Chapter 104: Mephisto is a meticulous demon; he maintains his elegance even when visiting the backwaters.
The Ancient One wouldn't live much longer, and Du Wa was well aware of this.
This had nothing to do with whether the Ancient One had a way to extend her life. It was simply because once she found a successor, she no longer wished to live. She wanted to cast off the shackles of her body and roam the universe as a soul, to take refuge with a magnificent Cosmic God.
If this Ancient One proved herself worthy, she might even win the favor of the main bodies of Eternity or Vishanti—beings of a multiversal scale.
"In my old identity, no matter how long I live, I'm essentially just repeating the same things. I've already lived like this for several hundred years," the Ancient One said calmly, sipping her tea.
For a short-lived species like Earthlings, several hundred years was indeed a long time.
As long as the Ancient One wished, she could continue living. It would be a joke if a Skyfather-level being didn't even have a way to extend their life. While it might not be as exaggerated as beings like the Collector living for billions of years, she certainly wouldn't die of old age at just four or five hundred.
"It seems you're prepared and have chosen a successor? After observing for so long, have you finally decided to make your move?" Du Wa also picked up his teacup and took a sip. Compared to tea, he really did prefer pure water.
The Ancient One smiled noncommittally.
As for who would become the Sorcerer Supreme, she had many options from the very beginning. One only needed to look at the diverse array of Sorcerer Supremes across the various parallel universes to know that Strange was never the only candidate.
The Ancient One was only thankful that Du Wa hadn't preemptively turned all the candidates into Xenomorphs. Otherwise, she would have a real headache.
Hand over the position of Sorcerer Supreme to a Xenomorph? The Ancient One shuddered just thinking about the scene: a Xenomorph sitting in the Sorcerer Supreme's seat, receiving the respects of all the world's sorcerers. In response, the new Sorcerer Supreme would give an inspiring speech by letting out a loud "Hiss!"
It was too terrifying. The Ancient One would rather call Kruger back to take over than choose one of Du Wa's people.
"You've borrowed quite a bit of power from Knull, haven't you? I'm sure you're satisfied." Du Wa didn't press further about the next Sorcerer Supreme—he didn't care who it was—and changed the subject.
"Not much. Knull is too weak, and the power he had accumulated wasn't substantial. Compared to what other Demon Gods have given me, his contribution was rather small."
The Ancient One smacked her lips, savoring the taste of Knull. A familiar aura began to emanate from her body—the unique abyssal and dark power characteristic of Knull.
According to their previous agreement, Du Wa would deal with Knull, while the Ancient One would directly intercept Knull's power and hold onto it without any intention of returning it.
The plan was a success. Now, Du Wa couldn't even be sure how much power from various Deities the Ancient One had under her control.
She had probably solicited power from every big name out there.
Meeting the Ancient One's gaze, Du Wa looked unfazed. "Give it up. I'm not willing to make a bargain with a deadbeat like you."
"Not now, but it will be possible when you become a Cosmic God. For the you of that time, parting with a fraction of your power for me won't be a difficult task."
"Even if I become a Multiversal God, I won't lend you any power. Besides, by then, you'll probably be long dead."
The two continued chatting, no longer speaking of the miserably scammed Knull.
As they spoke, various powers surged from the Ancient One's body. She would mobilize one portion to suppress another.
This was because the sources of these powers were constantly trying to reclaim them, only to be blocked by the Ancient One using the power of other beings.
Suddenly, the Ancient One's expression shifted. She turned her head in confusion and even stood up in surprise.
"What is it? Which Demon God is invading Earth?"
It was a rare sight for the Ancient One to show such a strong emotional fluctuation.
"There's been an unexpected development. A demon from Hell has appeared..."
"If it's in Japan, that's normal. The Hand's backing is a demon, probably one with no standing in Hell. It's likely a mass-produced creature that's lost the protection of Hell's rules and exists in many parallel universes," Du Wa said casually.
Hell is a dimension independent of the multiverse, inhabited by many demons, as well as the souls this horde has plundered or swindled from the multiverse.
Generally speaking, aside from the strongest demon, Cyttorak, who possessed a multiversal status and was thus transcendental, there was no need to pay attention to matters within Hell.
Every last one of the other demons in Hell would fight desperately for the position of Lord of Hell, that is, the title of "Satan," in order to gain the empowerment of Hell itself.
That's right. Satan is the name for the Lord of Hell. Every demon who conquers Hell is Satan.
Among this group of Great Demons were those like Mephisto, who increased his strength by accumulating souls, and dimension lords like Nightmare, who drew power from the Dream Realm.
"It's not that kind of minor demon. A Great Demon who exists outside of time has appeared," said the Ancient One.
At this, Du Wa's interest was immediately piqued.
A Great Demon from Hell—any one of them was a single-universe-level powerhouse, an existence comparable to a Cosmic God like Knull at his peak.
A Great Demon would specifically come all the way from Hell to this godforsaken universe that didn't even have a designation?
Even if it was definitely a clone and not the main body, it was still enough to surprise Du Wa.
Who could it be? The workaholic Mephisto?
...
Skurge brought profound fear to The Hand.
It was the first time this group of ninjas had faced a god no less powerful than Thor. All of their proud assassination techniques were completely ineffective against Skurge.
Even when the Five Fingers intervened personally, using the portion of the dragon's power they had stolen from K'un-Lun, they could only slightly hinder Skurge. It did nothing to change the reality of him slaughtering members of The Hand en masse.
Skurge had even cut down two of the Five Fingers.
"Great Beast, I implore you, take action and stop this madman from the outside! He is destroying everything we have!"
With no other choice, Madame Gao sought the demon's help.
The Beast's expression was also grim. What could he do? He couldn't do anything!
If he'd had a choice, he would have left the Multiverse and fought his way back to Hell long ago. The only reason he hadn't was because he was too weak to return after entering the Multiverse.
But now, these damned mortals were asking him—a being who had lost the protection of Hell's rules and been replicated countless times across the many parallel universes—to stand up against a native "God"?
Don't be ridiculous. I can't beat him.
Even if he could defeat Skurge, he wouldn't do it, because standing behind Skurge was a host of even more powerful Xenomorphs led by Du Wa.
Without the strength of a Great Demon, confronting Du Wa and his group was simply suicide. Those guys had defeated true Deities one after another.
But that didn't mean he would just sit and wait for death.
"You bastards! Who told you to act on your own and send Elektra to Du Wa? If you hadn't sent Elektra to probe him, how would that guy have had the chance to recruit her? And how would we have come to Du Wa's notice?"
The Beast demon was furious, cursing loudly.
He had always kept a low profile, but he had still provoked someone he shouldn't have.
Against the current Du Wa, only a single-universe-level powerhouse could be absolutely certain of victory. No being of any other level would dare claim they could win for sure.
Every single person who thought they were guaranteed a win ended up becoming a part of Du Wa. It was a bloody lesson.
"I will seek the help of a more powerful demon, but whether or not I can move him will depend on luck," the Beast said with a gloomy expression.
"A stronger demon... What price will we have to pay?"
"Different demons have different preferences, but no Great Demon will refuse human souls. Of course, they have to be extremely high-quality human souls, and the more, the better." The Beast stared maliciously at the humans before him.
Those present understood immediately, hesitation clouding their faces.
This meant performing a vile sacrificial ritual, and the price would be the members of The Hand.
Nevertheless, the ritual began quickly. If they didn't summon a demon now, they would sooner or later be hunted down and killed by Skurge or the rapidly multiplying Xenomorphs.
The Beast demon watched the complex ritual before him. The intricate patterns carved into the ground seemed to come alive, exuding a malevolent aura.
Which Great Demon would come? Hopefully, a Great Demon would actually respond. But once a being like that was summoned, getting them to leave after a single favor would be... troublesome.
Soon, an astonishing smell of sulfur rose from the ritual.
"To think a demon would summon me... and from an unknown universe where I once briefly stayed."
A figure stepped out of the ritual.
He was an elegant old gentleman wearing a top hat and holding a cane. His every subtle movement conveyed the air of a well-educated scholar.
"M-Mephisto!"
The Beast demon gasped. He was so shocked that his long tongue lolled out of his mouth and dangled to the floor, his face full of disbelief.
It was actually this guy? But on second thought, it seemed quite normal.
In demon circles, who didn't know that Lord Mephisto was diligent and dedicated?
Mephisto's path to power required a vast number of high-quality souls to increase his strength. The more high-quality human souls he obtained, the stronger he became.
Therefore, Mephisto's figure appeared in far too many universes. His fame often far outshone the likes of Cyttorak.
Mephisto let out a kind laugh. He looked incomparably benevolent.
Only when the flickering candlelight cast the tall gentleman's shadow on the wall was his true form revealed: a horned demon.
"Lord Mephisto, welcome. We've encountered some trouble," the Beast demon said with the utmost respect.
The others didn't even dare to breathe, feeling an endless sense of oppression.
However, they were generally holding up well. After all, having been baptized by the presence of two Cosmic Gods, Dormammu and Knull, they were somewhat mentally prepared.
Moreover, Mephisto wasn't deliberately exuding the kind of might that could overwhelm a galaxy or shake the universe.
The cunning Mephisto naturally noticed this as well. At his level, even without doing anything, he could spontaneously gather all surrounding information and instantly compile and analyze it.
"You mortals, you know who I am, yet you are much calmer than humans from other universes... Why is that?"
Mephisto had originally paid this world no mind.
It was too remote, too obscure, destined to have few peculiar humans capable of causing upheaval in the universe's fate. Lingering too long in such a godforsaken place should have been a waste of time.
There were too many numbered universes that needed his attention, not to mention the centers of the multiverse like Universe 616 and Universe 1610.
But now, Mephisto had managed to muster a sliver of interest.
No one responded to him immediately. Everyone was very tense.
"Hehehe, don't mind that I'm a demon, I'm still very easy to talk to... Is anyone willing to make a bargain with me so that I can understand what has happened in this universe?"
Mephisto looked cheerfully at the people present.
Soon, a ninja who had received a signal steeled himself and stepped forward.
"Then, the terms of the bargain are as follows: I will obtain intelligence about this universe from you, and you will receive intelligence about me from me."
Mephisto politely took off his top hat, expressing his respect for the ninja. Then, he lightly tapped the ninja, who had just breathed a sigh of relief after hearing the terms, with his cane.
The ninja's soul was extracted by Mephisto, his body falling limply to the ground.
"I see. So this unremarkable universe isn't entirely worthless after all. An occasional visit can still yield surprises."
Mephisto savored the taste of the human soul and let out a sound of amazement.
To think such humans existed? And Xenomorphs?
Mephisto's interest was piqued. In his memory, he had never noticed beings like Du Wa and the Xenomorphs in other universes.
"Able to help the Ancient One repel Dormammu, capable of forcing Knull into successive setbacks... The Xenomorphs can even parasitize a Skyfather..." The more Mephisto examined the soul, the more pleasantly surprised he became.
He had just been acting on a whim, yet he'd made such an extraordinary gain?
Mephisto let out continuous sounds of admiration, causing everyone present to unconsciously bow their heads even lower.
The Beast demon exclaimed in his heart, *As expected of Mephisto, so particular. He even conducts his scams to gather intelligence under the banner of a bargain. So very particular.*
"You have given me a great surprise. As a reward, I'll help you out... First, let's get rid of that Jotunheim Bushwacker."
Mephisto, of course, knew Skurge. In many universes, Skurge was Thor's number one mortal enemy and was extremely difficult to deal with.
But in this universe, Jotunheim was conquered by Du Wa, and Skurge became one of Du Wa's Xenomorphs? And a second-rate Xenomorph at that?
Mephisto couldn't wait to catch a Xenomorph to examine it and taste its soul.
"It's a pity. A strange human like Du Wa is already worthy of my main body's personal attention, but my main body cannot act rashly, or other demons will seize the opportunity... Universe 616 is still more important."
This thought flashed through Mephisto's mind.
616 is the core of the entire multiverse. Any time fluctuation in this universe directly affects countless worlds throughout the entire Multiverse.
(end of chapter)