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*****
Phoenix.
At this moment, a church-like building used for large gatherings was packed full of people.
But what was surprising, or rather, what was utterly terrifying, was that even with several hundred people present, not a single sound was being made.
It was frighteningly quiet.
Their gazes were fixed with a fiery intensity upon Mephisto, who stood on a high platform in the center of the building, as if that man could bring them wealth, health, power, and everything else they desired.
In exchange, all they had to part with was their "soul," a laughable concept they weren't even sure existed.
They were the devil's believers, Mephisto's most ardent followers.
Right now, as long as that man completed his ritual, he would bring them even more. All they had to do was help Mephisto complete that ritual.
"Tch!"
Kerrigan stood off to one side, watching Mephisto on the high platform. He let out a sound of ambiguous meaning, but a trace of fear flickered in his eyes.
The man he was now had a completely different appearance.
His face was deathly pale, his hair was a stark white without a trace of luster, and he possessed a pair of hands that could bring forth decay and death.
He had, in the end, made the deal with Mephisto. He was far too greedy, and he craved supernatural power.
He understood perfectly well that in the world today, possessing formidable power meant you could possess anything you wanted.
And he, right now, was very satisfied with his power.
Taking off his glove, he lightly touched the high platform beside him. He watched as the corner of the platform beneath his hand rapidly turned to sand, as if it had been scoured by the ages, becoming utterly decayed and brittle. A satisfied smirk tugged at the corner of Kerrigan's mouth.
The next time he saw that monster, he would be sure to give him a surprise.
Just at that moment, a low, murmuring incantation began to sound. Mephisto had begun to chant the lengthy, complex spell. And as Mephisto chanted, the followers below gradually began to murmur along.
The silence was broken. A perfectly uniform, droning buzz rose up, creating a feeling of intense, heart-stopping oppression and horror.
And Danny, from the very moment that buzzing sound appeared, felt his consciousness become muddled and groggy, as if his soul had been completely misplaced.
Simultaneously, high above this very building, Mike and Gwen waited quietly, waiting for the ritual to proceed.
Just then, Mike noticed two figures appearing near the ritual building.
It was the child's mother and Johnny Blaze.
Mike's eyes flickered, deep in thought.
It was currently daytime, meaning the evil spirit inside Johnny Blaze was unable to emerge. If they went in like this, they were practically throwing their lives away. More importantly, he couldn't allow them to disrupt his plan.
With this thought, Mike's figure flickered. Moving at a speed they were completely unable to perceive, he appeared behind the two. After knocking them both unconscious, he casually opened a portal and tossed them into the hotel room where Johnny Blaze had stayed the previous night. Then, he flew back to Gwen's side and activated his super-vision to look down below.
This ritual was going to last for some time. This was because Danny's body needed to be gradually acclimated and strengthened accordingly. Otherwise, if the power was activated all at once and the consciousness was transferred, Danny's body would instantly collapse.
Mephisto had waited for this moment for a very long time. He had no intention of letting his impatience destroy his prized vessel.
Time passed by, second by second. The magical energy emanating from Danny's body grew stronger and stronger. His eyes, from the constantly awakening power, had already been dyed a deep, inky black.
Sensing the rapidly intensifying power within Danny, Mephisto revealed a satisfied smile.
Now, all he had to do was transfer the consciousness from this current body into Danny's, and the ritual would be complete.
The sound of the continuous chanting grew ever higher in pitch. Mephisto walked toward Danny, placing his hand on Danny's head.
Just as he was about to transfer his consciousness...
Whoosh!
Two figures descended from the heavens. After blasting a massive, gaping hole in the building's roof, they appeared directly in front of them.
Mike Kent!
The moment Mephisto saw Mike, his pupils constricted, and a rage so potent it was almost tangible erupted in his eyes.
It was this bastard again!
Without any hesitation, he immediately accelerated the speed of his consciousness transfer. He even indirectly manipulated the magic within Danny's body, hastily forming a magic shield.
"Bang!"
With a soft sound, Mike's fist was blocked by the shield. However, the magic shield was instantly covered in a spiderweb of cracks, looking dangerously unstable, as if it would be blasted to pieces at any moment.
Mike was momentarily startled, then he simply raised his fist again.
In that case, I'll just hit it again.
Seeing this, the corner of Mephisto's mouth twitched.
He could tell that Mike hadn't used any real strength in that first punch, but this next one...
His eye twitching, he roared in a low voice, "Kerrigan, block him for me!"
Kerrigan: "..."
Block him with what! That's Mike Kent!
Right now, he wished he had several more legs so he could get out of here faster.
But, from the moment he had received his power from Mephisto, he had signed a soul contract with the devil. He had absolutely no right to refuse.
"Damn it!"
Feeling the change slowly taking over his mind, Kerrigan cursed angrily and charged forward, no longer in control of his own actions.
As he watched Mike get closer and closer, he worked up his courage, a vicious thought forming in his mind: "So what if he's Mike Kent! As long as I touch him! He'll turn into a pile of white bones just the same!"
"Aaargh!"
He roared and charged forward, but...
Fwoosh!
A chain, burning with brilliant blue flames, shot out and wrapped around him, stopping him dead in his tracks.
Kerrigan followed the chain with his gaze.
"Another one?"
Staring at the new flaming skeleton, Kerrigan was stunned for a second, but inwardly he breathed a huge sigh of relief.
Hey, I was stopped by this one. It's not that I'm disobeying orders.
The blue flames were burning his body. If he hadn't received this power from Mephisto, he probably would have been burned to ash from just this one attack...
He noted this inwardly, but a faint smile appeared on his face.
This feeling of wielding power, it was truly wonderful.
If...
He glanced over at Mephisto.
If this guy were to die, not only would he be free from serving him, but he would also get to keep this power. This would be the most satisfying deal he'd ever made.
"Hey! Don't ignore me!"
Gwen's voice sounded exasperated. But when she saw that he was entangled in her hellfire yet seemed to be taking no real damage, she immediately became alert and amplified the intensity of the flames.
Kerrigan let out a cold laugh. "I'll take care of you in just a second, little one."
As he spoke, the glove he had been wearing on his hand went through a process of rotting, decaying, and turning completely to ash, disappearing in the blink of an eye. He then revealed his pale, white palm and grabbed Gwen's chain.
"Heh!"
Kerrigan sneered. As the flames on the chain were rapidly extinguished, rust quickly appeared on the metal links. The decay began to spread rapidly along the chain, heading straight for Gwen.
Gwen was shocked. With a powerful flick of her wrist, she willed the chain to snap in the middle and immediately retracted the intact portion.
"Haha!"
Kerrigan laughed, pleased with himself. He made a fist, crushing the already brittle, decayed piece of chain he held.
Crrk! Crk!
Like a piece of old, dried-out tree bark, the chain links crumbled into powder, streaming from between his fingers.
"You're dead, little one!"
Kerrigan sneered and lunged toward Gwen.
Gwen's eyes flickered, and she pouted.
Seeing the way he was charging straight at her, he probably didn't have any long-range attacks. In that case, to avoid the risk of being grabbed, it was time to use the "kiting" technique her father had told her about.
"First, a little present for you."
Gwen grinned. With a wave of her hands, a massive fireball condensed in her palms and shot toward Kerrigan like a cannonball.
Kerrigan was alarmed and quickly crossed his arms in front of his face.
"BOOM!"
With a loud explosion, he was blasted off his feet and sent flying backward, slamming hard into the wall.
Before he could even steady himself, he saw Gwen snap her fingers.
Following the sound, a massive bird, wreathed in flames, flew in through the hole in the roof.
Fwoosh! Fwoosh!
Two missiles, each completely enveloped in blue flames, flew out. Under Gwen's control, they drew a mocking smiley face in the air between them before slamming viciously into Kerrigan's body.
BOOM! BOOM!
Amidst the violent explosions, he was blasted clean out of the building.
Gwen giggled to herself.
It looked like the weapons Tony had installed for her were still very useful. Maybe after this was all over, she could ask Tony to help her upgrade the Nighthawk.
As this thought flashed through her mind, she rushed outside to pursue him, simultaneously glancing back at Mike's "fight."
He was still leisurely hammering away at the magic shield, keeping it in a state where it looked like it could shatter at any second. That old man, Mephisto, was so anxious that his forehead was covered in sweat. How pitiful...
The plan was proceeding very smoothly.
But those people...
She glanced down at the cultists, who were still chanting the spell. A chill went down her spine.
Even in this situation, they were still chanting nonstop, completely unaffected. It was truly terrifying.
Shaking her head, Gwen saw that Kerrigan had already managed to stand up, and she fiercely accelerated, charging toward him.
"Bang! Bang!"
Mike landed several more punches. The magic shield before him continuously cracked, only to be rapidly repaired again.
Watching this scene, Mephisto froze for a second.
Although this situation was what he wanted to see, with his understanding of Mike's power, a magic shield of this level shouldn't be able to stop him at all. But now...
A terrible realization struck him.
His consciousness was currently unable to merge with his power, yet he was over-taxing the vessel's strength. This was a massive burden on both his power-vessel and his own consciousness. In just this short amount of time, he could already feel both his consciousness and the vessel weakening significantly.
Damn it!
Upon realizing this, he cursed angrily in his mind.
Was his plan to wear him down until he died?
Mephisto's heart sank. He looked at his power-vessel, and a crazed look flashed in his eyes.
Just as he decided to ignore everything and force his consciousness into Danny's body, a portal suddenly opened right next to Mike.
Seeing this, Mephisto's heart sank even further.
It's that bald woman!
And just as he thought, the words had barely formed in his mind when a bald woman, clad in yellow robes and holding a small fan, stepped out.
"Ancient One!"
He ground the name out from between his teeth. Looking at Mike and the Ancient One standing before him, a despairing thought took root in his mind.
These two knew each other. This was a trap, and it was laid specifically for him.
The reason the other man had been continuously attacking him was perhaps not just to drain his power, but also to interfere with his senses of the surrounding area, to monopolize his attention.
And now that the Ancient One had appeared, it meant the trap was fully sprung...
As expected, just as this thought occurred to him, he quickly mobilized his power to scan his surroundings. His face immediately turned as ugly as the bottom of a blackened pot.
The Ancient One had erected a powerful magic barrier, trapping him here. Unless his true, main body were to arrive, there was no way he could escape with just the power he currently had.
Perhaps... he could make an attempt after his consciousness had merged with the power-vessel, but right now, he didn't have a single chance.
The problem was, would they even give him the chance to merge?
Just then, he saw Mike stop his attacks. While he was feeling confused, he asked in a cold voice, "What do you want?"
The Ancient One's eyes flashed, and a faint smile pulled at her lips. "Old friend, I advise you to move your hand away from that child. Don't think about trying to sneak your consciousness in while we're not paying attention."
As she spoke, the Ancient One's gaze became dangerous.
Clearly, if he made any such move, he would be immediately attacked by both of them.
Mephisto brooded for a moment, then removed his hand from Danny's head and took a step back.
In the next instant, the magic shield that had been formed by the power in Danny's body vanished, and there were no longer any barriers between them.
"What exactly do you want?"
Mephisto asked again.
He had expended a massive amount of power for this plan, even using a fragment of his soul. If he were to be completely defeated here, he would lose an enormous amount of his strength.
The Ancient One looked at Mike and gave him a slight nod.
Mike smiled faintly and said, "The Ancient One and I want to make a deal with you."
"What kind of deal!?"
A new spark of hope ignited in Mephisto's heart.
Deals... he was an expert at making deals.
"Choose one of us to fight. If you can win, we'll let you go. But if you lose, this portion of your power... will be ours."
They want this portion of my power?
No wonder they didn't attack me on sight.
"My current power?" Mephisto sneered. "Why would I agree to such a deal? With my power in its current state, I have no hope of winning!"
The Ancient One snapped her fan closed. She pointed it vaguely at Danny, her uniquely clear, cold voice saying, "We will allow you to draw that portion of your power out from the child's body."
Is that so?
If that was the case, then there really was a chance.
However, facing these two, that chance was infinitely close to zero.
But...
He recalled the exact terms of the deal they had just offered him, and a dark smile formed in his mind.
"Fine. I agree."
Mephisto replied, his face a mask of grim reluctance.
The Ancient One and Mike both nodded. "A wise choice."
The Ancient One extended her hand. A series of runes, formed from magical energy, appeared from her palm, forming the exact clauses of their deal.
Mephisto glanced at them. They were indeed exactly as they had just stated. He nodded grimly.
The Ancient One waved her hand. A special sheet of parchment appeared, and after imprinting the runes onto it, she guided it to float over to Mephisto.
Mephisto read it over one more time. After confirming there were no tricks, he left his own soul-imprint upon it.
The deal was established. As long as the conditions of the deal were met, the contract would be binding.
The Ancient One retrieved the parchment, gave it a final check, and then said slowly, "Choose. Me, or him."
Mephisto's mouth split into a wide grin. He pointed a finger toward the battle raging outside.
"I choose her!"
(End of this chapter)