American Comics: Heaven's Reward

The light of the magic circle grew brighter and brighter. Due to the erosion of hell energy, the golden magic circle began to turn black.

At the same time, a chilling purple-black aura erupted from the sulfur. Then, a tall old man appeared.

He seemed to be about sixty or seventy years old. His appearance was kind, yet there was a subtle cunning glimmer in his eyes—an incongruity with his otherwise gentle look.

As soon as he appeared, a smug smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. He exhaled long and said, "What a gentle sun. This land still teems with vitality. I can feel the infinite energy and the delicious souls here."

"They're waiting for me, waiting for the king of hell to come."

Mephisto had long missed this moment. Kamar-Taj's group of magicians had ruined his plans, preventing him from coming to earth to abduct countless living souls.

Though many human souls would naturally descend to hell upon death, the decayed souls of the dead were nothing compared to those of fresh life. He was eager to see the painful, powerless faces of humans—those souls would be the greatest delicacy.

Thousands of years had passed, and finally, he had the chance to step into this world again. Maybe even to conquer it.

Mephisto dreamed of a bright future.

"Have you seen enough?"

A calm voice broke his thoughts.

"You're Aaron from Asgard? Very nice!"

It was only then that Faith noticed Aaron. His eyes seemed to see right through him, looking directly into his soul. That gaze was as if Aaron was a rare treasure.

At the same time, he spoke in a tone of admiration: "You've done well, better than I imagined. Stick with me, and in this world, you will have your place!"

"As for your enemies... I'll help you deal with them once you've destroyed the three holy places."

Enemies?

Aaron blinked, confused. What was Stowe thinking?

Was he planning on crossing Ancient One and the others?

Was this just a desperate man on the verge of his death? Aaron's suspicions grew.

Shaking his head, he didn't waste time discussing. He opened a portal in front of him, stepped in, and left only one line behind: "Enjoy it."

Mephisto stood dumbfounded. What was Aaron planning? A rebellion?

His mind raced. Could Aaron really be trying to follow in Ancient One's footsteps?

No, impossible!

Suddenly, with the magic circle as the center, flames erupted tens of kilometers away from Fang Yuan.

Even without any visible combustibles, they still burned intensely. This was magic fire.

For demons like Mephisto, pure physical damage was useless. Only magic on a similarly mysterious level could hurt them.

Mephisto noticed the flames and immediately realized their danger. They could burn through his duplication!

"You're bold!" He roared. "How dare you deceive the Lord of Hell!"

Furious, he summoned hellfire to counterattack. But the flames of his soul didn't respond. He lost contact with the hellfire!

His eyes widened in disbelief.

"Trying to use hellfire?" Aaron's cold voice reached him. "Did you really think I wasn't prepared for your tricks?"

Aaron had been cautious since absorbing Mephisto's energy, secretly watching for any abnormal flames, and now he had found one. Mephisto's plan was doomed.

"What do you mean?" Mephisto asked suspiciously. His eyes narrowed when he noticed the changes.

The flames licking at him felt... wrong. His very soul, attached to his duplication, was burning.

Hellfire, the mystical fire from hell, was a uniquely dangerous flame, even for demons. And now, it was burning his duplication.

Mephisto tried to teleport away, but Aaron had prepared for that.

A massive golden magic circle appeared, inscribed with runes. This was a special circle used by Kamar-Taj to trap demons in different dimensions.

Aaron had studied this magic circle and arranged it around Fang Yuan for just this moment.

The circle transformed into an enormous cage, holding Mephisto tightly in place, rendering him immobile.

Mephisto's face darkened. He finally understood: Aaron had no intention of keeping his word.

But he remained calm. Quickly, he prepared his final move.

"You think my power is so easy to steal?" Mephisto sneered. "Let me show you how I can make you regret it!"

He activated his hell-lord energy, trying to draw on the power of hell. But when he tried, he found nothing.

Impossible!

Had Aaron absorbed all of it?

Before he could process it, a voice rang out, cold and final: "It's over, Mephisto. Go back to your land!"

Aaron raised his hand, and flames shot up tens of meters high, engulfing Mephisto instantly.

In the sea of flames, Mephisto's enraged roar echoed:

"I'll make you pay, you bastard!"

A World of Consequences

As Mephisto's duplication was consumed, his true body jolted awake, eyes burning with rage.

This was the first time in his long life that he had been so thoroughly tricked by an Asgardian, to give up so much of his power for nothing.

He couldn't help but curse.

"If you have the ability, stay there for the rest of your life!" Mephisto growled, his fury undiminished. "Once I deal with Kamar-Taj, I'll make sure you suffer slowly."

His reputation had been shattered. A joke among demons. Worse than Dormammu, even.

He shot a glance around and saw other demons watching. The rumor of his humiliation was spreading.

Mephisto's anger was palpable. "You better pray I don't find out who knows about this."

He decided to kill everyone who knew of his defeat to keep it from spreading.

Back in Kamar-Taj

Aaron, satisfied that nothing had been missed, bombed the ground before returning to Kamar-Taj.

At this time, Jean regained full consciousness.

"I'm sorry to trouble you again," she said apologetically. "The power is just too overwhelming, and I couldn't control it perfectly."

She felt embarrassed, knowing Aaron had been running around for her, watching over her carefully to prevent her powers from causing harm.

Yet, she also felt deeply moved. His care for her was sincere, unlike the distant gods she had encountered before.

"It's not your fault," Aaron said with a wave. "I didn't expect Phoenix's personality to be this intense."

Before Jean could reply, he continued, "I need more time to deal with the Phoenix situation completely."

At this point, the Ancient One interjected, "Before that, perhaps we should take care of something else."

Aaron raised an eyebrow in confusion.

The Ancient One smiled. "Don't you think those demons are still a nuisance?"

Aaron chuckled, "Are we really going to mess with demons now?"

"Why not?" Ancient One replied with a knowing grin.

Aaron understood her reasoning. Despite the changes in his future, Kamar-Taj wasn't free from danger. If the three holy places fell, demons would immediately attack.

And with Aaron's recent work reducing their strength, now was the perfect time to strike.

Aaron agreed immediately.

Before leaving, Ancient One suggested, "You may want to try soul astral projection first."

"No need," Aaron replied confidently. He was already capable of astral projection and even casting spells in that state.

The Ancient One nodded, impressed by Aaron's mastery of soul magic, far surpassing her own.

"To enter the hell dimension, we must leave our physical bodies behind," she explained. "The power there is too great for our bodies, but in astral form, we can move freely."

Using the magic circle left by Agamotto, they bypassed the magic barrier, entering the hell dimension.

The demon lords, unaware of their arrival, were venting their frustration when they suddenly sensed a new aura.

"Sorcerer Supreme!" One demon hissed, recognizing her. "Another human!"

Before they could react, Ancient One was already casting her spells.

With a flourish, a mirror space surrounded the demons, pulling them in.

She was quick. Before they even realized it, she had cast a spell that split her into hundreds of duplicates, each casting a magic whip to restrain the demon lords.

Aaron wasted no time. With a surge of power, he summoned lightning bolts that rained down in torrents, striking the demons relentlessly.

The thunder continued for what felt like an eternity.

"Next time, maybe a little gentler?" Ancient One asked, slightly winded.

Aaron, undeterred, answered casually, "Next time? Gentle? Not a chance!"

Lack of firepower phobia had set in. The more destruction, the better.

The attack left the demon lords in tatters. Ancient One nodded approvingly, though a small part of her was impressed by Aaron's intensity.

"Excellent," she said with a smile.

Mephisto's Last Stand

Meanwhile, Mephisto, still reeling from his defeat, finally realized something was wrong. He rushed to clear out his minions, but by the time he got to the scene, the battle had already ended.

He stared in disbelief. "No! How dare you invade my domain!"

Then, his eyes locked onto the two figures before him.

"Sorcerer Supreme! Aaron!"

"Die!" he shouted in rage, charging forward.

The battle was far from over.