Lucifer downed a glass of whiskey.
"Then why was he able to hold back?"
"If he couldn't hold back, My Lord, would you really have slept with him for a night?" Mezikeen stood by with a wine bottle, her face full of curiosity.
Inside the bar, the lights were dim and ambiguous, and the old photos on the walls appeared even more mysterious in the interplay of light and shadow.
"Of course, if it were him, I wouldn't mind trying."
With a clatter, the wine bottle slipped from Mezikeen's hand. She was utterly shocked; initially, she thought My Lord Lucifer was toying with humans, or would eventually use a clone or illusion, but she never expected him to be serious.
"My Lord Lucifer, with your status, there's no need to go to such lengths."
Lucifer used her pinky to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear, her perfect profile even more captivating in the faint light, making Mezikeen's eyes burn with desire.
"You know why I betrayed God."
"...Legend says you couldn't stand the order of Heaven," Mezikeen thought for a moment before saying.
"That's partly true, but the main reason is destiny."
"Destiny?"
"Yes, destiny, fated to be, I would betray God and become the Lord of Hell. I am the dark side created by God; my existence is an anchor, a tool.
But to defy destiny, I still betrayed God and destroyed the World, yet every time I destroyed the World, God would recreate it. So I grew tired and came to the human World to open a small bar, quietly awaiting destiny's arrival."
Lucifer stirred the orange liquid in her glass with her finger, lost in thought. Her gaze became deep and distant, as if she could see the past through the small glass.
"Then are you truly certain that human can take you away? That's God!"
The bar was so quiet that only breathing could be heard, making Mezikeen's voice exceptionally loud.
"When he first appeared, I could still sense the aura of another World, but in just an instant, his aura had already merged into this World, indistinguishable from other humans, like ink dropping into the ocean, disappearing without a trace in the blink of an eye."
"Then, My Lord, you just let him leave, turning him into your slave..."
Mezikeen's throat felt as if something was blocking it, unable to utter a single word.
She could only kneel on the ground, her knees bearing immense pressure, causing cracks to appear on the floor beneath her. The golden pupils emitted a powerful coercion that almost made Mezikeen unable to breathe.
"Mezikeen, this is my only chance; there can be no accidents, do you understand?" At this moment, Lucifer truly displayed the majesty of the Lord of Hell.
"Yes... Your Majesty." After saying this, Mezikeen collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath.
"I'm going back to Hell for a trip."
Only when the bar was completely quiet did Mezikeen lift her head, her eyes filled with infatuation.
She approached the leftover drink Lucifer had consumed and greedily sucked it up.
"My Lord Lucifer."
Mezikeen, Lucifer's most trusted demon, and also a lesbian.
Meanwhile, Qinuo carried Mandarin to a rooftop.
The city, shrouded in darkness, lay before them—Gotham, the city of sin, permeated with an aura of decay and depravity.
Dim streetlights emitted faint glows through the fog, barely illuminating a small area beneath one's feet. Distant skyscrapers loomed like shadowy giants hidden in the darkness.
Qinuo toyed with the ring in his hand, quietly waiting for the time to end.
3, 2, 1
Mandarin's head tilted back, and he fell to the ground.
What's going on? I should have turned that guy into ashes. And my face hurts so much.
"Is this another one of your abilities? Rapid self-healing, spatial movement, invisible attacks..."
Mandarin noticed Qinuo standing at the edge of the rooftop.
"Not this time."
Qinuo turned around, and Mandarin stared intently at the ring in his hand, unable to believe his eyes. He extended his hands and found that his ten rings were gone.
"Those are my Ten Rings! When did you steal them?" Mandarin's voice was filled with anger and confusion.
However, without his rings, he was just a long-lived ordinary human, no longer possessing superpowers, so he dared not act rashly.
Qinuo said, "Actually, I should thank you. You were the first person to make me feel fear—the fear of losing Venom, and the fear of almost dying. They made me realize that no matter which World, I am not strong, and I cannot rest easy just by relying on my ability to traverse Worlds."
After speaking, Qinuo casually selected a ring and put it on his index finger. His brainwaves automatically connected with the ring, and he understood its use.
Seeing this, Mandarin quickly shouted, "Wait, we can talk!"
"I don't want to listen."
As soon as he finished speaking, the ring on Qinuo's finger shot out a dazzling White light, instantly engulfing Mandarin's entire body.
The light was like the arrival of daylight, illuminating the entire rooftop. In the blink of an eye, Mandarin's body turned into countless specks of dust, scattering with the breeze and disappearing without a trace.
Spectrum Ring: The energy beam it releases destroys all bonds between the atoms and molecules of the impacted object.
Qinuo felt no pleasure of revenge, only waves of nausea.
In the past, Venom did the killing, and he could deceive himself that it wasn't his doing, like watching a movie, only feeling the thrill.
"Ugh... Thank you, Venom."
Qinuo felt nauseous, but the feeling quickly disappeared. He understood that Venom was controlling his internal organs.
[Why didn't you let me do it?]
Venom's head popped out and asked, puzzled. He knew Qinuo's past experiences; he hadn't even killed a chicken before.
"Because I want to become stronger. I can't always rely on you. I want to be able to protect you when you're in danger, instead of relying on luck and finding others to protect you."
Qinuo hugged Venom's large head.
[You idiot.]
"Idiot then, so be it."
Qinuo walked alone in the alley, the surrounding walls mottled and dilapidated, emitting a decaying smell.
Soon, he was surrounded.
"Kid, if you don't want an extra hole in your body, hand over your money."
"Wait, this kid is so good-looking, let me cut his face a few times."
"Idiot, he's so good-looking, of course we should sell him. I happen to know a boss who's into this."
Qinuo frowned at these niggers. They were dressed in rags; how much money could they have? They sacrificed their looks, only to attract this kind of trash.
"Forget it, Venom, get them. Their limbs..."
"You bastards, stay away from him."
A delicate shout came from the alley, and a green woman walked out, leaning against the wall.
Her body seemed unstable, her greenness appearing and disappearing intermittently. The faint moonlight shone on her, casting her distorted silhouette.
"Hahaha, who are you, freak?"
"Doesn't matter, we'll sell you too."
"Green-skinned monster will definitely fetch a high price."
Pamela Lillian Isley's body mutated after her Professor deceived her into injecting a chemical. She had been studying her body during this time.
She hoped to return to normal, or at least be able to freely control the toxins in her body; otherwise, living in the human World, she would be a source of plague.
To avoid being discovered, she took an alley she usually didn't, but unexpectedly encountered a robbery.
"Who are you calling a monster?"
Pamela felt her anger surge. She controlled vines to grow from the ground, thrashing and whipping several people, leaving bloody, mangled marks.
The vines were thick and strong, with sharp barbs, whistling through the air.