiation and departed from Earth, the Mirror Dimension, which he had violently shattered, rapidly dissipated.
Although Dormammu had not taken action against the sorcerers who had created the Mirror Dimension, they had all suffered injuries to varying degrees as a result of the dimension’s abrupt rupture. Perhaps, this was Dormammu venting his final anger.
As the Mirror Dimension completely vanished, Strange, Jack, and Iceman, who had been hidden in another special space, reappeared.
This time, they appeared on the top floor of the Stark Industries building. As for Lin Rui, he had remained floating in the high skies, watching Dormammu’s departure, and had not descended yet.
Apart from Strange’s group, the E-Grade Spaceship and the Milano, which had also been trapped in the Mirror Dimension earlier, reappeared as well.
However, like Dormammu, they had been caught in an endless time loop and had only retained memories of Lin Rui persuading Dormammu to leave after their final iteration. All the memories of Lin Rui’s deaths and resurrections had been erased.
Of course, for Tony and the others, the fact that those memories of over a hundred cycles didn’t exist was a good thing. Besides venting his anger on Lin Rui, Dormammu had also repeatedly destroyed the two spaceships while they were caught in the time loop.
However, Tony and the others didn’t have these memories in their current state, so they believed that Dormammu had left Earth due to Lin Rui’s persuasion.
On the rooftop platform of Stark Industries building, Strange appeared extremely pale, as if he could barely stand, and he would have collapsed if not for Jack’s support. Maintaining an endless time loop over such a large area for an extended period had indeed taken a toll on Strange.
If Dormammu hadn’t agreed just when he did, Strange wouldn’t have been able to continue for much longer. The time loop only disappeared when Dormammu had agreed to leave.
“Jackson actually did it!” Iceman exclaimed excitedly, looking at the tiny speck in the sky.
Although Dormammu’s expression seemed a bit different when he finally agreed to leave, the fact remained that he had departed, and it had taken over a hundred cycles of Lin Rui’s deaths and resurrections. Therefore, they naturally attributed Dormammu’s departure to Lin Rui’s persuasion.
“Perhaps… But I really need some rest,” Strange replied after hearing Iceman’s words. He then collapsed onto Jack, losing consciousness.
Exhale~
Jack, supporting Strange, wore an equally excited expression on his face.
Subsequently, as Tony and Jack gazed at Lin Rui, who was descending rapidly from the high sky, they, too, witnessed his landing. A few people managed to catch sight of him as he descended.
Besides the various satellites and technological surveillance from different countries, some ordinary people on the ground who hadn’t managed to take cover also saw the figure floating down from the sky after the black mist had departed.
With Phantom Knight’s significant recognition in New York, Lin Rui’s identity was quickly identified. So, even before the official release of how the crisis was resolved, news of Phantom Knight’s heroic efforts to save Earth had already begun to spread.
Just as Lin Rui landed on the rooftop platform of Stark Industries building, a figure suddenly appeared before them out of thin air. It was Ancient One, who had returned from an unknown distance in the cosmic void.
His sudden appearance caught the attention of the group. He glanced at the people before him, and his gaze resting on the Eye of Agamotto hanging from Strange’s chest, and his expression softened into one of profound relief.
…
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