After hearing Aron's words, Belath was rarely left speechless. For a moment he was silent, then muttered:
"Well... what exactly do you want from me?"
"Nothing much," Aron replied calmly.
"Just... three or four percent of your power. Maybe less."
For someone like Belath, that was insignificant. But for Aron, even that fragment could double his demonic power.
He was being "modest", within reasonable limits.
Belath lowered his gaze for a moment.
He was thinking.
But then... his look turned colder.
The greed in his eyes was the same, but now it was joined by sharp, raw cruelty.
"My power? To give to you?"
"You think I'm an idiot?"
His smile was full of threat.
"I kill you, and your holy soul is mine."
Aron's face briefly tensed.
It's over. This feathered monster plans to eat me raw!
The scam had met an even bigger scammer. And one with a sword.
"A deal? You talk about a deal?"
Belath laughed wickedly and raised his combat knife.
To him, without power, you're not even worth negotiating with.
Everything else is just fun before the slaughter.
And just as Belath charged to attack, a flash of white light filled the dark space!
"You really are special, huh? You devour lesser demons, then even the leaders!"
Aron no longer tried to pretend.
He activated the exorcism ritual from the card, no more games.
Even someone like Belath, whose power was nearly at the level of the Heavenly Father, couldn't resist the violent banishment executed by pure light.
When words don't work, you flip the table and ignite the ritual!
Still, even though the ritual had begun, Aron didn't forget to be… practical.
At the moment Belath was being consumed by the light, Aron ran and grabbed his sword.
Belath could only look at him, stunned, speechless.
In the next moment, he was enveloped in white light.
And there was no coming back.
But he wasn't the only one.
In the explosion of light, the entire battlefield was cleared.
All demons, including corpses, were erased.
As if they never even existed.
The street in New York… was empty.
In the silence that followed, the Avengers team looked around in confusion.
The destroyed buildings and shattered asphalt testified to what had happened, but there was not a single demon in sight.
Steve Rogers was the first to speak:
"Where... did they go?"
Tony turned, looking at the spot where a second ago Belath tried to cut him in half.
Silence.
If not for the ruins, they might have thought it was all a hallucination.
"This is a magical formation for expelling the Lord of Hell!"
Daniel, severely injured, stood aside, stunned by the sight before him.
In his opinion, only one person on the planet would be capable of making such a magical circle, The Ancient One.
But no matter how much he looked around, there was no sign of the Ancient One.
Finally, all eyes turned to the black sphere still hanging in the air.
Even those who didn't understand magic could guess.
That sphere and the disappearance of the demons were connected.
What was really happening inside?
What happened between Aron and Belath?
...
As the sphere slowly dispersed, the shadows that formed it began to return to their owners.
"Hulk's shadow!"
"Come back!"
Hulk jumped for joy when he saw his own shadow returning.
On the other hand, the other Avengers didn't share his happiness.
They all stood tense, staring at what was left of the sphere.
What if Belath jumped out of the darkness again?
...
But the first thing they saw...
Was a huge knife.
"That's his weapon!" Hawkeye recognized it immediately.
Iron Man, Steve, and the others prepared for the worst-case scenario.
Even Daniel, though exhausted, stood up and activated a defensive circle.
"Something's off..."
The knife was there. But Belath wasn't.
And then, out of the darkness, a man of normal height emerged.
Aron!
Tony could finally breathe, but he didn't lower his guard.
Aron had just killed more demons alone than all the Avengers combined.
And no one was sure whether he was friend or foe.
...
Aron hovered in the air, standing on his own shadow.
In his hand was Belath's combat knife, which looked completely unnatural in his grip, huge and raw like a pillar.
"He insulted me and thinks he'll leave without punishment?"
Aron looked toward the sky, then turned to the knife.
"But isn't it... too big?"
As if it heard his comment, the knife suddenly burst into hellfire.
The flames devoured the steel from the blade to the hilt.
Everyone watched as the massive weapon shrank, until it became a perfectly balanced two-meter sword.
Aron tested it in his hand.
"Now we're talking. Good stuff."
He chuckled briefly, thinking how Belath was probably boiling with rage somewhere in Hell right now.
...
Then he looked toward the ground.
The Avengers stood stunned.
With light steps, Aron descended down his own shadow, using magic to turn the darkness into physical material.
Step by step, like descending stairs, and soon he stood among them.
"How are you?"
He asked with a smile, as everyone stared at him speechless.
And then, completely unexpectedly…
He pulled out his phone.
While Tony looked to the side, Aron quickly snapped a photo of his facial expression, pale from shock and exhaustion.
"Profile picture material," he muttered to himself contentedly.
In his head, ideas were already spinning:
Battle clips, photos, lighting effects, editing…
Isn't this the golden ticket to viral fame?