"Open fire." Seeing that guy, the police chief immediately gave the order to attack. In the next instant, a hail of bullets poured down on Ghost Rider, riddling him with holes. But unfortunately, these attacks couldn't harm him at all.
"Pursue." Just as Tohka had expected, Ghost Rider had no interest in wasting time with these policemen. As she watched Ghost Rider leave, Tohka didn't try to stop him; she simply watched the flaming skull get farther away and then swiftly took to the sky herself.
But just as Tohka was planning to wait for him on the road to the cemetery, she suddenly realized someone was watching her. No, it would be more accurate to say that someone was staring at her without any attempt to hide it, which made her frown involuntarily. Very soon, she traced this feeling back to the one spying on her.
"A great demon—Mephisto?" But when she saw who it was, Tohka couldn't help sucking in a cold breath. She quickly and quietly added another layer of spirit power sealing to the Saint Venganza contract she had put away earlier, only flying over once she was sure he wouldn't notice.
"What did you come looking for me for? Why aren't you staying in your lair?" As soon as she landed, Tohka stared unceremoniously at Mephisto. After all, what was most feared about him wasn't his strength but his talent for scheming. Of course, that didn't mean he was weak—he simply didn't like using his power directly.
"You give me a very strange feeling. Your aura… I sense the smell of hell, yet also something of heaven." Looking at Tohka, who was on guard against him, Mephisto wasn't angry. Instead, he studied her with great interest. From her reaction, he could guess she had already figured out who he was.
"That's none of your business. Mephisto, why are you here? Are you looking for a fight?" Tohka had no intention whatsoever of answering his questions, and she had already decided that no matter what he said, she would not respond to any of it.
"Mm, don't be like this, miss." In response to Tohka's words, Mephisto only showed a faint smile. He wasn't surprised that she'd recognized him—after all, his reputation preceded him. But he still said, "So, how about it? Would you like to make a deal with me? You must know, no matter what you ask, I will agree to it. All you need to do is pay a very small price."
"Forget it. There's no need. And don't bother making any offers." What a joke—she'd have to be crazy to make a deal with this guy. Sure, he would scrupulously fulfill every clause in the contract—that was one thing Tohka couldn't deny—but just look at what he'd done. He made a deal with Johnny, curing his father's cancer, only to let the man die in a stunt accident. And he struck a bargain with Spider-Man, reviving his family, but the result was everyone forgot his real identity and he lost his wife.
"Don't…"
"That's enough. I don't want to see you again. Your pawn is probably that rider from before, right? If you piss me off, don't think I won't go chop him up. Don't forget—when you come to the human world, your power is greatly weakened. I'd really like to see if, without that pawn, you can still achieve your goals."
But before Mephisto could finish, Tohka cut him off. She didn't have any must-achieve objectives, so there was no reason to deal with this guy. Besides, having his attention on her was absolutely not a good thing, so she just wanted to leave as soon as possible.
"Mm?" Hearing Tohka's words, Mephisto's gaze turned dangerous. Instantly, an immense pressure radiated from him, bearing down on Tohka.
"….."
Even as she felt the pressure, Tohka didn't retreat at all. Admittedly, this guy's aura was incredibly strong, but no matter how strong it was, it couldn't overcome the support of the gem and the Tree of Life inside her. With those two, in all of Marvel there were probably only a handful of beings who could suppress her by sheer presence.
"Fine, but let me warn you—if you dare to ruin my plans, I will make you pay." Mephisto gave her an unexpected look when he saw she wasn't affected by his pressure in the slightest.
Based on his sharp eyes, he could tell that Tohka's strength was indeed impressive by Earth standards, but compared to himself—a sovereign of a dimensional plane—she was still far inferior. Yet Tohka showed no reaction at all, which meant she must have some hidden trump card.
After all, as she'd said, this was Earth, not the Hell dimension. Unless he opened the Gates of Hell to descend in his full power—or unless Tohka stepped into his dimension—he couldn't be certain he could stop her.
"Phew, finally gone." Watching Mephisto disappear, Tohka let out a sigh of relief. She knew he really had left, because a demon's presence couldn't fool her senses. She didn't forget to pat the contract hidden away on her person. She knew that if he found out she had the contract, nine times out of ten, he would have attacked her on the spot. After all, that thing wasn't just the target of his son—it might very well have been Mephisto's goal too.
"Mm, where did that guy run off to?" Only then did Tohka realize the person she'd been targeting had disappeared while she was distracted.
As for the many police cars, they were heading back—but even from this far away, she could feel the aura of defeat around them. Obviously, they had no way to deal with Ghost Rider.
"Forget it, I'll be leaving too. Even if I don't say anything, that old rider will probably tell him." Watching Ghost Rider vanish without a trace, Tohka no longer had any interest in staying here. After all, she'd been out for quite a while, and judging by Miku Izayoi's earlier reaction, Tohka didn't dare stay away too long.
As for whether Mephistopheles would come looking for her, she wasn't worried. If he came, all the better—one slash and the world would be peaceful again.
"I'm back… uh, are you okay?" Returning to the hotel, Tohka saw Miku Izayoi standing there. But judging by her expression, she seemed a little excited.
"Tohka, was that the demon you were talking about? He didn't seem all that strong." Seeing Tohka, Miku Izayoi looked a bit worked up. Judging by her demeanor, she seemed to have developed an interest in those demons.
"Mm, you saw?" Seeing Miku Izayoi's expression, Tohka froze for a moment. Then she looked back over her shoulder and understood. Because directly across from where they were staying was the place where all those people had been fighting.