Chapter 76

"Hell is vast," Mephisto began, gesturing with his fingers. "In human lore, it's often depicted as a mysterious, dangerous, and dark place, embodying the darkest aspects of humanity."

He paused, letting the weight of his words settle. "Hell is dangerous, sure. Not much better than the hypocritical kingdoms of Heaven. But where there's danger, there's also opportunity."

Leon nodded, processing what Mephisto was saying. Though Hell was terrifying in the human imagination, it was still a massive dimension filled with powerful demons. It operated with its own structure, and within that system, resources and treasures beyond what the human world could offer were born. There were even taverns, mercenaries, and other services in Hell.

"So," Leon asked, "what's the price I need to pay?"

"If you, or your subordinates, help me with something at a specific time and place, I'll give you what you desire," Mephisto said, revealing his true intentions.

Leon smiled slightly. "That sounds fair."

"Of course," Mephisto added confidently, "you can refuse my offer, but I don't think you will. This is a smart deal, and you're not the type to lose out."

As expected, Leon didn't refuse.

"Then, we have a deal," Leon said.

Mephisto chuckled and extended his hand. In a flash of black-purple light, a burning flame appeared—a hellfire.

"This is the anchor to the Hell dimension," Mephisto explained. "Through it, you can locate and teleport to Hell at any time."

Leon snapped his fingers, causing the hellfire to vanish from Mephisto's hand. The blockade on the surrounding space lifted. This subtle gesture confirmed Mephisto's suspicions—this human was mature beyond reason, unnervingly confident. He realized Leon was either completely mad or possessed a level of power that allowed him to treat even a demon lord as an equal.

As Leon accepted the hell coordinate, Mephisto's demonic form began to fade, leaving one final remark before disappearing entirely: "I look forward to our next meeting, Mr. Leon."

Leon narrowed his eyes, his calm expression hiding a mysterious smile. "Keisha."

A calm voice responded in his mind, "I am here, Captain Leon. The target, soul projection of Demon Lord Mephisto, has been recorded. Analysis complete. Race: Demon system. Power level: God-tier. Beginning calculations to counter Demon Lord Mephisto's god-level combat capabilities."

Leon smirked. From the moment the space was sealed, he had instructed Keisha to use Sky Blade's support to scan Mephisto in every detail. He had been cautious all along, never trusting Mephisto's manipulations.

Much like Batman's wariness of Superman, Leon, despite cooperating, kept his trump card ready. It didn't matter if Mephisto's soul projection was killed. Leon had bigger plans, especially when it came to Hell's rich resources. A dimension of such magnitude was far too valuable to ignore.

He had no intention of letting it slip away.

Mephisto, an ancient being who has lived for countless billions of years, had countless schemes in his mind. He believed he could gradually manipulate Leon through repeated transactions and alliances, ultimately achieving his own goals.

But Leon's approach was far more straightforward and brutal. His goal was simple: take control of Mephisto and claim the Hell dimension for himself. However, knowing he wasn't yet strong enough to take down Mephisto directly, Leon decided to play along, pretending to cooperate until the time was right to strike.

"In addition, the anchor to the Hell dimension has passed Sky Blade's inspection. It's genuine, but it also contains Mephisto's beacon. Every time you travel to Hell, Mephisto will receive a signal..." Keisha explained.

Leon listened without surprise. While Mephisto's offer of cooperation was real, his nature as a manipulator meant there were undoubtedly traps hidden within the deal.

"Can the signal be blocked?" Leon asked.

"Yes," Keisha replied. "The coordinates have already been recorded. You can teleport to Hell independently using Sky Blade's remote terminal."

With that confirmation, Leon knew he had the upper hand. Mephisto's tricks were expected, but Leon's own plans were already in motion.

If you don't need to use it now, keep it in plain sight for Mephisto. When the time is right, that small detail will be his downfall, Leon thought to himself.

As the night's events came to a close, Leon stretched his body. The battle had served as a test of his recent training. As he suspected, the Sky Blade's performance had reached an incredible level, it was truly a bug. The Angel Battleship's combat power was estimated to be at least at the Quasi-Skyfather level. Real-time monitoring of the Sky Blade ensured the most efficient training, and the rate at which his strength was growing was astonishing.

Bang!

Leon's body shifted into photons, transforming into a beam of golden light that shot into the sky. Within seconds, he traveled thousands of meters before gently descending like a feather, landing smoothly.

Wanda, Pietro, and Sumarokov quickly approached as Leon landed in front of them. Behind them, the younger members of the group stood hesitantly, unsure whether to follow. They had witnessed Leon's god-like presence firsthand—his power splitting the sky and forcing a demon like Mephisto to submit.

Despite their usually cheerful personalities, the teens instinctively feared Leon's immense strength. They felt more at ease around Wanda, Pietro, and Sumarokov because of the time they had spent together in the RV, which built a sense of familiarity.

Leon smiled warmly. "You did well, but it's a shame the opponent you faced this time was quite strong," he said, patting Pietro and Sumarokov on the shoulders. Then, he gently ran his fingers through Wanda's soft hair, speaking to her with a soft tone.

Wanda closed her eyes, clearly enjoying the affectionate gesture.