Chapter 81: There’s No Future in Being a Punching Bag

In the original work, Doctor Strange’s victory was not achieved through force, but rather through the relentless use of the Time Stone’s rewind ability, exhausting Dormammu until he finally gave up. Honestly, for a fledgling sorcerer like Doctor Strange to confront a cosmic, god-tier boss and come out on top is nothing short of miraculous.

But here's the real issue: neither the comics nor the film ever specify how many times Doctor Strange died before Dormammu broke down. All that's clear is that the number was far beyond a mere dozen. Dormammu, the Dark Lord, would never relent after just a handful of deaths—he’d have to torture his opponent hundreds, thousands of times before he’d even consider giving up. What’s more, for some unknown reason, Dormammu has now acquired a spoiler for the future. With this knowledge, his patience must surely surpass what it was before.

Meimu realized that this time, things would be even worse for him. Ten thousand deaths might not even be enough!

A cold joke came to mind suddenly: “What? You’re going to die 10,086 times?” “Damn it, how much did Mobile pay you for advertising? Telecom will give you double!” Wait—Telecom’s number is ten thousand, so double means twenty thousand deaths? It seemed ominously possible that this grim premonition would come true!

No—simply enduring punishment would yield nothing. If murder carried no consequences or costs, the streets would overflow with killers. Dormammu was already a twisted being, caring nothing for human life.

Meimu thought to himself, “Being slaughtered one-sidedly will never end well. If he doesn't get bored, I'll lose my mind! There must be a better way.”

“Wait! What if Dormammu realizes that the little one he’s torturing and killing at will is growing stronger with every death?”

Doctor Strange is a top-tier figure in the Marvel universe, both in power and reputation. Yet how his strength soared remains a mystery. His growth wasn’t linear—it was explosive, leaping by bounds. By the time of Avengers 3, the only real threat to Thanos wasn’t the Hulk, Captain America, or Black Panther. The MVP of that battle was Thor wielding the magical axe. As for others who posed a threat, Doctor Strange and the seemingly cheat-mode Iron Man stood out—it's hard to say who was more formidable. What’s certain is that Doctor Strange ranks solidly among the top three superheroes.

On his own Earth, the official story is that Doctor Strange learned nearly all magic during his repeated deaths. But in this dark dimension, not even a blade of grass exists, let alone books or secret manuals. How was he supposed to level up? Meimu was utterly bewildered.

Without the original work to reference, without guidance, everything depended entirely on imagination. And he couldn’t afford to lose—defeat meant Earth’s destruction. Yes, in a heartbeat, destruction in double measure.

Who knows if Dormammu might possess the ability to invade human minds, dissect Meimu, and obtain the coordinates to his parallel Earth?

As Meimu pondered, Dormammu’s slaughter began.

“This is…the dark version of 'Planetary Devastation,' isn’t it?” Meimu could no longer describe Dormammu’s methods—they were simply terrifying. In an instant, a condensed planet exploded before his eyes. All the crust and core fragments didn’t scatter outward, but transformed into countless shards, hurtling toward Meimu. His magical shield was as fragile as paper, instantly smashed.

The sensation was like a steamroller crushing a walnut—no, words could barely convey it. The pressure of a mountain paled in comparison to this ‘planetary crush’!

“Ah—!” Meimu met his first death.

Imagine a tomato flattened by a steamroller—that was Meimu. Only true warriors dare face such miserable lives.

At the very instant of Meimu's demise, the pre-set reset function within the Eye of Agamotto triggered. He returned to one minute prior...

“I! Want! You! To! Die! Ten! Thousand! Times!” Dormammu’s thunderous roar echoed once more.

And then Meimu died again.

This time, a whip of dark energy sliced him in half. As death approached, he watched his intestines fly out, yellow and green, splattering everywhere—a truly awful feeling.

The third time, he was pierced by countless dark energy arrows, each entering every pore and then swelling to bowl-sized holes. Meimu exploded instantly.

The fourth time!

...

The hundredth time!

Meimu felt as though he’d fallen into the most terrifying eighteen layers of hell, dying amid all sorts of tortures, resurrecting, and then dying again. Never to escape!

This time, Dormammu didn’t attack immediately. Instead, he mocked Meimu, his wild, arrogant voice filling the space: “Hahaha! Are you at your limit, little one? Didn’t you want to wear me out until I went mad? Come on!”

Meimu didn’t respond.

He was exhausted—not physically, since the Time Stone restored his body to its original state each time he entered the dark dimension. The real issue was his soul.

Each resurrection left him with the memory and lingering pain of his last moments—a pain deeply etched into his soul, almost a phantom sensation. The torment was immense, eroding his willpower.

He even considered severing all his nerves before Dormammu’s next fatal blow.

But that was impossible—Dormammu, knowing this in advance, deliberately added soul-destroying effects to every attack, accelerating Meimu’s soul’s collapse.

Yes, time reversal could repair the body, but it couldn’t heal a soul that retained memories. This was the price paid by the Eye of Agamotto's master for constant time-looping.

Nothing comes without cost or side effects—nothing is truly invincible.

Meimu could clearly sense Dormammu approaching victory.

As the primary target of the Time Stone, Dormammu’s ‘time’ was also being reset. But occasionally, Dormammu could transcend the Time Stone’s power, carrying memories from one loop to the next.

With each weakening of Meimu's will and soul, Dormammu retained his memories more frequently.

“No! At this rate, I won’t last a thousand deaths, let alone ten thousand. Being a punching bag has no future!” Meimu screamed internally, “Hey! Scales! Is there any way to turn the tide? Why did saving the Ancient One not grant me any fate points? And what about Mordo?”

The Lady of the Scales replied, “Sorry, host! Because you used the Time Stone in this battle, time reversal may cause a paradox and the collapse of fate lines. You must defeat Dormammu to settle accounts. If you fail, the Ancient One cannot survive either.”