Mephisto's Son.
Blackheart.
Herman recognized the identity of the handsome young man immediately, and for a moment, he felt genuinely miserable.
It was as if the All-Seeing Eye had singled him out. With so many bars in the world, why did it have to be this one—the very bar already ruined by Blackheart?
Clatter—
Another disturbance came from inside the bar. A gust of sinister wind swept out, carrying a shrill, mocking laugh that grated on the ears.
"Hahaha! A new toy! Boss, you must've known we weren't finished playing, so you brought us another one, didn't you?"
The eerie wind condensed beside Blackheart into the shape of a long-haired man with an artistic air—though his jutting buckteeth gave him a bizarre, Picasso-like appearance.
Wind Demon.
The name wasn't hard to guess. One of Blackheart's lackeys, he stared at Herman as though he were nothing more than food.
"I love the way humans look when they're drowning in despair."
Another figure emerged from the bar—Water Demon, dripping wet from head to toe.
"Water Demon, Wind Demon. This one's mine. None of you are to touch him." Blackheart glanced at his subordinates.
"Understood."
The two demons immediately lowered their heads in deference.
"To make the boss take action himself… this human must really be worth it."
A man in a leather jacket stepped out next, his expression rebellious and arrogant. He carried the severed, withered head of a woman in one hand, and his mocking gaze fell on Herman.
Earth Demon.
Like the others, he was one of the demons lingering in the human world.
"My poor barmaid."
Herman recognized the head. She had been one of the biggest reasons his bar did so well—a sexy, cheap bartender who drew in crowds.
"So, can I just pretend I was passing by?"
He felt no sympathy for strangers, and he had no interest in clashing with demons. But judging by their expressions, this wasn't something that could be settled with words.
"What do you think?"
Blackheart laughed arrogantly.
"I'm a man who values peace. Why must you insist on picking a fight?" Herman sighed heavily, already bracing himself for battle.
As expected.
There was no reasoning with demons. For a man like him—even if it meant losing his own property—resorting to force was the only option left.
"Hm?" Blackheart tilted his head, his expression shifting to one of puzzlement. "You don't seem afraid of us. Anyone else would already be screaming."
As he spoke, he sniffed the air.
"And your soul… smells exquisite."
A glimmer of greed flashed in his blackened eyes as he began walking toward Herman.
"Tell me, what makes your soul so special?"
His pupils were pitch-dark, his grin twisting into a grotesque, jagged smile. The human façade was only a disguise. His true form was a red-eyed demon, mouth filled with sharp fangs, resembling some medieval vampire.
To be fair, before transforming, Blackheart was pretty handsome—though still a long way from Herman. But once he revealed his demon form, he became something monstrous, completely repulsive by human standards.
"Blackheart, honestly, I don't think you're making the right choice."
Herman's eyes narrowed as the demon advanced.
In the next instant, an overwhelming surge of telekinesis blasted out, slamming into Blackheart like a sledgehammer. Completely unprepared, the demon was sent flying.
Boom!
Blackheart spun through the air like a cannonball, crashing through several trees before smashing into the wooden bar at the far end.
Crash!
With a deafening roar, the entire structure collapsed.
"What?"
"What the hell just happened?"
The three demons were stunned. None of them had expected their boss to be launched into the ruins of the bar by an unseen force before even reaching Herman.
Their gazes shifted instantly. This man was no ordinary human. No wonder he could remain so calm and unshaken in the face of demons.
"Mutant!"
Blackheart had mistaken Herman's identity as well. Enraged, he crawled out from the ruins of the bar, covered in dust, looking utterly disheveled.
Yet after emerging from the rubble, he didn't immediately strike again. He remembered how Herman had called him by name earlier.
"Seems you know quite a bit about us."
Blackheart's gaze wavered with suspicion and unease. He feared Herman might be one of Mephisto's lackeys.
"Of course. The Prince of Hell, Blackheart, and his three lackeys—your identities are no secret to me."
Herman raised his hand slightly.
Beside him, a stretch of highway hundreds of meters long ripped free from the ground under his will, twisting through the air like a colossal dragon, radiating a crushing sense of dread.
The three demons faltered. This Mutant was terrifying, reminding them of another Mutant who had once drunk at this very bar—one who controlled metal like a living dragon.
That time, they had been beaten badly.
"You should call me the King of Hell!"
Blackheart, however, wasn't intimidated. He roared at Herman, "I will build my kingdom here on Earth!"
Good grief.
So he planned to use that San Venganza Contract, with its mere few hundred souls, to create a new hell?
Herman was speechless.
This so-called Prince of Hell must be insane. Even Mephisto didn't dare run rampant on Earth, and yet Blackheart thought a few hundred souls were enough to establish a new hell?
Sure, they were devout souls, but so what? Earth had more than just the Ancient One—plenty of other heavyweights were around.
How could someone like Mephisto, the ultimate schemer, have such a foolish son? Herman figured Mephisto ought to take Blackheart for a paternity test.
Not that he was sure hospitals offered those services for demons.
"Mephisto should get your brain checked."
Herman sent the concrete dragon crashing down at Blackheart with the force of a collapsing mountain.
"Never!"
Blackheart instantly transformed, his body becoming fully demonic, eyes blazing crimson. From him, black mist poured out, spreading across hundreds of meters.
"Never speak His name in front of me!"
Wrapped in that vast black mist, Blackheart tore through the concrete dragon's blockade and lunged straight at Herman.
Wherever the mist passed, everything withered and decayed.
"My power may have come from Him, but I will surpass Him. Unfortunately for you, mortal, you won't live to see that day!"