Power roared. Space trembled.
As the strongest combat unit in Nolan's arsenal, the Netero battle machine immediately unleashed its full capacity the moment it faced an enemy like Dormammu.
Even in a world as extreme as Toriko, this machine would rank among the top-tier weapons. Its strength spoke for itself.
Though it was driven only by an advanced relay intelligence system rather than true consciousness, that limitation ensured one thing. Its baseline performance would never drop.
Even Dormammu was blasted backward by the sheer force of its opening strike.
But he was not injured.
Instead, the already violent magic surrounding him surged even more wildly.
He was furious.
A mere metal construct, something he had dismissed without a second thought, had actually forced him into a disadvantage. That humiliation burned.
But anger alone meant nothing.
This was war.
The moment Dormammu underestimated his opponent, the tone of the battle had already begun to shift.
Behind him, the vast army of the Dark Dimension stirred uneasily. Their expressions changed.
Nolan let out a sharp laugh.
"Is that all you've got?"
Then he turned toward the others, his voice cutting through the battlefield.
"The war has begun. What are you waiting for?"
"Charge!"
This was the perfect moment.
There was no way he would sit back and wait for the outcome of the clash between Dormammu and Netero. He understood it clearly. Even weakened, Dormammu was not an opponent Netero could defeat. That brief advantage had come from surprise, nothing more.
At Nolan's command, the mechanical tide surged forward.
At the same time, the armies of the Dark Dimension responded.
They came in countless forms. Winged creatures, monstrous beasts, even entities resembling dragons. Each was different, shaped by the dimension they came from.
Yet all of them shared the same emptiness.
A flaw.
Compared to beings from the real world, they lacked something essential.
Because of that, their eyes burned with greed.
They longed for the Real Dimension.
And for it, they would pay any price.
The dark tide surged endlessly, stretching beyond sight. Dormammu had committed everything to this war.
The mages of Earth did not retreat.
Fear was there, but no one stepped back.
The moment they arrived on this battlefield, they had already accepted death.
The stout mage took a deep swig from his bottle, the burn of alcohol pushing back his fear. Noticing Iver's gaze, he grinned and held it out.
"Want some?"
The old mage opened his mouth, wanting to say Iver was still too young.
But in the end, he said nothing.
Iver clenched his jaw.
"You're on a battlefield now, kid. That makes you an adult!" the stout mage laughed.
That was enough.
Iver grabbed the bottle and took a gulp.
The harsh taste hit him immediately, making him cough violently, but the alcohol still went down.
He smashed the bottle to the ground.
It was something he had seen in films countless times. He had always wanted to do it once.
"Don't die, kid," the stout mage said with a grin, raising his wand as magic gathered.
The battle had already begun.
A winged creature lunged toward a nearby mage. The stout mage snapped his wand forward. Magic surged, and a clean hole appeared between the creature's brows as it dropped instantly.
He roared.
"I used to be an Auror!"
But that was only the beginning.
On a battlefield of this scale, individual strength meant very little.
Iver followed closely behind the old mage.
Only now did he truly understand the gap between them.
The old mage's spells flowed effortlessly, each one simple yet devastatingly effective. Even something as basic as a slippery charm could decide a fight.
For the first time, Iver felt genuine awe.
The old mage smiled faintly. He knew that Iver's respect had long shifted from ability to status. But now, at last, something had returned.
"Iver, don't overuse Severing Spells. You'll burn through your magic too quickly. Use smaller spells more often."
"And learn to work with others. We may not know each other, but right now, we share one identity. Allies."
Teacher and student moved as one.
Iver was exhilarated.
But excitement never lasts.
After cutting down several enemies, pride crept in. He grew careless.
Before he realized it, he had drifted away from the main force and into the middle of a swarm.
Dark creatures closed in from every direction.
No matter how strong his magic was, no matter his talent, it meant little in the face of overwhelming numbers.
Just as he was about to be swallowed
A roar tore through the battlefield.
"Tempest Surge!"
A violent wave of magic blasted the surrounding enemies apart.
Two figures rushed in.
The stout mage was panting, the spell having drained him. The old mage looked at Iver with urgency.
"Master!"
Relief flooded Iver's face.
"Kid, this is a battlefield. Don't lose focus!" the stout mage snapped.
The old mage smiled as well.
But in the next instant, his expression froze.
A spear pierced through his chest.
The stout mage reacted instantly, unleashing a killing curse that dropped the attacker.
But the old mage collapsed to his knees, agony twisting his face.
"Master!"
Iver rushed forward, panic overwhelming him.
But no words came.
There were no second chances here. No time for farewell.
This was reality.
The stout mage sighed quietly, his expression heavy.
This was war.
Even he could not guarantee he would survive the next second.
Iver knelt there, trembling.
The stout mage grabbed him and pulled him up.
"The fight isn't over! Your master's gone, but you have to live. Otherwise, what did he come here for?"
Those words struck deep.
Iver steadied himself, just barely.
But when the stout mage looked around
Everywhere was filled with enemies.
The number of mages was shrinking rapidly.
Bodies covered the battlefield.
From Kamar-Taj, from Hogwarts, from countless other traditions. Many wore unfamiliar robes. No one knew their names.
"We…"
Despair crept into Iver's voice.
"We haven't lost yet!" the stout mage snapped, gripping him tightly.
He pointed ahead.
The Sorcerer Supreme was still fighting.
Hero Nolan was still fighting.
Iron Man, Dumbledore, Balthazar, and countless legendary figures were still holding the line.
They fought with everything they had.
But the enemy kept coming.
Their magic was running dry.
They needed time to recover.
But war gave no such mercy.
Then
A streak of blue light cut across the battlefield.
A creature about to strike the stout mage dropped instantly.
They turned.
Dozens of machines advanced, their weapons flashing with cold, precise light. Each shot meant death.
"Rock Industries' robots!" Iver shouted.
The stout mage exhaled in relief.
NS5 combat units.
He had never thought much of them before. To him, they were nothing more than a nuisance.
But now
They were hope.
Basic units like SAR-1 did not even belong on this battlefield.
The NS5 units, armed with advanced psionic weaponry, formed the backbone of the mechanical army.
And this was only a fraction of their numbers.
Mages needed time to recover.
Machines did not.
More importantly, machines did not fear death.
Just then, a massive dragon-like creature descended upon the robotic formation. Its enormous wings spread wide, its body wrapped in dense magical energy.
Even the psionic weapons struggled to pierce its defenses at first.
With a single strike, over a dozen robots were destroyed.
The creature rose again, preparing another attack.
But this time
Several Terminator units leapt into the air, slamming into it.
They did not kill it.
But they created an opening.
In the next second, concentrated fire shattered its magical defenses.
The creature fell.
War machines were never meant to fight alone.
Terminator units surged forward as shock troops, deadly and relentless. Built for close combat, they moved like reapers in the dark.
Above, massive Titan-class units took to the sky.
"All Titan units, begin saturation bombardment."
Red Queen coordinated the assault flawlessly.
Precision was unnecessary.
They were not designed for single combat.
This was their purpose.
The entire battlefield burned.
At the front lines, Nolan and the others did not hold back.
As the armies clashed, they moved to surround Dormammu.
Nolan piloted his Evangelion unit, its AT Field fully deployed, charging forward without hesitation alongside Netero.
They were not fighting.
They were overwhelming him.
Even the others were stunned, reduced to supporting roles.
Stephen Strange frowned slightly.
This was not how he had envisioned the battle.
In his plan, their role was to hold Dormammu in place while the combined forces pushed back the Dark Dimension army.
But now
Dormammu was being suppressed.
Magic had limits.
Even for him.
Under the suppression of Earth's sanctums, Nolan stood firm beneath the protection of his Patronus, pressing forward without fear.
And with Strange manipulating time itself, any damage could be undone instantly.
The battle felt… almost manageable.
Dormammu roared in fury.
This war humiliated him.
If they were farther from Earth, beyond the influence of the Sanctums, he could have crushed them effortlessly.
If not for the Sorcerer Supreme
These two would mean nothing.
But together, they had turned the tide.
His army was failing him.
The restrictions were too great.
Still
He refused to accept it.
He had waited centuries for this moment.
Was he really going to be stopped again?
"Damn it!"
His power surged to its peak.
Space twisted under the pressure.
One strike nearly reduced Netero to scrap.
Fortunately, Strange reversed time instantly, restoring it.
On the outskirts of the central battlefield, Tony Stark clicked his tongue.
If he stepped into that fight, he would not last a second.
He glanced at his brand-new armor, feeling a rare sense of frustration.
He had spent a year pushing himself to surpass Nolan, even sacrificing time with Pepper.
And now
What was Nolan wearing?
A towering machine dozens of meters tall, wrapped in an impenetrable force field, radiating terrifying power with every movement.
Was that even armor anymore?
It felt like he was centuries behind.
Tony shook his head and turned away from the central battle.
That was not his fight.
Instead, he looked toward the endless enemy forces.
"Jarvis. Full firepower."
If he could not compete there
Then he would dominate here.
Nolan.
One day, I will surpass you.
He swore it silently as his weapons roared to life.