The Dark Dimension stretched without end. Over the ages, no one knew how many dark creatures had come to live within it.
At their master Dormammu's command, their numbers swelled from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands, then into the millions.
Like a spreading ocean of dark carapaces and burning embers, they formed ring after ring around The Ancient One's rune field, closing tight.
The Ancient One stood at the center of the field, watching the dark creatures surge toward her from every direction.
In the glow of the golden runes, her face held the same ancient, unchanging calm, as though time had spent too long polishing it smooth.
Jin Huan's hands did not move, and the tightening encirclement did nothing to slow the rune field's expansion. She merely raised her head. Her gaze passed through the ranks of dark creatures and settled on Dormammu's immense figure watching from afar.
"Dormammu." Her voice carried from the center of the rune field, cutting clearly through the gathering tide of darkness and reaching the Dark Dimension's master.
"You haven't changed. You always wait for someone else to make the first move, and you never step in yourself until you're certain it's safe.
"Not one of the minions you've sent over the past few centuries has succeeded. What makes you think sending more cannon fodder will change anything?"
Dormammu's mouth twitched.
It was the irritation of an old wound being torn open, of a sore spot struck with perfect precision.
But he did not answer. Certain The Ancient One had laid a trap, he watched the rings draw tighter. Dark creatures packed the space outside her rune field so densely that almost no light could pass through.
Under that mass of dark shapes, the golden light was gradually being compressed and weakened.