To Mephisto, this body was merely a duplication—an expendable vessel that carried a fraction of his power.
Even if the entire hell dimension were lost, it wouldn't truly harm him. As long as the goal was achieved, the vessel could be discarded without hesitation.
But the goal had to be achieved.
That was why he didn't hesitate to transform into another kind of monster.
After becoming a matrix demon, Mephisto was clearly doing better—but the virus had already been used. It couldn't be utilized again to assist Satanish or the other Dimensional Lords.
Otherwise, their situation might have been far more favorable.
Without wasting time lamenting the situation, Mephisto took Nastil and continued onward.
They quickly closed in on Aaron, preparing to strike.
However, in front of him remained only Mephisto, one Dimensional Lord, and half a Dimensional Lord in the form of Nastil.
Fight Aaron?
Contrary to Mephisto's expectations, Aaron showed no signs of the usual casting stiffness.
The reason Aaron hadn't acted earlier was simple: there was no need to.
He had already considered them nothing more than prey—birds in a cage, meals on a plate.
From the moment Aaron arrived, their fate had been sealed.
Aaron handled Mephisto's attacks while simultaneously dealing with the demons trailing behind. Their strength was far weaker than anticipated.
Mephisto, now on Earth, was a shadow of the force he had been in the hell dimension.
Aaron, using only basic magic, was able to stand toe-to-toe with him.
Even with Nastil added to the fight, their combined strength couldn't match even the sum of their parts.
Nastil had only brought along Velasco's magic book, which contained a portion of dark magic. The most critical spells weren't recorded in "Two Eight Three."
And clearly, he hadn't completely committed himself to the Black Magic God's power.
Even with the cross-mode virus amplifying his strength, Nastil could barely hold his ground.
Mephisto hadn't expected Aaron to be this much stronger.
How long had it been since their last encounter?
It was as if Aaron had become an entirely different person.
In the previous battle, Mephisto had seen more of Aaron's unreasonably powerful physique.
But now, just with magic alone, Aaron left him completely helpless.
It was beyond anything Mephisto had predicted.
What made things worse—Aaron clearly wasn't even fighting seriously.
Even while holding back, he could still threaten the other demons.
The fear of death loomed over all of them.
Dormammu and Satanish weren't doing any better.
Had they not continued to resist, they would've likely been wiped out by now.
As for the other demons...
Some of the Dimensional Lords, such as the Black Heart Demon, were still strong—comparable to the average Dimensional Lord.
They hadn't used any flashy techniques like growing gigantic or overwhelming the field.
By now, they should've entered the battlefield.
Yet, when Mephisto glanced back, he nearly coughed up blood.
The Black Heart Demon—supposedly the boldest among them—had slipped to the rear of the formation, lurking in the shadows at the most critical moment.
Every so often, he peeked out or whispered with other lords, clearly plotting something.
His posture screamed retreat.
Girl, you were the one screaming about revenge the loudest! You were the one so concerned with saving face! Yet here you are, the first to run?!
Bastard!!
From the rear ranks, the Black Heart Demon noticed Mephisto's glare, but ignored it.
What a joke.
Reckless he may be, but he wasn't stupid. He could still assess the battlefield.
The reality was clear—they were at an overwhelming disadvantage and could be crushed at any moment.
Mephisto and Nastil, even together, couldn't change the tide of battle. They were caught in a stalemate at best.
And Aaron's magic—already powerful—seemed to be getting even stronger.
Forget this!
The Black Heart Demon didn't want to die. He had plans: return to hell, overthrow Mephisto's rule, and become the new king.
So risking his life here? Not happening.
Even if Aaron, the God of Magic, humiliated them, it didn't matter.
Dignity was valuable—but life was priceless.
Die for Mephisto and the Dimensional Lords? Heh! Count me out.
Not only did the Black Heart Demon intend to retreat, but he also convinced a group of "like-minded" allies to join him.
They planned a coordinated breakout—hoping to escape before Kamar-Taj's defenders could react.
Once back in hell, they'd rally forces and pin the blame on Mephisto.
The entire military operation had been a colossal failure.
A coalition of dimensional lords had descended upon the real universe to harvest souls in grand fashion...
Yet they gained nothing and suffered catastrophic losses.
Someone would have to answer for this.
To the Black Heart Demon, that someone was Mephisto—the mastermind of this doomed plan.
Once back, he would immediately move against Mephisto.
If successful, he would become the new King of Hell. From there, dealing with Aaron would be much more manageable.
Even if he failed, he could still tarnish Mephisto's prestige and force political shifts among the demons.
Mephisto knew exactly what his son was thinking.
That bastard! Not only did he refuse to fight when it mattered most, now he's scheming to drag me down too!
Damn it. Once this is over, I'll show him who's the father and who's the son! He'll learn to obey.
And while he's at it, Mephisto would remind all those restless demons who the real King of Hell is.
But for now... the question remained.
How was he supposed to defeat Aaron?
Was there still any hope?
Mephisto felt lost.
A team of incompetent allies had dragged him down from the very start.
Half the main force crumbled as soon as the battle began.
His own son was forming factions, sowing internal strife.
The entire plan was in shambles.
Meanwhile...
What exactly is Aaron planning?
Mephisto stared at him darkly.
Aaron had the power to crush all of them—but still held back.
And don't forget—he had a violin that carried the Phoenix Force with him!
That was a monster in its own right.
There was also a secret agent who had likely betrayed the border lord of hell. Her Soul Blade was a threat of its own.
Thankfully, none of them had made a move yet.
Even so, Aaron alone had shattered the mighty Dimensional Lord Alliance.
Had the others joined in, the outcome would've been devastating.
The alliance had been built from the beginning with Aaron and his woman as the imaginary enemies.
They had gathered countless elites and poured enormous resources into this campaign.
And now... it might all be for nothing.
Unacceptable!
Unlike Mephisto, Nastil hadn't caught on yet.
He was still fighting with full force, unaware that his own allies had stabbed him in the back.
Victory was a fading illusion.
What he was doing now was no different than a mantis trying to stop a cart.
The gap in strength between both sides was absolute.
Mephisto understood why Aaron hadn't gone all out.
Once Dormammu's energy was completely absorbed, and Satanish's giant avatar dissipated...
The Dimensional Lords had lost their momentum.
Many lost the will to fight, and under the Black Heart Demon's persuasion, they began scattering in different directions.
Even now, Aaron hadn't moved against them.
"Mephisto, it's been two years—and you haven't improved at all!"
Mephisto remained silent, his face dark, resigned to his fate.
Aaron turned to Nastil.
Though his form had changed drastically, and his strength increased, Aaron's gaze made it clear—he still didn't take Nastil seriously.
Humiliation, rage, fear, and hatred twisted within Nastil.
Fueled by the cross-mode virus, he fully lost control.
Nastil became a killing machine.
Anything in sight became an enemy—even Mephisto, his former ally.
Mephisto was speechless.
Good grief! What kind of allies have I brought this time?!
Of the five top demons, four either betrayed him, became enemies, or lost their minds.
No wonder he was losing.
It wasn't the plan that failed—his teammates were just too stupid.
Even after accounting for every possible scenario, he never expected this level of incompetence.
Who could've survived this mess?!
Mephisto wanted to cry—but had no tears left.
It's over. Let it all be destroyed. I'm so tired...
As Mephisto brooded, Zola—who had been observing from afar—saw Nastil's madness as an opportunity.
The Dimensional Lord Alliance hadn't managed to destroy each other as he'd hoped...
But a new chance had appeared to seize god-level power.
Previously, Nastil's race had resisted the matrix virus's hive consciousness, preventing Zola from controlling him.
Now that Nastil had gone mad and lost mental control, Zola had his chance.
He launched a data invasion, attempting to take over Nastil's body.
A powerful Dimensional Lord-level pawn—if Zola succeeded, he could gain deep knowledge of dimensional mechanics and otherworldly secrets.
Then... conquest!
Far from Aaron's reach, the Principle Magic Net was spreading across other territories.
With it, Zola could analyze divine power and perhaps one day use it to elevate HYDRA.
His plan was solid. He broke into Nastil's mind, scanned his copied memories, and tried to control his body for battle.
But the madness didn't last long.
Especially after Mephisto failed, Nastil had to face Aaron alone.
In mere moments, Nastil—relying solely on instinct—was crushed by Aaron's punch.
Aaron absorbed his energy on the spot.
Zola had no choice but to retreat.
He realized that even controlling Nastil wouldn't change the outcome—the opponent was too powerful.
Even with a superior body and overwhelming strength, Nastil was nothing compared to the God of Magic.
Zola barely had time to extract a few memories before fleeing.
Aaron had sensed something off with Nastil's behavior.
One second he was rampaging with mindless fury...
The next, his actions were rational—his fighting style changed, like someone new was controlling him.
Aaron quickly suspected Zola.
He was the only one who could manipulate a broken mind remotely.
So to prevent further trouble, Aaron destroyed Nastil without hesitation.
But killing Zola wouldn't be that simple.
As long as Zola's data had backups elsewhere, he couldn't truly die.
There was no Vision around to help disrupt his consciousness either.
But that didn't mean Aaron couldn't handle him.
The simplest way?
Destroy Zola's base—Earth itself.
Obviously, that wasn't an option.
Other solutions existed.
Aaron, with his vast knowledge and intellect rivaling Tony Stark, could create a new AI to combat Zola.
Still, he preferred to push his magic to higher realms.
After all, artificial intelligence was just data.
In the face of rules and laws of the universe, it was insignificant.
With the Infinity Stones, Aaron could erase Zola's existence completely.
Even without the Soul Stone, the other five were enough.
He wasn't trying to wipe out all life—just one parasitic program.
So, he let Zola escape.
After finishing off Nastil, Aaron turned toward the last Dimensional Lord—Mephisto.
"You've lost. But this isn't over. I'll definitely come back!"
Mephisto spat his last threat and tried to flee.
Meanwhile, the Black Heart Demon and others launched a surprise attack on the weakest defenses during Nastil's rampage.
But they had clearly underestimated Aaron's power—and his resolve to stop them.
"Since you've come this far, why bother leaving?"
"Stay here—forever."
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