Everything Doom had just displayed was thanks to [Umbrakinesis], but it was only a fragment of its full potential. That meant Ashburn should be able to do everything Doom was doing one day, if not more.
As for how Doom had managed to steal his power, despite Vibranium being meant to absorb only kinetic energy… The answer was simple. Magic.
Every time Ashburn's shadows clashed with the Doombots, the Vibranium didn't just absorb kinetic energy—it also siphoned bits of Ashburn's power… if you think about it, that was overpowered as hell.
(Fun fact, in the comic there was a time when Doom absorbed all kinetic energy gathered by the Vibranium on Earth. In Doom's words, he said that it gave him more power than the power cosmic and the Cosmic Cube. Do and feel what you want with that information as you wish.)
"Quick Thing, return to my shadow. I want to face Doom alone." Ashburn's voice was calm, but there was an edge to it, a quiet confidence as his ever-changing weapon shifted, reshaping into two daggers in his grip.
Darkness coiled around his body, merging seamlessly with mana, the combined forces more than doubling his current stats.
Ignoring the Doombots rushing toward him, Ashburn activated [Flash Step]—and in an instant, he was gone. At extreme speed, he vanished into Doom's own shadows, slipping into the very darkness Doom controlled.
And then, [Stealth] activated. Doom's brows furrowed as his senses reached out, searching.
'Did he teleport?' His domain pulsed, the very shadows twisting under his will as he tried to locate Ashburn. But the moment he tried, He realized the flaw. This wasn't his power. It was Ashburn's. And in Ashburn's own domain… Doom couldn't sense him at all.
[Channeled the skill [Stealth] through [Umbrakinesis]… Gained a new skill.]
[Monarch's Stealth]: When within the darkness, you become one with the shadows. Only unique means can perceive you. (MP Cost: 0)]
'Nice. And it uses zero MP.' Ashburn thought, a grin spreading across his face as he pushed forward at full speed.
His movement was so fast, that the very fabric of space-time warped around him, distorting reality itself.
Doom never saw it coming. In a flash, Ashburn appeared before him, daggers already in motion. Both blades buried deep into Doom's eyes.
A pain-filled roar tore through the battlefield, Doom's voice shaking the very air as darkness flared violently around him. But he wasn't down.
Through the blinding pain, Doom's hands lashed out, catching Ashburn by the wrists with unshakable force. Even without sight, he moved with precise, terrifying accuracy.
With a sickening snap, he shattered Ashburn's arms. And before Ashburn could react, Doom slammed him into the ground with enough force to shake the entire planet.
A violent shockwave erupted on impact, the force cracking the landscape, sending tremors across continents.
Ashburn gasped, blood and bone fragments spilling from his mouth, his vision flickering. For a split second, his pupils went blank, His body almost shut down.
But he moved. Fighting through the searing pain, Ashburn ripped himself free—literally. With gritted teeth, he tore off his own arms, severing them before Doom could drain more of his energy. The moment he did, Doom's aura flared again. This time, Ashburn felt it. Doom had just gained access to mana.
Boom
Doom's leg shot forward, a devastating kick driving into Ashburn's stomach with bone-crushing force. Ashburn was sent rocketing backward, blood bursting from his mouth as his body tore through the air, crashing through the ruined landscape.
Even though Doom couldn't sense him, he didn't stop moving. With a flick of his hand, the shadows around them surged, twisting and reaching for Ashburn like hungry tendrils, trying to grasp and restrain him.
Boom!
Doom's body lurched forward violently, his head slamming into the ground as a massive hammer struck him from behind. The force of the impact cracked the earth, sending a shockwave rippling outward.
Ashburn had reappeared in an instant, standing over him.
Inside the world of shadows, Ashburn was everywhere and nowhere. He could strike from any angle, and move in an instant, and Doom had no way of knowing where he'd come from next. And Ashburn had kept many trumps cards, this one was called [Shadow Exchange]
Ashburn let out a mighty roar, his ever-changing weapon surging with power as it transformed once more. The massive war hammer pulsed, exploding with the combined might of [Ruler's Authority], Mana, and [Umbrakinesis], its very presence warping the space around it.
But he wasn't stopping there. The hammer dissolved instantly, shifting into two razor-sharp daggers, their edges humming with raw energy. With a flash of movement, Ashburn activated [Critical Attack].
In the same instant, he used [Dagger Throw], launching both daggers straight at Doom. At the same time. [Monarch Domain] activated. His shadow exploded outward, clashing with Doom's domain, which Doom began trying to absorb.
His entire power skyrocketed. Not twice. Not four times. Sixty-four times.
The daggers ripped through the air, moving at speeds beyond human perception, their strength amplified to a level that could tear through reality itself.
But Doom was no fool. At the last possible second, he reacted. With a sharp motion, the shadows around him surged, forming a barrier just in time, The daggers slammed into the dark shield, sending violent shockwaves tearing across the battlefield.
'His mastery over this domain is growing.' Ashburn narrowed his eyes, vanishing into the shadows and reappearing behind Doom. But Doom was fast. He had already turned, his reflexes razor-sharp, his control over the battlefield expanding by the second.
And in that instant, before Doom could counterattack, Quick Thing appeared. In a billionth of a second, an onslaught was unleashed. Millions upon millions of devastating fists crashed into Doom's back, each blow hitting with unimaginable force, shattering the air itself.
Doom, still attempting to absorb Ashburn's domain, was suddenly forced into a desperate struggle, trying to withstand the sheer magnitude of the assault.
But just as quickly as Quick Thing had appeared, it was gone, instantly retreating into Ashburn's shadow before Doom could react or siphon its strength.
Ashburn didn't stop. As Doom's own darkness twisted around them, Ashburn used his domain—not just to counter, But to consume.
The moment Doom attempted to absorb Ashburn's power, Ashburn's domain surged back, devouring Doom's darkness instead. Although he was losing since Doom overpowered him.