Chapter 36 36: Mephisto Retreats
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Rhythmic tremors rippled across the ground, spreading farther and farther with each passing moment.
Across thousands of meters, only two afterimages could be seen weaving and flashing like phantoms. Yet every time they collided, shockwaves erupted, blowing away the dust that had been kicked up.
In a single second, the two might have clashed hundreds—if not thousands—of times.
The speed displayed in this battle had already surpassed what the naked eye could follow.
On a distant hilltop, far away from the battlefield, a dirt-covered Needy stared blankly at the scene ahead. Once just an ordinary seventeen-year-old student, she had never witnessed a battle of this level.
Even the fight between Matthew and the demon-possessed Jennifer in Devil's Kettle had been far less intense than this.
She was at least five or six kilometers away, yet she could still feel a suffocating pressure.
Needy didn't even dare imagine—if one of those two were her enemy, would she have the courage to fight at all?
"Jennifer… maybe we should run. I don't think it's safe here."
After silently gauging the distance and feeling that overwhelming pressure, Needy's body trembled slightly as she made her suggestion.
She felt like if she watched any longer, she might just explode.
"NO, Needy! Don't you think this is thrilling?"
"We're watching a grand performance—a human hero fighting the demon king of Hell to save a princess."
"It's so romantic, Needy. Can't you feel it?"
"This is our kind of romance."
Jennifer's excited voice rang out in Needy's mind.
"Not at all. This feels a hundred times more dangerous than being chased by government agents," Needy shot back immediately.
Ever since making that deal with Mephisto and bringing Jennifer's soul back, she felt like Jennifer had become even more lively than before.
"Don't be like that, Needy. If we leave now, things might not end well for us."
Jennifer's tone shifted abruptly from excitement to seriousness.
Needy frowned. "What do you mean?"
While the battle raged fiercely in the distance, the two sisters began discussing matters among themselves.
"Don't forget, Needy. You made a deal with Mephisto for my sake. If you die, our souls will belong to him completely."
"That's a fair deal, Jennifer."
"But I don't see it that way, Needy. Don't forget—he's the King of Demons. Even that cool guy said his words can't be trusted at all."
Despite how she used to act like a carefree social butterfly, Jennifer was actually quite perceptive.
Ever since Mephisto had pulled her soul out of Hell—from the hands of that man-eating female demon—and she learned it was all because of Needy's deal, she had already started forming her own plans.
She would not allow Needy's soul to remain in the grasp of a demon.
Jennifer might not care about herself—but she cared about Needy.
Before, she had been powerless. The one holding that contract was a demon king; even if she had ideas, she lacked the ability to act on them.
But now, things were different.
Matthew's appearance had not only shocked her—it had also given her hope.
A human who could fight a demon king and not fall behind, the same person who once saved Devil's Kettle… no matter how you looked at it, he seemed far more reliable than Mephisto.
"What do you want to do, Jennifer?"
Needy hesitated. If there were a choice, who would willingly hand their soul over to a demon?
"It's what we should do." Jennifer let out a sly laugh.
"Okay… so what should we do?"
"Wait, of course."
"…What?" Needy was completely confused.
"Don't overthink it, Needy. We can't interfere in a battle of this level, but we can wait—wait until it's over and see the outcome. That's when we make our choice."
"…Alright."
At that point, Needy fully understood what Jennifer meant.
As the two sisters came to an understanding, the fierce battle in the distance continued.
But the situation was still escalating—because Matthew was growing stronger in the midst of the fight.
On the ground, a figure wreathed in black lightning shot forward, skimming across the surface for hundreds of meters. His speed surpassed the sound barrier, and layers of sonic booms erupted continuously, carving long trenches into the already devastated earth.
His right arm was pitch black, streaked with black-red lightning as he hurled a punch at Mephisto ahead.
The sheer force shattered the air itself, carrying with it a terrifying, soul-shaking aura.
Even Mephisto's expression changed at that punch.
Yet he did not hesitate to throw a punch of his own.
Their fists collided.
Boom!
In an instant, a violent storm of shockwaves erupted from the point where Matthew and Mephisto met. The ground caved in as though devoured by some monstrous force.
Layers of rock and soil were torn up and flung outward, carrying countless fragments in all directions.
Unable to withstand the force of the blow, Mephisto's body began to turn translucent before he was sent flying backward.
As for Matthew—though he had blown Mephisto away, he saw flames suddenly ignite across his right hand, rapidly spreading from his forearm toward the rest of his body.
In that brief exchange, Mephisto had slipped in a trick, mixing in hellfire—just as expected of a cunning demon.
But Matthew had already been prepared.
With a sharp motion, he shook his arm.
An invisible force wrapped around the hellfire and flung it away, sending it plunging into the bottom of a deep, seemingly bottomless crater.
Armament Haki was a manifestation of willpower. It not only enhanced offensive strength, but also formed an invisible layer of armor. For the hellfire to burn his body and soul, it would first have to burn through his Armament Haki.
But that required time—and that time was enough for him to strip the hellfire away.
After dealing with it, he looked forward.
In midair, Mephisto's figure had grown increasingly faint, as if it might disappear at any moment.
Seeing that his small trick had failed, Mephisto showed no disappointment.
That brief battle had already given him a general understanding of Matthew.
Unfortunately, he was out of time. Mephisto was going to retreat.
Matthew's Observation Haki immediately picked up on that intent.
Boom!
A crimson glint flashed through his eyes as an overwhelming, tyrannical aura surged forward like a tidal wave toward Mephisto. In the next instant, he transformed into a beam of light and shot straight at him.
The distance of several dozen meters was crossed in the blink of an eye—
But he passed straight through Mephisto's body—it was only an afterimage.
Matthew reverted to his human form, stabilizing himself as he looked at the fading projection.
At some point, Mephisto had already turned around to face him.
His figure grew dimmer and dimmer.
Leaving behind a final sentence:
"I have no desire to be found by those vermin—it would be troublesome. Child, we will meet again. The next time we meet, I will have you kneel at my feet and kiss my shoes. You will become my most loyal servant."