Demon King of Time in Marvel

Chapter 9: The Devil's Due

Ohma had entered the dragon's den willingly. This was because after fighting the eternals he had been able to gauge his own level which was quite sufficient for self preservation. Not to mention his mastery of time; there was hardly anything they could do to truly harm him. He'd learned to control his powers more efficiently after each fight.

The deviants swarmed Ohma, ready to gnaw at his flesh. It wasn't long before the first deviant lunged at him, surprisingly fast, it's claws glistening a sickly green. Ohma instinctively concentrated, preparing to use [Stasis] to deal with them quickly. But to his surprise the deviant continued its assault, even as the time around it froze. Looking around he saw that none of the deviants had stalled. They moved as if nothing had happened.

They are immune to temporal manipulation. The realisation came as a starting blow. A being whose time doesn't move a [ Temporal Lock ]. Understanding that time powers which affected them directly were useless, Ohma decided to switch up his tactics. He couldn't stop them, couldn't rewind their action but he could control himself.

He dodged the attack by side stepping, his pseudo precognition and his instinctual movements gave him enough time to think about his current predicament.

I cannot influence them but I can still influence the area and myself. Gotta go with that.

A particularly bulky deviant stammered through an attack it's clumsy claw swing leaving him wide open. Ohma swiftly evaded by stepping back and then counterattacked by kicking the deviant's chest, obliterating it. The force of the kick sent the creature flying backwards, crashing into several of its companions.

Realization dawned on him : these Deviants weren't able to regenerate, and they were certainly not as strong as the one he faced before. But the sheer numbers was what had him worried. They were endless.

"Is that all you got?" Trying to get a response from the deviants. Ohma mocked them.

The taunt worked. It got them to attack in teams. Coordinating their movements. Now three claws were aiming at him from different angles. A coordinated attack, leaving no room for escape.

Dodging possibility is zero percent. Gotta defend then. Ohma blocked one claw by catching it while dodging the other two. He quickly twisted and dismembered the caught arm and used it as a makeshift weapon to pierce another deviant through the head.

As another round of attacks was making his way towards ohma, he focused, realising that he had forgotten a very basic ability that most video game characters had nowadays. Something he could easily adapt in his situation.

As the claws descended, he opened his eyes, focusing his senses. The claws seemed to move slower, along with all the deviants. He moved, attacking the nearest deviant with a right punch. But even he was slowed now. It was like everyone was affected by a slow spell except Ohma could still think normally, his mind racing even as his body moved at a fraction of its usual speed.

[Bullet time]

Most character have it because of heightened senses and year long training. A way to slow down their and their enemy's action to plan their next move. Ohma was going to abuse it, especially with pseudo-precognition.

Another deviant lunged at him. This time Ohma grabbed it by its neck and slammed it downward with bone jarring force, creating a shockwave that scattered the other deviants. Attacks need to Target groups now. AOE here I come.

With a stomp that created another crater in the already scarred landscape, he smashed the deviants skull. He then threw the body towards the nearest group of Deviants, sending them tumbling. He activated [ Bullet time ] again, but this time, he used his temporal energies to speed himself up within the slowed time frame.

[Flash forward]

Moving with a speed which was inhumane, not as fast as a speedster but much faster then any normal being. It was like watching a video on 3x, his movements a blur of gold and black.

Even if I hold overwhelming power and can dispatch a deviant per punch. The sheer number would leave me exhausted. He needed a decisive strategy.

His main problem hadn't changed. It was still the fact that he couldn't take on all of them at once.

Deciding to try something more ….impactful. Ohma chose the biggest Deviant he could find and proceeded to take to the skies so that all the other creatures could see it.

"You know," Ohma said, his voice echoing across the landscape, his tone calm as he casually caressed the head of the deviant with his other hand, " I think there has been a misunderstanding, you guys think you've got me cornered, but…" He proceeded to rip the head clean out of the deviant's body, the act a clear demonstration of power. He then threw the severed head towards the crowd of monsters, watching with cold satisfaction as they scattered in panic. "I am not locked in here with you." he continued, his voice laced with a chilling tone. "You are locked in here with me." He split the body in two halves by yanking at the hands, a brutal display of strength, then threw the two halves into different groups causing further chaos.

The deviants had thought that it would be an easy prey. But it had clearly turned out to be the other way around. The man, no, the demon had played with them, like a cat with a mouse. Not killing them outright but torturing them, taking away their limbs. Kicking their severed head as if they were mere balls. For the first time in their long life, they had felt a different emotion then hunger or rage. They felt fear, their enormous frames shivering at his gaze, their movements halted, as if they forgot how to move.

What came through the channel wasn't a prey but a predator. This was hard to understand to beasts but all of them were granted the boon of intelligence. So they understood. That was a primal force, getting in its way was the fastest way to death's embrace.

And so all the deviants started scurring away, leaving the demon to do its own bidding. For they would not die a meaningless death.

Ohma looked at the deviants fleeing, a smirk forming on his lips, so this is how it feels to be admired and feared.

[Echoes of time]

Following the echoes, he reached a central clearing which clearly looked like an altar. The deviants didn't bother him anymore but some curious still remained at the periphery of his vision, trying to understand his motives.

A three dimensional projection of a huge machine appeared. "This project was a failure" a figure spoke, their voice cold and dismissive, but there was no one visible in the projection. "intelligent they might be, but the deviants are a failed project. They are to be discarded outside of time, and the machine that creates them will be destroyed."

" But master are you sure you won't need them ever? We could still salvage this project." A different younger voice replied, tinged with a hint of desperation.

"No," The same authorative voice commanded, leaving no room for argument. "This project has failed. The other have gotten a much better results. Not to mention these leave a lot to desire for their time stealing. They are of no use. Discard them you will be given a new project soon."

Weird. Can I not see them? Or are they being protected by time? Why? Ohma wondered, his brow furrowed in thought.

The machine then exploded, its remains forming the current altar. Trying to find any clues to the original owner, Ohma scoured the altar, running his hand over its cold exterior but his search was wasted, he couldn't decipher anything.

No clue, except their plan to 'steal time', and if a failed project is like this, what about the successful ones?

Just thinking about them gave Ohma a shiver that crept up his spine. Taking a deep breath, he decided to leave this place.

I have yet to have a proper ceremony for Lily. So you lot are going to suffer for it.

Golden energy flowed through him, coalescing on his arms, crackling with raw power. "This place has caused me suffering," he muttered, his voice laced with a cold fury. The golden energy formed a massive sphere in front of Ohma, pulsating with destructive potential. He wasn't attacking the deviants; they were already fleeing. He was attacking the very fabric of spacetime itself.

"It's time for this place to burn"

The sphere struck the landscape with a deafening roar, the impact sending shockwave through the ground like a seismic tremor. Cracks spread across the earth, widening into deep fissures.. The mountains in the distance began crumbling, turning to dust and sand. The sickly green sky was now filled with dust and smoke, turning it grey. A testament to the raw power Ohma had unleashed.

I miscalculated. Too much energy. The thought flashed through his mind a fraction of a second too late.

The force of the explosion tore open a hole through spacetime, a swirling vortex of temporal energy that pulsed with chaotic power. Ohma did not have the time to react; the sheer force of the blast, combined with the unstable temporal energy, pulled him into the rift. He was being dragged through the chaotic currents of time itself. The deviant grounds already crumbling from the initial blast, were completely obliterated in a secondary explosion.

[Back at the cave - with the Eternals]

The Eternals stood amidst the rubble of the cave. The battle with the deviant was hard fought but they had emerged victorious by trapping the deviants in the cave, the time distortions added to the instability ensuring their containment. But the victory felt hollow, overshadowed by the strange events that had transpired.

"What was… that?" Kingo stammered , his eyes wide open of disbelief.

"He played us." Druig said, his voice laced with bitterness. "Used us to distract the enemy so that he might reach his goal. Whatever that was"

"We need tor report this to Arishem" Ajak said , her expression grave. She concentrated, focusing her cosmic energy to form a coonection with the celestial.

Ajak bowed respectfully as Arishem's booming voice echoed in her mind.

"What is the meaning of this interruption Ajak?"

"We have been encountering deviants, far more powerful and intelligent then any we have faced before. They also have possessed unusual abilities. They were emerging from temporal rifts, until this mysterious being appeared and something happened."

"A temporal rift with intelligent deviants? Describe this mysterious being?" the voice had a hint of surprise.

Ajak relayed the information she had gathered from Druig and the other Eternals, describing Ohma's appearance, his powers, and his claims about fighting the one who created the Deviants.

There was a pause, a moment of unnerving silence. Then, Arishem spoke, his voice now laced with a deep, ancient resonance that sent shiver down her spine, a tone that spoke of eons of cosmic history.

"You speak of the Demon King of Time."

Ajak felt stunned at the name. The name felt ancient, carrying a weight of power and dread, as if it were a legend, whispered only in the darkest corners of the universe, a name that had been forgotten by all.

"He is a force of chaos, an anomaly within the very fabric of time. His existence is… complicated. It is not something you should concern yourselves with."

"But Arishem, he claimed that the deviants were being manipulated." Ajak replied, her voice filled with concern.

"The Deviants were my creation, a flawed experiment. But you are correct, someone else has been manipulating time and using them. This is not something you need to concern for. Focus on your mission, Eternals. The Emergence is your only concern." The connection severed abruptly, leaving Ajak in stunned silence.

Ajak looked at her companions, a deep sense of unease settling in her heart. Arishem's words, the mention of the "Demon King of Time," and the revelation of the Deviants being manipulated… something larger was at play here, something that threatened the very balance of the universe.

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A Plea from the Author (and Devon, sort of)

Author: (Muttering) Synonyms for "temporal"! I need synonyms for "temporal"! Chronal? Chronokinetic? Timey-wimey… no, too Doctor Who. Argh!

Devon: Perhaps you should try a temporal distraction? A quick trip to the Cretaceous period, maybe? I hear the dinosaurs are quite inspiring.

Author: Devon, I'm not going on a field trip right now! I need to… to… (taking a formal tone)

Dear readers, fellow time travelers, and lovers of all things chronologically chaotic… I come before you today not as a mere author, but as a humble supplicant. I have poured my heart, soul, and countless hours of sleep into this story, crafting a tale of temporal intrigue, cosmic battles, and… well, a sentient home.

Devon: (Muttering) Don't forget the planet of squirrels.

Author: (Ignoring him) And now, I humbly beseech you… your support. Your votes. Your reviews.

Your… (consult a small card he pull from his pocket) …enthusiastic comments.

Devon: (Snickers) "Enthusiastic comments"? Really?

Author: (Glaring at him) Yes! Enthusiastic comments! They fuel my creativity! They inspire me to write even more… temporally questionable scenarios!

So, if you've enjoyed Devon's time-bending adventures, if you've laughed at his dry wit, if you've marveled at his… unique fashion sense… then please, show your support! Vote for this story! Tell your friends! (Or enemies, I am not picky!) Spread the word! (Or just leave a nice comment!) Let the universe know that you, too, believe in the power of temporal shenanigans!

Devon: (Clapping slowly) Bravo. A truly… moving speech. Though, I still think a trip to the Cretaceous period would be more effective.

Author: (Sighs) Devon, please. Just… just let me have this moment.

Thank you for reading my work. From the bottom of my time-traveling heart. And may your timelines always be… chronologically correct. Or at least, entertainingly askew.

Devon: Still think a trip…

Author: That's it,...

(The scene ends with the Author chasing Devon around the study with a rolled-up newspaper.)

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