In the Crimson Hell, Cytorrak had always been one of Mephisto's fiercest rivals for the Satan Throne.
When it came to sheer strength, Cytorrak was actually stronger than Mephisto—
he simply wasn't as famous because his thirst for souls wasn't nearly as intense.
But if a powerhouse like William Devonshire actively helped spread Cytorrak's name, it would be a disaster for Mephisto.
Faced with this, Mephisto would rather forgo any reward than see Cytorrak rise in power.
Still, doing something for free was fundamentally against a demon's nature.
He needed to demand compensation while scheming how to ensure William agreed.
Left with no other choice, Mephisto gritted his teeth and said,
"I'll double the reward! If two million people remember me and fear me,
I'll immediately kill Set for you—utterly, completely, down to erasing even his soul and name!"
"Two million remembering you? Fine," William narrowed his eyes, seizing the opportunity to negotiate,
"But whether they fear you or not—that's beyond my control."
Getting people to remember a name was easy.
And if done right, they might even treat Mephisto like a joke instead of a figure of fear.
"You—!" Mephisto nearly exploded in anger.
But after a moment's thought, he realized the crucial point:
It was more important to prevent Cytorrak from growing stronger.
Damn it, Mephisto cursed internally.
Not only had he failed to trick William, he'd actually exposed his own fears about Cytorrak.
Glancing at the groveling Fischer, Mephisto's gaze turned vicious again.
If he didn't kill this snitch soon, it was only a matter of time before William made contact with Cytorrak himself.
Still... there's an opportunity here.
If Mephisto could manipulate things right, he could use William's fame and the chaos he'd unleash to have even more people remember the name Mephisto.
Thinking fast, Mephisto put on a resentful act, snorting,
"Fine. I'll kill Set first, then we'll start our second round of betting.
I refuse to believe that, as a Hell Lord, I can't win even once!"
William, meanwhile, kicked Fischer again and asked,
"When a demon lord or god fully dies, are there any visible signs?"
"Of course!" Fischer nodded quickly, stealing a glance at Mephisto before focusing on William.
"If Set truly dies, there'll be an eruption of black magic tied to darkness and desert elements.
It'll cause other dark gods and demon lords to fight over the scraps—there's no way it can be hidden."
Satisfied, William nodded.
Still cautious, he forced Mephisto to swear an oath on the Satan Throne.
Only then did he release Mephisto's projection back to Hell.
Wait a second... William realized just then,
It was only a projection! I didn't have to go that far...
But he shrugged it off.
No way was he giving Mephisto an excuse to stay longer and plot something.
The moment Mephisto's projection returned to Hell,
his true form leapt up from the Satanic Throne, roaring in fury,
his palace trembling under his rage.
Fortunately, even in his rage, Mephisto didn't dare mention William's name—
better to suffer humiliation quietly than to let the other demon lords find out.
Still, the oath had been sworn.
Like it or not, Mephisto was bound to kill Set.
Less than an hour later, William felt a strange vibration—
a faint whisper in his mind signaling it was time to fulfill his side of the bargain.
Covering his ears, William said to Sunday,
"How's Abigail's dinosaur island project progressing?"
"The main facilities for containment and care are nearly complete, sir.
Remaining auxiliary structures should be finished in about three months."
"Perfect."
William looked at the obedient Fischer and smirked,
"When you get back to Hell, spread the word—
Mephisto blocked Cytorrak from gaining fame on Earth.
Got it?"
Then, tossing a soul coin over, William added,
"Complete this, and I'll reward you with another coin.
If you're in danger, just call me—I'll teleport you to Earth immediately."
"Thank you, Master! I will not fail!" Fischer pledged eagerly.
Two soul coins equaled two hundred souls.
To a demon like Fischer, it was an unimaginable jackpot.
Imagining himself evolving into a true mid-tier demon, Fischer could hardly contain his excitement.
William kicked the fantasizing demon back into Hell and chuckled,
This should stir up plenty of trouble.
He then casually purified the last remaining lesser demon and teleported to his magic planet.
Flying into the skies, he said to Sunday,
"Find me the ugliest carnivorous dinosaurs."
"Understood, Sir."
Moments later, dozens of dinosaur images appeared before him.
William flipped through them, finally selecting a creature that wasn't too grotesque—
the Dilophosaurus.
Guided by Sunday, he flew over a massive forest,
and in under half an hour, found a nest of Dilophosaurus.
Scooping up a puppy-sized hatchling, William returned to his London estate's underground lab.
After recording a video of it using state-of-the-art equipment,
he handed the little beast over to the fairies at Thundercliff Castle to raise.
Then he instructed Sunday,
"Tell Abigail—the Dilophosaurus hatchling's official name is 'Hell Lord Mephisto.'
Have her make a big show of visiting Prime Minister Richard with the video.
Make sure everyone in England knows she's meeting with him because of a creature named Hell Lord Mephisto."
"Understood, Sir."
Since Abigail acted as William's public representative,
even if she wasn't super famous, she was certainly on the radar of powerful people.
As long as William didn't personally step forward and the video wasn't leaked,
the story would draw attention without causing too much chaos.
The name Mephisto would be known... but without concrete proof, it would fade quickly.
Meanwhile, in Hell,
Mephisto—still seething over the cost of killing Set—
suddenly sensed something strange.
His name was being mentioned. A lot.
He paused, listening carefully.
Realizing it was William starting to fulfill his promise,
Mephisto's anger finally eased a little.
Smirking smugly, he slumped back onto his throne,
enjoying the sound of mortals chanting the name "Hell Lord Mephisto."
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