Mephisto shed his disguise, his true form expanding with the suffocating weight of pure darkness.
Ernst watched the transformation with genuine surprise.
Mephisto was in his real body.
The human realm was toxic to high-tier demons, acting as a poison that drained their power.
Usually, they relied on mortal hosts or weak avatars to cross over.
But Ernst noticed the stagnant, gloomy aura of San Venganza shifting.
The captive souls, stripped of their dark bindings, were dissipating into raw energy.
Mephisto was inhaling them.
"So it is," Ernst realized.
The entire town was a ritual array, a pseudo-Hell environment sustaining the demon's physical manifestation.
It was a costly, temporary measure. Mephisto was burning the town's souls as fuel.
Empowered, Mephisto's confidence soared. He lunged, terrifying claws aimed to rend Ernst apart.
"Gravity Bomb," Ernst murmured.
He generated a concentrated sphere of kinetic repulsion, striking before the Devil could form a defensive force field.
Mephisto sensed the silent threat and erupted in a black aura to shield himself.
It wasn't enough.
A tremendous force slammed into the Monarch of Hell, throwing him backward.
He gouged twenty-meter trenches into the dirt street before stabilizing.
Before Mephisto could recover, Ernst was already moving.
He maneuvered behind the demon like a shadow, conjuring a sphere of pure, unshaped magic.
No complex incantations. Just raw, swift, concussive force ideal for close-quarters combat.
Mephisto, carrying eons of combat experience, sensed the impending danger at his back.
Instinctively, he whipped a massive, clawed backhand around.
Boom!
Fist and claw collided. Ernst held the absolute upper hand.
Unable to fully unleash his strength in the mortal realm, the old devil was blasted off his feet, tumbling across the dirt.
Ernst didn't pause. His body vanished, charging forward to press the advantage.
Mephisto scrambled up, bracing for the assault.
This time, a sinister smile twisted his demonic face.
As Ernst closed in, Mephisto violently twisted his torso, lashing out with his spiked tail like a supersonic whip.
Ernst halted his charge, crossing his arms in a tight guard.
He coated his forearms in a dense layer of pure magic, forming ethereal gauntlets.
He knew better than to make direct physical contact with a Hell Lord. Vigilance kept him alive.
The impact took Mephisto by surprise.
The moment his heavy tail slammed into Ernst's guard, the kinetic energy simply vanished, absorbed without a sound.
Confused, Mephisto faltered.
Ernst seized the opening. He grabbed the thick tail with both hands.
Fueled by the absorbed kinetic strength, Ernst lifted the demon and slammed him brutally into the street.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
He whipped the Devil back and forth, smashing him into the bedrock over and over again.
Carter Slade watched from the sidelines, utterly stunned.
This mysterious stranger in a suit was ruthlessly abusing one of the Seven Monarchs of Hell.
A spark of hope ignited in Carter's chest. Perhaps this man could break his contract and buy his freedom.
"Roar!"
Mephisto reached his absolute limit.
A peculiar, black-tinged hellfire erupted from his scales, exuding an aura of pure, concentrated evil.
Ernst immediately released the tail, leaping back.
Hellfire didn't just burn flesh; it inflicted severe, irreversible damage to the soul.
Unwilling to take the risk, Ernst grabbed the demon by his kinetic aura and hurled him through the air.
Mephisto crashed through a nearby saloon, bringing the entire structure down on his head.
The rubble shifted. Mephisto emerged from the wreckage, wreathed in roaring black flames.
His blood-red eyes locked onto Ernst with intense, murderous intent.
Carter, weakened by his earlier defeat, couldn't summon the Rider to protect himself. The sheer weight of the murderous aura caused him to faint.
Humiliated beyond measure, Mephisto charged, swinging a burning claw to end the fight.
Ernst evaded smoothly, leaping backward to maintain distance.
He connected his fingers, whispering, "Celestial Cascade."
A volley of dense, magical arrows shot forth.
To Ernst's surprise, Mephisto didn't even attempt to dodge.
The magic arrows struck the peculiar black flames and incinerated instantly, entirely ineffective.
The massive devil closed the gap, its claws reaching for Ernst's throat.
Ernst retreated swiftly, utilizing his superior agility to slip past the lethal strikes.
He needed a new strategy. Magic projectiles were useless against the hellfire, and physical contact was suicide.
He needed the right weapon.
As Mephisto leaped high for a downward strike, Ernst unleashed another gravity wave, repelling the old devil mid-air.
Seizing the brief respite, Ernst reached into his dimensional pack.
He extracted a short, metallic cylinder. With a flick of his wrist, it extended into Prince Nuada's elven long spear.
Armed, Ernst took the initiative.
He flowed into spear forms, creating a dazzling flurry of silver thrusts and parries.
The battlefield heated up. Spear clashed with demonic claw.
Irritated by Ernst's speed, Mephisto gritted his teeth and attacked relentlessly.
He assumed his hellfire and natural demonic defense would melt the weapon and break the human.
He was wrong.
Ernst twisted deftly, slipping past a lethal swipe, and thrust the spear directly at Mephisto's heart.
Facing the fatal strike, Mephisto instinctively twisted his torso.
The spear missed his heart but sank deeply into his shoulder.
The black hellfire flared, burning the shaft. It hissed and showed signs of melting.
But the elven runes flared to life. The weapon's self-healing magic rapidly restored the metal, allowing it to pierce straight through the bone.
In desperation, Mephisto grabbed the shaft, ripped it from his flesh, and whipped his tail to force Ernst back.
Ernst didn't press the attack. He retrieved his weapon and stepped away.
A subtle smirk played on his lips.
The spear's tip was missing.
Mephisto staggered, suddenly realizing something was terribly wrong.
The agonizing pain in his shoulder was moving. It was burrowing through his chest cavity, heading straight for his heart.
Looking up, he saw the broken end of Ernst's spear.
"What an insidious magic weapon," Mephisto spat through gritted, bloodstained teeth.
"I won it in a previous battle," Ernst smiled.
"This is the first time I've used it. How does it feel? Quite an honor, isn't it?"
With a thought, Ernst was telekinetically driving the broken shard deeper into the demon's vitals.
Furious, Mephisto scoffed. "Humph! Do you think you've defeated me? You underestimate me, mortal."
Mephisto threw his arms wide. "Now, I will show you true power."
Thunder cracked the sky. Shrill, echoing screams filled the dead town.
Under Ernst's watchful gaze, the hundreds of trapped souls in San Venganza collapsed simultaneously.
They transformed into a torrent of pure, agonizing energy, surging directly into Mephisto's chest.
The Monarch's momentum exploded outward.
Thick blue smoke hissed from the shoulder wound.
Fueled by the massive influx of dark power, Mephisto's internal heat skyrocketed, completely corroding and melting the magical spear tip.
His flesh knit back together, leaving him stronger than before.
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