Chapter 836

This was insane. Pure, unfiltered insanity.

Just as Evenson had expected, Mephisto exploded the moment he heard the news.

"I really did underestimate you humans." He threw up his hands, his expression one of genuine disbelief. "Your talent for finding new and creative ways to get yourselves killed is honestly impressive."

"Look at me. Really look at me!" Mephisto pointed dramatically at his own face. "Who am I? I’m Mephisto. Lord of Hell. The head honcho of demons. The being who has been called the source of all evil in existence."

He jabbed a thumb at himself.

"And I’ve settled down! I’ve turned over a new leaf! I’m actually working on ways to guide the entire human race toward Heaven, and what do you people do? You sprint headfirst toward self-destruction so fast I can’t even drag you back!"

He threw his hands up.

"For the love of everything unholy, can’t you appreciate the effort I’m putting in here?"

"Whoo..."

Mephisto finally ran out of breath.

He took a long pull from his drink, then sank onto the couch, his thoughts racing. After a moment, he looked toward Evenson.

"Who exactly is planning this? What are they planning to do? And, most importantly..." His expression hardened. "Can they actually pull it off?"

He had reacted on instinct before. Now that he had calmed down, Evenson’s story struck him as not merely horrifying, but almost unbelievable.

Humans had tried to kill themselves before. Plenty of times.

But even Mephisto had never seen anyone plan to wipe out a billion people in two hours.

After considerable mental effort, he had finally decided that the only appropriate word for such an achievement was monumental.

Even so, something about the whole thing still felt unreal.

"If nobody is prepared for it, then yes. They can succeed."

Evenson gave a bitter smile.

"They’ve been preparing for this for a long time. At this point, everything is essentially in place. Once the plan goes live, the momentum will be unstoppable. After that, all they have to do is line everyone up and pull the trigger."

Evenson proceeded to explain Hydra, Alexander Pierce, and the Insight Project to Mephisto.

Mephisto’s reaction consisted largely of increasingly horrified gasps.

Gabriel, on the other hand—the former Sorcerer Supreme—remained remarkably quiet.

Only her eyes gradually dimmed until her expression became impossible to read.

"That’s the plan in a nutshell."

Evenson paused, then decided to twist the knife a little further.

"And since you’re currently staying on Earth, you count as a potentially catastrophic destabilizing factor. There’s a decent chance you’ll get one of those super-bullets too."

"Sigh..."

Mephisto didn’t gasp this time.

If he inhaled any more sharply, he was fairly certain he’d develop pulmonary edema.

Then his eyes suddenly brightened.

"Do you think there’s any chance we could convince this Pierce fellow to abandon the plan?"

"I’ve never entertained anything so na?ve."

Evenson shook his head with a laugh.

Then his expression changed.

"Wait. Do you have an idea? You’re thinking about making a deal with him?"

"Why not?"

Mephisto thought it over.

"Humans always need a reason to do something. Even crimes of passion have motives. He’s spent years preparing this plan and invested an enormous amount of effort into it. He must be after some kind of benefit."

He leaned back.

"If I can give him that benefit in advance, wouldn’t he have a reason to abandon the plan?"

His eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

"This time, I’ll make the contract completely airtight. I won’t leave him a single loophole."

Negotiation was the art of compromise.

And demons were supposed to be experts at negotiation.

But this?

"You’re not compromising anymore. You’re surrendering."

Evenson stared at him.

"You’re practically practicing appeasement. Where’s the profit in that?"

"I’m only worried you’ll walk in there with a smile and get your face slapped."

Evenson folded his arms.

"What if what he wants is absolute control over the world? Not just for his lifetime, either. He wants an empire that lasts forever. Can you give him that?"

Mephisto went quiet.

"Then... let’s discuss how to stop him instead."

Absolute dominion over the world?

If I could actually accomplish that, I’d have done it ages ago.

Mephisto imagined it for a moment.

Everyone living together peacefully. Humanity united. Anyone who dared disturb the harmony or call for war would receive a very long prison sentence.

Perfect.

He sighed.

What a headache.

Mephisto rubbed his temples.

Harsh had claimed recently that he had a solution to Hell’s population problem, but there still wasn’t anything resembling an actual solution.

And now another billion people were about to die.

Even if they used the most conservative estimate, at least half of them would probably end up in Hell.

Which meant Mephisto would have to return there, drag his physical body out of its bedroom, and find somewhere to live in the wilderness.

What kind of king has an entire kingdom but nowhere to put himself?

I’m the Lord of Hell, and I’m going to be homeless.

"Humans," Mephisto muttered. "You people are unbelievably good at making trouble."

"I’m just as bothered by it as you are."

Evenson scratched his head as though they were discussing something completely ordinary.

"We’re well-fed and comfortable. What else are we supposed to do with all this energy?"

"Then find something worthwhile to do!"

Mephisto became agitated again.

"And you people really think Earth is safe just because you’re comfortable? Have you ever looked beyond your own backyard? Forget the entire universe. Just look at this galaxy!"

He pointed toward the ceiling.

"How many advanced civilizations are watching this resource-rich but technologically backward planet and waiting for their chance?"

"Back when the Sorcerer Supreme was around, and Asgard was protecting you, you could afford to sleep peacefully. But now the news of the Sorcerer Supreme’s death has spread across the universe. She’s only just been resurrected, and her power hasn’t recovered."

Mephisto hesitated.

"And Asgard..."

He grimaced.

"Asgard can’t protect you anymore either."

He threw up his hands.

"So what exactly do you think you are?"

"Forget it."

Mephisto abruptly waved the subject away.

"There’s no point explaining this to you people. Let’s focus on stopping that lunatic’s plan."

The strange feeling returned.

Mephisto still couldn’t decide whether he had picked up the wrong script or someone had secretly rewritten his character.

He was a demon.

A demon.

Yet somehow he was sitting here worrying himself sick over how to save the world.

Absurd.

"I’ve spent a long time thinking about their plan," Evenson said. "I already know how to stop them."

He looked directly at Mephisto.

"The difficult part is making sure they can never try again. We need to eliminate the possibility of a resurgence completely."

His expression sharpened.

"With your help, that becomes much easier."

"Hmm."

Mephisto nodded.

Evenson expected him to say something along the lines of I’ll give you my full cooperation.

Instead, Mephisto said:

"Let’s make a deal."

"What?"

Evenson stared at him.

How does this guy manage to find a way to profit from everything?

"You don’t want this to happen either. This situation already benefits you. What exactly are you trying to get out of me?"

"Anything is fine."

Mephisto shrugged.

"This is just a formality."

When Evenson looked confused, Gabriel finally spoke.

"A demon’s power on Earth is severely restricted. Their ability to act directly in this world comes through contracts. If he makes a deal concerning this matter, he’ll be able to commit his full strength to it."

"There really is a rule like that..."

Evenson thought back for a moment and nodded.

Then he narrowed his eyes.

"But you’re not going to sneak some loophole into the contract, are you?"

"If I leave another loophole, I’ll only be screwing myself."

Mephisto rolled his eyes.

"I’ll try to restrain my... habits."

"Hah."

Evenson looked deeply suspicious.

"You saying try makes me trust you even less."

What exactly does "try" mean when a demon says it?

Evenson had developed a healthy sensitivity to vague wording whenever Mephisto was involved.

Fortunately, it didn’t matter.

This deal had already been part of his plan.

"Then how about this?"

Evenson leaned forward.

"I’ll save Jeanne’s soul. That can be my side of the bargain."

"Oh."

This time, Mephisto hesitated.

The contract itself was supposed to be nothing more than a formality. Evenson could have offered almost anything. A trivial favor. A token payment. A single coin.

Instead, he had offered to save Jeanne’s soul.

What exactly is he planning?

"Your partner. Detective Dake."

Evenson smiled.

"You spend so much time with her. Surely it isn’t simply because you have nothing better to do, or because she happens to look like Jeanne."

"You figured that out?"

Mephisto gave a small, knowing laugh.

"She... is something special."

His expression softened.

"She’s a miracle. She’s Jeanne’s reincarnation."

"Oh, that’s wonderful!"

Evenson hadn’t even processed the revelation before Gabriel clapped her hands together.

"Finally! Maybe people will stop confusing me with Jeanne’s reincarnation. That rumor was driving me insane for a while."

"Just as I thought."

Evenson ignored her.

Are you really that much older than her? You should be enjoying the misunderstanding.

"Harsh used Coulson’s identity to bring Jeanne’s banner and sword back from France recently."

Evenson looked toward Mephisto.

"Those relics were meant for Dake, weren’t they? You were trying to resurrect Jeanne’s soul. How did it go?"

"How did it go?"

Mephisto gave him a pained smile.

"I drew a magic circle in mercury, shoved the relics into her hands, and spent half an hour chanting mystical nonsense beside her."

He sighed.

"The end result was that she nearly had me committed to some kind of rehabilitation program."

Evenson chuckled.

"So Jeanne’s soul is still in Purgatory."

"That’s why I called Dake a miracle."

Mephisto’s expression became serious.

"Her soul is incomplete. Jeanne’s personality was perfectly separated from it and remains imprisoned in Purgatory."

He shook his head.

"You have no idea how difficult it is for a soul like that to reincarnate."

He paused.

"Honestly, if Jeanne’s soul is forcibly resurrected, Dake will disappear."

His voice softened.

"I’ve grown rather attached to her."

"Creating a living body that’s otherwise empty and preserving both of them isn’t difficult."

Evenson waved the concern away.

"We can simply take biological samples from Dake and have the Biological Cradle print a body."

His expression turned serious.

"The real problem is getting into Purgatory and rescuing Jeanne’s soul."

"Invading Purgatory?"

Mephisto gave him a cold laugh.

"You certainly have some nerve."

"I’ve already located it. If it were that easy to conquer, I wouldn’t have spent all this time sitting on my hands."

He leaned forward.

"So, while we’re still discussing this verbally and haven’t signed anything, you can take that clause back."

For once, Mephisto sounded almost genuinely considerate.

"Once the contract is signed, if you fail to fulfill your end, the consequences will be severe."

He spread his hands.

"And there won’t be much I can do to help you."

"Thanks for the warning."

Evenson didn’t take the opportunity to retreat.

Instead, he answered firmly.

"I have my own methods. I just need time to prepare. I can’t give you a specific date."

"You really intend to promise that?"

Mephisto straightened.

He looked at Evenson as though he had just announced that he planned to punch Galactus.

"You’re not going to reconsider?"

"No."

Evenson nodded once.

Purgatory sounds like exactly the kind of place I need to visit at least once.

"Very well."

Mephisto reached out.

A sheet of parchment appeared in his hand, and words began writing themselves across the surface.

The terms of the contract.

Evenson read them several times.

Then he signed his name.

"I have other things to take care of."

Once everything important had been settled, Evenson stood.

"I won’t keep you any longer."

"Until next time."

Mephisto made no attempt to stop him.

But just as Evenson was about to leave, Mephisto spoke again.

"You were unusually generous this time."

He smiled.

"So I’ll give you a piece of information for free."

Evenson stopped.

"Harsh has already left Coulson’s body."

Mephisto’s tone became casual.

"But you don’t need to worry. Your friend is alive and well."

A pause.

"However, the memories I sealed away will probably begin resurfacing."

He gave Evenson a meaningful look.

"Some things can’t stay hidden forever."

Evenson sighed.

"I suppose it was only a matter of time."

He left with Gabriel.

Back in the room where Coulson had been held, only two living humans remained.

Coulson, unconscious on the equipment.

And Raina, standing rigidly nearby, too terrified to move.

Of course, Nahash was still there.

But technically speaking, he wasn’t alive.

The events that had just unfolded were so bizarre that Raina’s mind was still struggling to process them.

Coulson had suddenly vomited an absurd quantity of venomous snakes from his mouth—far more than his body should have physically been able to contain.

The snakes had killed every soldier in the room.

Then they had merged into a massive serpent and swallowed Edison whole.

And now that serpent had transformed into a sharply dressed man.

Was this some kind of supernatural version of a talent show?

Raina was just an ordinary human woman.

She was good with words, good at manipulating people, and considerably less impressive when it came to actual physical power.

So she stood there, staring at the man and desperately trying not to do anything that might get her killed.

Fortunately, people who made their living talking tended to think quickly.

Raina recovered from her shock.

Very carefully, she asked:

"You... who are you?"

She had originally intended to ask what he was.

At the last second, she decided that might be a little rude.

"I am?"

The man crouched beside Coulson and inspected his condition.

Then he turned back.

He slowly licked his lips.

"My name is Vincent now."

His smile was mysterious.

"But once, people called me Nahash."

His eyes gleamed.

"I am the source of all deception in this world."

"Oh..."

Raina blinked.

"Mr. Nahash."

Her expression immediately transformed into a dazzling smile.

"An absolute pleasure. I’ve heard so much about you."

She paused.

"Although, I have to admit, I’m curious. Where exactly did you come from?"

Nahash’s expression fell.

It was obvious she had never heard of him.

That was disappointing.

His story might not have been universally famous, but surely it had spread far and wide.

Yet somehow neither his old name nor his new one seemed to mean anything to this woman.

"That’s rather rude of you."

Nahash sighed.

"You people went to all this trouble researching the secrets of resurrection, and you couldn’t even be bothered to do your homework?"