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*****
The Ancient One closely sensed the raw power vibrating within Fini's dimensional space. This was far from the first time she had actively stepped inside someone else's dimension.
In fact, she had even covertly siphoned power from a foreign dimension before. Though exceptional circumstances had driven that choice, it was more than enough to demonstrate that her fundamental comprehension of dimensional mechanics ran incredibly deep.
As one of the absolute most brilliant Sorcerers Supreme in the entire history of the mystic arts, her strategic vision and baseline capabilities sat firmly at the absolute pinnacle of the universe.
Consequently, after spending a significant period thoroughly analyzing the matrix, she managed to discern several distinct truths about its structure.
"I must admit, your dimension is undeniably the most eccentric and highly specialized pocket realm I have ever encountered to this day. The foundational energy sustaining its framework seems to be a variation of psychological force anchored within your eye—no, to be more precise, it is the power of fantasy..."
"Fantasy?!"
Hearing her deduction, Fini blanked for a second before falling into a serious train of thought. Going by the source material from his past life, the Evil King's True Eye didn't actually possess real magic, but the version generated by his system was evidently far more than a simple, cosmetic colored contact lens.
Having deciphered the defining attribute of Fini's dimension, the Ancient One couldn't resist offering another word of professional praise: "This unique dimension forms an absolutely flawless pairing with your golden Ars Magna!"
Fini was still deeply engrossed in mulling over the conceptual nature of fantasy energy, so hearing her compliment left him marveling at how she could unpack so many intricate details within such a brief window of analysis.
"So, practically speaking, can it be safely summoned on Earth?" Fini asked once more, his face full of anticipation.
"Allow me to return and thoroughly audit the core arrays of the Sanctums first. During this interim period, do not wander off. Remain securely within Kamar-Taj for the time being!"
Despite having mapped out the baseline characteristics of the dimension, the Ancient One still couldn't confidently verify whether Fini could actively deploy it on Earth without cascading consequences.
A foreign dimension was a matter of supreme systemic risk. A single reckless misstep could easily result in the automated arrays of the Sanctums falling under Fini's involuntary influence, forcing her to exercise extreme caution.
Hearing her instructions, Fini felt a small wave of surprise. This marked the absolute first time the Ancient One had ever placed a direct restriction on his personal freedom. Yet, from that very command, he could easily deduce that she was treating this matter with the highest level of gravity.
"Sorcerer Supreme, what is the proper method to expand the overall layout of a dimension?"
While he couldn't immediately verify whether he could use the space on Earth, the issue that weighed most heavily on Fini's mind was the problem of dimensional expansion. After all, judging by its current restrictive size, it was completely useless for high-stakes combat; even having just two people stand inside it felt noticeably cramped.
In all fairness, prior to arriving at Kamar-Taj, he had already faintly picked up on a specific expansion mechanism. However, because that method carried an incredibly high baseline of risk, he hadn't dared to experiment blindly, which was precisely why he was deferring to her expertise.
Hearing his inquiry, the serene smile that usually graced the Ancient One's features vanished entirely. Her gaze turned notably deep, laced with a complex layer of ancient gravity.
"Fini, are you aware of the fundamental reason why dimensional demon gods remain so pathologically obsessed with launching multi-dimensional invasions?"
Confronted with her question, Fini actually possessed a baseline understanding of what she was implying. In the past, he had simply assumed that dimensional invasions were identical to standard terrestrial warfare—a mere matter of conquering territory and establishing dominance.
But ever since he crossed the threshold to become a Dimension Lord himself, the underlying mechanics had become significantly clearer.
When a dimensional demon god launched an invasion, conquest was merely a superficial objective. Their true, ultimate goal was to aggressively augment their own baseline of power, which perfectly aligned with the expansion mechanism he had previously detected.
The most straightforward, streamlined method to expand a dimensional space was to violently absorb foreign dimensional essence.
Back when he had initially channeled the Mirror Dimension spell, Fini had distinctly felt a peculiar thrumming within the Evil King's True Eye, as though its core matrix was being actively drawn toward an external energy source.
If his structural calculations were correct, that attractive force was none other than the immense dimensional essence protecting Earth.
Of course, ambient dimensional essence wasn't a resource that simply existed uniformly across every corner of the cosmos. For instance, standing amidst the ash fields of Muspelheim right now, he couldn't harvest a single thread of localized dimensional energy from the environment.
"Because a successful invasion allows them to violently siphon foreign dimensional essence, directly expanding the structural boundaries of their own realm!"
"Precisely!"
Hearing his correct deduction, a flash of structural concern naturally rippled through the Ancient One's eyes. The process of conquering and absorbing realms functioned exactly like an addictive behavioral loop; once an entity fully immersed themselves in that rapid cycle of expansion, it became exceptionally difficult to break the pattern.
Furthermore, once an invasion concluded, the sheer intoxicating rush of absolute power that accompanied a massive territorial expansion was a sensation that very few cosmic entities possessed the willpower to walk away from.
"Is there truly no alternative mechanism for expansion besides launching hostile invasions?"
Fini easily picked up on the deep concern weaving through her gaze. His brow furrowed slightly as he pressed for alternatives; orchestrating an inter-dimensional invasion was nowhere near a simple affair, and he harbored absolutely zero desire to emulate Dormammu, wandering aimlessly through the void of the universe just to hunt for viable realms to swallow.
Moreover, he explicitly recalled that the dimensional pocket realm tied to Bast, the panther deity of Wakanda, seemed to rely primarily on collective spiritual faith to maintain its structural stability and fuel its gradual growth.
"Of course there are alternatives. It is simply that to a conventional dimensional demon god, launching an invasion represents the most efficient, rapid, and mathematically simple pathway available," the Ancient One explained with a soft sigh. She studied Fini for a moment before continuing, "But your specific configuration is remarkably eccentric. From my perspective, you merely need to focus on directly elevating the raw capacity of that eye."
In all honesty, the Ancient One reasoned that rather than labeling Fini himself as the Dimension Lord, it was far more accurate to state that his physical eye was the true dimensional demon god. While the eye undeniably belonged to Fini, it simultaneously maintained a highly independent existence via a layered sealing matrix—a bizarre biological contradiction that she found intensely fascinating.
"Then, practically speaking, what specific protocol should I follow?" Fini asked, a trace of cluelessness in his tone.
The Ancient One pondered for a moment before offering a baseline strategy: "You can start by attempting to directly inject your own refined mana straight into the matrix of the eye."
With a master of her caliber standing guard right beside him, Fini harbored zero anxiety regarding safety. He immediately initiated the experiment, actively channeling his energy reserves. As a steady stream of pure mana began filling the eye's matrix, the simulated tea house room around them began to slowly, incrementally expand outward.
However, by the time he had completely exhausted his entire available pool of mystic mana, the structural boundaries of the dimension had only managed to expand by a single, modest meter. Yet, despite the massive expenditure for such a small return, the successful proof of concept left Fini incredibly thrilled.
Seeking to push the parameters further, Fini instantly pivoted and attempted to inject the raw kinetic energy generated by his breathing techniques straight into the Evil King's True Eye. While the physical energy was technically accepted by the matrix, the overall expansion yield failed to reach even one-tenth of the progress achieved via pure mana.
Having watched his experimental adjustments with absolute focus, the Ancient One smoothly stepped in to clarify the underlying mechanics:
"Mana is a specialized category of refined energy harvested through rigorous mental and spiritual cultivation. Since the underlying matrix of your eye's dimension is fundamentally forged from the power of fantasy, spiritual energy naturally aligns with its attributes, yielding a significantly higher conversion rate."
Hearing her breakdown, Fini finally grasped the core logic. The mystic mana cultured through Kamar-Taj's techniques was essentially an extension of highly disciplined spiritual focus, forming a flawless elemental match with his skill's attributes, which explained the massive disparity in efficiency.
Conversely, the energy harvested through his breathing techniques was explicitly bound to the elemental properties of Water and Fire, forming a poor alignment with the conceptual framework of the Evil King's True Eye, which naturally resulted in a dismal yield.
Yet, despite unraveling the theoretical framework, Fini found himself lacking a viable, immediate solution to bridge the deficit. Deep down, he remained acutely aware of a fundamental truth: if he ever wanted to scale his dimension into a truly formidable cosmic realm, he would ultimately have to secure a massive source of authentic dimensional essence.
Naturally, he wasn't anywhere near foolish enough to covertly plot an invasion against Earth. This planet was his literal home; if Earth's defensive dimensional essence were ever fully depleted, the planet itself would essentially cease to exist.
Instead, the tactical options floating through Fini's mind centered squarely on three specific cosmic entities: Dormammu, Bast, and Hela.
Since it was completely unethical to harvest resources from his own backyard, what was stopping him from violently plundering the domains of hostile entities?
The primary reason why dimensional demon gods were so exceptionally rare in the wider cosmos was because mutual predation and cannibalism were fundamental laws of their existence.
Among his three potential targets, Dormammu undeniably represented the absolute most dangerous and tactically complex adversary to neutralize. Bast sat firmly in the middle tier, while Hela was, ironically enough, the most mathematically viable target on the list.
The reasoning behind classifying Hela as a viable source was simple: the ancient cosmic seal Odin had utilized to permanently lock her away was fundamentally constructed from a highly concentrated, specialized variation of dimensional energy.
However, that classification of relative ease was strictly a comparison against cosmic titans like Dormammu or the Wakandan panther deity. For his current self, if he were to actively break the seal and unleash Hela into the world today, he still lacked the baseline confidence required to guarantee her absolute neutralisation.
Furthermore, he wasn't facing a pressing, immediate crisis that required an instantaneous expansion of his realm. For the time being, his absolute top priority remained verifying whether he could safely deploy the dimension on Earth without triggering a planetary security breach.
Following their brief training session, Fini and the Ancient One opted not to linger amidst the ash fields any longer. After taking a brief interlude to fully regenerate his expended mana reserves, Fini smoothly manifested a return portal.
The moment they stepped back onto the ancient stone pathways of Kamar-Taj, the Ancient One immediately departed to immerse herself in a comprehensive audit regarding the security protocols of the Sanctums.
And while she hadn't actively confiscated his Sling Ring, she left Fini with a very firm, explicit warning: unless an absolute, high-stakes emergency materialised, he was to strictly avoid leaving the protective boundaries of Kamar-Taj until further notice.
(End of Chapter)