"Wait!"
Ethan Voss suddenly roared.
Mephistopheles paused, his hand still raised with the black flame dancing above his palm. The devil slowly tilted his head, curiosity flickering across his face.
"Is there anything else you'd like to say?"
"Don't kill me!"
Mephistopheles raised an eyebrow.
"Heh," he chuckled. "I thought you were some kind of fearless martyr."
"Relax," the devil continued calmly. "I have no intention of killing you. At the moment, you're far too important to me."
A glimmer of hope appeared on Ethan's face.
"Really?" he said quickly. "That's great. You clearly have excellent taste."
He pointed at the black flame in Mephistopheles' hand.
"That thing must be incredibly expensive, right? I hope it's valuable enough to make up for my losses."
Ethan sighed dramatically.
"You've been so generous that I almost don't want to kill you anymore."
He shook his head sadly.
"But no, I still have to retaliate."
His tone suddenly turned playful.
"When you get back to Hell, you should find a way to return and play with me again as soon as possible."
"Next time you choose a human host, pick someone better."
"I'd recommend a tall blonde with long legs, big breasts, a full backside, and a perfect figure."
Ethan grinned.
"We could have a long, pleasant conversation then."
"You'll definitely enjoy it."
Mephistopheles blinked.
"…What?"
The rambling nonsense left the Lord of Hell momentarily confused.
"Hehe."
Ethan suddenly laughed.
"Hey," he said casually, pointing behind the devil. "Those two guys on fire behind you look pretty cool, don't they?"
"But I'll show you something even cooler."
Before Mephistopheles could react, a blue flame suddenly ignited inside Ethan's eyes.
The next moment—
Boom.
Blue fire exploded outward in every direction.
The flaming chains and burning lasso binding Ethan shattered instantly.
A blazing storm of blue fire erupted around him, forcing Mephistopheles to take several steps backward.
Then the fire condensed.
Before the devil stood a gigantic skull made entirely of blue flames.
Behind Ethan, Johnny and Carter Slade suddenly looked insignificant.
Compared to the massive blue skull, the two Ghost Riders resembled nothing more than a reckless child standing beside a fully grown warrior.
"Morpheus!"
The thunderous voice shook the entire hall.
"This is my trump card!"
"I call it—"
"The Power of Six Hundred Wolverines!"
He tilted his burning skull slightly.
"Or you could call it…"
"The Power of Twelve Ghost Riders."
Now transformed into a three-meter-tall blue-flame skeleton, Ethan Voss looked down at Mephistopheles from above.
The power surging through his body was overwhelming.
Every movement felt capable of shattering the world itself.
Despite his arrogance, Ethan had never once underestimated the Lord of Hell.
Mephistopheles was ancient, cunning, and terrifying.
And Ethan cherished his own life.
That was why he had prepared this final weapon.
Inside his Divine Kingdom, he had gathered primordial energy equivalent to six hundred Wolverines.
Using that energy, he forged a terrifyingly powerful vengeful spirit meant only for himself.
The cost had been enormous.
To create it, Ethan sacrificed eight demons and severely weakened the Divine Oasis within his realm.
The damage was so severe that restoring the kingdom would require the equivalent power of at least a thousand Wolverines.
Mephistopheles stared in genuine shock.
The last time he had felt this surprised was probably more than a thousand years ago.
"What… what is this?"
His voice trembled with disbelief.
"How could such a vengeful spirit exist?"
"That's impossible!"
"I've never heard of anything like this!"
The giant blue skull raised a burning finger and pointed down at the devil.
"It's over, Mephistopheles."
Behind him, the two Ghost Riders suddenly charged forward.
But Ethan moved faster.
With lightning speed, he grabbed one flaming rider in each hand.
Boom!
Boom!
He slammed their skulls together violently before smashing them into the floor.
For now, at least, neither Ghost Rider would be standing up again.
Mephistopheles stared at the scene in stunned silence.
He glanced at the black flame still burning in his hand and prepared to act—
But Ethan was faster.
The enormous blue skeleton grabbed both of the devil's arms.
The overwhelming difference in strength was absolute.
Mephistopheles couldn't move.
His feet even lifted off the ground as Ethan raised him into the air.
"I hope I get enough compensation," Ethan said coldly.
"Otherwise I'll personally come to Hell to find you."
"Mephistopheles."
Then Ethan looked directly into the devil's eyes.
His flames flared brighter.
"Judgment Gaze."
"No—!"
An endless tide of evil memories surged forward, drowning Mephistopheles' consciousness.
Moments later, his glowing eyes turned into burning embers.
His body went completely still.
Unlike the Witchheart Demon, Mephistopheles possessed a soul.
And the Judgment Gaze showed no mercy.
Soon the black mist surrounding the hall began to fade.
The spatial seal collapsed as the fog slowly dispersed.
Ethan returned to his normal form.
Without wasting time, he opened a portal and moved everyone present—including several items left behind by Mephistopheles—into the Divine Kingdom.
Only after everything was secured did the heavy doors of the hall open again.
The Ancient One stepped inside.
"Are you alright?" she asked calmly.
Ethan sighed dramatically.
"Oh no, it's terrible."
"My three best friends are seriously injured and barely clinging to life."
He shook his head sadly.
"It's unbelievable that such a powerful demon could exist in this world."
"Who let them in here?"
"Is no one going to deal with them?"
He placed a hand over his chest.
"Fortunately, there are still a few righteous people left in this world."
"Some individuals possess incredible power but refuse to protect the planet."
"What a tragedy."
The Ancient One remained completely expressionless.
"Mephistopheles has found an ally," she said quietly.
"Nightmare."
"Using the power of dreams, Nightmare manipulated a large group of people to attack my Sanctum."
She folded her hands calmly.
"The magical barrier created by the three Sanctums weakened slightly."
"That allowed Mephistopheles to bring those powerful artifacts into the mortal world."
Ethan blinked.
Nightmare.
He knew that name.
Another ruler of Hell.
The lord of dreams.
Nightmare could draw power directly from humanity's fears and nightmares.
Suddenly Ethan remembered the purple sand Mephistopheles had thrown at the Witchheart Demon earlier.
That Nightmare Sand likely originated from this very being.
Still puzzled, Ethan asked another question.
"How did Mephistopheles convince Nightmare to help him?"
The Ancient One nodded slightly.
"Mephistopheles excels at making deals."
"And Nightmare also has desires."
"If the price is high enough, cooperation becomes possible."
Ethan nodded slowly.
Then another thought suddenly crossed his mind.
"Do you know about a type of Hellfire called Void Devouring Flame?"
The Ancient One thought for a moment.
"Long ago, after the fall of a powerful Flame Emperor Demon God, twenty-three types of Hellfire were born from his body."
"One of them was the Void Devouring Flame."
Ethan's eyes lit up.
Wait.
Did that mean the terrifying flame he just encountered was actually something incredibly rare?
However, the Ancient One's next sentence immediately crushed his excitement.
"Mephistopheles could never possess a true Void Devouring Flame."
"At best, what he used was a pseudo-flame that had once coexisted with the real one and inherited a small fragment of its properties."
Ethan sighed quietly.
Well.
That still counted as valuable.
The Ancient One studied him carefully.
She could sense an unusual energy lingering around him.
However, she didn't ask any further questions.
Everyone had secrets.
She had her own as well.
Sometimes, uncovering every secret in the world could be far more terrifying than ignorance.
Since no one had been seriously harmed, she prepared to leave.
But the matter was far from finished.
Some individuals would soon pay a very heavy price.
Otherwise, even greater evils would begin coveting this world.
Not long after the Ancient One departed, the police and members of the Justice League finally arrived.
Someone had noticed strange activity near the Typhon Building and called the police.
The police contacted building security, and security eventually informed the Justice League.
The message passed through multiple layers of communication, wasting valuable time.
Even if they had arrived earlier, though, they probably wouldn't have been able to break through Mephistopheles' barrier.
The devil had seized the perfect opportunity.
Even the Hulk Ethan had prepared inside his Divine Kingdom ended up being unnecessary.
After sending everyone away, Ethan finally returned to the luxurious apartment at the top of the Typhon Building.
He opened another portal.
Then stepped inside.
It was time to review today's earnings.
Hopefully the results wouldn't disappoint him.
.....
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