"Aron!"
"Damned be!"
In the Hellish Hell, a familiar curse echoed once again. Only this time it was not in vain, nor was Mordo accused again without reason.
"Open the dimensional channel! I will destroy the Earth! I will slaughter every life on it!"
Mephisto had never been this furious. His roar shattered the spaces of Hell, echoing among the fiery cliffs, making even the oldest demons retreat in silence.
No demon dared approach him, nor even look him in the eyes.
He roared for a long time, until his voice turned into a deep rumble, like lava calming in the belly of a volcano. Slowly, he managed to regain his composure.
"Dimensional channels… are not necessary," he finally uttered, his voice mixing calm with icy threat.
Unlike Belath, who was completely consumed by rage, Mephisto was calculating.
He withdrew his order for an invasion of Earth.
He knew what the other demons did not: the Ancient One was not dead. And as long as the Supreme Sorcerer still breathed, Earth would not fall.
"When the Supreme Sorcerer dies," he murmured to himself, "then the true time will come."
His decision was cold, calculated, though it did not satisfy him. His anger still burned, desperately needing a target upon which to vent.
"Bring me Johnny Blaze and that burning soul named Eli," Mephisto commanded, his voice like a blade.
The demon, who until then had hidden behind the crowd, barely dared to step forward. Trembling all over, he spoke, almost whispering:
"Great Lord… that Johnny Blaze, the one you captured… he… he has disappeared."
Mephisto slowly turned his head, and the redness in his eyes blazed like two devouring flames.
The demon lowered his gaze, his voice becoming quieter and quieter, as if it would vanish into his own shadow. He knew the nature of his master, and knew that every word brought him closer to death.
"What?!" Mephisto roared, jerking violently as he spun around.
Only then did he sense it, there truly was no trace of Blaze's breath in the Eternal Flame of Hell. He had vanished. Yet Eli, the burning soul he had kept under lock and key, was still there.
"I give you something, just one thing!" Mephisto thundered, his voice mingling with laughter full of madness. "One thing! And you… cannot even keep hold of a mere mortal!"
The air shook as Mephisto clenched his fist. The demon who had brought the bad news was lifted into the air, as if by Hell's very force, and in an instant his head exploded under an invisible grip. Ash scattered in the fire, leaving behind only the echo of his scream.
Mephisto immediately pointed at another demon, his eyes glowing with eerie crimson light. "You! Go and bring me—"
He did not finish.
Suddenly, a voice, so familiar and so hated, pierced directly into his ears. It was the voice he despised above all else.
"I summon…"
Aron's mocking voice echoed within Mephisto's mind. "In the Marvel world, I slaughtered one of your duplicates like a pig. You, the great lord of Hell, Mephisto."
With that voice came a force even Mephisto could not comprehend.
An incomprehensible energy pulled him, as if the very will of the summoner forced him to respond.
"What is this? A summoning ritual?" Mephisto trembled, not from fear, but from rage mixed with disbelief.
He knew every magic, every rite, every ritual. But this one… this one he had never heard of.
"You dare not come? Are you not the so-called Heavenly Father? And yet you lack the courage to appear in your true body?" Aron's voice continued to echo, always with the same tone of contempt and mockery.
"Too much… too much deceit!!" Mephisto thundered. His teeth ground together, threatening to crack under the pressure of his fury.
That man!
Not only had he destroyed one of his duplicates and stolen part of his power, now he dared to summon his true body!
"Good… good… GOOD!!" Each word was like a lightning strike.
"Man! Do you think that because you destroyed one of my shadows, you can stand shoulder to shoulder with me? Do you think you know what true power is!?"
Mephisto's patience shattered like glass. The emotions he had just calmed flared again, turning him into a storm of hellish rage.
"I! Mephisto, accept your challenge!!"
He growled.
He agreed to Aron's summons.
As soon as the words fell, a dazzling white light flashed and a passage to Earth opened.
Mephisto stepped into it without hesitation.
"Fool who doesn't know if he's alive or dead!"
"Now I will show you what it means… a True Heavenly Father!!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, he passed through the passage and saw the scene on the other side.
"Long time no see, Mephisto."
"I heard…"
"You shame my student."
On the other side of the passage, in the hall of Kamar-Taj, sat the Ancient One.
In front of her stood a tea table, and she calmly sipped from her cup, her face expressionless.
"..."
Seeing this scene, Mephisto was momentarily stunned. His mind froze completely.
After a few seconds, he regained himself and immediately spotted Aron sitting beside the Ancient One, a smile on his face.
"You…"
Mephisto was just about to burst out in fury.
Thud!
The Ancient One set her teacup on the table.
Mephisto had once said that among Heavenly Fathers there were differences in power.
Now the Ancient One had proven another truth with her actions: there is a vast gap even among true Heavenly Fathers.
"Sit and let's talk."
"..."
Mephisto had no choice but to calm down and sit.
He glared maliciously at Aron as he pulled out a chair and sat opposite the Ancient One and Aron.
Aron, with no sense of courtesy, raised his middle finger and pointed it at Mephisto.
An apology? None.
Because having someone like the Ancient One as support changes everything.
"Ahem."
The Ancient One noticed Aron's gesture and lightly coughed.
At the same time, using sound transmission magic, she whispered into Aron's ear: "Boy, don't forget Strange."
"Don't worry."
"I've already found the truck."
Aron replied with the same magic.
"Enough!"
Seeing them whispering to each other, Mephisto, already furious, felt even more humiliated.
"Ancient One!"
"I respect you as the Supreme Mage, but don't forget that I am also a Heavenly Father!"
"I am the Lord of the Hellish Hell!"
"Do you really want us to become enemies because of this mortal?"
An aura of rage surrounded Mephisto. Cracks began to spread through the space.
Of course, the hall they were in was only a mirror dimension.
A clash of two entities on the level of Heavenly Fathers would be far too dangerous in the real world.
"Mephisto, it seems you have forgotten. We were never allies."
"Our truce is only a temporary agreement."
Faced with his threats, the Ancient One did not even move.
"..."
Mephisto fell silent.
He had not expected the Ancient One to stand so firmly in defense of one man.
After a brief moment of thought, he tried to soften his tone and turn the situation to his advantage.
"Ancient One, do you know what this mortal has done?"
"He killed my son, Blackheart!"
"One of my duplicates was slain as well! He stole part of my power!"
The longer he spoke, the sharper his voice became, and the stronger his rage grew.
He was convinced this gave him extra weight in negotiations.
"???"
The Ancient One listened, but could not resist glancing at Aron.
"You, boy, are you doing this on purpose?"
"Master, you yourself always say to manage as best I can. And I am managing."
Aron replied with the same sound transmission magic.
Meanwhile, Mephisto increasingly felt he was losing authority.
His face twisted with rage as he roared:
"Ancient One, how do you intend for us to resolve this?!"
"..."
"I feel that… let it remain as it is."
"Aron is my successor. If he took your power, I do not consider that a problem."
"If you wish to use this as an excuse… it is pathetic."
The Ancient One paused for a moment, then rolled up her sleeves.
"If you truly wish to clash, then I will not hold back."
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