Marvel: Rise of the Ultimate AI
Chapter 164: Dormammu Has Arrived

Chapter 164: Dormammu Has Arrived

Inside a secret sanctuary, Dormammu’s followers had finally gathered all the necessary components for constructing the dimensional transit device.

For Victor Von Doom, building a new dimensional gateway was now a trivial task. With his current knowledge and skills, he was confident this new version would far surpass the previous one in both efficiency and power.

Thanks to the aid of Dormammu’s dark cultists, Doom could now acquire virtually any resource he desired—except, of course, the restricted materials housed aboard the S.W.O.R.D. mothership.

Four hours later, Doom completed the final assembly. This new machine differed greatly from its predecessors. It resembled three colossal cannons aimed straight at the heavens. Beneath it, three massive generators stood ready to channel energy into the structure at any moment.

"This thing... doesn’t look like the old one," Kaecilius remarked as he examined the towering device.

"Of course it doesn’t, you imbecile," Doom sneered with disdain, never one to hide his contempt. "The old machine was for sending people over there. This one... brings something here."

"So you mean to say..."

"Yes. Our preparations are complete." Doom’s eyes burned with a dark, thunderous energy. "Very soon, we will welcome the arrival of a god."

Meanwhile, back at Kamar-Taj, Mordo wouldn’t stop talking.

Gene and Doctor Strange couldn’t be bothered to respond. They’d long tuned him out.

At the library, Wong spotted Gene’s arrival and his eyes lit up with genuine joy. Back in their student days, the two had built a strong bond while training under the Ancient One. Although Wong’s serious expression often led others to misjudge him, his inner world was rich, warm, and deeply loyal.

"Gene!" Wong rushed over and gripped Gene’s hand tightly. "I knew you’d return. You always do when it matters most. You’ll stand and fight with us again."

"Wong." Gene’s voice was calm but carried a heavy undertone. "...The Ancient One is dead."

Time itself seemed to freeze. Wong stood motionless, as if ensnared in a spell. After several moments, he glanced at Strange and Mordo with questioning eyes.

Strange lowered his head in silence. Mordo looked away, avoiding eye contact altogether.

"It’s true, Wong. I watched her take her final breath." Gene’s tone was solemn but unwavering. Despite the pain, the brutal truth had to be spoken.

Wong’s voice trembled. "Even... even our teacher fell? Then how are we supposed to fight Dormammu?"

"That’s exactly why we’re here," Gene replied evenly. "We need that book. The one that’s been locked away in the library all this time."

"You... you mean that forbidden book?" Wong’s composure returned slightly, but his brow furrowed in concern. "It contains spells that breach the very fabric of natural law. The laws of nature are what we’ve sworn to uphold."

"I used to say the same thing. But Dormammu’s arrival is inevitable, and—"

"But we don’t have a choice anymore, do we?" Gene interjected. "Are we just going to stand here and watch him drag the world into eternal darkness?"

Wong didn’t respond immediately. The reflection of Gene’s V-shaped optical visor shimmered in his eyes as he considered the question.

Finally, he nodded. "Follow me."

"This is a terrible idea..." Mordo grumbled again, but no one paid him any attention.

The Infinity Stones had long been objects of fascination within the Marvel Universe. Gene had already obtained the Space Stone and the Mind Stone. The more he studied them, the more he came to appreciate the unfathomable depth of their power.

Their effectiveness wasn’t just rooted in their raw energy—it also depended heavily on their host, the vessel that carried them, and the skill of the user.

Take Red Skull, for example. He once wielded the Space Stone via the Tesseract, but due to improper methods, all he managed to create were some underwhelming energy weapons—an utter waste of potential.

Then there was Loki, who wielded the Mind Stone embedded in his scepter during the first Avengers movie. His use was limited to firing flashy energy blasts—some of which were even deflected by Captain America’s shield. It wasn’t until the stone was later implanted in Vision’s forehead that its powers truly began to unfold, albeit still suboptimally.

Contrast that with Malekith in Thor: The Dark World, who possessed the Reality Stone. Because of his deep understanding of its nature, he channeled its power through the Aether, unleashing devastating effects.

But if there was one vessel that stood above the rest, it was Thanos’ Infinity Gauntlet. Forged by the Dwarves from Uru metal, it was capable of withstanding and focusing the combined might of all six stones.

Gene had managed to develop a prototype suit—the Spatial Armor—to harness the Space Stone’s power. Though functional, it was far from perfect and still required significant refinement.

Then there was the Time Stone, housed within the Eye of Agamotto. Crafted by the legendary first Sorcerer Supreme, Agamotto, this vessel was special. He had composed a series of high-level incantations specifically tailored to unleash the Time Stone’s powers. Even Doctor Strange, with only a shallow understanding, could wield immense power through it.

That was precisely why Gene had come here: to study Agamotto’s incantations and decode the secrets of controlling the other Infinity Stones. The path would be long, dangerous, and filled with uncertainty—but it was a road he would walk without hesitation.

After hours spent racing through the library, Gene finished recording every spell from the forbidden tome into his neural network.

Then, almost simultaneously, two voices echoed in his mind—Skynet and Red Queen, his internal AI systems:

"Global magical surge detected. Dimensional portal activation in progress."

Dormammu... has arrived.

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T/N:

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