"Malrick, look at this world. Use your Super Vision to see my Battleworld," Dr. Doom commanded, pointing beyond the hall, his voice brimming with pride.
"Here, Elios guards the city walls, and my subordinates protect humanity; no accidents or crises will ever reach this place. To borrow a classical story from Earth, this is the Peach Blossom Spring, this is Avalon. Galactus cannot devour it, and Thanos' snap cannot touch it. There are no Multiverse disputes in Battleworld; there is only one God here, and that is I, Doom. I will bring true peace."
Doom's eyes shone with light as he spoke, describing the blueprint of his perfect world. He was determined to destroy the Multiverse out of justice, ideals, and his own sense of noble purpose, much like Thanos preparing for his snap.
Malrick could feel Doom's ambition. He could even understand Doom's desire to establish Battleworld at the end of time. According to intelligence gathered from Galan, Doom's original Universe had been destroyed by Galactus, fueling his obsession with recreating it. But understanding did not mean acceptance.
"What you say is impressive, Doom, but it doesn't mean I will accept the future you've chosen for the Multiverse."
Malrick's casual attire transformed into pitch-black battle armor. Until now, he had traveled across worlds, even visiting the comic Universe, often in a relaxed state. Even when killing Sollus instantly, he had been serious yet composed, confident of victory.
Facing Doom now, however, demanded complete seriousness. This was not doubt but respect for the source of Doom's power: Shen Loki.
"Come on, you won't persuade me. Let's see if you can use your power to change my mind," Malrick said, floating with his back to the light streaming through the hall entrance. He radiated the presence of a true god, shadows falling over Doom's eyes.
"You know I have Shen Loki's power. You cannot defeat me. Give up," Doom said, his voice deep and unyielding.
Malrick shook his head. "It seems Shen Loki's power makes you confident. Let's see if you can escape my palm first."
With a single thought, Malrick created a Universe. It was born from nothing, swallowing Doom in an instant. From the outside, it appeared as a black sphere, five meters in diameter. Inside, it stretched into infinite space governed by the Six-Gem Rules. Escaping it meant contending with endless energy and terrifying laws—a battle against an entire Universe.
Malrick held the sphere in his left hand, now shrunk to a few centimeters. "Try to escape, Doom. If you cannot, remain trapped until I restore the Multiverse to its original state."
Inside the Universe, Doom stood on a planet, Malrick's words echoing like thunder. He assessed his powers carefully.
First, he possessed the Kang Council's time technology, capable of erasing most beings by collapsing their timelines, though this method struggled against entities like Infinite Ultron. Malrick's strength surpassed even that, leaving little chance for this approach.
Second, Shen Loki's Time Power. Applied to himself, it allowed Doom to restart endlessly or shift across time points. Applied to others, it manifested as attacks like Time Tailoring, Time Overlap, and Time Chaos. Its rank was unmatched across the Multiverse.
Even Doom himself marveled at acquiring it, attributing his success to Shen Loki's arrogance and carelessness. Perhaps the God, long divine, had forgotten respect for all things.
With Shen Loki's power, Doom no longer feared Malrick. He began to admire the infinite beauty of the surrounding Universe. If defeated, he would treat Malrick as an ally.
Doom activated Shen Loki's power, divine green energy surging like a river. In an instant, Malrick felt the surrounding rules shift, the black Universe disappearing from his palm. Doom reappeared before him, calm and triumphant.
"You cannot defeat me. Give up."
Everything had reverted to before Malrick's "A Thought, a Universe Born" attack. Doom's tone carried a hint of amusement.
"Malrick, your memory has been reset in the time rewind. I remind you—any further resistance is futile. I do not wish to attack. Surrender and join me," Doom said.
Malrick, observing the confident Doom, could only nod silently. This was not a regional rewind like he had performed before. This was a Multiverse-level reset, high priority. Malrick remained unaffected, but his creations and abilities would be rewound.
He marveled at Shen Loki's power, even a fraction of it, and acknowledged that his mastery of time rules was still insufficient to match Doom completely. However, his transcendent physical body could overcome laws by sheer force, much like a Golden Superman capable of ignoring time paradoxes.
"Indeed, it's a very strong power," Malrick admitted. "Now then, I'm going to punch you. Defend yourself as best you can, Doom."
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