After Euphemia left, Ethan Voss stared at the golden bracelet in his hand for a moment. The faint warmth still lingering on the metal made his expression darken slightly.
Then he suddenly threw it to the ground.
"Damn it," he muttered coldly. "What do you take me for?"
With a casual wave of his hand, a glowing portal appeared in the air beside him. Without hesitation, he stepped through it. The scenery shifted instantly, and he emerged inside a completely different room.
This was the grand hall where the masked ball was actually being held.
The truth was simple. The passionate encounter that had just taken place had never occurred inside the real building at all.
It had happened inside the Kingdom of God.
The moment Ethan approached Euphemia earlier, he had already recognized her true identity. Once that realization settled in, the rest of his plan unfolded naturally.
When their emotions intensified and the moment became heated, he quietly opened a portal hidden behind the door. What they stepped into was not the corridor of the building, but the divine realm itself.
Because the transition happened during a brief and dizzying kiss, Euphemia never noticed the change. By the time she realized anything felt strange, she had already been too distracted to question it.
Inside the divine realm, Ethan no longer needed to maintain any polite restraint.
While she was off guard, he quietly examined her memories.
The information he uncovered was extremely valuable.
Recently she had been preparing a mysterious ritual known as the "Gathering of Five." The ceremony required five participants, and once the ritual began, each of them would randomly receive either a blessing or a curse.
Her goal in organizing the ritual was simple.
She wanted to extend the life of Lady Spiderweb.
Lady Spiderweb possessed a rare and powerful ability known as the Eye of God. This power granted her both precognition and telepathic perception.
When those two abilities combined, they produced something extraordinary.
The Heavenly Eye.
With it, she could observe countless possibilities and sense threats before they even appeared. Because of that power, she had become the single most valuable asset supporting Euphemia's rule over Madripoor.
With the help of specialized equipment installed in her command vehicle, Lady Spiderweb could monitor nearly the entire island alone.
Euphemia's control over Madripoor was far stronger than most outsiders realized.
Unfortunately, time had begun catching up with her most valuable ally.
As Lady Spiderweb aged, her abilities weakened. At the same time, her physical condition deteriorated rapidly.
Euphemia had consulted countless doctors and specialists, but none could help. Eventually she decided to attempt the Gathering of Five ritual as a final gamble.
Among her followers was a mutant capable of temporarily sharing powers through touch. Anyone he touched could gain a copy of another person's ability for a short period of time.
That was the reason they had been hunting Domino.
Through the ritual, Lady Spiderweb might receive a blessing that would extend her life.
There was another objective as well.
Euphemia was also searching for the Serpent Crown.
The artifact had been created by Set, an ancient and terrifying god connected to Earth's oldest myths.
Set's true form was that of a colossal serpent so massive that its body could coil around entire worlds. His influence extended far beyond a single planet, reaching across multiple dimensions.
The Serpent Crown served as his symbol of authority.
Anyone who possessed it could receive supernatural power directly from Set himself.
Euphemia hoped to use that artifact to build an unstoppable army. With enough enhanced soldiers under Hydra's command, the organization could finally achieve its ultimate dream.
Global domination.
After learning all of this, Ethan realized that the situation had become far simpler than expected.
If he wanted, he could simply brainwash the entire group. Once they were under his control, they would obediently carry out their plan while he waited for the perfect moment to appear and claim everything.
Yet he chose not to directly control Euphemia.
After all, she was someone he intended to conquer personally.
What they had shared earlier was proof of that philosophy. For Ethan, the process of conquest mattered far more than the final result.
There was an old saying.
A forced melon is never sweet.
He wanted to win her over through his own charm.
Even so, he was not foolish enough to take unnecessary risks.
During their encounter, he quietly planted a small seed deep within her soul.
Just in case.
There was another saying as well.
A forced marriage might not be sweet, but it can still quench your thirst.
As long as he controlled the people around her, she would never be able to escape his influence.
The lighting during the ball had been dim, and the room they used had been even darker. Considering the circumstances, she probably never clearly saw his face.
Satisfied with that conclusion, Ethan left the room and returned to the party.
By the time midnight approached, the atmosphere of the ball had reached its peak. Music echoed through every corridor as hundreds of masked guests danced wildly across the various floors.
The crowd had grown so large that the entire event felt almost chaotic.
With his plan finalized, Ethan moved quickly.
One by one, he located Euphemia's companions within the crowd. Each target was quietly drawn into the Kingdom of God for a brief moment.
Inside the divine realm, he altered their memories and implanted subtle commands before releasing them back into the party.
Most of the people accompanying Euphemia were key members of the Viper Gang.
After a series of precise maneuvers, Ethan had successfully taken control of nearly half of the organization.
Before the night ended, he also implanted a special portal seed inside the body of Burcher Clemens, the captain of Euphemia's security team.
This was a new ability created after the Kingdom of God devoured the Void Devouring Flame.
Once Burcher returned to Madripoor, he could secretly place the seed in a hidden location.
When the time came, Ethan would be able to open a portal directly to that spot. It would act as a beacon, allowing him to travel there instantly without wasting time.
Several days later, Ethan set another plan into motion.
He intended to personally escort the Witch-Heart Demon to San Venganza.
Johnny Blaze and Carter Slade accompanied him as well.
According to Carter, the contract they carried possessed tremendous power. However, even he did not fully understand what a thousand hell warriors truly represented.
To prepare for any possible danger, Ethan had already placed the entire Justice League on standby within the Kingdom of God.
If anything went wrong, a portal would open instantly and the entire force would surge into battle.
Ethan sat comfortably in the back seat of the car while the Witch-Heart Demon slumped beside him.
The nightmare sand had inflicted terrible damage on the demon's mind. Even walking had become difficult.
The demon glared at Ethan with clenched teeth.
"I'm already in this condition," he growled. "And you still want me to do that?"
Ethan leaned back calmly.
"But we had a deal," he replied casually. "You help me beat up your father, and I take you to San Venganza."
He shrugged slightly.
"You're not planning to break the contract, are you?"
The demon exploded in anger.
"Couldn't you have waited until I recovered? Why are you rushing this? Do you want me dead?"
Ethan shook his head slowly.
"Of course not," he said calmly. "If I wanted you dead, I would have done it already."
He leaned closer with a serious expression.
"Don't you understand yet? I'm trying to help you."
Ethan continued speaking in a quiet voice.
"Think about your fight with your father earlier. It was embarrassing."
He paused briefly.
"Do you know what he said after you collapsed on the ground?"
The demon's eyes flickered.
Ethan's tone became colder.
"He said you were trash. That even the weakest demon in hell was better than you."
His voice sharpened.
"He said you were a disgrace to him. That he should have smashed you against the wall the day you were born."
The Witch-Heart Demon fell silent.
Deep down, he knew his father well enough to understand something.
Those might not have been the exact words.
But the meaning would have been the same.
Ethan sighed dramatically.
"If I hadn't suddenly become powerful and appeared like a god to drive that demon lord away, you would already be dead."
He slowly handed the demon the contract.
"This is your only chance."
His voice grew intense.
"Do you want to become stronger? Do you want to fight your way back into hell?"
He leaned forward slightly.
"Do you want to crush your father beneath your feet and shout at him…"
Ethan's voice rose with excitement.
"'I, the Witch-Heart Demon, have returned!'"
The demon's pale face shifted repeatedly as conflicting emotions raced through his mind.
Finally, he grabbed the contract and stuffed it into his chest.
"I know you're not doing this out of kindness," he said quietly. "But you're right. This is my only chance."
His eyes hardened.
"Use whatever tricks you want. If I win, I take everything. If I lose, you can kill me."
Ethan grinned widely.
"Impressive," he said while giving a thumbs up.
San Venganza soon appeared on the horizon.
The ancient town had long since collapsed into ruins. Broken buildings lay half-buried beneath endless waves of sand.
It looked like a place abandoned by all living things.
Among the shattered structures, strange shadows seemed to move quietly. Whenever someone looked closely, however, nothing could be seen.
With Johnny's help, the group reached the half-collapsed church standing at the center of the ruined town.
The Witch-Heart Demon held the contract tightly in his hands.
He gave Ethan a bitter smile.
"Shouldn't you stay back?" he said quietly. "You might get caught in the crossfire."
Ethan simply grinned.
"No," he replied. "I'm afraid you might run away."
The demon rolled his eyes but said nothing more.
He sat down on the church steps and began carefully arranging the contract.
After chanting a long and complicated incantation, a horrifying sound suddenly erupted from every direction.
Shrill screams filled the air.
Ethan frowned immediately.
Something about this felt wrong.
He quietly stepped backward until Johnny and Carter stood between him and the church.
The darkness around them seemed to thicken.
From within the ruins, countless evil spirits began to emerge.
.....
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