"Hmm, let me think." Cloud counted on his fingers as he began his extortion.
"First, sign an agreement. You are never, in any form, allowed to invade Earth's dimension. Violate this, and I guarantee next time I won't just use Yaotome—I'll hit you with Sunlight's Blessing and dry you out, disinfect you, full-service treatment."
"Yes! Yes! I'll sign! I'll sign!" Dormammu agreed without hesitation.
"Second..." A merchant's gleam sparkled in Cloud's eyes. "I see you've got quite a collection of small dimensional remnants here. They're mostly scraps, but I could take them home, tear them apart for kindling. Not bad."
"So you'll compensate me with ten relatively intact small dimensions as emotional damages. Not unreasonable, right?"
Dormammu's heart was bleeding.
Those were "snacks" he'd painstakingly accumulated over tens of thousands of years!
But seeing Cloud's increasingly unfriendly expression and his hands starting to flicker with purple-black flames again—
Dormammu capitulated.
"...Yes... not unreasonable... please... help yourself..."
In the end, after signing a series of humiliating, sovereignty-surrendering unequal treaties—
Dormammu, Lord of the Dark Dimension, could only watch helplessly as Cloud browsed through his collection like shopping at his own farmer's market, picked out the ten "plumpest" small dimensions, and then contentedly tore open a spatial rift and sauntered away.
Before leaving, Cloud casually kicked Strange's soul—which had nearly been scared out of existence—back to the mortal world.
The Dark Dimension returned to its deathly silence.
All that remained was a significantly "thinner," vitality-depleted demon god, huddled in a corner, drawing circles in depression.
He swore that from this day forward, "Earth" would become a forbidden word he would never utter again.
...
Ever since Cloud returned from the Dark Dimension with his extorted ten small dimensions, Nick Fury's sleep quality plummeted once more.
On one hand, he was delighted.
According to preliminary analyses by Dr. Banner and Dr. Selvig, these small dimensions—though their laws were incomplete and they were on the verge of collapse—contained energy and spatial structures that were practically inexhaustible treasure troves for Earth's technology!
If they could crack even one ten-thousandth of their secrets, things like the Arc Reactor and space teleportation technology would become reality!
Human civilization would undergo a qualitative leap!
On the other hand, he was terrified.
Because these treasures had been extorted by Cloud from a dimensional demon god called Dormammu.
When Fury finally pieced together through various channels exactly what kind of existence Dormammu was, his entire worldview shattered again.
A cosmic cancer cell that could devour dimensions and had existed for eons!
Had been shaken down by Cloud like some street thug?
And had paid ten "small dimensions" as emotional damages?
Fury felt his worldview hadn't just been crushed—it had been thrown into a grinder, mixed into cement, and poured into a monument inscribed "Cloud Is Badass."
The way he looked at Cloud now wasn't like looking at a god anymore.
It was like looking at a walking, humanoid, universe-class natural disaster.
One that, when in a good mood, might help you swat some flies (like the Chitauri).
One that, when in a bad mood, might turn the entire Earth into an "Ice Age" because "there's no ice in my Coke"—the ultimate final boss.
Thus, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s service to Cloud became even more careful and attentive.
And Cloud was happy to enjoy the leisure.
He tossed those ten "junk" small dimensions to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s scientists like garbage for them to research, while he continued his decadent lifestyle at Stark Tower—waited on hand and foot.
His daily routine consisted of Natasha's increasingly skilled and increasingly intimate "personal services," and Wanda's worship-and-adoration-filled "magic lessons."
Days passed in this peaceful atmosphere thick with harem tension.
Until a scientific accident occurred.
...
P.E.G.A.S.U.S. Base, Laboratory Three.
This was the facility dedicated to researching one of the small dimensions Cloud had "claimed as compensation."
At this moment, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s top scientific team had assembled.
Dr. Banner was staring at a massive data screen, brow furrowed.
Dr. Selvig was nearby, constantly adjusting a strangely-shaped device.
They were attempting to fire a high-energy particle beam into the small dimension to probe its internal spatial structure.
"Energy output stable."
"Resonance frequency synchronized."
"Prepare to fire! Three, two, one—fire!"
At Dr. Selvig's command—
A blue particle beam shot precisely into the small dimension suspended at the laboratory's center.
At first, everything was normal.
The screen began displaying complex data about the dimension's interior.
But then—everything changed!
The previously stable dimensional bubble suddenly began flickering violently!
Then, like an over-inflated balloon, it contracted sharply inward before—POP—bursting open!
A wave of chaotic spatial energy—tens of thousands of times more powerful than the particle beam—instantly erupted from the exploding singularity!
"Warning! Warning! Spatial singularity collapse! Energy readings overloading!"
Piercing alarms screamed throughout the lab!
The chaotic spatial energy formed an unstable, vortex-like spatial rift at the center of the laboratory!
The other side of the rift was pitch black—nothing visible.
But a divine power—pure, sacred, ancient—was seeping through from beyond!
This power was different from Thor's thunder, different from Loki's trickery.
It was purer. Nobler.
As if carrying the essence of a lost mythological age.
"My God... we... we seem to have poked through something incredible!"
Dr. Banner stared at the still-expanding spatial rift, so frightened his glasses nearly fell off.
...
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