Mephisto was squatting on his throne, as was his habit, as if the throne burned his backside, he had to squat on it to be comfortable.
Listening to the wailing of souls from the plains, he shook his head and closed his eyes to enjoy a moment of leisure, but in reality, it was the time of the wars in Hell, and such brief rest was a luxury for him.
In the struggle for the tens of millions of souls that died during World War II, the various Hells were deploying all kinds of methods. The visible military offensives were just appetizers; the main dish was the covert actions and intrigue.
For Demons, scheming comes as naturally as breathing, and for the most powerful among them, he had become almost everyone's common enemy at this point.
The Destruction Maidens stood respectfully in two rows below his throne, but from their withered faces and pale eyes, it was clear they weren't doing it willingly.
They were once fallen First Generation Valkyries—eating corpses was one thing, but being sold to a Demon King was another.
Compared to King Bower, Mephisto was clearly not a good master, and the tortures they endured in Hell were unimaginable back then.
Now, they just wanted to find Loki and kill that Ice Giant mongrel. But Loki had anticipated this, and his contract with Mephisto had protective clauses.
Mephisto closed his eyes, reveling in the malicious glances around him, feeling extremely comfortable. He held a skull in his hand, filled with a lava-like liquid, occasionally bringing it to his lips.
"Your Majesty... The last time, that human came again!"
At this inconvenient moment, an ignorant servant came to disturb his peace, the sharp drake voice interrupting the elegant symphony.
With a raise of his hand, Mephisto unceremoniously struck the servant with Hellfire, not bothering to even look.
"Ah!!!"
A thick pillar of fire erupted from the ground, engulfing the servant completely, and swiftly vanished. It exhaled black smoke, like a charred log, collapsed motionless.
Others quickly dragged it away, leaving only the scent of burning in the air.
Mephisto's subordinates were mostly Flame Demons; being spattered by lava was like being splashed with a bucket of water to them.
The servant knew the Demon King liked to hear screams, so it deliberately cooperated.
Watching it get dragged away, Mephisto pinched his brow, the sharp nails sinking deep into his skin.
Few humans could come to Hell, and even fewer could leave afterward. Only one person could make his minions react with such vigilance...
"Hey, Old Mo, sitting at home? How many souls did you earn today?"
Just as he figured, before his hand was even lowered, the feigned cordial greeting from Deathstroke reached him.
Mephisto turned his head, displaying a perfect business smile: "I was wondering why the roast on Hellfire smells particularly good today. Turns out the Supreme Mage is visiting. Welcome, my Hell is always open to you."
"Hehe... You're too kind. But the point is, I can't say the Earth always welcomes you. In comparison, it makes me look stingy."
Su Ming also smiled and shook hands with Mephisto, choosing to change the subject.
Both wore fake smiles; he was here to ask Mephisto for help without wanting to pay any price.
Monac had previously mentioned that the Warlock troops were half-human, half-demon hybrids, so even if they died, at least half of their souls would return to Hell.
In the Main Plane, Demons can be defeated but not truly killed; their Demon Souls will return to Hell, reabsorb Chaos Energy, reconstruct their bodies, and await their next summoning.
There are various ways to summon Demons, generally categorized into Descent, Possession, and Incubation.
The Descent Technique is the spell warlocks commonly use to contact demons, to make deals or pay prices.
Possession is usually passive, where ordinary people inadvertently or deliberately pursue forbidden knowledge, leaving their body in the Main World while their soul exchanges with a Hell demon, a case the uninitiated call a haunting.
Incubation is the most malevolent method, where humans and demons breed, giving birth to hybrid demons. These hybrids exploit loopholes in the rules, allowing free movement between the two realms, and in the Main Plane, they can wield greater power than ordinary descended demons.
Demonology isn't systematic in Marvel, as the Supreme Mage, The Ancient One, protected Earth so well that demons seldom managed to stir trouble there.
Su Ming's theories were drawn from DC, which had no protection whatsoever, which supported the likes of Constantine and Alabell flourishing as exorcists.
Mephisto tested the waters, but finding the new Supreme Mage as unyielding as The Ancient One, lost much of his interest in conversation.
Nevertheless, as an old Demon King, his shrewdness showed no cracks. He remained as affable as ever, as if hosting a roast whole man to enjoy together was a mere second away.
After several rounds of pleasantries, Su Ming and Mephisto continued to lavish each other with praise, yet still hadn't addressed the real issue.
And Monac, who had opened the Teleportation Gate to bring Su Ming here, remained silent like Xu Shu entering Cao Ying, hands in pockets behind Deathstroke, pretending he was air.
"Old Mo, I'm here to track down a fugitive. I hope you can help." Su Ming, pressed for time, couldn't waste much longer; Mephisto was one to drag things out for centuries if given the chance.
Mephisto flashed a big grin, baring rows of yellow sharp fangs, his black eyes shifting to the goblet in his hand: "Oh? So the Supreme Mage is so sure it's one of my demon subordinates? What delightful atrocity has it committed? Tell me to amuse me."
"It's one of the demons incubated on Earth, not acting alone. You know whom you've contracted before and the role you played in humanity's Second World War."
Su Ming refrained from the offered drink; it resembled lava, scorching hot with a pungent metallic smell.
Mephisto fiddled with his nails, dismissively as if recalling a trivial matter:
"Oh, I remembered implementing some plan with certain people, to 'accelerate' soul production. You call it a World War, hehe. This war wasn't that big, and our world isn't that small, is it?"
"Ah, quite small compared to the Nine Realms' war. But since you've benefitted enough, why not tell me who made the deal with you?"
Su Ming replied, his single eye looking at the scarlet demon.
Mephisto chuckled slyly, avoiding the question, instead changing the topic: "You want to search for a demon's soul? Easy. But what do you offer in trade?"
Su Ming nodded with a smile, reclining casually, tapping ashes from a cigarette into his drink: "Indeed, I came to negotiate terms."