"Is it over?" Robert asked, looking at the blood mist that Mephisto had turned into. He was somewhat surprised—he hadn't expected Mephisto to die so easily. It felt almost too quick. Even though Mephisto had many enemies attacking him, his power wasn't weak. As someone who had reached Mephisto's level of strength and with the support of the Hell dimension, his vitality should have been incredibly tenacious. At the very least, he should have struggled more.
"He's not dead!" As Robert voiced his confusion, a confident voice rang out. It belonged to one of the lords of the Hell dimension. Only they could understand someone like Mephisto so well.
"Not dead? Then where is he? Or are you suggesting we should destroy this blood mist completely?" Voices filled with doubt quickly rose from the other dimensional powerhouses.
Although these dimensional powerhouses had lost their homefield advantage upon arriving in the Hell dimension, they had reached an agreement among themselves before their arrival, during negotiations with the Ancient One.
As such, they didn't have to worry about being targeted by the Hell dimension forces. Their main focus was still to deal with Mephisto, see what benefits they could reap, and gauge the depth of the Hell dimension's resources.
It was becoming increasingly clear, as Mephisto's presumed death turned out to be false, that they were witnessing a glimpse of the Hell dimension's true capabilities.
Suddenly, a wave of disturbance emanated from within Mephisto's domain. A shadow resembling Mephisto appeared within the domain and then vanished.
"Huh?" Robert looked curiously at the territory where Mephisto had been. He could sense that something about this domain had changed, but he couldn't pinpoint what. It was as if the domain itself had come alive.
"Mephisto has merged with his domain," a cold voice rang out again. "But now he can no longer activate its defenses. If you want to attack Robert, you can do so now. Directly bombard his domain and take what you can. Whatever you gain depends on your efforts!"
"Is that even possible? Why didn't the other Hell lords exhibit similar abilities before? Is it because they weren't strong enough?" Robert pondered aloud, recalling his past encounters with Hell lords. None had displayed such capabilities.
"This must be the true depth of the Hell dimension. Such an ability rivals dimensional consciousness itself. To merge with one's domain makes one incredibly difficult to kill," remarked one of the dimensional lords. Yet, what shocked them more was the Hell lord who had revealed such critical information.
"Was that Lucifer's voice? Does he bear some grudge against the Hell dimension? Or does he want to sow chaos here? Otherwise, there's no way he'd share such crucial intelligence," Robert thought. He disappeared from where he stood, choosing not to participate in the attack on Mephisto's domain.
Robert found Lucifer's actions suspicious. Especially given that Hell's lords weren't limited to Lucifer alone, even if Lucifer had issues with the Hell dimension and wanted to use outsiders to weaken it. That didn't mean the other Hell lords would condone such behavior.
While they might not have been able to prevent Lucifer from speaking up, it didn't mean they wouldn't react to what he had said. To Robert, the Hell lords would naturally prefer a stronger Hell dimension. Allowing other dimensional powerhouses to pillage the Hell dimension would only weaken it.
Unless the Hell lords were confident that they could not only prevent such plundering but also turn the tables and gain from the situation.
"Ancient One, have you collected the price those dimensional powerhouses agreed to pay?" Robert asked, turning to the Ancient One.
"It's a contract ensuring that their entire dimension can never target Earth's dimension again," the Ancient One replied with a nod. "There are smaller details to handle, but those can be addressed later. The contract is signed."
"Then collect the terms now. I worry you may not have the chance later," Robert urged.
"You think there could still be changes? That's unlikely. At this stage, what variables could there be? Do you believe these dimensional powerhouses will meet their end here?" The Ancient One's expression grew serious.
"Doom, maintain the spatial barrier. I'll step away for a moment. Robert, stay vigilant. If there's a scheme, it's likely not just targeting those dimensional powerhouses; you may be part of it too!"
"That doesn't matter," Robert replied calmly. "As I've said before, I won't act without reason, but if they do target me, I'll have no reservations about fighting back."
"Besides, we can't leave just yet. Mephisto isn't truly dead, nor has he severed his connection with Cynthia. We need to wait."
"Yes, we must at least ensure he breaks his bond with my mother. Otherwise, even if she stays at Kamar-Taj, Mephisto could control her at any moment," Doom said solemnly.
Initially, Doom hadn't expected to kill Mephisto. His goal had simply been to locate his mother, Cynthia, and bring her safely back to Earth. But after learning Cynthia had become a demon in the Hell dimension, Doom had hesitated. Thankfully, Robert had devised a solution—forcing Mephisto to sever his connection with Cynthia, which was the best outcome Doom could hope for.
When Mephisto's body exploded earlier, Doom had momentarily believed him dead and was overjoyed. But the current situation revealed that his optimism had been premature, tempering his expectations.
"Alright, I'll leave now," the Ancient One said, vanishing like a phantom. This surprised Doom, as he had never seen her use such a technique before, nor had he encountered it in Kamar-Taj's teachings.
"No need to be so surprised. With your abilities, you could've developed your own unique techniques long ago. Take a cue from Constantine; he excels in such innovation," the Ancient One's voice echoed in Doom's mind as she vanished.
Doom quickly refocused on Mephisto's domain, where a battle had already begun.
Explosions and various attacks reverberated within the domain as the dimensional powerhouses fought to seize whatever they could, as though their gains depended entirely on their prowess.
Suddenly, Mephisto's shadow appeared above the domain. Instantly, the powerhouses felt a spatial suppression, followed by a spatial lockdown.
Mephisto had sealed the space. Just as dimensional consciousnesses could seal their own dimensions, Mephisto had trapped these powerhouses within his domain. More could enter, but none could leave unless Mephisto was killed or the domain destroyed.
"Damn it! Was this a trap?"
"Hell dimension, did you plan this?"
"Were you all acting earlier? Even the Saiyan?"
"You want to capture us all in one fell swoop? You're too naive if you think Mephisto alone can contain us!"
As panic spread among the powerhouses, Lucifer revealed himself, speaking calmly. "If you weren't so greedy or as skilled as the Saiyan, you might have been able to leave. But now, you'll stay."
The battle raged on. Meanwhile, Robert observed calmly, waiting for the right moment to act.
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