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Chapter 322: The Second Deal
After Blackheart had completely absorbed the power of the Covenant-bound souls, his entire body became somewhat twisted, and a cacophony of chaotic sounds could be heard from his constantly writhing form.
At this moment, Blackheart was truly an amalgamation of countless souls.
"Hehehe, my foolish son..."
Mephisto laughed as he walked over, his crimson feet leaving deep prints on the ground. He reached out with a giant hand, and Blackheart's body appeared as small as a child's in comparison.
"Mephisto! I will kill you, as—"
"Shut up, you idiot."
With a flick of his hand, Mephisto violently sent Blackheart flying. The terrifying force immediately caused Blackheart's body to show signs of collapse.
But in just a few short seconds, numerous writhing masses converged from all directions, repairing Blackheart completely.
"You old bastard..."
Blackheart stood up, his face grim, and looked up at Mephisto's demonic face, filled with dread and resentment. He roared in a low voice, "It's always the same with you. You're a coward who always likes to treat me with absolute power over life and death, even now that I possess power that surpasses your own..."
"Surpass me? My foolish son, you seem to have misunderstood something. Even if I am just an insignificant clone right now, I am not someone you can shake."
Mephisto looked at his son with his yellow eyes, as if observing some kind of brainless, exotic animal. Bored, he scraped the long, sharp nails of his index and middle fingers together, producing a metallic sound as he spoke:
"You don't understand anything at all. You, who fancy yourself enlightened, are nothing but a laughable insect in my eyes. Think about it: although you are my son, you're no different in essence from the Hell Worms, the most numerous and lowly creatures in Hell. Your minds are on the same level."
Mephisto displayed his profound malice, giving Blackheart one last disdainful glance, utterly disregarding his pathetic strength.
A pitiful amount of power from the Lost Souls? It might be strong enough to crush the vast majority of superpowered individuals on Earth, but that was the extent of it.
Mephisto kicked away the charging Blackheart. Amidst Blackheart's look of disbelief and shattered illusions, he slowly reached his hand toward the San Venganza Covenant that had fallen to the ground.
The purpose of the San Venganza Covenant was to seal a large number of Lost Souls. Compared to those Lost Souls, which were so worthless they could be extinguished with a single breath, the Covenant itself was the greatest of the Artifacts.
If Mephisto's main body were here, he wouldn't have given this thing a second glance. Problems that Level Seven power could solve were not solvable by the San Venganza Covenant.
But if it fell into a clone's hands, to be used against specific groups of people, it would be very interesting.
It would produce miraculous effects.
As he drew closer and closer, a hint of eagerness flashed in Mephisto's eyes. It was about to be his, as simple as harvesting souls had always been.
A portal suddenly appeared. A hand emerged from it, snatching the San Venganza Covenant with lightning speed.
Mephisto's smile froze instantly, like seeing a delicious meal within reach snatched away by a filthy hand. His expression became incomparably grim, his eyes radiating a frigid Killing Intent as he whipped his head around, staring fixedly at Tony, who was walking silently from the darkness.
"I think I'm starting to understand why even your own son looks down on you." Tony removed his hood, letting it hang casually behind him. From within the wide sleeve of his black robe, Tony slowly extended a hand, revealing the dust-covered parchment scroll.
"San Venganza... I was a little unsure at first, but I didn't expect you'd actually make a move on this thing..."
Tony toyed with the parchment scroll, looking down at it with great interest. He studied the dense, tadpole-like ancient demonic script, each character filled with a thick Aura of Hell.
"How do you know so much..." Mephisto said grimly. "Or rather, how could you have pinpointed the location so accurately and seized the Covenant at the perfect time after getting the information..."
"What do you think? That I'd be tied up with Loki? Or mesmerized by the Destroyer Armor I acquired? Of course, in my eyes, both Loki and the Destroyer Armor are far more important than you. As for you... no matter how I think about it, you're nothing more than a rat hiding in a dark corner."
Tony thought for a moment, then unceremoniously tucked the parchment scroll into his pouch right in front of Mephisto's twitching face.
Whether by coincidence or due to some underlying consensus, Tony and Blackheart's opinion of Mephisto was strikingly similar—a rat.
Blackheart laughed wildly. Thousands of different voices laughed in unison from within Blackheart's body, like the clamor of all the pigs in a slaughterhouse. It was utterly nauseating.
Tony raised his hand slightly. The Allspark lit up in an instant, and a massive amount of Allspark energy was unleashed, crashing down on Blackheart.
This energy was filled with a destructive property that stripped away life, existing somewhere between being and non-being. Its lethality against fragile souls was astonishing. In an instant, Blackheart fell, and more than half of the Lost Souls within him were annihilated.
His body was also blasted apart.
But the remaining Lost Souls rapidly converged, reassembling into a new body. Blackheart's distorted face, after several transformations, finally stabilized, revealing an expression of infinite terror.
Tony mused that, to some extent, the current Blackheart was quite similar in nature to his old nemesis, Blood God Deacon. Both were immune to physical attacks, but their resistance to special powers was truly low.
Of course, Blackheart, believing he was bolstered by magic and demonic power, had been exceedingly arrogant.
But against Tony, a swarm of fragile souls was no different from pigs waiting to be slaughtered.
"Flee, flee, flee!"
"We're no match for him, run!"
Countless shrill screams echoed from within Blackheart's body as the numerous Lost Souls urged him to escape. Not running meant death!
"Shut up, you lowly Lost Souls! I am the master! I am one of the Controllers!" Blackheart clutched his head, his eyes red, and let out an unwilling roar.
The struggles of the Lost Souls intensified, even causing Blackheart's body to twist and contort once more.
"How pitiful..."
Tony glanced at Blackheart with a look of indifference. With a backhand wave, he unleashed another blast of Allspark energy, completely obliterating Blackheart. His body was annihilated at the atomic level; unless he possessed Doomsday cells, regeneration would be impossible. On the soul level, all the Lost Souls were crushed, reduced to the most primitive soul energy, which then dissipated into the air.
Tony slowly turned his head. He first looked at Mephisto and said, "You two truly are father and son; neither of you amounts to much." Then, he shifted his gaze to the perpetually silent Mordo.
This reunion was truly a bit awkward.
After a moment of silence, before the grim-faced Mephisto could make a move, Tony suddenly spoke: "Mephisto, let's make a deal."
(end of chapter)
After Blackheart had completely absorbed the power of the Covenant-bound souls, his entire body became somewhat twisted, and a cacophony of chaotic sounds could be heard from his constantly writhing form.
At this moment, Blackheart was truly an amalgamation of countless souls.
"Hehehe, my foolish son..."
Mephisto laughed as he walked over, his crimson feet leaving deep prints on the ground. He reached out with a giant hand, and Blackheart's body appeared as small as a child's in comparison.
"Mephisto! I will kill you, as—"
"Shut up, you idiot."
With a flick of his hand, Mephisto violently sent Blackheart flying. The terrifying force immediately caused Blackheart's body to show signs of collapse.
But in just a few short seconds, numerous writhing masses converged from all directions, repairing Blackheart completely.
"You old bastard..."
Blackheart stood up, his face grim, and looked up at Mephisto's demonic face, filled with dread and resentment. He roared in a low voice, "It's always the same with you. You're a coward who always likes to treat me with absolute power over life and death, even now that I possess power that surpasses your own..."
"Surpass me? My foolish son, you seem to have misunderstood something. Even if I am just an insignificant clone right now, I am not someone you can shake."
Mephisto looked at his son with his yellow eyes, as if observing some kind of brainless, exotic animal. Bored, he scraped the long, sharp nails of his index and middle fingers together, producing a metallic sound as he spoke:
"You don't understand anything at all. You, who fancy yourself enlightened, are nothing but a laughable insect in my eyes. Think about it: although you are my son, you're no different in essence from the Hell Worms, the most numerous and lowly creatures in Hell. Your minds are on the same level."
Mephisto displayed his profound malice, giving Blackheart one last disdainful glance, utterly disregarding his pathetic strength.
A pitiful amount of power from the Lost Souls? It might be strong enough to crush the vast majority of superpowered individuals on Earth, but that was the extent of it.
Mephisto kicked away the charging Blackheart. Amidst Blackheart's look of disbelief and shattered illusions, he slowly reached his hand toward the San Venganza Covenant that had fallen to the ground.
The purpose of the San Venganza Covenant was to seal a large number of Lost Souls. Compared to those Lost Souls, which were so worthless they could be extinguished with a single breath, the Covenant itself was the greatest of the Artifacts.
If Mephisto's main body were here, he wouldn't have given this thing a second glance. Problems that Level Seven power could solve were not solvable by the San Venganza Covenant.
But if it fell into a clone's hands, to be used against specific groups of people, it would be very interesting.
It would produce miraculous effects.
As he drew closer and closer, a hint of eagerness flashed in Mephisto's eyes. It was about to be his, as simple as harvesting souls had always been.
A portal suddenly appeared. A hand emerged from it, snatching the San Venganza Covenant with lightning speed.
Mephisto's smile froze instantly, like seeing a delicious meal within reach snatched away by a filthy hand. His expression became incomparably grim, his eyes radiating a frigid Killing Intent as he whipped his head around, staring fixedly at Tony, who was walking silently from the darkness.
"I think I'm starting to understand why even your own son looks down on you." Tony removed his hood, letting it hang casually behind him. From within the wide sleeve of his black robe, Tony slowly extended a hand, revealing the dust-covered parchment scroll.
"San Venganza... I was a little unsure at first, but I didn't expect you'd actually make a move on this thing..."
Tony toyed with the parchment scroll, looking down at it with great interest. He studied the dense, tadpole-like ancient demonic script, each character filled with a thick Aura of Hell.
"How do you know so much..." Mephisto said grimly. "Or rather, how could you have pinpointed the location so accurately and seized the Covenant at the perfect time after getting the information..."
"What do you think? That I'd be tied up with Loki? Or mesmerized by the Destroyer Armor I acquired? Of course, in my eyes, both Loki and the Destroyer Armor are far more important than you. As for you... no matter how I think about it, you're nothing more than a rat hiding in a dark corner."
Tony thought for a moment, then unceremoniously tucked the parchment scroll into his pouch right in front of Mephisto's twitching face.
Whether by coincidence or due to some underlying consensus, Tony and Blackheart's opinion of Mephisto was strikingly similar—a rat.
Blackheart laughed wildly. Thousands of different voices laughed in unison from within Blackheart's body, like the clamor of all the pigs in a slaughterhouse. It was utterly nauseating.
Tony raised his hand slightly. The Allspark lit up in an instant, and a massive amount of Allspark energy was unleashed, crashing down on Blackheart.
This energy was filled with a destructive property that stripped away life, existing somewhere between being and non-being. Its lethality against fragile souls was astonishing. In an instant, Blackheart fell, and more than half of the Lost Souls within him were annihilated.
His body was also blasted apart.
But the remaining Lost Souls rapidly converged, reassembling into a new body. Blackheart's distorted face, after several transformations, finally stabilized, revealing an expression of infinite terror.
Tony mused that, to some extent, the current Blackheart was quite similar in nature to his old nemesis, Blood God Deacon. Both were immune to physical attacks, but their resistance to special powers was truly low.
Of course, Blackheart, believing he was bolstered by magic and demonic power, had been exceedingly arrogant.
But against Tony, a swarm of fragile souls was no different from pigs waiting to be slaughtered.
"Flee, flee, flee!"
"We're no match for him, run!"
Countless shrill screams echoed from within Blackheart's body as the numerous Lost Souls urged him to escape. Not running meant death!
"Shut up, you lowly Lost Souls! I am the master! I am one of the Controllers!" Blackheart clutched his head, his eyes red, and let out an unwilling roar.
The struggles of the Lost Souls intensified, even causing Blackheart's body to twist and contort once more.
"How pitiful..."
Tony glanced at Blackheart with a look of indifference. With a backhand wave, he unleashed another blast of Allspark energy, completely obliterating Blackheart. His body was annihilated at the atomic level; unless he possessed Doomsday cells, regeneration would be impossible. On the soul level, all the Lost Souls were crushed, reduced to the most primitive soul energy, which then dissipated into the air.
Tony slowly turned his head. He first looked at Mephisto and said, "You two truly are father and son; neither of you amounts to much." Then, he shifted his gaze to the perpetually silent Mordo.
This reunion was truly a bit awkward.
After a moment of silence, before the grim-faced Mephisto could make a move, Tony suddenly spoke: "Mephisto, let's make a deal."
(end of chapter)
