Diluc looked at Mephisto, slowly drew the Blackrock Slasher from behind his back, and said:
"As you said, those who even believe the Devil's words are not worthy of mercy."
The smile on Mephisto's face froze instantly, and his elegant mask shattered into pieces.
His eyes turned bloodshot; cracks like molten lava spread beneath his skin, and the air around him warped from the intense heat.
"Well," Mephisto said, "it seems you've chosen death."
The Devil's roar echoed like surging lava from the depths of Hell, and the temperature in the entire cemetery spiked.
Carter Slade reacted instantly, grabbed Johnny Blaze's arm, and snapped:
"Back off! We'll only get in the way here!"
Just as the two retreated two hundred meters away, the ground where they'd stood exploded with a boom, and sulfurous flames shot skyward.
Swish!
Almost simultaneously, the dark-red blade of the Blackrock Slasher burst into black-and-red flames.
Mephisto raised a hand and waved. Dozens of lava pillars erupted from the earth like a cage, encircling Diluc.
Clang!
The sword slashed horizontally, cleaving a pillar of fire in two.
Diluc used the momentum to leap upward, his blazing blade streaking straight for Mephisto's throat.
But Mephisto merely sneered and tapped the ground with the crystal cane in his hand.
Boom!
Suddenly, jagged black crystals erupted from the earth, lunging toward Diluc like fangs—leaving him stranded midair with no place to land.
Tap tap tap…
At the last moment, the Blackrock Slasher struck the crystal cluster, using it for leverage. Diluc flipped through the air, his blade carving a perfect arc.
Shrrrr!
The front of Mephisto's suit tore open, revealing the writhing lava within.
But the wound sealed itself instantly. A flicker of surprise crossed Mephisto's eyes, and he remarked with a hint of amusement:
"Interesting flames. They'll make for good entertainment."
No sooner had he spoken than Mephisto's form split into three, each charging Diluc from a different direction.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
The left clone twisted its hands into massive lava claws and slammed down; the right one lashed out with a chain-like whip of sulfurous fire; and the central figure—the original—gaped wide, unleashing a torrent of venomous fire hot enough to melt steel.
Diluc's pupils narrowed. He spun the Blackrock Blade rapidly before him, forming an impenetrable steel barrier.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
The lava claws struck the barrier, sending sparks flying across the sky, while the sulfurous whip rebounded harmlessly.
But the toxic breath pierced through his defense, forcing Diluc to twist sideways.
Bang!
The left clone seized the opening and hammered Diluc's abdomen with a lava-forged maul.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The devastating impact sent Diluc hurtling backward—he only stopped after smashing through seven tombstones in a row.
Diluc stood up from the ground, a charred and hideous wound marring his chest—terrifying to behold.
"Oh? You're more interesting than I thought!"
Crash!
Mephisto raised his hand with a sinister grin, and in an instant, countless black crystal spikes erupted from the ground beneath Diluc.
Diluc leaped into the air, the black crystal thorns scraping against the soles of his boots. He spun midair, and his blade suddenly blazed with a dazzling dark-red light.
"Here—the verdict is pronounced!"
Boom—!!!
A colossal pillar of fire shot into the sky. Scorching black-and-red flames coalesced in the air, forming a flaming phoenix with a wingspan of dozens of meters.
The phoenix let out a long, piercing cry and dove toward Mephisto with terrifying force—enough to reduce everything in its path to ash. Wherever it passed, the crystal spikes shattered.
Mephisto's pupils contracted sharply. He hastily conjured a black energy shield to block the attack.
Boom—!
The black-and-red flame phoenix was unstoppable. It shattered the shield instantly and engulfed Mephisto completely.
"Aaah…!"
In the searing white flames, Mephisto's human disguise burned away, revealing his true, hideous demonic form.
His dark-red skin pulsed with glowing lava-like veins. Curved horns jutted from his forehead, and behind him unfurled a pair of tattered bat-like wings.
Diluc dropped to one knee, breathing heavily, his sword hand trembling slightly.
Mephisto tore away the last remnants of flesh from his face, baring his monstrous visage to Diluc.
"Yes! You truly amaze me, Diluc Ragnvindr. Of all the humans I've ever met, you are among the most remarkable.
Join Hell and become my new Demon Prince.
I promise you power far beyond what you wield now!"
Mephisto, still unwilling to yield, extended the offer with unsettling sincerity.
Diluc rose to his feet, his fiery red eyes as calm as a still well. "Do I need to repeat my answer again?"
"Hmph! So stubborn! But it matters little. Once I kill you, your soul will be mine regardless!"
Without giving Diluc a moment to recover, Mephisto flapped his wings and vanished—reappearing before him in an instant.
Swish!
Almost simultaneously, claws forged from molten lava slammed down toward Diluc's head with devastating force.
Bang—!
Diluc barely raised his sword in time to block—but the sheer impact sent him flying backward.
Boom… boom…
His body hurtled like a cannonball, his boots carving deep furrows into the earth. He only stopped after crashing through two granite tombstones.
Pain seared through his back, and his arms went numb, blurring his vision. Yet he remained standing—defiant. The flames on his Blackrock Slasher flickered but refused to die.
"It's over."
Mephisto loomed above him, condescending and triumphant. His hands clasped together, a sphere of dark energy coalescing between his palms.
The space around it warped, as if even light were being devoured.
"Welcome to your new life, Diluc Ragnvindr!!"
BOOM—BOOM—BOOM—!!
The massive energy sphere launched from his hands, cracking the ground and whistling through the air in its wake.
If it struck, Diluc would be utterly annihilated.
Diluc sighed. After all, it was impossible for a mere human body to stand against a demon of another dimension.
But just as the devastating blast was about to hit—
Crack!
Something strange happened. The space before Diluc shattered like glass, spiderweb fractures spreading rapidly across the air.
Mephisto's energy sphere struck the fractured plane—and instantly dissolved into countless luminous petals that drifted gently onto Diluc's body.
At this impossible sight, Mephisto's eyes widened in shock. Then, grinding his teeth, he snarled the name he loathed most:
"Ancient One!!!"
Silence answered him. The only sound was the sizzle of the sun scorching the earth.
"Remember this, Ancient One!" Mephisto roare
d. "Diluc Ragnvindr's soul is mine! You cannot keep him—I swear it!"
With those words, his form vanished as abruptly as it had appeared—leaving no trace behind.
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