Deep within the god's soul, the void pulsed with energy. Endless threads of true souls constantly intertwined, accompanied by streams of light in various colors, creating a dazzling spectacle.
Three distinct colors of light—one red, one gray, and one black—intersected and collided at speeds imperceptible to the naked eye.
"Lockhart, you are alone now. You will never escape," echoed a voice through the void.
"The true spirit of the gods is not something you can spy on."
"Surrender, and I'll spare your life!"
"By the way, the Supreme Sorcerer can't help you this time."
With each collision of the light streams, Dormammu and Mephisto's taunts and demands for surrender continued. Yet Lockhart seemed not to hear them at all, unperturbed by the two-against-one disadvantage.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The red stream of light—Lockhart—darted through the void, seemingly evading pursuit, while the gray and black streams—Mephisto and Dormammu—followed closely behind. Despite appearing to be at a disadvantage, Lockhart remained remarkably calm, betraying no negative emotions.
"Lockhart, give up!" Dormammu called out.
"Spare your life and become my disciple. From now on, you will be inferior to one person and superior to ten thousand people."
"Lockhart, you only have one chance..."
Seeing that Lockhart remained uncooperative, Dormammu exchanged glances with Mephisto. However, there was still no reply from the fleeing red light.
This silent treatment made the two evil gods look irritated. But what could they do? They could only accelerate their pursuit.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
As the two evil gods seemed to catch up with Lockhart, he suddenly surprised them. Instead of continuing to flee, he spun around and charged directly toward them, initiating a head-on collision.
He showed no concern for the damage to his soul, committing fully to the direct confrontation.
Seeing Lockhart employ this tactic again, Mephisto and Dormammu had no choice but to dodge. Lockhart had only targeted one of them for the collision—leaving the evil gods to wonder which of them would be the unlucky recipient of his attack.
Even a single such collision, while not healing Lockhart, would inflict considerable damage upon whichever evil god failed to evade. This meant the luckier evil god would emerge with an advantage. While beneficial for that party, it created a problematic dynamic.
After all, Dormammu and Mephisto were not friends. If one weakened, the other would surely show no mercy.
There was only one treasure at stake, and even if there were two, each would still take everything given the opportunity.
Both souls—the black and the gray—suddenly halted their pursuit, watching as Lockhart darted away. They did not give chase again.
"Let's talk," Dormammu proposed. "The true spirit is about to coalesce, and we're wasting precious time on Lockhart."
Based on their recent experience, if they didn't coordinate properly, Lockhart would continue exploiting their divided attention.
Mephisto naturally understood this and nodded. "Of course. Our top priority must be dealing with Lockhart. If he persists, he'll remain a threat."
Dormammu nodded in agreement, then asked, "Mephisto, how do you propose we divide the god? The origin, true spirit, soul, body, and this divine realm—which do you want?"
Mephisto didn't hesitate to make his demands: "The inherited memories can be copied by each of us."
"The true spirit is mine, and the soul is yours."
"The body is mine, and the divine realm is yours."
"We split the origin in half."
Mephisto's proposal was self-serving. With the true spirit and body in his possession, combined with Dormammu's expertise with souls, he could forge a puppet with life-level combat power. Not to mention his share of the origin and inherited memories—he stood to gain considerably.
Obviously, Mephisto's request did not align with Dormammu's interests.
"Mephisto," Dormammu countered with dissatisfaction, "if you want the true spirit, then the body, soul, and origin must come to me."
"Of course, the divine realm would be yours."
"I believe it would add much color to your desolate hell dimension."
Mephisto frowned at this proposal. The divine realm might represent a dream opportunity for ordinary sorcerers—the foundation for their ascension to godhood. But for these two evil gods, each already possessing their own dimensional domains, the divine realm held less significance.
Moreover, the attributes of the divine realm directly opposed those of their respective dimensions. One teemed with life; the others thrived on chaos and bloodshed. Forcibly merging them would cause severe damage.
This divine realm, priceless to outsiders, seemed almost worthless to them. Yet it would be a shame to abandon it entirely.
"Dormammu, the divine realm suits you better. You can cultivate your followers there," Mephisto suggested with a smile.
The hell demons under his command had stubborn streaks in them. Even his son showed obvious rebelliousness—Mephisto only kept him in check through superior strength.
"I'll relinquish my claim to the god's origin and give it all to you. I don't want any of the inherited memories either."
"Just give me the true spirit, soul, and body. I ask for nothing else. And as compensation, I'll provide you with an additional hundred drops of dimensional origin power."
Mephisto believed he had made sufficient concessions.
Dormammu's mind raced as he considered the offer. He understood Mephisto's desire for a divine puppet with immense combat potential.
However, the complete divine origin, coupled with dimensional origin power, would be enough to restore Dormammu to his prime. And the divine realm, if utilized properly, could nurture a quasi-god-level fighting force.
Dormammu differed from Mephisto in fundamental ways. Mephisto's hell dimension overflowed with chaotic, murderous, and evil demons. Among such entities, concepts like loyalty or compatibility didn't exist—the strong simply took everything.
Dormammu, however, followed the path of an orthodox god with devoted believers beneath him.
"Very well," Dormammu agreed after brief contemplation. Dealing with Lockhart remained the immediate priority.
Then, a cruel smile spread across his face as he added viciously, "However, I have one request."
"I want Lockhart alive!"
"He has disrupted my plans repeatedly. I want him to exist in a state where he can neither live properly nor die."
Hearing this, Mephisto's smile faded. He glanced around cautiously and said, "We'll discuss this later. Someone might be listening."
"Let's capture him first, then negotiate the details."
Dormammu frowned at Mephisto's evasiveness. He had only become so talkative because of Lockhart.
Regardless of other considerations—even if he gained nothing else from the god—he wanted Lockhart.
"I want... Lockhart!" Dormammu insisted, his voice resonating through the divine soul.