Setting Up the Magic Circle
Johnny patted himself down nervously.
"What did you do to me?"
"Relax," Xu Mo said calmly. "I just took a specimen."
"You still haven't answered my question!" Johnny pressed.
"They're in San Venganza," Xu Mo replied evenly. He lifted his hand, and a glowing portal formed. "I'll explain later. For now, just know this—our goals are the same. I'm here to deal with Blackheart too."
Without waiting for a reply, Xu Mo stepped through the portal.
Johnny blinked, shocked at the familiar scenery on the other side. The gateway led directly to San Venganza. He had come to the cemetery seeking Carter Slade and the contract—but the mysterious stranger had already taken it.
Rushing to the old gravekeeper, Johnny demanded, "I need that contract!"
Carter spread his hands helplessly and nodded toward the closing portal.
"It's already been taken… by him."
Johnny's face tightened. He leapt onto his motorcycle and gunned the engine, diving into the portal.
Carter hesitated but chose not to follow. The stranger clearly knew more than anyone here. Perhaps, Carter thought, he was the only one with a chance against Blackheart.
---
San Venganza.
The once-vibrant town was eerily deserted, its rotting buildings giving off the oppressive atmosphere of Silent Hill.
Ahead, Xu Mo spotted two figures. A pale man held a blonde woman hostage—Blackheart, and Johnny's girlfriend, Roxanne.
Blackheart eyed Xu Mo suspiciously. "Who are you?"
Xu Mo grinned. "Someone who can send you home."
In a blur, he appeared beside Blackheart. Blue flames surged over his fists—hellfire conjured through the Darkhold and dark energy.
Before Blackheart could react, Xu Mo drove his fist into him.
The demon's body burst apart into shreds of flesh, each scrap igniting with blue fire. A distorted scream echoed before the fragments were consumed entirely.
Xu Mo raised his hand, watching the fire burn. A satisfied smile touched his lips. This hellfire works perfectly against demons.
Moments later, Johnny roared into town on his bike. His eyes went wide as he found Roxanne standing alone.
"Where are they?" he demanded.
Roxanne blinked, dazed. "One's dead… the other's gone."
To her, it felt like a fever dream: one moment she was a hostage, the next, a stranger walked out of a portal, said a few words, threw a single punch—and the monster exploded into ash.
Not even an assembly line worked that fast.
---
Xu Mo returned to Death Island.
He knew Mephisto himself could not breach the dimensional defenses of the Sanctums. What appeared here was merely a projection, too weak to be of value.
Inside the Star Tower, Xu Mo unrolled the San Venganza Contract. A thousand souls swirled within—the damned residents of the town who had bargained with Mephisto centuries ago. Their desperation had bought survival, but at the cost of their humanity. Over the years, their souls had been twisted into malevolent spirits.
For now, the contract served him no purpose. He stored it within the Darkhold.
The hellfire, however, was another matter.
He envisioned undead soldiers wreathed in this flame. They might lack the versatility of a Ghost Rider, but in sheer combat power, they would rival—or surpass—him. Billions of such creatures could pin even Thanos's armies to the ground.
But there was no rush.
Checking his system panel, Xu Mo noted the reward: three million points. Blackheart had been stronger than the lesser demons he'd slain, but still only a small fry compared to Mephisto. If Xu Mo ever struck down the Lord of Hell himself, the points would surely be a hundredfold greater.
Blackheart's belief that absorbing a thousand souls would elevate him to Mephisto's level was laughable. If that were possible, Mephisto's throne would have been usurped long ago. In truth, Blackheart was just a child with dangerous delusions.
---
The next morning, Xu Mo stood on a nameless island east of Death Island—the largest among the nearby archipelagos. Here, he would build his magic circle.
After setting up a satellite shielding device, he began refining the silver he had retrieved, transforming it into mithril.
Two days earlier, he had cleared an open space of one square kilometer. Now, with hundreds of tons of silver refined, he painstakingly carved the intricate runes of the circle into the ground.
The process was tedious, demanding absolute precision. But Xu Mo's enhanced body could endure sleepless work for weeks.
After a full day and night of labor, the circle was complete. He sat in the center, meditating until his mental energy recovered.
At dawn, he rose, summoning the Darkhold. His body lifted into the air as the book opened before him.
It was time to begin casting.
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