Chapter 292: A Hypocritical, Filthy Fool
This ensured that Belasco could not escape the contract through death and also gave him time to fulfill it.
So, in simple terms, Belasco’s move was nothing more than intimidation.
The other Hell Lords had no idea what Belasco’s actual situation was, which was why they had been frightened by it. After all, Hell was a place where the strong preyed on the weak. Any serious injury would immediately draw the greedy attention of the other Hell Lords.
There was no such thing as mutual aid or camaraderie among them. The moment another Hell Lord was badly weakened, they would swarm in, tear them apart, and divide up everything they owned.
So Belasco’s so-called “trump card” had already been seen through completely by Matthew, who held all the cards in this situation.
But Matthew did not expose him. He merely said in an indifferent tone,
“You can try.”
Matthew’s unreadable attitude only made Belasco more uncertain.
He genuinely could not tell whether Matthew was bluffing or if he truly had no fear of Belasco’s attempt to take them both down with him.
So Belasco brought out his second bargaining chip.
“Her soul is incomplete. I believe you already know that.”
Belasco took two translucent, blood-red stones from his robes.
The moment the two bloodstones appeared, Illyana, standing on the steps leading up to the throne, widened her eyes.
That was her soul.
Belasco had split away a portion of it. The two bloodstones he had forged contained part of her original humanity—the parts tied to emotions such as gentleness and empathy.
In other words, a portion of the humanity that belonged to her as a human had been stripped from her soul.
Illyana would never forget the agony of having her soul divided. Fury surged within her, making every strand of her filthy, tangled hair stand on end as a terrifying energy far beyond that of an ordinary person churned around her.
Dark, evil, and purely potent.
Even Matthew could not help but be impressed by Illyana’s talent.
At only twelve years old, she already possessed unimaginable strength. It was easy to foresee that, after developing for a few more years in Limbo, a realm saturated with magical energy, her growth would reach an absurd pace.
Matthew knew exactly how furious this young future Queen of Hell was right now.
Even so, he reached out and gently stroked Illyana’s head.
The overwhelming tenderness in his touch gradually calmed the little girl, who had been on the verge of losing control and sinking completely into darkness.
Feeling the warmth of his hand resting on her head, she slowly turned toward him, her large eyes filled with a helplessness that was impossible to ignore.
That pitiful expression nearly broke Matthew’s composure.
Damn. He really was weak to this kind of thing.
Unfortunately, the two bloodstones in Belasco’s hands, which had been forged from pieces of Illyana’s soul, had already been completely separated from her.
Soul division was irreversible.
Belasco’s method of forging bloodstones permanently stripped away part of the soul.
Each bloodstone removed a portion of her original humanity, and the damage left by the separation was permanent at the level of the soul.
Even if the stones were returned to her, those fragments could no longer merge back into her original soul.
The bloodstones could only resonate with her; they could not fill the void left inside her. That was an absolute rule of magic. It was not something that could be fixed simply by stuffing the bloodstones back into Illyana’s soul.
At least, Matthew could not do it right now.
Whether the Ancient One, the undisputed pinnacle of sorcery, had a way was another question.
Of course, that did not mean the bloodstones were unimportant. Quite the opposite—Belasco’s bloodstones were actually extremely powerful and stable amplifiers.
They granted Belasco the ability to travel between dimensions, allowing him to open passages between Limbo and Earth with ease. For Illyana, however, they represented the last foundation of her humanity.
In the future, she would go so far as to invade Limbo and wage war against an entire demon army just to reclaim the bloodstones and preserve what remained of her humanity.
Without the bloodstones nearby, she was more prone to losing control, falling into darkness, and gradually losing her human emotions.
They also amplified Illyana’s power. In the future, even her Soulsword—a weapon almost specialized for fighting demons—would require the bloodstones to be perfected.
Without them, the development of her Soulsword would remain flawed.
No matter what, Matthew had to obtain the bloodstones.
Illyana had clearly already been won over by him on a psychological level. In the future, she would become one of the strongest people under his command—someone on Wanda’s level.
Just imagining himself in the future with Wanda on one side and Illyana—Magik, who could defeat and kill Dormammu—on the other made for a rather satisfying picture.
Matthew was a perfectionist. Since he had already decided to bring Magik under his command, naturally, he wanted her without any flaws.
He had already made up his mind, but his expression remained unchanged.
“To use the soul of my citizen as a bargaining chip for your game… you certainly think highly of yourself, Belasco.”
RUMBLE!
Matthew’s voice was calm, but a thick bolt of lightning exploded from the sea of thunder above, tearing through the sky. Black-red lightning carried his domineering will.
Belasco felt the weight of that will.
By now, he had finally begun to take Matthew seriously.
He no longer regarded him as a young, arrogant human brat, but as the ruler and sovereign of a powerful civilization.
Someone worthy of speaking to as an equal.
“I poured everything I had into raising her from the time she was seven. This is merely the price she should pay. It’s perfectly fair.”
Belasco twisted his words smoothly, completely changing the nature of what he had done.
Matthew let out a cold laugh and tore through the excuse without mercy.
“Poured everything into raising her? By abusing and torturing her? Do you take me for a fool?”
“She should have had a happy childhood. She had her own family and should have been living happily in the human world, receiving an education and enjoying the love of her family. You took all of that away from her, and now you call it the price she should pay.”
“Belasco, you’re even more hypocritical than those demons who are honest about what they are.”
“So, are you willing to gamble?” Belasco showed no embarrassment at having his lie exposed. Instead, he asked the question as though he had done nothing wrong.
“Fine. From this moment on, the game between us will be decided through them.”
“When they successfully break through your Dark Fortress, the bloodstones will be mine.”
“But—”
As Matthew spoke, he suddenly stretched out a hand toward Belasco in the distance.
A vast, violent gravitational force erupted.
One of the two bloodstones in Belasco’s hand shot toward Matthew at tremendous speed. Belasco’s brow twitched slightly, but in the end, he forcibly suppressed the urge to take it back.
He simply allowed the bloodstone to fly into Matthew’s hand.
“The game officially begins.”
Matthew handed the bloodstone to Illyana, then vanished from where he stood in a blur of light.
The sea of thunder in the sky dispersed with him.
But Belasco understood clearly what the beginning of this game meant.
It had placed restrictions on both kings.
From this point on, neither he nor Matthew could personally intervene in the war.