Chapter 82 82: The Fall of Mephisto
Mephisto truly realized that he had miscalculated—and badly at that.
Because he discovered that even after becoming serious and using everything he had, he still could not defeat Matthew.
He simply could not crush him.
And the result was the same as during their first battle: Matthew gradually adapted to the pressure Mephisto exerted on him, then slowly began suppressing him in return.
Mephisto was undeniably powerful, but the problem was that this body was only an energy projection. The amount of power it could use had a fixed limit from the very beginning.
Unless he completely lost his mind and directly sent his true body to Earth to kill Matthew personally.
But that was impossible.
If he dared to do that, the old woman at Kamar-Taj would also go completely mad. If things went badly, he might end up dying on Earth. After all, Earth was not Hell.
As long as he remained hidden in Hell, with his authority intact, even Ancient One could not kill him.
But if his true body descended onto Earth, his strength would be greatly weakened. On top of that, Earth itself was protected by the magical barrier formed by the three Sanctums. Just imagining the outcome was enough to make Mephisto unwilling to think further.
Damn it.
Damn it!
DAMN IT!!!
Mephisto roared helplessly in his heart. It had been so many years that he could no longer remember the last time he had felt this powerless.
A mere human—and yet a mighty Hell Lord could do nothing against him.
Unfortunately, no matter how furious he became, Mephisto was destined to face the inevitable outcome.
Boom!!
A punch overflowing with fighting spirit that had climbed to its peak, wrapped in the domineering aura of a king's Conqueror's Haki, slammed heavily into Mephisto's face.
The terrifying force tore apart the flesh on Mephisto's cheek, exposing the dark red skin beneath.
His entire body shot backward like a cannonball. Beating an enemy while they were down was one of Matthew's fighting habits, and he instantly transformed into a streak of golden light that tore across the night sky in pursuit.
A long golden trail stretched across the sky as he caught up to Mephisto. Then, like a pair of iron clamps, his right hand clamped over Mephisto's face.
Under Mephisto's dazed gaze, Matthew grinned.
Then came a classic Garp-style smash from above.
Crackle! Crackle! Crackle!
Black-and-red arcs of Conqueror's Haki erupted violently from his hand as he swung downward with all his strength.
A circular shockwave burst outward.
Mephisto whistled through the air like a falling meteor as he crashed toward the ground below.
BOOM!!!
The instant he struck the earth, the ground shook violently. The land within a radius of over a thousand meters collapsed inward as countless slabs of rock were blasted into the sky. Dense cracks spread wildly like a giant spiderweb while deafening explosions rang out continuously. Inside the massive crater, several violent streaks of red-and-black lightning rampaged wildly.
The resulting shockwave surged outward like a raging flood, carrying dust, rubble, flowers, trees, and shattered vegetation in every direction. Trees along its path were snapped clean in half at the waist, and everything in its way was blown away completely.
In the distance, on a hill, Reacher, Neagley, and Natasha could barely withstand the sweeping gusts of wind. Even so, they instinctively stepped forward, shielding Old Carter and the others in front of them, raising their hands to block the storm.
Farther away, the two warbands that had been engaged in a so-called "righteous mob fight" against Blackheart also stopped at the same time.
Standing atop a hill that had been sliced perfectly flat by an unknown Rankyaku (Tempest Kick) strike, they raised their hands against the wind and stared in stunned silence toward the direction of the cemetery.
Even Blackheart, who had been beaten until his head was spinning, was drawn to the commotion. Ignoring the Astartes soldier's hand still piercing his chest, he turned his gaze toward the cemetery as well.
"How is that possible?"
Seeing the black-and-red lightning erupting and surging across the ground over there, Blackheart's bruised and battered face was filled with shock.
He had grand ambitions—he wanted nothing more than to overthrow Mephisto's rule and become the next Hell Lord.
But that did not mean he was ignorant of just how powerful and insidious his "father" truly was.
Even if Mephisto's presence on Earth was only an energy projection, Blackheart never believed he could be defeated by a human. In his understanding, that kind of outcome should not exist at all—it completely shattered everything he knew about Mephisto.
By his logic, the only one who could defeat Mephisto… should be himself.
And yet that human boy, Matthew, had done it first. That fact left Blackheart's thoughts in complete disarray.
While Blackheart was shocked, Old Carter and the others were no different.
He glanced at Reacher, Neagley, and Natasha standing protectively in front of him, and a faint smile appeared in his eyes as his impression of them rose sharply.
It was only a small, unconscious gesture, but it showed that the three of them possessed a genuine sense of justice—compassion for the weak, even while wielding power far beyond ordinary people.
Then he narrowed his eyes slightly, looking toward the direction of the cemetery.
"I never thought he would die on Earth," he said softly, a hint of emotion in his voice.
Old Carter sounded a little sentimental.
This time, Mephisto had truly lost face on Earth. And no one should underestimate the intelligence network of Hell itself. Although the Hell Dimension was an extremely harsh place where ordinary beings could not survive, it still had its own order and system.
Its intelligence networks were surprisingly well-developed. There were even numerous information brokers and mercenaries who traveled back and forth between Hell and the human world.
The battle that took place tonight would undoubtedly spread throughout the entire Hell Dimension.
And not just Mephisto's realm—but across other infernal realms as well.
"He's dead? Mephisto?"
Johnny and Roxanne stood behind them, holding onto the horse to steady themselves as the ground continued to tremble. Hearing Old Carter's words, they couldn't help but cry out in disbelief.
"His presence has vanished," Old Carter confirmed calmly.
"Holy shit! Didn't you say he was a Hell Lord? He can actually die?" Roxanne looked utterly stunned.
As a woman—and a journalist—she didn't understand the deeper implications of all this, but even she knew one thing clearly.
That was a demon lord.
And demon lords… were supposed to be immortal, weren't they?
"Who says demon lords can't die?" Old Carter replied patiently. "No matter how powerful a god or a demon may be, they can still die. It's just that under normal circumstances, they're very difficult to kill. And in Mephisto's case, what was destroyed was only his projection on Earth."
His tone remained calm as he continued, "His true body in Hell is still alive."
"I see," Johnny and Roxanne said at the same time, finally understanding.
But Roxanne still looked visibly relieved as she added with a light tone, "Well, that's good too. As long as those terrifying guys are gone, we're safe now, right Johnny?"
"Yeah," Johnny nodded, letting out a long, relieved breath.
He had been an ordinary man just moments ago, but he had suddenly been dragged into matters involving demons and the Ghost Riders. The constant pressure and anxiety had weighed heavily on him. Now that tension had finally disappeared, he naturally felt much lighter.
As the two of them were still processing everything, Natasha turned her gaze back toward Old Carter and the others, studying them carefully before a faint smile curled on her lips.
"You three aren't simple people, are you?"
"Ma'am," Old Carter said politely as he tipped his cowboy hat and gave a slight bow, "I'm nothing more than an old gravekeeper who just wants to live out the rest of his days in peace. There's nothing complicated about me."
His aged voice carried the weight of years long past.
"Is that so?" Natasha replied softly, her tone carrying a deeper meaning. "Living out your days in peace… that might be harder than you think."
Her eyes slowly shifted between Old Carter and Johnny, as if carefully measuring something neither of them had fully revealed.
...
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