2: Contract in Hand

"W-What's going on?"

Blackheart was shocked, then sensed Kira Argento's presence and shouted incredulously, "Lord!? This is impossible, how can there be a lord of Hell on Earth?"

"Of course, it's thanks to you."

Kira Argento smiled, controlling the puppet curse to gradually turn Blackheart into a puppet—as a lord of Hell, he naturally mastered many abilities, such as flame control, curses, super strength, the power of contracts, and so on.

""Lord of Hell!""

The three demons' expressions changed drastically. They didn't dare to approach and even wanted to flee. At this moment, Kira Argento appeared and said coldly, "Kneel there and await my orders."

The three demons did not dare to resist and obediently knelt down. After all, this was a lord of Hell!

"No."

Blackheart's heart was filled with unwillingness. He had finally escaped from Hell; how could he fail just like this? He hadn't even started his actions yet!

Unfortunately, no matter how unwilling Blackheart was, he failed. Wrapped in black air, he turned into a small, pitch-black statue floating in the air. Kira Argento grabbed the statue and said to the three demons, "Give me a cellphone."

"Cellphone?"

The three demons were stunned. They never expected the first thing a lord of Hell would ask for was a cellphone. Is Hell so high-tech now?

The more clever demon, Wind Demon, crawled up and found a cell phone from a corpse, respectfully handing it to Kira Argento.

Kira Argento took the palm-sized cellphone and found out that it was now 2008.

He opened the browser, which displayed a news article about Tony Stark dating a model from Maxim magazine.

"That punchable cocky face, this is the Marvel movie universe."

Kira Argento shook his head and started searching the internet for the information he wanted. The Wind Demon cautiously reminded him, "Lord, Mephisto's Rider will soon find this place. We should leave quickly and find the San Venganza contract."

Kira Argento asked, "How do you plan to find it?"

The Wind Demon replied, "Blackheart said the contract is hidden in a nearby cemetery, but he didn't specify where. You could ask him."

Blackheart's statue shouted, "I'll never tell you, even if I die."

"He doesn't know the exact location. Besides, I've already found it."

Kira Argento showed the cellphone to the Wind Demon. It displayed a news article: "Famous racer Barton Blaze buried in the cemetery outside St. Michael's Church"—Barton Blaze is the father of Johnny Blaze, the Ghost Rider.

The three demons and Blackheart were incredulous. Such a secret location, and you found it by just tapping a few times on a cellphone?

If it were that easy, why hadn't Mephisto found the contract all these years?

"Muhaha! These days, even demons have to keep up with the times. Let's go."

Kira Argento didn't waste any time. He memorized the map and transformed into a black light, flying towards the cemetery. The Wind Demon quickly turned into a whirlwind, sweeping up the other two demons and following Kira Argento.

....

Outside the cemetery of St. Michael's Church, an old cowboy was repairing graves with a shovel.

Suddenly, a foul wind descended from the sky, causing the surrounding leaves to swirl. The old cowboy hurriedly pressed down on his cowboy hat.

Then, the wind vanished, and four figures appeared in front of the old cowboy. His gaze immediately sharpened—he could tell at a glance that these four were not human.

Kira Argento looked at the old cowboy and asked, "Carter Slade, the Ghost Rider who betrayed Mephisto and stole the San Venganza contract, I haven't found the wrong person, have I?"

Slade backed away while denying, "You've got the wrong person. I'm just a caretaker."

"Really?"

Kira Argento raised his hand, and the shovel flew from Slade's hand to his own. Slade was shocked. Flames flickered in his eyes, and with a speed unfitting his age, he lunged at Kira Argento, reaching for the shovel.

Kira Argento tightly gripped the shovel and struck Slade, sending him flying. Although Slade had once been a Ghost Rider, he hadn't judged a soul in over a hundred years. The Hellfire within him was so weak it seemed it could extinguish at any moment, making him no match for Kira Argento.

Slade fell to the ground, unwilling to give up. He let out a loud roar, and from a distant house, a beam of holy light shot straight towards Kira Argento like an arrow.

This was the power from the statue of St. Michael. The reason Slade had managed to hide for so long without being discovered by Mephisto was that he was under Michael's protection.

Kira Argento took out Blackheart's statue to block the holy light.

A large amount of black energy emanated from the statue, and Blackheart let out a piercing scream. Does this guy have no sympathy? Not only did he turn him into a statue, but now he's using him to block attacks? Truly, there's no such thing as a good lord of Hell.

"Capture him."

Kira Argento commanded, and the three demons snapped out of their shock and immediately pounced on Slade. They were astonished—had their lord really found the contract through a cellphone? This was beyond magical!

Soon, Slade was beaten bloody by the three demons. He shouted loudly, "I surrender! I'll take you to the contract, but you have to spare me."

"You're quite the actor."

Kira Argento sneered, and with a flick of his hand, the shovel turned to dust. Out of nowhere, a parchment scroll appeared—it was the legendary San Venganza contract.

Slade was stunned. "How did you know the contract was hidden in the shovel?"

"Because I enjoy watching superhero movies. I must say, the older ones were better, not like now, where everything is too politically correct."

"Eh..?"

Kira Argento put away the contract and said, "Carter Slade, it's a pity your soul already belongs to Mephisto. Otherwise, I might have made you one of my followers."

Slade was shocked. "Your follower? Are you a lord of Hell?"

"Correct."

Kira Argento continued, "Sign the contract and offer the Spirit of Vengeance to me. I will grant you one year of life. If you refuse, I will forcibly strip the Spirit of Vengeance from you, and you will experience the most excruciating pain imaginable."

In truth, with Kira Argento's current power, he might not be able to strip the Spirit of Vengeance. Otherwise, he wouldn't have bothered to sign a contract with Slade—in signing the contract, he could draw upon the power of his true form.

"I.. I'll sign."

Slade said decisively, "After all, there's no other choice. At least signing the contract will let me live for another year."

"Good."

Kira Argento nodded in satisfaction. He raised his hand, and a transparent contract appeared in front of Slade. As Slade checked the contract, he grumbled:

"You're much better than Mephisto. That bastard tricks you with parchment; when you open it, your fingers get cut, and the blood drops on the contract, sealing the deal."

"Is that so? Truly the most shameless of Hell's lords."

Kira Argento and the three demons all looked disdainful. Such a method was too shamefull.

Soon, Slade finished reading the contract. He asked, "Can you add a few more years?"

"Carter Slade, I know you're stalling for time and that you plan to sign the contract to keep yourself useful in stopping me."

Kira Argento said, "I claim hundreds of souls in a minute; I don't have time to waste with you. Either sign, or I'll forcibly strip the Spirit of Vengeance from you."

Slade's eyes narrowed slightly, then he quickly signed the contract. He asked, "Which lord of Hell are you, exactly?"

_______

Don't forget to add this to your library!