Nolan's mind was already racing ahead.
If he could inscribe his dimensional matrices into a vessel, an artifact, or even a biological medium, then anyone who consumed or wielded it would be linked to his twin dimensions.
Their strength would feed back into him, not only through raw power exchange, but belief as well. And if those "users" discovered new applications for his energies, he would automatically inherit that knowledge.
It was the perfect system: an army of unwitting disciples helping their master grow stronger.
No wonder multiversal gods scattered their marks across creation. It was never just vanity it was survival and ascension.
Mordo, listening quietly, finally blurted out the question that had been gnawing at him.
"…Was it true? Did the Ancient One really draw from the Dark Dimension?"
"Yes," Nolan answered without hesitation. There was no point in lying. Wong already knew, and Kaecilius had once whispered the same truth.
"Why?" Mordo demanded. His voice cracked with a mixture of betrayal and confusion. "She forbade all of us from touching that power. Yet she secretly drew from it herself. Isn't that hypocrisy?"
Nolan's gaze hardened. "Because of you. Because you were too weak."
The words hit Mordo like a blow. "What does that mean?"
Nolan closed the tome in his hand with a snap. "If the Ancient One had died before I appeared, who would have stopped Dormammu? You? Any of you?"
"That's not the point—"
"It is the point," Nolan cut in sharply. "Without her, Earth would have fallen centuries ago. She bore that weight alone, even if it meant breaking her own code. You ask why she used forbidden power? Because none of you could stand at her side."
Mordo tried to steady himself. "If I had to sacrifice myself, I would have!"
"Sacrifice is meaningless if it changes nothing," Nolan said coldly. "You couldn't even handle Kaecilius once he was remade into a dark creature. Do you truly think you could have faced Dormammu?"
The words silenced him.
"The Ancient One carried your ideals your pride, your notions of 'pure' magic on her back. She damned herself so you could keep pretending the world was simple." Nolan leaned forward, voice like steel. "Power isn't good or evil. Chaos magic, dark energy, and dimensional sorcery they're tools. If a sorcerer cannot resist temptation, it is their weakness, not the magic's."
Mordo lowered his eyes, conflicted.
Nolan straightened, his tone hard again. "From now on, all trespassers are warned once. Twice. A third time. After that, capture, interrogate, and eliminate. No exceptions. I have work to do."
A portal swallowed him, leaving Mordo in silence.
Moments later, Nolan appeared inside Oscorp's central laboratory. "How's the progress?"
Dr. Curt Connors looked up from his notes. "We've successfully cultivated seeds from the Heart-Shaped Herb. Preliminary scans show they carry a trace of vibranium properties. It makes sense that the herb only develops its unique qualities when grown above vibranium deposits. We've already reserved untouched veins for controlled farming."
Nolan nodded. "Good. Prepare them. I'll be by to test the next phase myself. What about Bast?"
Connor's expression darkened. "Still alive, but fading. Her divine energy signature is leaking faster every day. By our calculations, she has maybe thirty days left before she dissipates entirely."
"I'll see her," Nolan said. "And Strange has he reported in yet?"
"He has. He's taken charge of the magical bio-research division."
"Excellent." Nolan turned, eyeing a tray of gleaming seeds. "Activate them with the serum. I'll return for results."
On the way to another wing of the complex, he crossed paths with Norman Osborn.
"Boss?" Norman inclined his head respectfully.
"Where are you headed?"
"The joint-university initiative. We're laying out the curriculum."
"And the directive I gave you?"
"Implemented. Our partner schools are now required to offer a spellcraft course. Some are complaining it wastes resources."
"Then cut their funding," Nolan said flatly. "Oscorp supports only those who evolve. What about your son?"
"I've sent him to a branch office for training. He'll adapt."
"Good." Nolan dismissed him and continued on.
Inside the divine research lab, the atmosphere buzzed with danger. Rows of containment pods glowed ominously.
"Open two new tanks," Nolan ordered. "The next samples are volatile. Use only subjects enhanced with the Phoenix Serum—they'll survive long enough to give us useful data."
Dr. Otto Octavius and Dr. Gordon wheeled over two capsule-like containment chambers. Nolan placed within them fragments of Dormammu's shattered dark essence and a piece of Knull's "voluntarily d" biomass.
"This one's Knull's," Nolan said. "If Dr. Dora wishes to participate, give her clearance."
"Understood," Otto replied, handing him a dossier filled with divine physiology reports. "But the truth is, we're still short on experimental data. Without more, building a fully functional 'god-system' like Asgard's is… impossible."
Nolan flipped through the files, memorizing them with a glance. Compared to mystical frameworks, godly power systems rooted in genetics and cellular transformation were easier to dissect. Most deities still relied on physical vessels.
Magic was elusive, bound to will and comprehension. Godhood, though? Godhood could be reverse-engineered.
Nolan closed the dossier and smirked. "Don't worry. The data we need… will come soon."
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