Chapter 25: Turning Danger into Safety
"Finally, it's over..."
Carter lowered his head slightly, pressing the brim of his hat. He sighed softly, a look of relief on his face.
"Kazakhstan... Kazakh... Kazakhstan... sin... evil... get... to... judge..."
Johnny uttered this fragmented sentence, his slightly dazed eyes slowly settling on Wes.
Wes subconsciously avoided his gaze, frowned slightly, and snapped, "Bastard, don't look at me!"
"It seems Mr. Wizard isn't such a good person after all."
Carter's lips curled into a slight, mocking smile.
"Yes, wizards are cruel..."
Wes froze at the words. There were clearly only three people present. Where was the fourth voice coming from?
He frowned and instinctively swept his wand in the direction of the sound.
He saw a man with pale hair standing quietly. He exuded an air of sophistication, holding a delicate cane, and a mysterious, dangerous aura emanated from him.
"Mephisto!"
Carter gasped upon seeing the man, then, without hesitation, fired two shots at him. However, the bullets passed through Mephisto's body like illusory things, leaving him completely unharmed.
Johnny rushed forward at incredible speed, aiming a fierce punch at Mephisto's face. Unsurprisingly, Mephisto simply gave him a look that seemed to cast a binding spell, freezing Johnny in place.
"It's so sad that my knight is so rude to me."
Mephisto slowly pulled out a white handkerchief and gently dabbed at tears that didn't exist, a disdainful smile outlining his lips.
Wes's heart tightened. He slowly backed away, increasing the distance between himself and Mephisto, all while quickly calculating an opportunity to use "Phantom Migration" to escape this dangerous place.
Johnny and Carter had signed a contract with Mephisto, making them, to some extent, his very special employees. Wes, however, wanted no part of any relationship with the Demon King from Hell.
"And you, little wizard." Mephisto's deep eyes landed on Wes with interest, as if appraising a new toy. "In the 'Future' I predicted, you don't exist."
Upon hearing this, Wes prepared to use his panel to immediately cross into another world. Just as the thought formed, Mephisto's hand suddenly appeared on Wes's shoulder like a ghost.
"When?!"
Wes was shocked, his body instantly tensing, not daring to move an inch.
"You've ruined my plan. How will you compensate me?"
Mephisto narrowed his eyes slightly and squeezed out a few fake tears. It looked incredibly pretentious. "My beloved child was brutally killed by you. Can you understand my sorrow at this moment?"
However, seeing that the three weren't cooperating with his performance, Mephisto gradually lost his desire to continue and grumbled, "You really don't appreciate art. I just put on an Oscar-worthy performance."
Mephisto slowly spread his five fingers, and the "San Venganza Contract" flew out of Wes's chest as if alive, landing steadily in Mephisto's hands.
"Ah, years of hard work finally culminating in this moment of gain."
A proud smile spread across Mephisto's face as he chanted a mysterious spell. In an instant, the "San Venganza Contract" glowed with an intense light, so bright it was impossible to look directly at it.
After a moment, the light disappeared, replaced by 3,000 holy souls floating in the air. When these souls saw Mephisto, they all tried to escape.
"This won't do. How can you not keep the promise of 'God'? This is a violation of the precepts." Mephisto frowned slightly, extending his right hand. A powerful suction poured forth, firmly trapping the 3,000 Holy Spirits, preventing their escape.
"Quick, think of a way!" Carter's face was anxious, his voice laced with nervousness. "When Mephisto absorbs these souls and opens the gates of hell, it'll be over!"
"What do you take me for? Can I deal with this level of big shot?" Wes was also panicking. What he wanted to do was escape while Mephisto was absorbing the souls, but his intuition told him that if he did, things would end very badly.
Wes hesitated, unsure what to do.
At this moment, an unexpected person stepped forward. The old priest walked steadily towards Mephisto, step by step, the whistling wind around him seemingly having no effect.
"Damn!" Mephisto's face instantly changed upon seeing the old priest. He said in shock, "Dormammu's idiot didn't trap you?"
A shimmering phantom suddenly emerged from the old priest's body, gradually becoming clearer. It was the Ancient One. After a brief stun, the old reverend rushed towards the church.
"It's been a long time." The Ancient One's voice was gentle, like a spring breeze, as if she had met an old friend she hadn't seen in many years.
"Are you here to expel me? This is just my avatar; even if it's abandoned, there's no loss." Mephisto was slightly stunned at first, then feigned realization. (The "one, one, one, one, one, one 619, one book, one, one, one, one, one, a book!" part seems like a transcription error and has been removed.)
"Oh, you're here for this contract."
Mephisto proudly took out the "San Venganza Contract" and shook it in his hand. "But this is the contract they signed with me voluntarily. I just came to fulfill this delayed agreement. Even you can't deny this contract."
The Ancient One nodded calmly and said, "You are right."
"Then what are you doing? Are you here to witness me open the gates of hell..." Mephisto's heart grew uneasy.
A spear suddenly appeared in the Ancient One's hands. Its style was quaint, even dilapidated. However, its tip was covered with blood—the blood of Jesus.
"The Spear of Longinus!" Mephisto's face became incredibly grim. He pretended to ask calmly, "He's joined forces with you?!"
"It's just a temporary cooperation. What I want is the stability of Earth. He needs these 3,000 Holy Spirits." The Ancient One shrugged and said blandly, "You know, when I was too heavy, His loss was a bit heavy, and I needed to continue to replenish troops."
"Damn!"
"Shameless!"
"How can He do this? He's worse than me, a devil!"
To Mephisto's helpless expression, the Spear of Longinus pierced the "San Venganza Contract." The "San Venganza Contract" turned to ashes little by little under the power of the spear tip.
"Forget it," Mephisto's face instantly turned extremely cold, as if he had become a different person. "It's but one of countless layouts."
Master Gu Yi (Ancient One) didn't care about him, just stood there quietly.
Mephisto took off his hat, bent slightly, and bowed: "Then goodbye, Supreme Master. I look forward to our next meeting." After speaking, his body slowly disappeared. In the last moment of his disappearance, he glanced at Wes.
A magnificent door suddenly appeared in the sky, surrounded by angels. The angels softly sang a sacred hymn. The Ancient One waved her sleeves, and the magnificent door and angels instantly vanished. The 3,000 Holy Spirits bowed towards the Ancient One and finally gathered into a ball, ascending into the sky. They left behind only a fist-sized crystal ball, hanging quietly in the air.
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