Chapter 187: Arriving in Hell, seeking cooperation with Mephisto.
"That's definitely impossible. No matter how strong Hode's power is, how could he make us serve him forever? Right now, I'm just looking for a suitable opportunity to defeat Hode."
"As long as we defeat him, we will naturally regain our freedom and won't have to stay in this place and suffer physical torment."
"As the Lord of Hell, managing thousands upon thousands of souls, how could I not have a way to deal with one Hode?"
"As long as I don't leave this Hell, and give me some more time, I am still confident that I can defeat Hode."
"Of course, all of this requires sufficient time and for me to have sufficient ability. If I don't have those, then everything is futile."
"In short, as my underlings, even if I were to absorb all of your energy, I wouldn't necessarily be able to defeat Hode."
"Moreover, don't forget—705u.com-53 Reading Club—there is still a demon in this Hell who was tied up here by Hode."
"You and I have both seen his ability. If you don't want to end up like him, it's best to behave yourself for now, at least in front of Hode."
"Alright, Lord, we'll listen to you."
"I never expected that we, in our dignity, would actually be driven by an ordinary human. It's simply too much."
Just as they were in the middle of a passionate discussion, suddenly, a voice rang out, causing them to panic instantly.
"Lord, Lord, two people have arrived outside, saying they want to see you. And looking at their aggressive demeanor, they seem to have come with ill intent."
Hearing this, Mephisto couldn't help but shiver.
It couldn't be that "speak of the devil and he shall appear," could it? Did they really hear what we were saying and just show up like this?
It's over.
"Aggressive? Could it be Hode again? What are they here for? Why haven't you let them in yet?"
But the underling below stammered as he continued: "Lord, those two aggressive ones seem to be demons, not Hode and his group."
"After all, I have seen that human a few times, so I can distinguish that much. It's not them, but two demons I haven't seen before."
"And they said they came to see you, so I came to report it to you, Lord. Do you need to see them?"
Demons?
At this moment, Mephisto was a bit confused about the reason for this. Logically speaking, in this Hell, no outsider should want to come here.
After all, this is Hell. If a living being comes to Hell, what would the consequences be? It's imaginable.
But now, two beings—whoever they are—have actually come here, and specifically to see him. This left him unable to figure out the reason.
However, as the Lord of Hell, he definitely had to meet with these outside guests, since they were demons too.
"Alright, let them in. I want to see who exactly would come looking for me at this time."
"Very well, Lord, I will go call them now."
Soon, Loki and Surtur arrived before Mephisto.
"Long time no see, Mephisto," Surtur said.
One was the ruler of the Fire Dimension, the other of Hell, and they were located very close to each other.
They were neither enemies nor friends, just maintaining peace together.
"Why have you come? Why aren't you staying in your Fire Dimension instead of coming here to find me? If I recall correctly, just like me, if you leave, your strength should be greatly affected, right?"
"I don't even dare to leave Hell. You coming to find me, is there some important matter?"
"But speaking of which, who is this beside you? It seems I've never seen him before?"
"Lord of Hell, you really have a short memory. You don't even remember me?"
"I am Loki. Do you have an impression now?"
"Loki? You are Loki?"
"So, the two of you have traveled a long way to my Hell. Is there something? If I recall correctly, I am not familiar with you, right?"
Loki continued: "That's true, but we have indeed come this time because there is something we would like your help with."
"Ask for my help? I only have this one Hell, managing so many souls. Are you here for souls too?"
"As expected, Hode's soul was given by you, right?"
"Have you really pledged loyalty to Hode? We, as demons, are actually obeying a human's words. You really aren't afraid of embarrassing us demons?"
"What exactly do you want to do? Let me tell you, in my Hell, this is not a place where you can run wild..."
"Although we mind our own business, if you start it, I don't mind turning you into souls as well."
Surtur: "Let's talk nicely, no need to get physical, right? We didn't come here to fight you. We came here to seek your cooperation."
"Putting aside whether you are listening to Hode's words or not, I hope you know that for a demon to submit to a human is absolutely disgraceful."
"Or did Hode give you some benefit that made you willing to obey his orders?"
"If I haven't guessed wrong, you surely aren't doing this voluntarily, right? We, as demons, are inherently the most noble existence in this World, while humans are just trash we step on under our feet."
"Actually obeying a human's words, that doesn't seem like your style."
Hearing this, Mephisto no longer hid his thoughts: "How could that be? As a demon, it's not like I don't know these things."
"If it weren't for his power being too overwhelming and his threats, how could I possibly obey his orders?"
"It's just that his current strength is indeed something I cannot contend with. If I could contend with him, why would I listen to him? He would have been eliminated by me long ago."
"I was forced into this situation, otherwise, how could this happen? I am, after all, the Lord of Hell; I am, after all, the ruler of this Hell. For me to obey a human, isn't that a joke?"
"It's just that Hode's power is truly too terrifying, leaving me no choice but to submit."
"You know Hode, so you must have witnessed his abilities, so I won't say much more to you."
Loki: "So we came here to seek your cooperation to oppose Hode together. I know Hode's strength is indeed above ours, and if we want to confront Hode head-on, that is definitely impossible."
"However, if we demons work together, wanting to defeat Hode surely won't be a difficult task."
"I know your ability is limited, but what if we are together? Then the chances of winning will surely be a bit higher."
"After all, if we fight alone, wanting to defeat Hode and his group definitely doesn't have much chance."
"So cooperation is the best solution for us."
Chapter 188: Mephisto begins to consider whether to agree.
Mephisto also began to think about it. Although what Lokiand Surtur said made some sense.
Even he himself did not wish to keep obeying Hode's words.
He, a dignified Lord of Hell, an existence who was invincible within it and ruled as king, but now? It was completely different.
After Hode appeared, things became completely different. In the World where he should have been king, now he had to obey Hode's words.
In front of Hode, he was just an underling at his mercy. If Hode said go east, he absolutely dared not go west.
But how could he be willing to live such a life?
If it weren't for the fact that he really couldn't beat Hode, he wouldn't have to endure this kind of pain.
Although Loki and Surtur coming to him for cooperation in reality would indeed increase his strength compared to before.
However, he also had some understanding of the strength of Loki and Surtur. Judging by their current abilities, even adding himself, the probability of wanting to defeat Hodewas not high.
And if they really started to become enemies with Hode, then let alone him, perhaps all of them would suffer, and this Hell would certainly not look like it does now.
The reason why this ridiculous Hell had vitality was precisely because Hode had changed the properties of the soil, allowing plants to grow in Hell.
Otherwise, this Hell would be no different from before. But the reason this Hell had become what it is now was because I had done Hode a favor.
After all, this was the price for me helping him find those two souls; it was something I deserved.
If it weren't for me, he wouldn't have been able to find those two souls.
So this doesn't prove anything. But if I cooperate with them to resist Hode, if they have very strong power, even if I cooperate with them, and there is indeed a possibility of defeating Hode, then that would certainly be no problem.
After all, as long as there is even a glimmer of possibility, one must try.
Of course, if they failed and couldn't beat Hode, then the final result would be annihilation.
Although he looked down on Hode and didn't want to obey his words, seeing himself as a Lord of Hell obeying a human was simply disgraceful.
But unfortunately, Hode's strength was truly too powerful. If one didn't have absolute certainty when becoming his enemy, the final result would be being eliminated by him.
Although he didn't want to obey his words and be treated as his puppet, that was certainly better than being eliminated.
Moreover, Hode had previously defeated Lucifer and even imprisoned him directly in Hell. What kind of strength that was, naturally, went without saying.
Furthermore, Lucifer could be considered one of the stronger demons, but in the face of the Master's hero, he was directly imprisoned by Hode in this Hell.
If it weren't because I am the Lord of this Hell, the ruler of this Hell, who would stay in this kind of place?
Only by staying here would power continuously flow into his body. In this Hell, keeping company with souls every day, what difference is there from imprisonment?
It's just that here, one is free and can walk around at will; it's just that I am the Lord here.
But if I left this Hell, not only would my strength decline significantly, not only due to Hode, but by then, any random demon or god could defeat me.
Wouldn't that be even more miserable? To prevent such a thing from happening, there was no choice but to keep staying in this Hell, keeping company with those souls.
But even in this Hell, he still couldn't beat Hode and was suppressed by him. If it weren't for the fact that I am the Lord here, Hode probably wouldn't let me continue staying here.
Perhaps he would have finished me off in a few moves; that is not an impossible scenario.
And now these two people have come to find me for cooperation. I have a certain understanding of their strength. Although they aren't weaklings, they aren't very strong either.
One can only say that their combined ability is at an above-average level, but wanting to defeat Hode is still impossible.
And even if I were added, so what? Would I be able to beat Hode and his group if I were added? That is definitely an impossible thing.
After all, beside Hode, there isn't just the protagonist, but also those gods who think they are useful, accompanying Hode.
And this also greatly limits my actions and movements.
And even if I added the two of them now, since his strength still couldn't be beaten, in the end, it would just be throwing their lives away.
Mephisto pondered for a long time, and finally decided not to cooperate with them. After all, the risk was too great, and in the end, it would be his own life on the line.
Although he said he really didn't want to follow the organization's orders, the organization's strength was indeed something he couldn't defeat. Without absolute certainty, he would absolutely not participate in such cooperation to become an enemy of Hode.
For someone like Hode, it's best not to be enemies if possible. Although Hode knows Mephisto is definitely not truly obeying his orders, but only doing so because of his strength.
But at least with the deterrent of strength, it keeps Mephisto from doing anything out of line, at least, he won't choose to deal with them.
And Hode himself likes peace and doesn't like fighting and killing. Even when facing someone like Gorr, he just hoped to use his wife and daughter to influence him.
To let him also become his subordinate and work for him. It's just a pity that Gorr didn't listen. Since they couldn't be friends, he could only send him away.
And someone like Mephisto is very smart, choosing to trust Hode and not become an enemy of Hode.
And in this way, he naturally wouldn't choose to harm him and would even give him various benefits. For Mephisto, this could be considered a good thing, it's just that his reputation is ruined. As a demon, actually obeying a human's words—if that got out, it certainly wouldn't sound very good.
But this doesn't affect Mephisto obeying Hode's words.
Loki and Surtur, seeing Mephisto delaying in giving them an answer, became a bit anxious while waiting.
And Loki was clearly getting a bit impatient while waiting; logically speaking, there was no need to think for so long.
And this was the only opportunity to defeat Hode. As the Lord of Hell, he certainly wouldn't be willing to keep listening to Hode's words like this.
And this was also the basis of his confidence in coming to find Mephisto.
Loki continued to ask: "How about it? Do you need to think for so long? So, what exactly are you thinking? Are you willing to cooperate with us? Or are you going to continue listening to Hode and act as Hode's puppet?"
"I think that as a lord of this hell, you surely aren't satisfied with always listening to a human, right? What does that look like? And since we all know about this, do you think other demons won't know?"
Chapter 189: Win over Mephisto to cooperate with them
"So I think that cooperating with us is the most rational choice. I feel you should also know this yourself, right?"
"Besides us, there is no one else who will help you. The final result will just be continuing to listen to Hode and living a life like this."
"As a dignified lord, serving a common human—if word of this got out, it would be a bit inappropriate, don't you think?"
Even Surtur, who was on the side, continued to persuade Mephisto: "Exactly. Cooperating with us is the most rational choice. If you fight alone, it certainly won't be as strong as working with us."
"Although with our current strength, it is indeed quite difficult to defeat Hode, at least it's better than you being alone, right? And we have been neighbors for so long; although our relationship isn't great, don't you think it would be more appropriate to be friends?"
"Of course, I don't mean anything else. I just hope you can consider this point carefully because I feel this is not just about this; it is also related to whether we can defeat Hodeor if we will really just listen to Hode alone."
"We came to cooperate with you because we saw your strength. I feel that if we can cooperate, at least our chance of victory will increase by one point."
Surtur and Loki kept speaking, but the meaning they wanted to express was just those few points.
But regarding this issue, Mephisto hadn't failed to think about it. However, what he was thinking about wasn't whether he had a chance of defeating Hode by cooperating with them, but whether he could actually defeat Hode. If he cooperated with them and failed to defeat Hode, he would be the one to suffer in the end.
Although he was not willing to listen to Hode, compared to listening to Hode, he cared more about his own life.
Although he, as a Lord of Hell, managed all the souls in the world, if he died, then this Hell—let alone whether there would be anyone left to govern it—even the question of whether he could be resurrected would be a difficult matter.
To be an enemy of Hode, unless one had absolute certainty of defeating him, blindly launching attacks or blindly seeking opportunities to defeat Hode would naturally be of no use.
Mephisto also spoke up: "I know what you are trying to express, and you also know that I am indeed unwilling to keep listening to Hode."
"However, you got one thing wrong. I have not reached any kind of cooperation with Hode; it is just that his strength is far above mine, forcing me to submit."
"Of course, in my heart, I am not willing to listen to him. As you said, this does not benefit my reputation at all, so I am also looking for an opportunity, an opportunity to defeat Hode."
Hearing these words from Mephisto, Surtur and Loki could not help but show smiles.
After all, they believed that Mephisto would surely be willing to cooperate with them now. Since he had said as much, if he didn't cooperate with them, it would be somewhat absurd.
Just as they were about to persuade Mephisto to cooperate with them, the words Mephisto said next surprised them.
Mephisto continued: "Although I said that earlier, if I were to cooperate with you and truly become an enemy of Hode, do you have a 100% certainty of being able to defeat Hode?"
"I don't think you do, and I don't either. Even if the three of us are added together, why are we strong? It is because we have infinite energy within our own domains, which is why we are strong. But if we leave our own domains, our strength will be greatly reduced."
"Not to mention whether Hode would eliminate us, we might not even be able to defeat those life forms. Under such circumstances, what do we have to confront Hodewith?"
"Although I do not want this kind of life, at least this way I can save my own life. I can be certain that I can continue to live for now. But if I really cooperate with you and become an enemy of Hode, I believe you naturally know what the final consequences would be without me saying them."
"So, I am sorry. Forgive me for not being able to cooperate with you, because compared to reputation, I still want my life more."
"I know you are also unwilling to listen to Hode and want to confront him, but I think you should also know what Hode's strength is like."
"To confront Hode under these circumstances, I can only say you have enough courage, because I cannot do it."
"As a Lord of Hell, fearing a human—if this got out, it would indeed not sound very good, and surely many people would change their opinion of me."
"But if you stand in my shoes, or from Hode's perspective, this is the safest and smartest choice. At least this way, I can guarantee my life and not be toyed with by Hode at will."
Mephisto said this, then took the two of them to the side of the cage where Lucifer was imprisoned.
"See the demon imprisoned inside? I believe that when you came to find me, you must have heard the roaring sounds that have been screaming continuously."
"I believe you are definitely very familiar with the person imprisoned inside, so I won't introduce him to you."
Loki looked at Lucifer imprisoned in a cage before him, looking like he wished he were dead, and he was shocked.
After all, he had a certain understanding of him.
Although he was a Fallen Angel, his strength was still not to be underestimated, yet now he was imprisoned here in this Hell.
Logically speaking, he originally governed a Hell in the Universe. Why would he appear here, and even be locked in a cage now, wishing he were dead?
And he was originally a lord of a region, so his strength was naturally unfathomable.
And 705u.com-53 Reading Club, if it was Mephisto who imprisoned him here, then why not directly sign a contract with him and seize his soul?
Why imprison such a demon here? Wouldn't it be better to just seize his soul and make him listen to you?
And logically speaking, the two of them would not have any connection. Although they were both Lords of Hell, they kept to themselves and would not get involved with each other.
And those two Hell dimensions were not in the same place at all. How could Lucifer possibly appear here?
The probability of being imprisoned here by Mephisto was obviously not high. Could it be Hode?
But why would Lucifer be involved with Hode?
Surtur was also deeply confused by this: "Lucifer, that powerful Angel, although he later relied on his own strength to become a Lord of Hell and created his own dimension."
Chapter 190: Mephisto refuses their request.
"Why would he appear here?"
"Although the two of you are equal in strength, you have no grudges against each other. Why would Lucifer appear here?"
Loki: "That is true, but it is obvious that Lucifer's strength is relatively stronger, although there hasn't been a corresponding battle."
"But of course, looking at his strength, one can see that Lucifer's strength is obviously stronger than yours."
"So why would he appear here, and be locked in a cage?"
Since Mephisto had brought them here to see Lucifer, he naturally had not thought about hiding anything from them.
"Yes, Lucifer's strength is indeed above mine; I cannot refute this point."
"But what I want to tell you is that I and Lucifer 705u.com-53 Reading Club are inherently unrelated Lords of Hell."
"Although we are both Lords of Hell, his Hell was created by his own hands; it is a new dimension created by himself."
"But I am different, so I will not have any connection with him at all. And I cannot leave the Hell where I am, because all my abilities come from Hell, since there are infinite souls here that can nourish me."
"These contracts can bring me a constant stream of energy, so I would not be idle enough to go find Lucifer and imprison him here."
"As for why he appeared here, this is what I am going to tell you next. Although I don't know exactly what happened at the time, I can roughly guess that Hode and Lucifer had a great battle."
"Lucifer being imprisoned in this place has nothing to do with me. As for why he was imprisoned here by Hode, and why Hode didn't just kill him, that is not a question I should be thinking about."
"I can only say that Hode's strength is far higher than you imagine; he is not an opponent that the few of us can easily defeat by joining forces."
"I believe you are well aware of my strength, yet in front of Hode, my abilities are like those of an ant, still easily crushed by him."
"I don't think I need to continue talking about how strong Hode is. So, what I want to tell you—regardless of whether Hode is strong or not—is that if you don't have absolute certainty that you can defeat him, it is best not to act rashly."
"Otherwise, the ones who lose their luck in the end will only be yourselves. I don't want to take that risk; I feel I haven't lived long enough yet."
"Only a fool would throw away their life; why bother opposing the organization? Although as demons, defeating humans—defeating those so-called benevolent ones—is what we ought to do, do you think I can stand their style?"
"Many times, I wish I could slice Hode into a thousand pieces. By what right does he command me? Just a mere human, what ability does he have to command me? But the fact remains that I cannot defeat him, and I can only submit."
"The saying 'the winner takes all, the loser is the villain' is not without reason. At the very least, I still want to survive, and at the very least, I can still accept my current life."
"As for whether you continue to look for other partners or what, that is your own business. I have already advised you. If you are unwilling to give up, then naturally there is nothing I can do. Anyway, my advice is that it is best not to provoke Hode, otherwise the consequences are not something you can imagine."
"Although if you end up being killed by Hode and your souls eventually return to me, I would be able to greatly increase my strength, which is a good thing for me, but after all, we are fellow demons. I feel we should look out for one another; it would be unfair of me to do that to you."
"So, what I am saying is that if you don't have sufficient strength, it is best not to deal with Hode. After all, without absolute certainty, even if you go to find Hode, even if you go to fight him, there is no benefit. The final outcome will be that you are utterly defeated, and then your souls will return to my Hell, allowing my strength to grow a little more—nothing more than that."
"Of course, I naturally have no objection if you don't go, as it is beneficial for me, but if you want to drag me into it, then forget it."
"I don't want to be like you and ask for trouble, going to fight someone who there is absolutely no strength to defeat."
Faced with the series of warnings from Mephisto, Loki and Surtur immediately realized that their behavior was indeed too foolish.
Originally, they only thought that no matter how strong Hode was, as long as there were many of them, they would definitely be able to defeat him. But now, even Lucifer has been defeated and imprisoned by Hode within this Hell.
There is naturally no need to say much about Lucifer's strength. Yet, with such formidable power, he was so vulnerable in front of Hode, just like that, imprisoned by Hode in this Hell.
It is very clear that Hode's current abilities are simply not something they can compare to, and certainly not something they can deal with.
But even so, they would not give up so easily. To them, Hode is the most lethal enemy of their lives. No matter what, they must eliminate Hode, but the most important point is...
But now, Mephisto is clearly unwilling to cooperate with them to deal with Hode, which means their chances of winning are even slimmer than before.
But even this would not make them give up entirely. After all, Gorr is still in his soul form, staying here in Hell. If they can rescue Gorr, then in the end, who will be the victor is not yet certain.
Moreover, besides Mephisto, who is a powerful demon, there are many other lords they have not sought out yet.
Mephisto didn't agree because he didn't believe they could defeat Hode, but other demons might not necessarily feel the same.
Besides Mephisto, there are many other demons waiting for them to find. They will surely be able to find some people to work with them against Hode.
But now, the most important thing is to rescue Gorr.
After all, Gorr is the most important link in their plan.
Although Gorr has only just died, since he has arrived in this place, if they don't rescue him before leaving, wouldn't that be a waste of their trip?
Loki continued, "Since that is the case, we won't force you. After all, we only came to seek your opinion. If you don't want to cooperate with us, then it's as if we never came."
"However, before we leave, we still hope that you can do us a small favor."
Chapter 191: Mephisto feels surprised; they actually came to bring him benefits.
Mephisto had already rejected their invitation to face the enemy together, but after all, they were both demons.
If it were just a favor, Mephisto had no reason to refuse.
"A small favor? Speak first."
Loki and Surtur exchanged glances, and then Lokicontinued, "Since you have refused our request, we naturally won't force you anymore."
"Whether you cooperate with us or not is definitely your freedom. If you are willing to continue listening to Hodelike this, then I certainly have nothing to say."
"Of course, besides seeking your cooperation, we have another purpose for coming here this time: can we ask you to hand over Gorr's soul to us?"
"This request should be easy for you, right? After all, you have also helped Hode, haven't you? One more for us won't make a difference, right?"
Hearing the name Gorr, Mephisto suddenly remembered that just a few days ago, Hode had just killed someone, and that soul had just happened to arrive in Hell.
If he remembered correctly, this person was exactly the Gorr they were talking about.
After all, who doesn't know Gorr the God Butcher, who was bent on killing gods and ended up with this fate?
But Mephisto also began to ponder. Gorr had only just died, and now they had come here to ask for the person.
Furthermore, Mephisto himself relied on these souls to gradually expand his own strength.
And the soul of Gorr the God Butcher was different from the souls of other ordinary people, although he could manipulate the souls of those humans.
But he didn't have the ability regarding Gorr the God Butcher. However, now that the soul of Gorr the God Butcher was in Hell, Mephisto himself had the right to trade Gorr's soul.
It was just that a price had to be paid.
After all, if someone wanted to acquire souls from him without a certain price, wouldn't he, as a lord, just be a figurehead?
As for Hode being able to take two souls from him, the first reason was that Hode had sufficient strength himself, and the second was that Hode had promised to renovate the Hell for him.
At the very least, with Hode's help, this Hell was indeed more vibrant than before.
And this could be considered the corresponding reward that Hode gave to Mephisto.
Whether it was a demon or a human, if they wanted to trade with him to purchase souls here, if they didn't have a certain level of ability, or didn't give him what he wanted, then in most cases, the deal would not be reached.
And right in front of him, although they were fellow demons, now that power had been delivered to his doorstep, he certainly shouldn't refuse it.
A strange smile appeared on the corner of Mephisto's mouth, and a hint of excitement emerged in his eyes.
After all, the two demons in front of him did not have low status here, especially Surtur, who was the lord of the Fire realm; his strength naturally went without saying.
And when Mephisto realized that these two had come to trade with him, his attitude changed one hundred and eighty degrees.
With a beaming smile, Mephisto said, "So, you want to purchase a soul from me?"
"Then you should know the rules here, right?"
"You can purchase souls, but for what kind of soul, you pay what kind of price—you understand that, right?"
Hearing the word 'purchase,' Loki's eyes immediately turned cold, and his smile gradually disappeared.
They were also demons, yet when Hode came, he could just take them, but when it came to them, they needed things to complete a contract. Clearly, this was Mephisto's differential treatment.
This couldn't help but make them frown. Loki questioned, "What do you mean by this? We are fellow demons; we ask you for a soul and still need to provide a corresponding bargaining chip? Isn't this a bit too much?"
Surtur: "At the very least, we are neighbors; I am right next door to you. Isn't it a bit too much for you to act like this?"
"You want us to sign a contract and pay a certain price, but you weren't like that with Hode."
"Hode could take souls from you at will without any issues, and it wasn't even just one, but two."
If others found out that the dignified Lord of Hell was actually cooperating with a human, and even treating others differently,"
"Not to mention anything else, this alone would be enough to make you lose all face."
"Although you are the King here, what if you were outside of Hell? What if you went out there?"
"I still hope you can see your own position clearly; losing face at that point would be meaningless."
"Of course, we don't think you did anything wrong or anything like that. You are the King here, and transactions with you certainly require some form of compensation; I know this."
"But that is no reason for you to treat us differently here. If you don't accept our proposal and don't want to cooperate with us, then so be it. That is your freedom, and we indeed have no right to interfere."
"But when Hode came to you for those two souls, he didn't give you any compensation and just took them away. Now, I'm just asking you for a Side Character's soul, and suddenly you require compensation."
"It can't be that you see value in the Side Character's soul, or perhaps its utility is greater than those of ordinary people, so you are deliberately trying to swindle us, right?"
"Or are you just doing this because you want the benefits we have? Please don't make us look down on you, okay?"
"As a fellow demon, is there a need to fear Hode to this extent? For Hode's sake, you can even disregard the rules here, yet in the end, you impose these rules on us. That doesn't seem appropriate, does it?"
Loki spoke up, and Surtur, standing to the side, immediately chimed in: "Exactly. If you won't cooperate with us or help us fight against Hode, fine. There are plenty of other demons waiting to cooperate with us. But now, all we're asking is for you to hand over the Side Character's soul, yet you treat us like this."
"You don't dare offend Hode because of his great strength, but what about us? According to your logic, does that mean you can offend us as you please?"
"Indeed, you are the King here, but it's not impossible for us to join forces and defeat you. Furthermore, my Fire domain is right next door."
"Do you think you can fight against us?"
Clearly, whether it was Loki or Surtur, they were prepared to take action regarding the Side Character's soul.
After all, they weren't angry about the Side Character's soul itself, or that he required compensation and a contract.
It was that when facing Hode, he didn't have so many excuses, nor did he need to sign any contracts; he simply handed those two souls over to Hode.
Regardless of whether there is a hierarchy among souls, for a Lord of Hell, every single soul affects his own strength.
Chapter 192: Their misunderstanding is about to lead to a great battle.
If he didn't receive any compensation for the disappearance of a soul, his own strength would decrease.
Mephisto's ability is to manipulate human souls, not demons, and he has no reason to be able to manipulate a soul like Gorr's.
It's just that having such a soul stay in Hell provides him with a certain boost in strength.
But for him, it doesn't have much of an impact.
However, the souls of those two people that Hodeobtained were different; after all, Mephisto's domain is the manipulation of ordinary human souls.
If he handed those two souls over directly without any compensation, his strength would certainly be affected.
Therefore, logically speaking, Mephisto shouldn't have handed those souls over to Hode so easily, yet that is exactly what he did.
The main reason was that he was afraid—deep in his heart, he felt fear toward Hode, and it can only be said that he had no choice but to obey Hode's orders.
However, when it came to them, they were only asking for the Side Character's soul, and since he couldn't manipulate the Side Character's soul anyway, handing it over wouldn't have any impact on him.
The reason Loki and Surtur came here was that they knew obtaining this soul would definitely require signing a contract and providing him with appropriate compensation.
Therefore, they didn't mind such a requirement. As the saying goes, "taking things makes one's hands short, eating things makes one's mouth soft." Since they had no prior relationship, signing a contract to gain some benefits in exchange for the soul was a perfectly normal thing.
It's just that the reason they were so angry was that Mephisto didn't treat them the way he treated Hode; he had no requirements for Hode.
When Hode left, he didn't give him any compensation, yet when it came to them, he demanded a contract.
Hode is just a powerful human, yet he can make Mephistoobey him so thoroughly, simply because Mephisto cannot defeat him.
That is the power of strength; as long as one is superior to him and can threaten his life, there is no need to go through such a process with Mephisto.
Since that's the case, they naturally decided to use the same method. Rather than giving him benefits, it would be more satisfying to just fight him.
But Mephisto frowned slightly. He, who had been smiling, thought the two wanted to sign a contract and cooperate, but unexpectedly, they just wanted to take it for free.
The point is, they even dragged Hode into it. Isn't this just sophistry and trying to dine and dash?
Everyone who comes to Hell knows that to obtain a soul from Hell, everyone must conduct a corresponding transaction and soul exchange with Mephisto.
Only by giving him satisfactory compensation can he hand these souls over to those who need them.
However, Hode is indeed quite special to Mephisto. He doesn't respect Hode; he fears him, deeply worried that if he offends him, his own life will be forfeited.
But rules are rules, and even Hode cannot break them. Hode naturally knows this, as taking two souls from Mephisto would greatly diminish his power.
Furthermore, Mephisto is now under his command, so Hode has no reason to take his things for free. Hodeunderstands this logic.
Therefore, before leaving, he specifically renovated Mephisto's Hell. Although he didn't give Mephisto any tangible benefits, renovating Hell is not something everyone can do.
Besides, Mephisto was getting tired of staying here. As a Lord, apart from staying in his own domain, if he were to step outside, his strength would be greatly diminished.
Therefore, Mephisto is essentially imprisoned in this Hell, where there is nothing but souls and the cries of demons.
Otherwise, he is just facing a group of ugly demons every day, and the environment in this Hell is simply unbearable to look at.
So, rather than saying he is a Lord in Hell, it's more like he is an innocent person imprisoned here.
And Hode's renovation of this place was undoubtedly the greatest help he could have given him. At least now, it doesn't look like a prison, and at least now, there isn't much difference between this place and the outside World.
Even while staying in Hell, one can see flowers and plants full of spiritual energy, and these things often make people feel physically and mentally happy.
So for Mephisto, this deal is essentially not a loss. To change the environment of a region, only someone like Hode could pull it off.
After all, every domain is unique, and wanting to change its topography and appearance is completely impossible.
Of course, unless this domain was built by the holder themselves, then there might be a slight possibility.
But unfortunately, Hell is not that. Wanting to change the original appearance of those domains can be said to be completely impossible.
It's just that Hode was able to achieve this.
So even in this case, handing those two souls over to Hodedid not cause him much loss.
And clearly, Loki and Surtur did not know about this.
If they had known, they wouldn't have said that Hode was taking things for free without giving Mephisto any benefits when he took the souls.
It can only be said that this was due to their own lack of information, and not a problem with Hode or Mephisto.
And Mephisto, facing these two who immediately claimed Hode was taking things for free and that he was treating them differently from Hode.
He was even talking about reporting Mephisto, and how could he possibly endure being slandered for something he clearly hadn't done?
He was already troubled by matters regarding Hode, and in this World, the fewer people who knew, the better.
But now, these two people in front of him wanted to report him because of this "705u.com-53 Reading Club" matter. Although he couldn't beat Hode, that was because Hode's strength was too heaven-defying; he had no other choice.
However, when it came to the two demons before him, defeating them wasn't essentially too difficult, especially since he was in Hell, where there were thousands upon thousands of other demons.
He wanted to defeat these two demons; it wasn't essentially too hard, after all, he was in Hell, and there were thousands upon thousands of demons in Hell who could provide him with assistance.
To want to duel Mephisto and Hode in Hell, unless one was a talent like Hode, basically no one could defeat Mephisto.
As for the two in front of him, it wouldn't be easy for them to defeat Mephisto, and they might even be subdued by Mephisto instead.
Furthermore, they were currently staying in Hell, not in their own areas of expertise.
Chapter 193: Mephisto did not want to have any conflict with them.
So if they wanted to duel Mephisto, it was clearly a suicide mission.
Because they had very little chance of defeating Mephisto, and might even be counter-subdued by him.
Therefore, logically speaking, not many people would truly cause conflict with Mephisto in Hell.
Either they would be kicked out of Hell, or they would be killed by him. In Hell, Mephisto's power was infinite; as long as he was in Hell, he could not be defeated.
Of course, except for Hode. So no matter how much endless energy he had, facing Hode, he was still completely powerless. But other than Hode, no one could subdue them in Hell.
Even when facing these two powerful demons.
If it were Loki, he did indeed have some strength and would be difficult to deal with. But Surtur, as the lord of the Fire realm, would have his strength greatly reduced if he left the Fire realm.
With his current strength, let alone fighting Mephisto, he might not even be able to withstand a few of his moves.
Therefore, causing conflict with Mephisto here was the most foolish behavior.
Being on someone else's turf was no different from suicide.
If Mephisto wanted to, he could defeat these two with no problem, though it would take a bit of effort, as these two were not to be trifled with.
However, Mephisto himself was not very willing to have a conflict with them; after all, they were both demons, and they might even join forces later to deal with Hode.
As for why it would be later, it was because even if he cooperated with them now, there was no chance of defeating Hode; Hode's current strength was not something these two could compare to.
After all, if these two fought him here, they might not even be able to win, let alone go up against Hode.
As for why it would be later, it was because he knew that if they wanted to defeat Hode, more demons would surely join their ranks to defeat Hode together. By then, it was truly possible to defeat Hode, as long as they could unite.
But now, Mephisto was unwilling to join them simply because he didn't know how many companions these two could gather to confront Hode with him.
And whether their combined strength could actually defeat Hode was still an unknown. If he were to rashly join them now, he would undoubtedly be walking to his death.
Without stable guarantees, he would absolutely not take rash actions. Facing Hode, he would still choose not to be an enemy if possible; at least for now, his life was secured.
At least Hode would not continue to harm him, and at least their current interaction was peaceful. But if Mephistojoined their camp, there would be no turning back.
If Hode discovered it then, he would truly be unable to win, and he might really turn into a soul, left to be slaughtered.
After all, as the Lord of Hell, he was very clear about what kind of treatment one would suffer after turning into a soul.
One could only say that even if one died, one would not be at peace.
Therefore, facing these two people, he still hoped not to have major conflicts with them. Although there was no possibility of forming an alliance now, that might change later.
So, even regarding their current statements, he chose to explain things to them to resolve this conflict.
At least this could clear up their misunderstanding and might even make them willing to conduct transactions with him.
This would not make their relationship awkward, and he could gain benefits from them. Later on, he might even join their team to defeat Hode together, so yielding now was the best solution for him.
Seeing the two in front of him looking like they were about to start a fight, the other underlings in Hell rushed in front of Mephisto immediately.
It looked like a situation ready for a "705u.com-53 Reading Club" war, and those demons naturally were already prepared.
But soon, Mephisto stepped out and stopped the conflict from erupting.
"You all step back, just leave this matter to me."
The underlings who had stepped out were not happy.
"Lord, these two are clearly here with ill intentions. They want the souls you have here without trading with you, Lord—isn't this just eating without paying?"
"Besides, these two don't look like good people. Don't worry, Lord, if a war breaks out, we will immediately call upon the other demons in Hell."
"To deal with these two, you don't need to take action yourself, Lord; just leave it to us."
These underlings glared fiercely at Loki and Surtur before them.
After all, they were ready to start a war with them at any moment.
But Mephisto himself never intended to fight them. If he caused a conflict with them now, who would he find to help him defeat Hode later?
If a momentary concession could trade for future harmony, he was naturally very willing to do so.
"Stop, stop, stop, you all step back."
"Just the two of them cannot threaten my safety. Moreover, it is clear they have misunderstood something. You all step back first, just leave this to me."
"But, Lord..."
"I will say it again, step back!"
Mephisto was aggressive, his aura of majesty making one's hair stand on end.
The demons below naturally did not continue to linger, and they left immediately.
After all, they did not want to displease Mephisto; otherwise, they would be the ones to suffer in the end.
Seeing that these underlings had all retreated, Mephistofinally spoke: "My subordinates do not understand the rules; please do not mind them, both of you."
"Let's talk things over properly, right? There is no need to be so aggressive. Furthermore, if a conflict truly occurs, I believe it will be of no benefit to either you or me."
"And having listened to what you said earlier, it is clear that you have misunderstood something."
"Although I am very afraid of Hode, it is because his strength is far greater than mine. Even here in Hell, he could send me to my doom."
"However, the rules in Hell are the rules, and even Hodecannot break them. You said earlier that I handed those souls to Hode, and that Hode did not give me corresponding compensation—why are you so certain?"
"Why are you so certain that your information is not incorrect?"
"Although I do not know where you obtained the information, in Hell, the rules are not allowed to be broken. Whoever wants to take souls from me must complete a transaction with me."
Even Hode cannot change this."
Chapter 194: They don't want to believe Hode would complete a deal with him
Even though Mephisto said this, Loki still didn't believe him.
After all, the information he had received at the time did not mention that Hode had made any deals with Mephisto.
If Hode and Mephisto had made a deal, then he definitely would have received news of it at the time.
When Mephisto makes a deal with someone, he must follow professional procedures. Since he could obtain information, he would also be able to get news of a deal between Hode and him.
Although the probability of knowing the content was low, he would definitely know that a deal had been made.
Therefore, Mephisto saying now that he had made a deal with Hode was clearly said to hoodwink him.
And Loki naturally would not choose to believe what he said.
"What gives you the confidence to think that if you say so, I will believe your words?"
"After all, if you say there is a deal, then surely there is. You also cannot produce evidence, but I have not received any news that Hode has any deals with you."
"And now that you say there is a deal between you and Hode, do you think I should believe what I have seen or believe your one-sided words?"
"Regarding this issue, I don't want to pursue it with you. You fear Hode, and I can understand that."
"However, we posed the same question to Hode, just with a different soul, yet you treat us so differently. I don't think there's anything left to say."
"Of course, if it really came to a fight, even if we teamed up on your turf, we wouldn't necessarily be able to beat you, let alone with so many of your underlings here."
"We don't want to continue pursuing this matter. Let's leave it at that."
Saying this, Loki turned his head to look at Surtur behind him: "Let's go. Let's just pretend we never came."
"You can continue being Hode's puppet and running errands for him. This Hell Lord title is worthless. Being so cowardly and afraid of death, it's a wonder you are the Lord of this Hell."
"To actually be afraid of a human kid, that's really something."
"That's it. Staying here is just a waste of time and meaningless."
Loki pulled Surtur and turned to leave, but Mephistorealized the situation was not quite right.
If they really left Hell like this, then in the end, he would truly be reduced to Hode's puppet.
Serving the organization forever, because he had no way to defeat Hode if he lost them.
The reason he wasn't cooperating with them now was simply because they didn't have the ability to defeat Hodeyet.
But in the future, who knows? If the time came when they could defeat Hode, Mephisto would still need to rely on them to escape his current predicament.
If he created conflict with them now, then forget about help later; it wasn't impossible that he would be wiped out along with them.
For the sake of his happy life in the future, Mephistodecided to start trying to persuade them to stay.
"Wait! When it comes down to it, you just don't believe I made a deal with Hode. Don't you want proof? I can show you the proof right now."
Just as Loki was about to lead Surtur out of the palace, he heard that Mephisto was willing to give him the evidence, so he immediately stopped in his tracks, even though deep down he still didn't believe he would make a deal with Hode.
But since Mephisto could produce evidence, it wouldn't hurt to take a look.
If it was fake, Loki had naturally already thought of a strategy to deal with it.
Surtur, who was on the side, didn't think that much and was just a bit curious about what Mephisto said: "Why don't we go take a look? Maybe there really is something. But if Hode really has a deal with him, doesn't that mean your information isn't accurate?"
"Do you really believe he will produce that so-called evidence? Although Mephisto's deals with people are always in black and white, and there is a certain seal that cannot be forged."
"But how are you so sure that this is definitely Hode's seal and not someone else's? Besides, Mephisto is in the business of doing this. Even if he wanted to forge one, it wouldn't be very difficult for him."
"It just depends on whether he wants to or not, but a forgery is very easy to spot."
"Of course, compared to outsiders like us, it is still somewhat difficult to tell whether that proof is real or fake."
"After all, this is on his turf, and transactions require a certain degree of confidentiality. It's impossible that he would let us see it so easily."
"Then if that's the case, why does Mephisto want to show us these things now? Is he deliberately trying to curry favor with us? Is there any need for that?"
"There is indeed no need, but if he doesn't come to curry favor with us now, then for him to defeat Hode and stop being Hode's puppet is an impossible task."
"If we officially become enemies with them, then in the end, the one who gets hurt will still be him."
"So, don't look at how he isn't cooperating with us right now; that's because he looks down on our strength, feels that we can't defeat Hode, and he can't bet his life on us."
"But if we wait until later, after we have the ability to defeat Hode, he will definitely come back to seek our cooperation. I understand his mindset all too well."
"But regardless of what is said, what he does now is his own freedom, so we cannot force him."
"But if he doesn't hand this soul over to us now, I believe he knows the consequences himself."
"In short, we feel we will not choose to cooperate with him again, and it's even possible we will become enemies. If we become enemies with him, then he will never be able to defeat Hode, and he will likely have to listen to Hode for the rest of his life."
"If you put yourself in his shoes, you can guess his inner thoughts. After all, whether then or now, he himself doesn't want to have too much entanglement with the Lord, and he doesn't want to listen to Hode. The reason he seems to be listening to Hode now is simply because Hode's strength is higher than his, he can't beat Hode, and Hode could likely wipe him out with a snap of his fingers."
"You and I both know Hode's strength, so I won't go into too much detail. But what I want to tell you is that him doing this now is just to curry favor with us, wanting us to continue believing in him."
"Because he needs us, just not right now—he needs us in the future."
"After all, to defeat Hode, relying solely on individual strength is never enough."
Chapter 195: He learns of Mephisto's plot
"The only way to defeat Hode is to combine the strength of many people and launch an attack on Hode. Only then can we defeat Hode and gain a glimmer of opportunity."
"If it's just going alone or in pairs, trying to cause harm to Hode is definitely impossible. With Hode's ability, he could make those rebels vanish into ashes with a snap of his fingers."
"One can only say that Mephisto is also a smart man. He knows what we want, and he knows what his purpose is in doing this."
"So now he can only curry favor with us. As for whether what he says is true or false, or whether Hode has actually made a deal with him, that remains unknown. It's also possible that Mephisto just found something randomly, tampered with it, and changed it to look like a deal Hodemade with him—705u.com-53 Reading Club."
"Of course, if we want to determine this, it will take some time, but rest assured, I know how to distinguish the truth from the falsehood of this deal."
"After all, the authenticity of a deal has a fatal weakness; it is relatively easy to determine."
"If that report is fake, I will be able to detect it immediately, so you don't need to worry about this. Even if what he gives us is fake, it just means that from now on, our relationship with him is completely destroyed."
"So you don't need to worry either. Although we are missing such a capable assistant in him, it doesn't have much impact on us. After all, what this World lacks the least is demons."
"Powerful villains are a dime a dozen. Even if we lose Mephisto, we don't need to worry. After all, it's not that we lack him; it's that he lacks us. Besides us, no one can help him; no one can help him get rid of Hode."
"Of course, I know that he himself is very clear about this, so to us, it doesn't matter whether what he says is true or false. It has no impact on us. If what he says is false, then we don't need this Side Character's soul."
Hearing this, Surtur had a slight objection. After all, if the deal was fake, shouldn't Mephisto be even more inclined to give us this soul power? If we just didn't want it, what would happen to the Side Character?
After all, the Side Character's strength is truly enough to make those God races fear him.
Regardless, we absolutely cannot do without such a capable assistant as Gorr.
Surtur continued, "If that's the case, then let's just give up on one. I feel that our main purpose for coming here this time was for Gorr, right? If we just leave like this, what about Gorr? Are we just going to forget about him?"
"To be honest, whether we get Gorr or not doesn't have much of an impact on us. Although his addition would certainly boost our combat power significantly."
"But that's only if we can cooperate with Mephisto. If we can't cooperate with him, then taking this soul would mean we owe him a favor."
"If that were the case, we wouldn't have any reason to openly oppose him in the future, and we might even have to give him a hand. If we don't take this soul, then he will have no relation to us in the future. Do you understand what I mean?"
"When you do things, you have to be ruthless. You can't give the other party any chance at all. If you give them a chance, it's admitting defeat to yourself. I believe you understand this point."
Surtur listened, half-doubting and confused, but he could still understand the gist of it.
He continued, "Alright then, since that's the case, let's leave Gorr's soul for now."
"Although I've always believed that having one less capable subordinate with such strength to inflict damage on the gods is rare, and those gods are also very afraid of Gorr's energy."
"With his immortal body and the power of the black sword, except for Hode who can kill him, no one else can do anything about him."
"If we lack such a capable subordinate, our strength will be greatly weakened. After all, other lords are like me; as soon as they leave their own realms, their inherent power decreases significantly, and they are nowhere near as strong as they are within their own domains."
"And as soon as they leave their domains, their strength might drop by more than half. If that's the case, since we don't have much strength to begin with, and then we lose Gorr, we might really have no chance of defeating Hode..."
"Moreover, Hode is now staying with those gods, and the power of those gods is not weak. We not only need to defeat Hode but also make enemies of those gods. Defeating those gods is the main priority. Hode is just a human; he doesn't actually pose a huge threat to us. Our ultimate goal is not Hode, but the gods behind him."
"But if we want to attack those gods, Hode is our biggest obstacle. After all, those gods are all following Hode now; Hode is their boss."
"If we want to make a move against those gods, eliminating Hode is the simplest and fastest way. After all, the strength of those gods is not even one percent of Hode's."
"Without Hode's interference, what can those gods use to fight us? And from then on, we will be the kings of this World, and no one will be able to compare with us."
"And we will be the most powerful existences in this World. Why wouldn't we do this? But the most important thing is to eliminate Hode first. Hode is our biggest obstacle."
"Listening to you put it that way, it doesn't sound bad. Ruling your own domain is boring; if you want to rule, you should rule the World."
Mephisto then led them to see the so-called evidence.
"Logically speaking, if Hode and Mephisto were to sign a contract, they would perform the corresponding ritual in a small room. But now, it is clear that Mephisto is taking them outside the hell castle."
This left both Loki and Surtur feeling a bit puzzled.
"What's going on? Is he taking us out of the castle? Didn't he say he would take us to see the evidence? What is this about?" Surtur was full of confusion; he couldn't imagine what Mephisto's purpose was in taking them out of the castle.
"Who knows? Anyway, if we don't see the evidence in the end, we'll just flip out and leave."
"In any case, this doesn't have much of an impact on us. The most important thing is to see what he does."
"That makes sense."