All the Dimensional Demon Gods stared at Malrick as if he were insane.
Satanish actually claimed he wanted to become a good person? That was the most absurd joke Mephisto and the others had heard in thousands of years. They were Hell-Lords, born to burn, kill and plunder. Satanish's greatest pleasure was hearing innocent souls wail as he devoured them. And now, he said he yearned for goodness?
Mephisto suppressed the hellish energy surging in his hand. He looked at Malrick with deep meaning, his eyes carrying the weight of someone who understood everything.
So that was it.
Silently, Mephisto reappeared behind Dormammu. His aged arm turned into crimson demonic flesh, and his right hand drove through Dormammu's chest. Curses poured from Mephisto's arm, spreading rapidly through Dormammu's body and immobilizing him.
Ow! Ahhh! Dormammu screamed in agony. Cursed and bound, his fiery eyes glared angrily at Mephisto.
"Mephisto! You damned devils plotted this betrayal from the start!" Dormammu howled.
With a faint smile, Mephisto retracted his arm, shifting back into the form of a white-haired old man.
Sorry, we are Hell-Lords, we are devils. How can a devil's word ever be trusted? Even children on Earth know that.
His words stunned the other Hell Lords. When had they agreed to betray Dormammu? As they exchanged glances, a realization dawned. They were consenting now — colluding against him.
Marduk Kurios let out a withered laugh. "Exactly, Dormammu. You died only a month ago. Now that you've returned, your power is weaker than Mephisto's worthless son, Blackheart. What right do you have to claim this dimension's spoils?"
Lucifer sneered coldly. "You even tried to call Shuma-Gorath. A ticking time bomb like you is worthless to us. Why keep you until the end?" The Hell Lords jeered, mocking Dormammu one after another.
"You liars! Traitors!" Dormammu roared. "I trusted you! To earn your trust I even signed a contract with you — and this is your reward!?"
Mephisto bowed slightly, tipped his top hat, and offered a gentleman's nod. "Thank you for the praise, my old friend. Congratulations. After all this time, you finally recognized the bright spot in our demonic souls."
Driven mad by fury, Dormammu's head flames flared violently. But even raging curses failed to harm the shameless devils around him. Threats were all he had left.
"Release me now! Or face my endless revenge!"
"Oh really?" Lucifer soared beside Dormammu. "Then enjoy your break from existence." He cast a spell. Terrifying hell-energy seeped into Dormammu's eyes and nose, then seeped into every fiber of his being.
Marduk joined in, hellish poison swirling around Dormammu as curses and poisons shattered his mind, suppressed his self-repair, and bound his consciousness. Soon Dormammu's head-flames turned white, his soul seemingly blank, ascending.
Yet the Hell Lords didn't kill him. They only shattered his body and mind — leaving him alive but broken.
Mephisto looked down at Dormammu, the whiskers on his lips trembling. "Well done, Satanish. Your recklessness for once worked in our favor."
Malrick grinned, blood-slick lips curled in a cruel smile. "I couldn't stand this foolish Dormammu trying to dominate the dimension by himself. It was his privilege to offer us that information."
"Well said," Lucifer agreed. "We've all labored a month following his leads; this dimension belongs to us, not him."
"But he remains greedy, always wanting more."
"No choice but to teach him a lesson."
Marduk sneered, "Once we divide the resources, we'll head to the Dark Dimension and take all his dimensional energy." Hell Lords like Nightmare echoed agreement.
Moments ago they acted as allies — but at the slightest sign of weakness, they turned on Dormammu and seized control. Each had their own justifications. They framed their betrayal as justice, as though Dormammu owed them from the start. Undeniably, there was not a single good one among them.
Malrick's cold gaze swept the conniving devils. Then Mephisto spoke: "Dormammu can no longer call Shuma-Gorath. Cast him aside. Let us press on with breaking the dimensional barrier." All nodded, booted Dormammu aside, and prepared to continue.
Malrick turned to Dormammu. "He cannot call Shuma anymore, right?"
Heh heh, don't worry — between my curses, Lucifer's seals, Marduk's poisons … he cannot transmit anything outside for at least three months, Mephisto answered confidently.
But suddenly, the sickening sound of flesh tearing filled the void. Mephisto froze. A massive, razor-sharp claw had erupted from Malrick — ripping out Mephisto's heart and lungs.
All Demon Gods jerked their heads toward the sound.
Malrick — channeling Satanish's simulated claw — moved again. He flicked his hand like snapping a whip. Mephisto's body split in two, halves floating in the air.
"What are you doing, Satanish!" Mephisto gasped, shock written across his face. He tried to reassemble in the air — but the cursed wound refused to heal, thanks to the dark sorcery Malrick had used. These were curses derived from forbidden volumes in Kamar-Taj's secret library.
The demons watched in stunned silence, unable to comprehend why Satanish — or rather Malrick — kept attacking.
Malrick licked his blood-soaked lips, wearing a savage grin. His brutality was perfect.
"My apologies. But today I felt like being a good person."
"What do you mean by wanting to be a good person? Explain yourself!" Marduk demanded angrily.
"It means this dimension belongs to me now." Malrick said calmly.
"Then all your past words were lies! You planned to seize it all by yourself!" Mephisto — half torn — spat weakly.
"You, Satanish. There was once a time I trusted you." Mephisto said through pain and disbelief.
"But how do you expect to take it from all six of us alone!" Marduk bellowed.
Malrick surveyed the assembled Hell Lords. "If we don't finish this now, what are we waiting for?"
At his words, all six unleashed their power, flooding toward Malrick with hellish curses and energies as they had done to Dormammu.
If this were the real Satanish, he'd be torn apart in minutes. But Malrick was different. He dodged curses and energies, moved through void and darkness. Then he suddenly shouted: "Sorcerer Supreme! Everyone is here — what are you waiting for? Don't forget our agreement!"
The Hell Lords froze, startled.
Sorcerer Supreme? Agreement?
They remembered Dormammu's earlier warning. They realized why Satanish dared betray them. He must have teamed up with the human Sorcerer Supreme — someone powerful enough to kill Dormammu on the spot.
"Heh, how foolish," Mephisto sneered. "You teamed up with a human?"
"Weren't you the ones who signed contracts with humans — binding them to Spirits of Vengeance to become Ghost Riders and serve your will?" Malrick replied.
Mephisto shook his head. "Foolish. Only an arrogant fool like Dormammu — without shields — would fear a human. We six are here. What can a mere human do?"
"And unless Vishanti himself appears, nothing," Marduk added.
"I can do a lot," said a voice — sharp, sword-like, tearing through the void.
Malrick's true body stepped out of the God-Realm dimension, holding the Time Fortress. Crimson beams of heat exploded outward. Mephisto was blasted through space, sent flying.
Malrick turned his head. His Heat Vision, like a sharpened blade of light, cut across the void and bisected Lucifer and the other four Demon Lords.
"My body!" one screamed. "Stop him!"
They were in true form now; if they died — they would lose everything, fall into weakness like Dormammu.
Nightmare tried to intervene. Nightmare, master of the Dream Dimension — in control of nightmares and dreams. But powerless against Malrick: his will had transcended even Law Master realm.
You weak Demon Gods! Malrick spat. He refused to use Infinity Stones — he fought purely with his own power. Against these fallen demons who had abandoned Hell, he could fight them as easily as punishing children.
He floated in place and exhaled a Freezing Breath. The cold, almost reaching absolute zero, surged outward, engulfing four demon lords and solidifying the surrounding space into ice.
Without hesitation he commanded: "Go."
He activated the Time Fortress. The fortress grew massive — three hundred meters tall — then its entrance opened, releasing a black-hole like suction.
The frozen demon lords, and the immobilized Dormammu, were all sucked into the fortress. Mephisto, his body melting under Heat Vision, began to prepare for self-destruction.
But Malrick was faster. His initial acceleration had surged past light speed. In an instant, he appeared behind Mephisto, his bio-field flaring outward. With a powerful kick, he sent enormous kinetic force blasting Mephisto directly into the fortress entrance.
"Satanish!!" Mephisto roared.
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