Ch.54 You’ve Got to Work Harder, Little Strange

On the other side...

Inside the Mirror Dimension, Doctor Strange and Tony Stark were still anxiously waiting.

As the dark energy in the sky gradually diminished, Strange grew increasingly vigilant.

No one knew for sure whether Ronan would still be himself when he came back down.

Before long, just as Strange was quietly on guard, Ronan descended from the sky.

Ronan had his eyes closed, and there was a faint trace of dark energy swirling around his body.

But that dark energy quickly dissipated.

"Are you... okay?"

Strange cautiously asked, looking at Ronan from a distance.

If Ronan had been corrupted by the power of the Dark Dimension, Strange would have no choice but to act.

Tony Stark, standing nearby, also sensed that something was wrong.

The exposed part of his head was instantly covered by his Iron Man armor, and he watched the two of them with extreme caution.

He didn't even know what was going on.

At that moment, Ronan suddenly opened his eyes.

This movement sent a shiver down Strange's spine!

And the worst part was yet to come.

Strange clearly saw that there was still something like black liquid flowing in Ronan's eyes.

And Ronan's expression was unusually cold!

This isn't good!

This is Dark Dimension energy!

Strange immediately sensed that something was wrong.

He swiftly removed his hand from the casting gesture, and the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak instantly shot towards Ronan, trying to bind him!

Seeing Strange suddenly make a move, Tony Stark was shocked.

Wasn't everything fine just a moment ago?

Why did they suddenly start fighting?

Bang!

Before Tony could make sense of it, the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak that Strange had thrown were swatted away by Ronan with his palm!

Strange's pupils contracted sharply—he hadn't expected Ronan to be this powerful!

But just as he was about to unleash his most powerful spell, the Lightning of Boltsorr, a hand suddenly patted his shoulder.

In an instant, Strange's entire body froze.

He knew that the only person behind him was Tony Stark.

But the touch on his shoulder didn't match the feel of Stark's Iron Man armor at all!

"I was just kidding, buddy."

"Did you really plan to one-shot me?"

A familiar voice sounded—it was Ronan!

Strange stiffly turned his head and saw Ronan's handsome, charming face.

But this time, the black liquid in Ronan's eyes was gone.

His face also showed a bit more "human" expression.

Compared to before, he even seemed more handsome.

"Are you really okay?"

Strange didn't let his guard down just because of Ronan's words.

In his hands, he had already prepared the Rings of Raggadorr, ready to engage at any moment.

If Ronan showed any signs of change, Strange would be ready to counterattack instantly.

Seeing Strange like this, Ronan couldn't help but sigh.

It seemed like he might have gone a bit too far just now.

"Relax, I'm fine."

"This little bit of dark energy is nothing for me... hic..."

Ronan involuntarily hiccuped.

Strange pulled the corners of his mouth into a wry smile, speechless.

What's with the hiccup?

Did you eat too much dark energy?

"Relax, I'm different from others. This Dark Dimension energy doesn't have any effect on me."

"And I'm not stupid enough to sacrifice myself to save the two of you."

Ronan removed his hand from Strange's shoulder.

That was the honest truth.

Because if the situation had gotten out of control just now, Ronan would have chosen to bail out early.

He was more concerned with the scene he had just dreamed of.

Although at first, he thought it was fake, later he even heard the system's prompts.

The dark energy couldn't possibly mimic his system's voice, could it?

But the system's prompts were so many that Ronan started to feel they might be a bit fake.

Could it be that they were limited by word count after saying too much?

And does this count as a past memory suddenly attacking me?

"Although your words are harsh, I now believe that you're okay."

Strange pulled at the corners of his mouth, glanced at Ronan, and withdrew the Rings of Raggadorr from his hands.

At least for now, Ronan was still fully conscious.

"I like that statement."

"Sacrificing myself to save others is something I can't do either."

Tony Stark once again opened the faceplate of his Iron Man armor, his face full of agreement.

It seemed he highly appreciated Ronan's words just now.

But as soon as he spoke, both Strange and Ronan looked at him with a strange expression.

This look made Tony Stark's scalp tingle.

Why are these two looking at me like that?

"Hey, what do you mean by that?"

"You don't actually think I'm the kind of self-sacrificing person, do you?"

Tony Stark held his head high, with an "I'm not wrong" attitude.

Ronan just curled his lips.

No wonder you survived when Thanos snapped his fingers.

Maybe even the Infinity Stones thought your mouth was too tough, so they decided to ignore you?

"Yeah, yeah, right."

"Tony, you're just a selfish person who would never sacrifice himself like me."

"I believe in you!"

Ronan nodded approvingly and gave Tony Stark a thumbs-up.

Tony Stark felt his vision go black.

What kind of nonsense is that?

However, Tony Stark quickly regretted what he had said earlier.

He had clearly told himself not to engage in verbal sparring with Ronan anymore.

Why did he forget again?

Thinking of this, Tony Stark wanted to slap himself.

You and your big mouth!

Ronan, on the other hand, was smilingly watching the change in Tony Stark's expression.

This is really fun.

Red, white, purple, and black—his face was like a flashing light!

"Alright, since you're fine, I can rest easy."

"But there seems to be something different about this Mirror Dimension of yours?"

At this moment, Strange finally shifted his attention to Ronan's Mirror Dimension.

Although Ronan's Mirror Dimension looked similar on the surface, there was a difference.

At least in Strange's perception, Ronan's Mirror Dimension seemed stronger than the one he could conjure.

This realization piqued Strange's curiosity.

From the beginning, he had suspected that Ronan's Mirror Dimension was different from theirs.

But at the time, Ronan had managed to brush it off.

Hearing this, Ronan's face grew serious, and he patted Strange on the shoulder, looking very much like a wise elder.

"This matter actually has to do with one's understanding and cultivation of the mystic arts."

"This is just the result of my years of hard work and struggle."

"So, you need to work harder, Little Strange."