Peter was dutifully cleaning the church. Just as Matt had said, this small church was both old and dilapidated. Many areas looked like they hadn't been repaired or maintained for twenty or thirty years, and very few people visited. Even after cleaning inside the church for one or two hours, he hadn't seen a single member of the congregation walk in.
"Even though today isn't Sunday, I still find it a bit strange. According to what you said, this is the only church in Hell's Kitchen, right? Since it's the only one, a decent number of people should be coming. Could it be that the people of Hell's Kitchen aren't Christians, but pagans instead?"
Holding a broom, Peter questioned Matt. The priest himself was currently cleaning another room. Upon hearing Peter's question, Matt merely offered a calm response.
"This is not the only church in Hell's Kitchen; it is the only white Protestant church in Hell's Kitchen. There are quite a few Black priests in Hell's Kitchen, and their churches see a fair amount of attendance. Of course, the more prominent reason is that no one has ever considered that there would be a white church in Hell's Kitchen."
After saying this, Matt spoke in a half-jesting manner: "In fact, the priest himself said that he actually wishes everyone would just treat him as Black. He doesn't care about the skin color of those who come to attend Mass anyway, but unfortunately, that's not how everyone else thinks."
Peter shrugged upon hearing this. Matt remained seated there, completely motionless. Although both Peter and the priest knew that Matt was Daredevil, in his role as an attorney, Matt Murdock was nothing more than a blind lawyer. You couldn't expect a blind person to handle the cleaning.
So, he simply sat there, listening to Peter busying himself up and down. Suddenly, Matt tapped his blind cane against the floor a few times. Peter looked toward Matt, caught the shape of his mouth, and rapidly turned invisible along with his broom.
Following that, a person completely unexpected by Peter walked into the church. It was Kingpin. He hadn't brought any subordinates along, stepping inside completely alone.
"It is a pleasure to meet you here, Mr. Murdock. I am delighted to share a piece of good news with you: my application for medical parole has been approved, and I am now a free man once more."
Kingpin sat down beside Matt, to which Matt merely replied indifferently, "Temporarily."
Silence began to spread between the two men. After a short while, Matt questioned Kingpin in return: "What about you then? What are you doing here?"
"I merely have a few doubts that I wish to find answers to. For instance, I now know that your woman was not actually killed by Bullseye. However, you did indeed kill Bullseye for real, yet you weren't corrupted... Why is that?"
Kingpin looked at Matt. Hidden within this question of his was a deeper underlying meaning: Had Daredevil abandoned his no-kill rule?
"Because I knew Bullseye couldn't die, Fisk. The person who repaired his spine gave him a healing factor; Spider-Man helped me look into this matter. Moreover, compared to last time, what he did this time was practically nothing."
The "last time" Matt referred to was when he had thrown Bullseye down from a high-rise building because Bullseye had killed his girlfriend. During that bout of rage, Matt had truly believed he killed Bullseye, and he had even chosen to give up being Daredevil for several months until Bullseye returned alive and kicking.
Compared to that time, this instance was nothing.
Hearing this, Kingpin finally nodded. He intended to ask something else, but Matt beat him to the punch, asking first: "Fisk, how did you summon the Ghost Rider?"
"Did Spider-Man ask you to find out?"
"He is indeed investigating this, but that doesn't mean he could foresee us meeting here. Therefore, it is I who am asking you."
Kingpin pondered over this question for a moment before replying, "It was during the first half of the year. I encountered a man who helped me settle a few matters inside the prison and displayed some methods as well. Consequently, I made a deal with him and obtained the scroll to summon the Ghost Rider."
Though looking back after the fact, this deal was completely useless. Kingpin's plan had been to use the Ghost Rider's Penance Stare to instantly kill the fallen Daredevil once Matt succumbed to corruption, completely resolving the issue. Yet, he hadn't expected that Matt hadn't been corrupted at all and was entirely putting on an act, let alone that the Penance Stare was actually ineffective against Set.
Instead, he had been used as a tool by Mephisto.
Hearing this, Matt didn't press any further with questions. Kingpin then proceeded to explain the second reason for his visit: "I have already persuaded the NYPD and the court to try the cases of Typhoid Mary, that Japanese woman, and your woman as a single consolidated case."
"Which means Elektra's verdict will definitely be identical to theirs. You want to make a deal—if I am to clear Elektra of her charges, then the other two must be cleared as well."
For Matt, the probability of securing an acquittal defense for Elektra was exceptionally high, because the brainwashing by the Hand was an objective fact, and both the Defenders and the Avengers could provide evidence. In other words, Elektra had become a killing tool for the Hand while entirely unconscious of her actions.
However, this exact set of reasons could similarly be applied to Typhoid Mary and Lady Bullseye. If Elektra was innocent, they would be innocent too, and these individuals were destined to become Kingpin's subordinates.
Matt smiled. "Are they innocent?"
"Is your woman innocent? True, she didn't know what she was doing, but the blood on her hands is real. How many people did she kill for the Hand?"
At this point, Kingpin paused briefly before continuing: "Naturally, I know you wouldn't mind letting your woman stay in prison for a few years. However, we have a better alternative, don't we? Hell's Kitchen belongs to you now, demon. Do whatever you want with it; I am leaving."
This time, Matt was genuinely surprised. He looked at Kingpin with a look of incomprehension, asking back: "Where do you plan to go? Fleeing abroad?"
"New York, Matt. With the dawn of the Age of Heroes, New York has become the center of the vortex. The underground business is no longer suited for the future; New York City is where I should perform my dance. I am more than happy to serve the citizens of New York, the people of New York, and the superheroes of New York, my friend."
Kingpin stood up as he spoke, looking forward to the outcome of the trial with great anticipation. But before Kingpin could leave, Matt called out to stop him, asking a question that caught him completely off guard.
"What are your thoughts regarding the recent matters between Roxon Energy Corporation and Stark Industries?"
"You are asking me?"
"Yes. Spider-Man is quite interested in this, and I want to know why."
Fisk smiled, and then provided Matt with an answer: "Don't go buying Roxon stock, demon, or else you will turn into a demon in the literal sense."
"At least, that is what the Devil himself told me."