The roar that echoed through the infernal halls carried enough fury to shake the bones embedded in the throne beneath it. The demon's voice was thick with rage as it thundered across the cavernous chamber. "Damn it! Ethan Voss, you insidious bastard. I'll kill you, tear you apart, cook you, and eat you piece by piece." His words came out like burning curses. "You think you can cheat me and walk away? Just wait. I'll drag you into hell myself. I'll make you beg for death before I annihilate your soul."
His fury did not stop there. The demon's eyes burned like molten coals as he spat out another threat. "And Odin, you old fraud. I will get my revenge on you too."
Deep within the Hell Dimension, the source of that rage sat upon a throne constructed entirely from piled skeletons. The demon lord's body was massive, his skin a deep crimson that seemed to glow under the hellfire lighting the chamber. Two curved horns rose from his skull, while bull-like hooves supported his towering form. A long tail twitched behind him as his anger boiled over.
Below the throne, a mass of lesser demons knelt in terrified silence. None of them dared to lift their heads or meet the demon lord's gaze. They trembled like leaves in a storm, pressing themselves against the ground as if trying to disappear.
The lord of the underworld, Mephistopheles, continued to curse for a long time before finally growing tired. His breathing grew heavier, and eventually he slumped back against the throne, irritation still flickering across his face. The demons below him remained frozen in fear, too terrified to even move.
Seeing their pathetic state only made his mood worse. His eyes suddenly narrowed, and he jabbed a finger toward one of the demons in the front row. "What are you staring at? How dare you look me in the eye. Are you trying to die?"
With a casual wave of his hand, a cloud of black mist erupted from his palm. The unlucky demon was instantly struck by the blast and hurled violently across the chamber, crashing into the far wall with a sickening impact.
The rest of the demons nearly fainted in terror. Their bodies trembled uncontrollably as they pressed their faces harder against the ground.
Mephistopheles waved his hand again, clearly annoyed by their presence. "Get lost."
The order triggered immediate panic. The entire group scrambled away from the throne room as quickly as possible, fleeing the chamber like frightened animals.
Once the hall had emptied, the mighty Lord of Hell leaned back and released a long, exhausted sigh. The anger in his expression faded slightly, replaced by something far more unpleasant.
This time, the losses had been severe.
The assistance he received from Nightmare had come at a steep price. Those powerful artifacts he had brought into the battle had cost him dearly as well. Worse still, he had even borrowed the terrifying black flame for the operation.
And now everything was gone.
The thought made his chest tighten painfully. For a moment he sat there silently, feeling as though his heart was being squeezed.
While he was still mourning his losses, a ripple suddenly spread through the air in front of him. The disturbance in space was subtle, but to someone of his power it was impossible to miss.
He lifted his head.
A figure had appeared in the air above the throne room, suspended calmly in midair as if gravity had no authority over her.
It was the Ancient One.
Her calm voice echoed softly through the ruined chamber. "Mephisto, I've come to cause you some trouble."
Mephistopheles stared at her for a moment before letting out a harsh laugh. "Have you been drinking counterfeit alcohol or something? Do you even realize where you are right now?"
His tone dripped with mockery as he gestured around them. "This is hell. My territory."
His eyes narrowed as his voice hardened. "Do you think this is still your little playground on Earth? What gives you the confidence to come here acting so arrogant, little mage?"
The fury in his voice finally erupted. "Old woman, don't push your luck. This is my domain. You're the one looking for trouble."
Despite the fury in his tone, the demon lord still maintained the outward appearance of a refined old gentleman. That elegant demeanor was something he deliberately cultivated. After all, maintaining the image of a sophisticated dealmaker made business much easier.
But beneath that surface, every creature in the Hell Dimension knew the truth. Demons were never gentle by nature. Every single one of them was a veteran of brutality.
The Ancient One showed no reaction to his threats. Her expression remained calm as she answered simply, "Then let's test that."
The moment the words left her lips, dark lines suddenly spread across her face like creeping veins. A terrifying aura erupted from her body as she drew upon forbidden power.
Mephistopheles immediately inhaled sharply in shock. "Have you lost your mind? Drawing power from the Dark Dimension like that will destroy your body."
"You don't need to worry about me," she replied, her voice slightly hoarse.
The demon lord snorted coldly and stopped talking.
This was hell, after all. His home ground. The environment itself constantly fed him power, replenishing his energy without end.
There was no way he could lose here.
The battle exploded into existence in the next instant.
Space trembled violently as their powers collided. Darkness flooded the surrounding region as shockwaves tore through the infernal landscape.
Buildings collapsed one after another under the pressure of the fight. Many unfortunate demons who failed to escape in time were crushed or obliterated instantly.
After a long and brutal clash, both combatants finally retreated.
Neither had gained the advantage. The fight had ended in a draw.
Mephistopheles glanced at the Ancient One carefully. The effects of her reckless power usage were already visible. Her face had aged noticeably, the strain of absorbing dark energy clearly taking its toll.
He sneered. "Why aren't you running away yet? If you keep fighting, you'll die here."
The Ancient One calmly exhaled. "I don't think so."
As she finished speaking, she began chanting softly. A glowing blue talisman suddenly appeared over her chest.
In the blink of an eye, her body returned to the condition it had been in before the battle began.
Mephistopheles stared in disbelief. "The Eye of Agamotto. That's shameless cheating."
The Ancient One ignored his complaint entirely. Instead, she spoke casually. "I've fought Dormammu many times. Battles with him make my blood boil."
Her eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at him. "But you… well."
The unfinished sentence was more insulting than any direct mockery.
Mephistopheles exploded in anger. "What did you just say? You think I'm weaker than that flaming rat? You're talking nonsense."
The demon lord launched forward again.
Black markings once more spread across the Ancient One's face as she drew deeper from forbidden power.
Another devastating battle erupted.
Time passed.
When the fighting stopped again, the Ancient One once more restored herself to her original state.
Mephistopheles looked around at the ruined landscape beneath his feet. The territory was now a massive wasteland littered with broken structures and the corpses of countless demons.
A realization suddenly dawned on him.
"So that's why you kept moving the entire time," he muttered.
His eyes flashed with anger as he glared at her. "Ancient One, you shameless woman. Aren't you worried I'll take revenge on the people of Earth?"
Her expression instantly turned cold. "You still want revenge? Are you asking to die?"
The battle resumed yet again.
Eventually, the Ancient One once more returned to her pristine condition while Mephistopheles felt utterly drained.
He looked across the devastated territory and waved his hand dismissively. "You can leave now. I won't go to Earth again."
Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked away with a defeated expression.
His retreating figure looked surprisingly miserable.
The Ancient One watched him go silently. She knew better than to push a Hell Lord of such power too far. The lesson delivered today was already severe enough.
Satisfied with the outcome, she returned to Earth.
Meanwhile, within the Kingdom of God, Ethan Voss began inspecting the Witch-Heart Demon.
The creature was not dead. Although it hovered on the brink of death, its life had not yet completely faded.
Once inside the divine realm, the nightmare sand covering the demon's face was peeled away layer by layer by Ethan.
The Kingdom of God quickly analyzed the strange substance.
It turned out to be a creation of the Nightmare Lord himself. The sand possessed the horrifying ability to drag victims into an illusion where endless nightmares tormented their minds.
Ethan had no real interest in keeping it.
Nearby, Johnny Blaze and Carter Slade were both unconscious.
Earlier, Mephistopheles had forcibly manipulated them through their contracts, causing serious damage to their souls.
Ethan located the two infernal contracts within Mephisto's human vessel. Once he terminated them, the connection between the demon lord and the two Ghost Riders was severed.
Even so, their condition did not improve immediately.
Of course, during the restoration process Ethan made a few… minor adjustments. The changes were small enough to appear accidental.
Once those matters were handled, it was finally time for the real prize.
Mephisto's staff.
And the Void Devouring Flame.
Ethan was extremely curious about how Mephisto had managed to seal space itself. The barrier had been powerful enough to hold even the Ancient One at bay.
Considering how weak the demon lord's human vessel had been, it seemed unlikely the power came directly from him.
Which meant the answer was probably the staff.
The Kingdom of God immediately began analyzing it.
The results appeared quickly.
The ability turned out to be a type of magic similar to the Ancient One's Mirror Dimension. Its defense came from a layer of distorted space surrounding the barrier, making it extremely difficult for outside attacks to reach the interior.
However, the magic had weaknesses.
From the inside, the barrier could be broken in two ways. One option was to exhaust the massive amount of black mist generated during the casting process. The other method was to shatter the distorted space directly with overwhelming power.
Thinking back, Ethan realized something.
When he transformed into the Blue Flame Knight that day, he might actually have had enough power to break the spell himself.
Unfortunately, the magic had expired before he could attempt it.
The staff itself was not especially valuable. The true treasure was the magical structure engraved within it.
However, using it again would require energy drawn from hell.
Ethan considered this thoughtfully.
His divine realm now possessed two separate magical systems: Asgardian magic and hellish magic.
Despite their differences, they were fundamentally similar.
Both relied on borrowing power from another source.
Asgardian magic drew strength from Asgard itself. Hell magic drew its power from the Hell Dimension.
The Ancient One operated in a similar manner. Her abilities were fueled by the Vishanti, though she also tapped into power from the Dark Dimension.
In Ethan's case, his power came from the Kingdom of God itself.
If he had to give it a name, his magic would be divine magic.
Or perhaps something even more fundamental.
Primal magic.
So far, the rewards from this battle had been very satisfying.
Only one item remained.
The Void Devouring Flame.
Earlier, Ethan had pushed the Kingdom of God to its limits when he granted himself the strength of six hundred Wolverines. The transformation and the shrinking oasis had caused significant damage to the divine realm.
To repair everything would require roughly the power equivalent of one thousand Wolverines.
Ethan focused his attention on the black flame hovering before him.
"Analyze the Void Devouring Flame," he murmured silently.
The process took longer than usual.
Finally, the Kingdom of God produced its answer.
The Void Devouring Flame could be converted into energy equivalent to the power of two thousand Wolverines.
Ethan's eyes lit up immediately.
He had made a huge profit.
The black flame slowly descended into his palm. At that moment, he could feel that he now had complete control over it.
According to the Kingdom of God's analysis, the flame possessed an extremely terrifying devouring ability.
Flame?
Ethan frowned slightly.
Then a wild idea suddenly appeared in his mind.
.....
Join my p@treon and read ahead by more than 60+ chapters.
Link : [email protected]/InfinityWeaver
Free members can read the next two chapters for free on my p@treon