"Since the contract meets your approval, then let us sign it immediately and finalize our agreement."
With that, Chthon immediately inscribed his true name in the lower left corner of the contract using the ancient divine script of the Elder Gods themselves.
Seeing Chthon's gesture and his signature appearing on the contract, Sebastian did not hesitate at all. He immediately inscribed the name representing one of his three soul marks.
In his previous life, he had used the name Reinalance for eighteen long years! This had been his true identity in that former existence.
Writing a pseudonym or false name on a soul contract is utterly meaningless and pointless. If you truly wish to sign your own name with binding intent, then no matter what you attempt to write, the name that will appear upon the contract will inevitably be the true name representing that specific soul mark.
Of course, Sebastian possessed three distinct soul marks, so by using the name of one specific soul mark identity, the corresponding true name would naturally reflect itself: Reinalance!
Seeing the name Reinalance appear on the soul contract, Chthon finally broke into an unstoppable and genuine smile of satisfaction and triumph.
If Sebastian had been merely an ordinary human mage, even with the contract properly signed, Chthon would not have been nearly so excited and animated. After all, human mages possessed limited abilities and capabilities, and even if they committed themselves wholeheartedly to assisting him, true success would not be guaranteed.
But Sebastian was completely and utterly different from such ordinary beings. He was a Hell Lord possessing absolute authority over the Hell dimension itself and serving as a source of magic. Furthermore, Chthon could sense a distinct hint of something relating to gravity and weight—though this was not particularly important in itself. The key element lay in Sebastian's possession of the power of Hell and the power of magic together.
Of course, Chthon did not sense the power of Death that had been bestowed upon Sebastian by Death herself, one of the creator gods of existence. Otherwise, Chthon would have retreated immediately without hesitation. Death was infinitely more terrifying and dangerous than even the God-Eater itself.
For Chthon, remaining unaware of the existence and nature of Sebastian's Death Authority, the combination of Hell power and magical power represented something far beyond the reach and comprehension of ordinary beings. Those who possessed these two powers simultaneously undoubtedly held a certain elevated level of true power, which naturally increased the overall likelihood of Chthon's successful escape and liberation after signing the binding contract.
With this satisfying thought in mind, Chthon, deeply pleased and fulfilled, handed Sebastian the power of Black Magic and the power of Chaos itself.
Reaching out to accept the two distinct powers, Sebastian harbored no fear regarding any potential problems or tampering. First, there was no logical reason for Chthon to tamper with or poison the gifts. Second, tampering with such fundamental authorities was essentially and practically impossible to accomplish. Third, they had already signed a binding soul contract with clear terms and conditions that would prevent such betrayal.
So after receiving the two magnificent powers, Sebastian immediately displayed an eager and convincing enthusiasm to absorb them into his own being. He then spoke to Chthon with respect and gratitude. "Thank you, great Lord Chthon. I wonder exactly how I can assist you and help you achieve your escape from this place?"
"Go and find the female mutant who possesses the power of chaos that I bestowed upon her long ago—the one you know as Wanda. You must also find the Darkhold, the dark magical tome that contains my dark magic and knowledge. By combining these two together, you will release me from my imprisonment. Now that you possess both the power of chaos and the power of dark magic, you can sense and perceive their existence and location with clarity. You also have the demonstrated ability to travel between different parallel universes, so naturally this task will not present an impossible obstacle for you.
In addition, I have woven certain protective enchantments into the Darkhold itself. No matter how powerful those without the power of dark magic may be, they will only perceive and see a book filled with dark magical symbols. However, those who possess the power of dark magic—such as yourself—can perceive many of the profound secrets I left embedded within its pages. You will even gain access to higher-level magic and power methods that belong exclusively to the demon god level of power and knowledge.
As long as you find and retrieve the Darkhold, you will understand everything clearly and know exactly how to release me from this seal.
But you must exercise extreme caution and care. There are many powerful beings outside this realm who do not wish to see my escape and liberation, and many of them are considerably stronger than you are now. So you must be very careful in how you proceed with your actions and plans. Do you truly understand this?"
"I report to Lord Chthon that I understand completely," Sebastian replied with respectful certainty.
"Good, in this case, you may leave this place now. Simply follow that light source ahead, and you can leave directly. Otherwise, you may find yourself wandering in this alien space for quite some time before escaping."
As Chthon's ancient voice fell, a brilliant white light source suddenly appeared in Sebastian's spiritual sight.
Seeing the guiding light, Sebastian immediately offered a proper salute to Chthon, then turned and left this strange and alien space that existed between the main dimension and the chaotic dimension.
When Sebastian's spiritual consciousness left the alien space, his awareness immediately returned to his physical body in the material realm.
Sebastian in the outside world opened his eyes slowly. He sensed the passage of time and discovered with slight surprise that five full days had passed since his spiritual departure. If it were not for the automatic self-defense mechanisms inherent in the authority and magical power within his body, the situation would truly have become troublesome and dangerous.
Exhaling slowly, Sebastian looked at the dark mountain crevice in front of him with new understanding. He knew very well that Chthon remained sealed deep within and could not perceive or detect the outside world. So he waved his hand without any hesitation or doubt. A large amount of rocks and vines grew rapidly and deformed in response to his will, forming another solid mountain wall that covered and obscured the crevice containing Chthon's prison completely. It would not be so easy for anyone else to discover and find this location again.
"I have gained quite a substantial amount from this encounter," Sebastian reflected to himself quietly. "Both the Chaos Authority and the Dark Magic Authority will prove invaluable. Of course, the most important gain is that with these powers, I can now truly understand and comprehend the complete contents of the Darkhold and learn the profound knowledge and experience of the Ancient Gods themselves. This will undoubtedly provide enormous help to my long-term plans and goals.
I have also confirmed that Wanda remains temporarily safe and protected. This entire journey has been quite rewarding and worthwhile."
At this moment, the power of chaos within Sebastian's body was constantly merging and integrating with his own essence and being.
The power of black magic was slowly merging with the magical power that Sebastian himself possessed, gradually becoming unified and harmonious. Once the fusion was fully complete, Sebastian would immediately receive powerful feedback and resonance from the many mages who studied and drew from his black magic teachings. It could easily be foreseen that the feedback on Sebastian's magical source at that time would be even greater than before, which would provide tremendous help to the continued improvement and advancement of his magical abilities and power.
You see, the black magical power that Chthon had given to Sebastian was much more substantial and vast than Sebastian's own current magical power reserves. If Sebastian did not wish to use his existing new magical system as the primary foundation, he could have instead allowed the black magic power to absorb and incorporate his new magical system in turn, ultimately becoming the demon god representing and embodying black magic itself.
Although both represented sources of magic with magical power, they were also distinctly different in important ways. There existed a subtle but real difference between them.
When these two powers had fully absorbed and integrated, Sebastian's overall strength would be tremendously improved and elevated. Of course, at this particular moment, the most pressing and important matter was not these future gains, but rather the fact that five days had passed in the outside world. The situation regarding Jean Grey and the Phoenix Force must have undergone tremendous and significant changes. Sebastian realized he must rush back immediately without further delay.
Taking a single deliberate step forward, Sebastian instantly transformed into a twisted vortex of reality and disappeared from the mountain location entirely.