Facing Mephisto's unyielding attitude, Cyttorak felt increasingly displeased.
Yet there was nothing he could do.
Within his own dimension, he was absolute—Mephisto could be crushed with a single thought.
But here, in Mephisto's domain, the situation was reversed. Mephisto could kill him as effortlessly as crushing an ant.
"Mephisto," Cyttorak said calmly, "let me offer you a word of advice. The Ancient One is no ordinary being."
"If you underestimate her," he continued, "you may not even realize how you die."
Mephisto cast him a sideways glance and replied lightly,
"Do you think I'm you?"
That single sentence was deeply insulting.
Cyttorak snapped back angrily,
"Mephisto, I came here out of goodwill to warn you, and this is how you treat me?"
Mephisto burst into laughter.
"Who do you think you are, Cyttorak? Don't tell me you've started seeing yourself as Satan."
"Do I need your 'kind advice'?"
His smile faded, replaced by mockery in his eyes.
"Do you even know who I am?"
Cyttorak fell silent.
It was true—Mephisto was infamous among demons for being a consummate schemer.
Though they were all dimensional demon gods, invincible within their own realms and ancient beyond measure, not all of them possessed Mephisto's level of cunning.
That was talent—something that could not be learned or matched.
"Enough," Mephisto said coldly.
"Why are you really here?"
"You clearly have designs on Earth," Cyttorak said bluntly.
"Count me in."
"So," Mephisto chuckled, "you want a share of the spoils?"
"Exactly," Cyttorak replied.
"But don't worry—I'll contribute."
"Oh?" Mephisto raised an eyebrow.
"And what exactly can you contribute?"
"I have followers in the human world," Cyttorak explained.
"If you need them, I can have them cooperate with you at any time."
"You're willing to hand over pieces you spent so long setting up?" Mephisto asked skeptically.
"As long as I receive my share of the benefits once Earth is taken," Cyttorak replied calmly,
"those details don't matter."
Mephisto's eyes flickered briefly. Then he smiled.
"Very well. Transfer all your assets on Earth to me," he said.
"In return, once I take control of Earth, you'll receive what you deserve."
Cyttorak hesitated for a long time before finally nodding.
"Fine. I'll give you all my followers on Earth—but we sign a contract first."
"No problem," Mephisto replied smoothly.
With a wave of Cyttorak's hand, a parchment of goat skin appeared between them.
"You were prepared for this," Mephisto said meaningfully.
"Of course," Cyttorak replied.
"Review the terms. If there's no issue, sign."
Mephisto read the contract three times before calmly imprinting his name with a magical seal.
The next instant, the contract burst into flames, turning to ash that dissolved into the surrounding space.
Above the infernal domain, the faint outline of a massive parchment briefly appeared—then vanished.
"Good," Cyttorak said, rising to his feet.
"If you need me, contact me. I'll be leaving now."
He transformed into a streak of red light and disappeared from the domain.
"Did you really think I didn't see you plotting against me?"
After Cyttorak left, Mephisto sneered. Using the spiritual link granted by the contract, he immediately sensed the followers Cyttorak had left behind on Earth.
One look—and Mephisto's expression darkened.
"What kind of trash is this?"
A vein bulged at his temple.
Cyttorak's so-called followers were nothing but a collection of low-quality, useless fools.
Taking a deep breath, Mephisto forced himself to calm down.
He had anticipated being double-crossed. Otherwise, he would never have signed the contract in the first place.
In truth, he had lost nothing.
Conquering Earth?
Ruling humanity?
Heh. He certainly wanted that—but if the other party to the contract died beforehand, the contract would naturally become void.
"No one truly gets the better of me," Mephisto scoffed.
Hm?
At that moment, as Mephisto continued scanning the remnants of Cyttorak's influence, he suddenly noticed something… interesting.
---
Asgard
Lucas arrived before Hela, carrying the container that held Lois's soul.
He had never handled a soul directly before, so he came to Hela for guidance.
"Open the container," Hela said lazily from her chaise, calmly instructing him.
Nearby, Clark held Lois's body tightly, his expression tense with anticipation.
Lucas followed her instructions, rotating the silver, rune-covered soul container in his hands.
The engraved runes soon began to glow faintly.
The container started operating on its own, the inscriptions shifting and rearranging themselves.
When the motion finally stopped, a single point of light floated out.
In the next instant, the light expanded—
It was Lois's soul.
"The soul is intact," Hela said after inspecting it.
"He didn't tamper with it. In fact, he even reinforced its foundation."
"But because her soul was completely severed from her body," Hela continued,
"simply placing it back inside won't revive her."
"You now need to rebuild the connection—the channel—between her soul and her body."
Lucas frowned slightly, confused.
Hela seemed to anticipate his confusion and explained patiently:
"From birth, a soul and body are naturally connected."
"To reconstruct that bond, you first need sufficiently powerful spiritual force to forge a 'key'—a key that unlocks the body."
"Once the body accepts it, the soul can truly merge and reclaim it."
"Honestly, Lucas," Hela added with a faint smile,
"I didn't expect you to get something for free from Mephisto."
"That demon never lets himself lose—no matter who he's dealing with."
Lucas smiled faintly.
"There's always a way. In the end, there are only two outcomes—success or failure."
"Now," he said, refocusing,
"tell me how to use my spiritual power to forge that 'key.'"
Hela nodded, no longer pressing the topic.
"Fortunately," she said, studying Lois's soul,
"her soul is pure—no damage, no corruption, no interference."
"Come. Step one—
you must first sense the true essence of her soul."
___
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