Upon hearing Lin Rui’s response, both Jack and Iceman instinctively looked towards Strange, not far away. At this moment, Strange tightly held the Eye of Agamotto to his chest, and green light emanated from him, a manifestation of the Time Stone’s power.
While Strange, as expected, was able to use the Time Stone within the Eye of Agamotto to create the time loop that imprisoned Dormammu, this exertion of power came at a great cost to him.
One could tell by his visibly paler plexion. Controlling such an extensive and continuous time loop, even for an Ancient One sorcerer, required a significant sacrifice.
“It seems like Strange might not hold out…” Jack expressed his concern upon seeing Strange’s progressively pale plexion.
“So… it’s time to negotiate with Dormammu,” Lin Rui continued, having observed Strange’s condition.
In the original storyline, Strange not only trapped Dormammu in an endless time loop but also repeatedly confronted him to annoy him.
Eventually, exhausted by the endless cycle and Strange’s persistent presence, Dormammu chose to leave Earth. Now, Dormammu was experiencing an infinite time loop, and it was time for someone to negotiate and annoy him.
After discussing it with Jack, Lin Rui headed in Strange’s direction. Since Strange couldn’t go to negotiate with Dormammu, Lin Rui wouldn’t allow anyone else to do it, so he took it upon himself.
As Lin Rui reached the edge of the unique space unaffected by time loops, he glanced back at Strange. Seeing Strange nod, Lin Rui confidently stepped out of the space. After Lin Rui left this space, Jack and Iceman approached Strange. At this moment, Strange didn’t seem as weak as he had initially appeared.
“Did you intentionally send Jackson to negotiate with Dormammu? Why did you do that?” Jack asked Strange, his tone serious.
“I did state legitimate reasons earlier; my weakness would be apparent to Dormammu. If he detects my weakness during negotiations, he might endure the time loop for hundreds or even thousands of cycles to escape.
On the other hand, if the first negotiation fails, the person who leaves this space will experience infinite time loops alongside Dormammu. I believe that wouldn’t be a pleasant experience,” Strange explained openly, not hiding anything.
This particular small space was unaffected by time loops, but the outside area, including the Spaceships suspended in the high sky, fell under the influence of the Mirror Dimension and the time loops.
During Dormammu’s multiple attacks on the sorcerers at the edge of the Mirror Dimension, he also destroyed the Earth’s Spaceship and the Milano several times. However, everything would return to normal within a few seconds.
“So, in other words… if negotiations fail, Lin Rui will continually face Dormammu’s attacks?” Jack inquired further after hearing Strange’s explanation.
“Yes, that’s correct. Additionally, due to my presence, each of Lin Rui’s experiences will be retained in his memory.”
Jack and Iceman exchanged glances, seemingly impressed by the plexities of the situation.
Without delving into the conversation between Jack and Strange within that unique space, Lin Rui instantly appeared in front of Dormammu.
“Hey, Dormammu! How about you agree to leave Earth right now, and you’ll never trouble Earth again? Then you can get out of this time loop prison,” Lin Rui shouted loudly without any delay upon appearing in front of Dormammu’s colossal face.
Boom!
However, Dormammu, who had gradually grown crazed, seemed not to have noticed the small figure before him. He immediately erupted with dark energy, sweeping it over Lin Rui. Before Lin Rui could even release his domain, he was engulfed by the surging dark energy.
“Hmm? Did I just swallow something…?” Dormammu, who had just extinguished Lin Rui, seemed to have sensed something, his gaze scanning the area, but he found nothing.
Then, with a puzzled expression, Dormammu was once again pulled back in time to just before he killed Lin Rui. This time, instead of launching a frenzied attack on the Mirror Dimension, Dormammu waited for a while. As expected, while Dormammu waited, a figure appeared before him out of thin air.
“It’s you! Did you pull a trick on me?!” Seeing Lin Rui in front of him, Dormammu angrily shouted.
“Hmm… did I just die a moment ago? Why does it feel like it’s not the first time…” Lin Rui, facing Dormammu’s anger, didn’t immediately respond but muttered to himself after a brief moment of confusion. ȐΑ𐌽ÔΒĚŜ
When Lin Rui had appeared just moments ago, he had been attacked by Dormammu instantly and had been vanquished.
However, thanks to the effects of Strange’s time reversal, Lin Rui’s memories didn’t reset, so he was aware of what he had just experienced. Yet, strangely, it felt like he had gone through this resurrection process before.
“That’s right! Dormammu, as long as you agree to leave Earth and never return…” Lin Rui, snapping out of his confusion, shouted quickly.
“Die!” Without waiting for Lin Rui to finish his sentence, Dormammu once again launched an attack on Lin Rui.
Dormammu, now that he had identified the mastermind behind his entrapment, was no longer thinking about negotiations; he wanted to eliminate his opponent.
Boom!
After the surging dark energy passed through, a burst of azure light flickered a few times before extinguishing. This time, although Lin Rui had released his domain at the last moment, he couldn’t withstand Dormammu’s fury alone and was annihilated. The second negotiation attempt had failed!
…
User Comments
0 comments from readers