The Time Stone is by no means omnipotent.
At least, it cannot fully perceive the depths of the heart and soul.
Moreover, the Reality Stone is its greatest counter.
Time flows because of matter, and reality—can modify matter itself.
And now, the Mind Stone and Reality Stone were in Ragna's grasp.
"Three thousand six hundred and one!"
"This time, there is no loop!"
Ragna's voice echoed with finality.
The Archangel Keisha, his divine guardian, activated the Space Stone, locking down the void and halting Ancient One's teleportation.
Beside her, the newly ascended King-Ranked Angel Yan held the Power Stone, ready to strike at a moment's notice.
Ragna was not alone.
Ancient One now faced the collective might of Ragna and the Angels.
Keisha and Angel Yan unleashed the power of their Infinity Stones, forming an unbreakable barrier that constrained Dormammu's colossal presence.
Ancient One said nothing. Dormammu remained silent. The battle erupted instantly.
The Mirror Dimension unfolded once more.
But Ragna—wielding the Sun Scepter—waved his hand, channeling the Reality Stone to unravel the dimension's structure.
The Mirror Dimension was never meant to endure such raw cosmic power.
From the Sun Scepter, the Mind Stone and Reality Stone pulsed with unearthly energy.
A colossal psychic shockwave struck Ancient One.
As Sorcerer Supreme, Ancient One's mind had been fortified through centuries of discipline. Under normal circumstances, Mind Stone's power would have barely affected her.
But those were the old days.
Now, after centuries of siphoning Dark Dimension energy, after staring into the abyss for far too long, cracks had begun to form.
She hesitated for an instant.
A mere moment—but it was enough.
Ragna struck immediately.
The power of the Sun Scepter surged forth.
Time cannot be reversed against Ancient One.
But Reality Stone could modify all things.
Ancient One attempted to rewind time—
But the Time Stone, at the moment of activation—
Was immediately counteracted by the Reality Stone.
Both were Infinity Stones, primordial relics of the cosmos.
Locked in a deadly stalemate, their energies clashed.
In the outside world, matter froze.
Time neither moved forward nor backward.
The universe stood still.
But the mind transcends matter.
The moment Ancient One was stunned,
The Time Stone's influence weakened.
Ragna materialized before her—his movement effortless in the frozen moment.
Using the power of the Mind Stone, he raised a single finger, trembling with absolute precision, and tapped Ancient One's forehead.
The scarlet sigil of the Dark Ritual—carved into her skin—
Shuddered violently upon contact.
And then—
A golden light burst forth from within Ancient One.
Radiating outward—spreading like a fracturing divine seal.
Her entire form cracked apart—glowing fractures splitting across her flesh.
She was imploding from within.
Like a supernova collapsing into a singularity,
Ancient One exploded.
The shockwave ruptured the stillness of space—
First expanding outward, then collapsing inward in an instant.
And then—
Her physical form was gone.
But the battle was not over.
Even with her body obliterated, her soul remained.
Suspended in the void—beyond the stillness of time.
The Time Stone's hold on reality couldn't stop her wandering spirit.
Ancient One's ghostly form reached toward Ragna,
Her fingers trembling—
But the black taint upon her ethereal hands made her hesitate.
Even her soul was bound by the darkness.
"Come, Ancient One…"
"Join me, and you will know true eternity."
From across the void—Dormammu's voice rumbled.
Even frozen time could not silence Dormammu's will.
"Sigh…"
A heavy breath escaped Ancient One.
The black markings that had once etched her mortal body were gone.
But within the depths of her soul,
The dark aura still pulsed.
"I never expected… that even I would be touched by the abyss."
Ancient One whispered.
"The decay of the universe is inevitable."
Ragna's eyes burned with cold intensity.
"That was your choice, Ancient One."
"I never had a choice."
A faint smile crept across Ancient One's face.
For the first time in centuries,
She looked at Ragna without burden.
And then—vanished.
The Eye of Agamotto, still pulsing with a faint green glow,
Drifted toward Ragna.
Ragna did not react.
Ancient One had passed into history.
Ragna was the future.
He reached out, grasping the Eye of Agamotto—
And at that moment, a searing heat erupted from it.
A final test.
For those unworthy, the relic would burn them to ashes.
But for Ragna?
It was nothing.
Even a living Ancient One could not stand against him.
A dead one certainly wouldn't stop him now.
With a swift pull, he snapped the Eye of Agamotto's chain.
With a single strike, the enchantment housing the Time Stone shattered.
A brilliant emerald glow bathed the void.
Ragna plucked the Time Stone from its chamber,
Effortlessly placing it into the Sun Scepter.
As the Time Stone aligned, a massive cosmic pressure settled over him.
The red, yellow, and green glow of the three Infinity Stones pulsed in unison.
A wave of knowledge flooded into Ragna—
For an instant—he felt omnipotent.
And yet—he shook his head.
"Omnipotence is a paradox."
Ragna had the Time Stone now.
But a greater problem loomed.
Dormammu.
A being beyond the constraints of matter and time.
A cosmic devourer who feasted upon fear itself.
An entity of limitless power, whose true purpose…
Was to save the universe.
"Dormammu!"
With a growl, Ragna brandished the Sun Scepter,
Blocking Dormammu's monstrous attack, shielding Angel Yan behind him.
Then, stepping forward—he faced Dormammu directly.
Dormammu's massive, shadowed face twisted into a smirk.
"So, the Ancient One chose death in the end."
"But I will never allow you to accelerate the universe's destruction!"
"Even if destruction is inevitable…"
"I, Dormammu, will never accept it!"
"I will save the universe."
"I will bring eternity!"
Dormammu's voice shook the dark abyss.
Ragna narrowed his gaze.
The Dark Dimension was an unnatural place—
Where all motion seemed to cease.
To Dormammu, stillness was eternity.
But if all matter were to stop moving,
Then thought itself should also cease.
And yet—Dormammu continued to think.
A paradox.
Ragna clenched the Sun Scepter.
The true battle was only beginning.
Dormammu had long claimed the universe as his own.
And now—
Ragna would challenge him for it.
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