Marvel: Sign-In System – Starting with the Glint-Glint Fruit

Was Blackheart afraid of death?

Of course he was.

Just like Mephisto, he was cunning, sinister, filled with greed, ambition, and desire.

But he feared death all the same.

Because of his rapid growth and his nearly unkillable abilities, he had never held much respect for death. But that didn't mean he was immune to fear.

When he truly felt the cold embrace of mortality closing in, Blackheart was terrified. Just as he was now.

"Y-You…"

Blackheart looked at Matthew in horror, trying to say something.

But Matthew had already lost patience with demons like Blackheart, who could not provide souls for harvesting.

"Goodbye."

The corner of Matthew's lips lifted slightly as he calmly said goodbye.

The golden cross-shaped light at his fingertip suddenly erupted with dazzling brilliance.

Under Blackheart's horrified gaze—

A terrifying golden laser shot out.

The speed was too fast. The power was too overwhelming.

Blackheart had no time to dodge or resist.

He could only wait helplessly for death.

Yet in the next instant, a sigh echoed through everyone's ears.

A black vortex manifested in front of Blackheart, completely swallowing the laser beam Matthew had fired.

At the same time, a terrifying aura completely different from Matthew's erupted outward, instantly easing the pressure weighing down on Blackheart.

Having narrowly escaped death, Blackheart was both shocked and furious. He reacted swiftly, his figure vanishing like a ghost and reappearing on an open patch of ground dozens of meters away.

This sudden turn of events startled Johnny, Roxanne, and old Carter alike.

Unlike Johnny and Roxanne's shock, however, Carter's face carried deep seriousness.

He recognized the owner of that voice.

Matthew did as well.

Even though someone had interfered and allowed Blackheart to escape his attack, Matthew showed no anger at all. Instead, he remained perfectly calm as he slowly turned his head toward the left.

Seven or eight meters away, beneath a tree, stood a familiar figure.

The figure stood within the shadows, its face impossible to see clearly.

At a single glance, the darkness surrounding him seemed alive, as though the shadows themselves could devour one's soul.

Johnny and Roxanne instinctively followed Matthew's gaze. Before the two could react, old Carter coldly spoke a name, exposing the newcomer's identity.

"Mephisto."

"Mephisto?!"

Johnny and Roxanne trembled upon hearing the name, crying out in disbelief.

The name was simply too famous.

Anyone with even the slightest knowledge of such matters knew exactly what it represented.

A ruler of Hell.

The master of an entire hellish kingdom.

A king and lord ruling over countless demons and vengeful spirits.

"My Rider, I never expected you to hide here. You've hidden from me for one hundred and fifty years, and I've searched for you for one hundred and fifty years. Now that I've finally found you… you're already close to death."

Mephisto slowly stepped out from the shadows, allowing everyone to clearly see his appearance.

He wore a black leather trench coat over a black turtleneck and dress pants, paired with leather shoes. A black round hat rested on his head, while a cane remained in his hand.

Elegant as always, like an old aristocratic gentleman.

His face looked aged, his skin wrinkled.

Yet he possessed a dignity and authority ordinary old men could never have.

Looking at old Carter, Mephisto revealed a trace of regret, as though lamenting the aging of the knight who had once loyally served him.

"That appearance of yours only makes me sick, Mephisto." Old Carter knew exactly what kind of being stood before him, so he did not believe a single word Mephisto said.

"My old friend, your misunderstanding of me runs deep. Still, I look forward to our next meeting."

Mephisto paid no mind to Carter's mockery and merely smiled lightly.

He then turned his gaze toward Johnny and Roxanne before finally stopping on Matthew.

"I was not mistaken before, Matthew. You possess talent far beyond ordinary people."

If Old Carter and Blackheart could sense Matthew's power, how could Mephisto miss it? As a demon lord from a higher dimension, he could see far more clearly than they could.

How much time had even passed since their last meeting?

To Mephisto, whose lifespan was practically endless, it was not even enough time for a nap.

Yet in that short period, Matthew had grown significantly stronger once again.

Mephisto was absolutely delighted.

Fast growth. Extraordinary talent.

He was practically the perfect servant—or rather, warrior—of Mephisto's dreams.

"Compared to last time, you've become much bolder this time, Mephisto." Matthew replied with mocking sarcasm.

"She and her sorcerers are too busy dealing with their own problems, which just happened to give me an opportunity."

Mephisto did not care about pride or appearances in the slightest. He openly admitted the hidden mockery in Matthew's words.

Then he glanced toward Blackheart, who stood dozens of meters away with uncertainty written all over his face, and chuckled softly.

"Fortunately, my child was able to help."

"Through him, I was finally able to lure you out, Matthew."

"And you think that just because this projection is much stronger than the last one, you can defeat me?" Matthew found it somewhat amusing.

Mephisto seemed to think a little too highly of himself.

Or perhaps he underestimated Matthew too much.

Looking at Mephisto's confident expression, Matthew suddenly found himself looking forward to the sight of him becoming furious and humiliated later.

Slapping the face of a famous Hell Lord—

That feeling would surely be wonderful.

"The growth of a genius requires time, Matthew. If I gave you a few more years, perhaps I would not have such confidence. But right now, it still isn't enough."

Mephisto spoke calmly and unhurriedly, fully displaying his composed aristocratic manner.

Johnny and Roxanne, meanwhile, did not dare interrupt with even a single word. They could only hold their breath as they watched the verbal clash between Mephisto and Matthew.

Roxanne, in particular, felt like she could barely breathe.

A "presence" for an ordinary person is just an aura, but for beings of Mephisto and Matthew's level, the collision was tangible. An ordinary person could truly feel the pressure, enough to burst blood vessels or cause cardiac arrest.

"Father…" On the other side, Blackheart's emotions were far more complex.

Clenching his teeth, his handsome face twisted with rage.

There was anger and fear toward both Matthew and Mephisto, along with lingering terror from narrowly escaping death.

But in the end, every emotion transformed into fury.

At this moment, he felt like a clown.

Crushed by a human.

Toyed with by his own father.

He had heard the conversation between Mephisto and Matthew, so he naturally understood that all of his previous actions had been watched by Mephisto the entire time.

The plans Blackheart believed were his own had merely been tools used by Mephisto.

And in the end, Mephisto's goal had never been to kill Blackheart.

It was Matthew.

From Mephisto's tone and attitude, it was obvious how highly he valued Matthew.

Far more highly than he valued his own son.

And that realization dealt a heavy blow to Blackheart's pride.

Mephisto seemed to notice Blackheart's anger. He casually glanced at him before gently shaking his head.

"Pride and arrogance have caused you to lose your sense of fear."

"And they have also caused you to lose your reason, my child."

"Your self-righteousness made you look down on everything—your father, and even Earth itself."

"And the price for that… is death."

"Remember today's humiliation."