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Chapter 267: Openly Breaking the Contract
"Excellent, excellent!" Mephisto was delighted. He would reap two Demigod souls.
The power of the Demon's Contract had already bound Dormammu tightly. The Monarch of the Dark Dimension was in an utterly wretched state, forced to watch as he was branded with Tony's Mark.
This sense of humiliation and the inconceivable situation nearly drove the proud Dormammu mad. He wanted to open his mouth and shout out Tony's secret, but a single glare from Tony made all his words die in his throat. The power from the contract prevented him from uttering a single word before Tony gave an order.
Tony's omnipresent control nearly made him spit blood.
Humiliation. An utter disgrace.
To be outmaneuvered by a mere worm and become his slave.
"Mephisto, you bastard, I won't let you get away with this!" Dormammu snarled, his eyes red as he glared at Mephisto.
If it weren't for this Demon's interference, he would have already obtained everything he desired!
Damned bastard, vile Demon!
He couldn't curse Tony, so he could only vent his frustration on Mephisto.
"To a demon, curses are the most wonderful compliments." Mephisto said with a pleased expression, beckoning to Tony. "Tony, take your slave and come back to Hell with me. You will follow the great Mephisto, make a name for yourself in Hell, rule countless planets, and your great name will spread throughout the Multiverse."
"Heh!"
"Heh!"
Dormammu and Tony sneered simultaneously. What a grand promise, perhaps a little too grand.
Tony pressed one hand on Dormammu's head while his other hand pulled a chain-like object out from his soul.
In a physical state, this object would be impossible to see. Only in a soul state could one barely sense it, and thus make contact and control it.
Only the soul of a Demigod could touch something related to the fundamental rules of existence.
The reason a Demigod was a Demigod was because of the profound transformation of their soul. For many things, the Demigod level was the minimum threshold. Even though Tony had relied on an external force to ascend, he was still a Demigod.
"You devour my power, wait until you ascend to Demigod, and then seize my Dark Core... You sheared the sheep for its wool, and now you're going to slaughter it. You've calculated everything perfectly. Where the hell did a guy like you come from? So treacherous!" Dormammu watched helplessly as his power was stripped away bit by bit. He wanted to curse, but he couldn't.
The power of the contract forbade him from cursing his master, and the occasional glances Tony shot his way carried a strong warning.
The power of the Allspark began to surge. Dormammu's soul power was analyzed by the Allspark, and then absorbed by Tony, pre-empting any little tricks Dormammu might have had in mind.
Dormammu stared at the Allspark with red eyes, his face a mask of longing, helplessness, and pent-up frustration. It was this very thing that had caused him to fail on the verge of success.
Mephisto glanced briefly at the Dark Core and lost interest. His hobby was deceiving souls, and he especially enjoyed the wonderfully exquisite process of toying with sorrowful souls until they were utterly lost.
At this moment, he was far more interested in the Allspark. That object, which was beginning to grow dim and existed somewhere between presence and absence, was still stubbornly emitting light.
Moreover, it seemed that because of Tony's ascension to Demigod, the Allspark, which was bound to him, had also begun to change, to evolve.
A burst of power related to the fundamental rules erupted before quickly receding. It was fragile and indistinct, but it was real.
Mephisto's face was filled with delight. Two Demigod souls, plus an unknown artifact that could apparently be used multiple times to enhance a soul—they were all his.
Yes, he had thought the Allspark was a single-use item, but it appeared to be reusable. This was excellent.
"Come back to Hell with me. You used the Demon Contract I left behind. Your soul belongs to me, and you cannot defy this. Don't try any tricks; it's useless," Mephisto said.
Dormammu glanced at Tony, then at Mephisto, and sneered relentlessly.
"You're too arrogant. How strong can the power of a contract be from a mere parchment scroll created from your true body as the source?" Dormammu sneered.
"It's more than enough to bind two Demigods. I imagine Tony is a clever man, or he wouldn't have used this ancient contract of mine. To be honest, I'd thrown this type of contract to the back of my mind years ago. I never thought it would be brought out and used again one day," Mephisto said.
He tapped his staff lightly, and a surge of magic power began to gather as Mephisto started transmitting a message to his main body. Two Demigod souls... it would be very difficult for his power-depleted, frail clone to take them back. It was best to have his main body come over.
"Sorry, but I have no intention of returning to Hell with you. On the contrary, I was thinking of taking this opportunity to finish you off right here..."
Finally, Tony had extracted the entire Dark Core from Dormammu, clutching it tightly in the grasp of his soul form.
A Demigod-level soul was already qualified to merge with this kind of manifested core of rules. As long as he took his time to absorb it and endured for a few years, he would be able to advance to Level Seven—although it would be a Level Seven that couldn't leave the Dark Dimension, it was still more than powerful enough.
Mephisto's head snapped up. His tall figure looked down condescendingly at Tony, his expression gradually turning sinister, even taking on a hint of chilling frost.
"You... is that how you speak to your master? You dare to refuse the great Demon Lord Mephisto?" Mephisto said in a frigid tone.
"Hehehe!" Dormammu sneered.
In his mind, Tony was a bastard as cunning as a ghost, even more treacherous than a Demon. He absolutely refused to believe that Tony didn't have some kind of trump card to counter this...
"Silence, Dormammu, you slave's slave," Mephisto commanded with authority.
What?!
Dormammu immediately flew into a rage and began to curse furiously.
What did he mean, a slave's slave?
If his power hadn't been so greatly diminished, he would have gone over and slaughtered Mephisto's Avatar in an instant.
Tony spoke up once more: "In Hell, you're just a minor figure, not to mention this is just an Avatar that came here... You must have used up all your power on Dormammu, right? I have to thank you for your help in my ascension to Demigod."
Mephisto stared at Tony for a moment before letting out a sinister laugh. "What do you take the contract for? Even as an Avatar, I can easily control your soul."
As he spoke, with a mere thought, the demonic symbols entwined around Tony's soul began to squirm eerily.
Tony let out a muffled grunt, forcing himself to endure the pain. The feeling of someone else having control over his life and death was truly unsettling.
"Now you know how I feel, don't you?" Dormammu said sarcastically. "If you have a trump card, you'd better use it now. Like, Holy Water from Heaven to break the contract? The Holy Grail to cleanse the soul? Or some kind of death-substitution sorcery? I have no desire to go to that godforsaken Hell. Once you go there, you can forget about ever returning to the Multiverse. The Speed Force Wall will firmly block our way back."
"A trump card?" Tony looked astonished. "You seem to have misunderstood. What trump card could I possibly have?"
Dormammu: "???!!!"
(end of chapter)
"Excellent, excellent!" Mephisto was delighted. He would reap two Demigod souls.
The power of the Demon's Contract had already bound Dormammu tightly. The Monarch of the Dark Dimension was in an utterly wretched state, forced to watch as he was branded with Tony's Mark.
This sense of humiliation and the inconceivable situation nearly drove the proud Dormammu mad. He wanted to open his mouth and shout out Tony's secret, but a single glare from Tony made all his words die in his throat. The power from the contract prevented him from uttering a single word before Tony gave an order.
Tony's omnipresent control nearly made him spit blood.
Humiliation. An utter disgrace.
To be outmaneuvered by a mere worm and become his slave.
"Mephisto, you bastard, I won't let you get away with this!" Dormammu snarled, his eyes red as he glared at Mephisto.
If it weren't for this Demon's interference, he would have already obtained everything he desired!
Damned bastard, vile Demon!
He couldn't curse Tony, so he could only vent his frustration on Mephisto.
"To a demon, curses are the most wonderful compliments." Mephisto said with a pleased expression, beckoning to Tony. "Tony, take your slave and come back to Hell with me. You will follow the great Mephisto, make a name for yourself in Hell, rule countless planets, and your great name will spread throughout the Multiverse."
"Heh!"
"Heh!"
Dormammu and Tony sneered simultaneously. What a grand promise, perhaps a little too grand.
Tony pressed one hand on Dormammu's head while his other hand pulled a chain-like object out from his soul.
In a physical state, this object would be impossible to see. Only in a soul state could one barely sense it, and thus make contact and control it.
Only the soul of a Demigod could touch something related to the fundamental rules of existence.
The reason a Demigod was a Demigod was because of the profound transformation of their soul. For many things, the Demigod level was the minimum threshold. Even though Tony had relied on an external force to ascend, he was still a Demigod.
"You devour my power, wait until you ascend to Demigod, and then seize my Dark Core... You sheared the sheep for its wool, and now you're going to slaughter it. You've calculated everything perfectly. Where the hell did a guy like you come from? So treacherous!" Dormammu watched helplessly as his power was stripped away bit by bit. He wanted to curse, but he couldn't.
The power of the contract forbade him from cursing his master, and the occasional glances Tony shot his way carried a strong warning.
The power of the Allspark began to surge. Dormammu's soul power was analyzed by the Allspark, and then absorbed by Tony, pre-empting any little tricks Dormammu might have had in mind.
Dormammu stared at the Allspark with red eyes, his face a mask of longing, helplessness, and pent-up frustration. It was this very thing that had caused him to fail on the verge of success.
Mephisto glanced briefly at the Dark Core and lost interest. His hobby was deceiving souls, and he especially enjoyed the wonderfully exquisite process of toying with sorrowful souls until they were utterly lost.
At this moment, he was far more interested in the Allspark. That object, which was beginning to grow dim and existed somewhere between presence and absence, was still stubbornly emitting light.
Moreover, it seemed that because of Tony's ascension to Demigod, the Allspark, which was bound to him, had also begun to change, to evolve.
A burst of power related to the fundamental rules erupted before quickly receding. It was fragile and indistinct, but it was real.
Mephisto's face was filled with delight. Two Demigod souls, plus an unknown artifact that could apparently be used multiple times to enhance a soul—they were all his.
Yes, he had thought the Allspark was a single-use item, but it appeared to be reusable. This was excellent.
"Come back to Hell with me. You used the Demon Contract I left behind. Your soul belongs to me, and you cannot defy this. Don't try any tricks; it's useless," Mephisto said.
Dormammu glanced at Tony, then at Mephisto, and sneered relentlessly.
"You're too arrogant. How strong can the power of a contract be from a mere parchment scroll created from your true body as the source?" Dormammu sneered.
"It's more than enough to bind two Demigods. I imagine Tony is a clever man, or he wouldn't have used this ancient contract of mine. To be honest, I'd thrown this type of contract to the back of my mind years ago. I never thought it would be brought out and used again one day," Mephisto said.
He tapped his staff lightly, and a surge of magic power began to gather as Mephisto started transmitting a message to his main body. Two Demigod souls... it would be very difficult for his power-depleted, frail clone to take them back. It was best to have his main body come over.
"Sorry, but I have no intention of returning to Hell with you. On the contrary, I was thinking of taking this opportunity to finish you off right here..."
Finally, Tony had extracted the entire Dark Core from Dormammu, clutching it tightly in the grasp of his soul form.
A Demigod-level soul was already qualified to merge with this kind of manifested core of rules. As long as he took his time to absorb it and endured for a few years, he would be able to advance to Level Seven—although it would be a Level Seven that couldn't leave the Dark Dimension, it was still more than powerful enough.
Mephisto's head snapped up. His tall figure looked down condescendingly at Tony, his expression gradually turning sinister, even taking on a hint of chilling frost.
"You... is that how you speak to your master? You dare to refuse the great Demon Lord Mephisto?" Mephisto said in a frigid tone.
"Hehehe!" Dormammu sneered.
In his mind, Tony was a bastard as cunning as a ghost, even more treacherous than a Demon. He absolutely refused to believe that Tony didn't have some kind of trump card to counter this...
"Silence, Dormammu, you slave's slave," Mephisto commanded with authority.
What?!
Dormammu immediately flew into a rage and began to curse furiously.
What did he mean, a slave's slave?
If his power hadn't been so greatly diminished, he would have gone over and slaughtered Mephisto's Avatar in an instant.
Tony spoke up once more: "In Hell, you're just a minor figure, not to mention this is just an Avatar that came here... You must have used up all your power on Dormammu, right? I have to thank you for your help in my ascension to Demigod."
Mephisto stared at Tony for a moment before letting out a sinister laugh. "What do you take the contract for? Even as an Avatar, I can easily control your soul."
As he spoke, with a mere thought, the demonic symbols entwined around Tony's soul began to squirm eerily.
Tony let out a muffled grunt, forcing himself to endure the pain. The feeling of someone else having control over his life and death was truly unsettling.
"Now you know how I feel, don't you?" Dormammu said sarcastically. "If you have a trump card, you'd better use it now. Like, Holy Water from Heaven to break the contract? The Holy Grail to cleanse the soul? Or some kind of death-substitution sorcery? I have no desire to go to that godforsaken Hell. Once you go there, you can forget about ever returning to the Multiverse. The Speed Force Wall will firmly block our way back."
"A trump card?" Tony looked astonished. "You seem to have misunderstood. What trump card could I possibly have?"
Dormammu: "???!!!"
(end of chapter)
