Victor von Doom had good reason for his accusation, and Salomon willingly accepted it.
If the Sorcerer Supreme had not returned, he truly might have delved deep into the Dark Dimension because of the Darkhold. But the news The Venerable One had brought back disrupted his plans. The news was so important that Salomon had no choice but to stop his preparations and go greet her, temporarily altering part of his plan to accommodate her methods—Victor von Doom glanced at the slight figure cowering behind the shield-bearing Praetorian Guard. Compared with the giant-like Praetorian Guard, this man appeared not only small but also utterly lost and terrified, as though his soul did not exist in this world.
Victor von Doom recognized the man's condition at a glance. Those addicted to the power of the Outer Dimensions often wore such idiotic expressions. He planted the heavy staff crowned with a spread-winged eagle against the ground and activated the many functions of the battle standard. In an instant, the eagle statue atop the staff began to heat up. The dense crackle of electricity swallowed the clamor rising from the valley below, while the air rapidly expanded in all directions. The low pressure even made it feel as though their eardrums were bulging outward.
Yet even the dull impacts that drowned out the roar of the tracked vehicles' engines below failed to wake the young man. Compared to the Material Universe, the dazzling and colorful worlds of the Outer Dimensions seemed far more worthy of obsession. Victor von Doom often saw people like this in those undisciplined minor schools. Without exception, they would become targets for Kamar-Taj's purges sooner or later.
"Who is this?" Seeing dreamlike bubbles flickering in the young man's eyes, he demanded of Salomon with open disgust. "How could you