Upon returning to the manor, Qinuo entered the Speed Force state, finishing everything in less than a second.
This was his first time learning a new power without relying on Venom.
The other magic books were fine, but the darkhold itself carried a corrosive power that would have corrupted him if he didn't possess the status of a Demon King.
Moreover, using these magic spells came with a price.
The Book of Vishanti was slightly better; physical damage, soul depletion, shortened lifespan—the more you sacrificed, the stronger the power.
This was also why Doctor Strange could cast such powerful magic in just a few years.
Even the strongest talent requires accumulation.
These could probably be compensated for with healing potions, so it wasn't a big problem.
As for the darkhold, the magic within it, according to the description, was stronger than White magic.
However, the price was even more excessive: once a connection was established with the darkhold, the soul belonged to the darkhold's Master, Chthon.
"He's even darker than me!"
At least he gave the other party satisfactory compensation, but this guy wanted souls just for a trial.
Qinuo was a bit envious of the magic power.
Although close-quarters combat was satisfying, who hadn't dreamed of effortlessly casting dazzling magic?
He didn't lack magic power, but these spells belonged to others; to use them, he had to establish a connection to tap into their magic.
Both the White magic Book and the Black Magic Book were the same.
"I'll just have to make a trip."
Chthon was not a weakling like Mephisto.
In the magic world, his power was at the ceiling; Mephisto and Dormammu had also borrowed his power.
While it wasn't unbeatable, Qinuo, wanting to speed things up, planned to call for backup, not wanting another battle that lasted over ten days like last time.
He opened a portal.
Black Phoenix and Galan were eating super-sized ice cream sundaes when a portal suddenly appeared beside them.
Qinuo stepped out, causing a stir among the other customers in the shop.
"Qinuo, why are you here? Want some sundae?"
Black Phoenix scooped a large spoonful and offered it to Qinuo's mouth.
Qinuo opened his mouth and ate it.
"I need your help with something, are you free?"
"Yes, yes, yes! What are we doing?"
Black Phoenix said, quickly stuffing the rest of her sundae into her mouth, eating it with relish.
"I'm not free!"
Galan refused.
Her plan for today was to eat her way through this entire street.
"You, as an employee, don't have the right to refuse. This is work time now."
Qinuo directly picked up Galan, opened a portal, and stepped through.
"Wait, my super-sized ice cream sundae! It's a limited edition today!"
Galan helplessly stretched out her hand, watching her ice cream get further and further away.
"I'll help you finish it!"
Black Phoenix quickly devoured the rest of Galan's sundae.
In an instant, Galan's eyes seemed to die.
It was the first time someone dared to snatch food in front of Galactus.
The other customers finally came to their senses.
"Was that a Demon King?"
"Yes, I saw him during the demon invasion."
"Who are those two beautiful girls?"
"I don't know, did any of you record a video?"
"I forgot..."
It was the first time the Demon King had appeared in front of the public, and they hadn't taken photos or videos.
"I remember this shop has cameras."
"..."
The scene fell silent, then...
"Boss, give me the video! I'll pay 500 dollars."
"I'll pay a thousand!"
If they posted the video on Facebook, it would definitely go viral.
---
The adjacent "Flicker Realm" on the Earth plane.
This dimension was shrouded in darkness and an eerie atmosphere, filled with mysterious power and dangerous existences.
"Is Chthon here? I've come to talk about something!"
Qinuo emerged from the portal, accompanied by a constantly apologizing Black Phoenix and a sullen Galan.
A white-haired man emerged from the black mist, his demeanor arrogant.
"Hell Lord, what do you seek?"
He was very familiar with these Hell Lords; they would occasionally seek his power, but they would also offer him satisfactory compensation.
"I want to use the darkhold without paying a price. If it's convenient, I hope I can designate some people who can also use it without paying a price."
Qinuo pulled out the darkhold and shook it.
"Why is this book with you?"
Chthon remembered that the darkhold had been sealed by the current Sorcerer Supreme.
This generation's Sorcerer Supreme was the strongest in history; he had planned to wait until she died before finding a way to unseal the darkhold.
"The Sorcerer Supreme gave it to me."
Qinuo spoke truthfully.
"Are you mocking me?!"
Chthon's expression remained unchanged, but the darkness of the entire dimension began to churn, expressing his inner rage.
"...I stole it."
"Impressive. To steal it from the Sorcerer Supreme's hands. Now, hand the darkhold over to my followers, and I will give you my power as compensation."
Chthon nodded.
"Who wants your power? I want the authority over your magic." Qinuo was speechless. Was this guy hard of hearing?
"I cannot give you that kind of authority. Take my power and get out!"
The darkhold was the cornerstone of his return to Earth. Although this was just a copy, how could he give such authority to others? Not even Hell Lords.
Chthon was the first and strongest Black Magic Master on Earth; his Black Magic power was almost equivalent to the sum of all Black Magic on Earth.
It also meant that if all humans on Earth became Black Magic users, his power could rival the Five Great Gods.
A ball of red energy landed in front of Qinuo, who collected it; no reason to refuse free power.
"Then don't blame me. Black Phoenix, Galan, attack."
Qinuo gave the command, but there was no movement.
"Galan, I saw you eating so slowly, I thought you didn't like it, so I helped you finish it."
"I wanted to savor it slowly, but you ate it all in a few bites."
"I'm sorry..."
Qinuo looked at the expressionless Chthon opposite him and sighed helplessly.
"When we get back, I'll buy that street for you two. Now, let's get down to business."
"No problem."
"It's a deal."
The two women's spirits lifted, and they charged furiously towards Chthon.
"Seeking Death!"
Chthon's expression turned cold.
A massive and dazzling red beam of light suddenly shot out from behind him, carrying a terrifying aura of destruction, sweeping directly towards the two women.
Facing the deadly beam that was about to engulf her, Black Phoenix showed no fear. Her entire body instantly burst into raging flames, and in the blink of an eye, she transformed into a phoenix reborn from fire.
Accompanied by a clear phoenix cry, Black Phoenix spread her wings and soared, crashing into the red beam with overwhelming force.
At the same time, Galan refused to be outdone. Her armor quickly expanded and reconfigured into several enormous cannon muzzles.
In an instant, endless cosmic energy surged out from those muzzles like a mighty torrent, blasting directly towards Chthon.
"Phoenix Force! Infant Galactus!"
Chthon waved his hand, annihilating their attacks.
"Retreat now, and I can forgive your offense."
"Less talk, hand over the item, and we'll leave."
"Exactly, that way we can continue eating delicious food."
However, Chthon's goodwill was completely ignored.
Although he couldn't kill them, if they were severely injured for offending him, that person wouldn't be able to say anything.
In his opinion, the Hell Lord was just leading the way; these two were the instigators.
(Marvel's power levels can be roughly divided into the following tiers:
- Omniversal Level: The highest level in the Marvel Universe, represented by OAA, the omniscient and omnipotent God, the pinnacle of the entire Marvel Universe; also the Beyonder, from beyond the Marvel Universe, capable of imbuing his conscious judgment into any existence. Thanos with the Heart of the Universe is also at this level.
(In this book's setting, Lucifer is also at this level, presumably slightly weaker than OAA, but stronger than OAA who cannot move freely.)
Megaversal Level: Such as Nemesis, the true origin and embodiment of the Infinity Stones. The aftermath of her Death created two multiverses, capable of creating, distorting, or reordering any space-time and causality.
Multiversal Level: Includes Marvel's Five Great Gods of Creation, namely Galactus, Death, Eternity, Infinity, and Oblivion;
The Phoenix Force also belongs to this level, possessing powerful abilities like altering history;
Comic Thanos wearing the Infinity Gauntlet and Scarlet Witch at her peak are also at this level; they can affect multiple parallel Universes. (If you think I've written the Phoenix Force as weak, she's only half a year old and mostly eats or plays.)
Universal Level: Like the Celestials, created by the Marvel First Age's Omniversal consciousness—the First Firmament; Silver Surfer, created by Galactus; and Star-Lord's father Ego, etc. They can affect one Universe, and their power ceiling is much higher than the Skyfather level. (Their combat power in the movies is somewhat inconsistent)
Skyfather Level: Includes Thor's father Odin, the Greek chief god Zeus, etc. They are the kings in the mythological systems of various civilizations on Earth, capable of destroying a Planet.
Later Thor also belongs to this level. Thanos without the Infinity Gauntlet is Sub-Skyfather level, stronger than Earth Gods but slightly inferior to Skyfather level.
Earth Level: Most of the Avengers' superheroes are at this level, such as Hulk, Iron Man, Captain America, etc. They are the strongest among Earthlings, but their strength is relatively weak on a cosmic scale.