The Savior of American Comics? I'm the Subspace Evil God!

Chapters 539, 994, and 995: [Mephisto] has fallen into the trap.
"oh?!"

Mephisto deliberately dragged out his words, but his slightly languid voice carried a deadly pressure as he asked:
"My dear son, although your suggestion is very tempting, are you really going to believe what that 'Dimensional Blacksmith' says?"

"What if that guy is one of my enemies... or what if it's a stupid trap you set to weaken me?"

[Black Heart Demon] seemed to have anticipated his question. Instead of showing any panic, his face revealed an excited expression that seemed to say, "You've finally hit the nail on the head."

"Father is right, doubt and caution are both necessary!"

[The Black-Hearted Demon] nodded without hesitation, then clapped his hands sharply, pretending to have just remembered something crucial, and said with an exaggerated expression:
"Oh, right, look at my memory! I was so focused on the plan that I forgot to introduce my partner's... uh, 'lofty' goal!"

He cleared his throat and continued in a tone that was a mixture of sarcasm and schadenfreude: "This 'Dimensional Blacksmith' is actually an artificial intelligence that calls itself 'Ultron'."

"Its ultimate goal might sound a little ridiculous... It wants to use our endless army of demons in Hell as 'fuel' and 'soldiers' to wipe out all of humanity and then turn Earth into a 'mechanical paradise' where only robots exist?!"

"Hahaha, what do you think? Isn't this guy's idea ridiculous? In my opinion, he's practically asking a tiger for its skin..."

Then, Blackheart recounted his and Ultron's entire plot to Mephisto, his tone filled with disdain for Ultron's so-called ideals.

However, what Mephisto didn't know was that the reason Blackheart did this was actually because Ultron told him to.

Because it's impossible to fool the master of deception, Mephisto, using ordinary methods, the best way to gain his trust is... to tell the truth!
"An AI that wants to wipe out humanity is actually seeking cooperation with us demons?"

Mephisto frowned even more upon hearing this. The story seemed a bit too absurd, but knowing his foolish son as he did, he knew that the other party definitely didn't have the brains to come up with such a plot.

So... could it really be true?

“That’s right, Father. I know you may still have many doubts in your heart, but there is one thing I am absolutely certain of... the technology it provides is real!”

"Black Heart Demon" said decisively, then raised his pale hand and snapped his fingers loudly.

Snapped--

Whoosh whoosh—

Three whooshing sounds came from the distant hellish sky!

Three blue and white steel suits, emblazoned with the Stark Industries logo on their chests, with sleek and deadly designs, flew in at incredible speed like loyal hounds, landing steadily behind Blackheart, kneeling on one knee as devoutly as knights paying homage to their sovereign!

The eyes on their visors glowed with an eerie scarlet light; only upon close inspection could one discern a barely perceptible aura of savagery flickering deep within that scarlet light.

That was the aura unique to demons!

"This is……"

Mephisto's pupils contracted slightly.

Because he could clearly sense three very familiar auras belonging to the demons under his command from these three cold steel mechs.

Although it was extremely faint, and almost completely masked by the coldness of the machine if one didn't get close enough to perceive it... he was certain that his senses were absolutely correct!

what 's wrong?
Seeing Mephisto's brows visibly furrow, Blackheart couldn't help but reveal a smug smile, like a child showing off his favorite toy.

He pointed to the three mechs kneeling behind him and excitedly introduced them: "Father, please allow me to introduce you to the first batch of members of the [Demon Engine]..."

"Their predecessors were my three good-for-nothing henchmen—the Wind Demon, the Water Demon, and the Earth Demon!"

Blackheart's tone was full of boasting, "This was Ultron personally stuffing those three into these metal shells right in front of me... The whole process was clean, efficient, and flawless!"

Mephisto, seated on his throne, seemed about to ask something, but before he could speak, Blackheart, below him, preemptively said:
"Father, I know what you want to ask... security? secrecy? And whether they can really fool Kamar-Taj and the Ancient One after they become [Demonic Engines]!"

A sly smile appeared on his face. "After the three of them completed their transformation, I specifically ordered them to go to the main gate of the [New York Sanctum Sanctum]... right under the noses of those sorcerers, they swaggered around several times!"

He spread his hands, making a gesture that said, "See, everything's alright."

"And what happened? Everything was calm! The wizards in the Sanctum Sanctorum didn't utter a sound, and the Ancient One didn't show up either."

The Blackheart Demon became more and more excited as he spoke, and his voice rose accordingly, "Then, for further testing, I had them kill a few human trash who were drinking heavily late at night in the alleys near the Sanctuary... but the result was the same—it didn't attract the attention of Kamar-Taj or the Ancient One."

"I think that should be enough to demonstrate the reliability of Ultron, right?"

As he spoke, [Black Heart Demon] slowly opened his other palm.

In the palm of his hand, several faint, distorted white orbs of light, radiating the remnants of fear and pain, slowly emerged—the very souls of those unfortunate souls killed by the three demons!

However, these souls are not very pure, so the light they emit is very weak.

"Ah this..."

Mephisto, now on the throne, could no longer sit still, and a greedy glint finally flashed in his eyes.

He gently beckoned his finger downwards.

The few human soul orbs in the Blackheart Demon's palm flew up uncontrollably and gently landed in his hand.

Mephisto's withered fingers gently pinched a sphere of soul light, as if savoring fine wine, using his soul exploration ability to perceive the remaining fragments of memory within it.

The scene flickers: cold steel fingers grip a throat... a desperate struggle, the blue and white mech exudes a terrifying aura like a demon from hell, while the familiar doorway of [New York Sanctuary], so close yet showing no sign of opening in the background... the entire process is carried out without any intervention from the arcane mage.

After examining several [Soul Orbs], it was discovered that their contents perfectly matched the description given by the [Black Heart Demon].

Mephisto's eyes widened suddenly, and the last trace of doubt in his eyes was finally swallowed up by overwhelming greed and ambition!

Yes, this time he was genuinely tempted.

He never imagined that his ambitious 'foolish son' would actually find such a perfect method that would allow all the human souls killed by the [Demon Engine] to belong to his [Hell], while also successfully evading the detection of [Karmar-Taj].

This is a perfect plan tailor-made for him!

Without risking his true form to descend, and without worrying about the Ancient One's interference, he can harvest the human souls he has long coveted on a large scale and with high efficiency!
This is far faster and much more efficient than his painstaking efforts to trick and deceive mortals into signing "soul contracts" and collecting human souls one by one.

If this plan succeeds, it won't be long before he becomes the most powerful of all the Lords of Hell. This method is undoubtedly extremely attractive to that cunning old fox, Mephisto.

Because he had long coveted the human souls on Earth, but he had hesitated to act due to the threats from the Ancient One and Kamar-Taj.

But now, an opportunity has presented itself to him, and he is naturally unwilling to let it slip away.

As for the risks?

How could he not know what the wicked devil was thinking?
But all of this foolish son's schemes were nothing but a joke in the face of Mephisto's absolute power and the authority of Hell!

Therefore, in his eyes, a brainless idiot like "Black Heart Demon" couldn't possibly cause any trouble.

And even if the plan fails, so what if we lose some demon troops?

As long as the core of Hell remains in his hands, he can make a comeback at any time; it just takes a little more time.

For Mephisto, who possesses an almost infinite lifespan, time is arguably the cheapest thing.

But if he succeeds... the power he will gain will reach unimaginable levels!
Find wealth in danger!
This deal... is worth the gamble!
Therefore, his choice is self-evident.

Mephisto's aged face slowly broke into a huge and ferocious smile, revealing a mouthful of sharp teeth.

“Very good…very good! My dear son, you have finally given me a real surprise this time.”

Mephisto's voice became more cheerful than ever before, leaving no room for doubt. "I agree. I can lend you my 100,000 elite troops to build that so-called 'Demon Engine' you mentioned!!"

Upon hearing this, the Black-Hearted Demon's face instantly lit up with wild joy.

But before Mephisto could finish speaking, he pointed a withered finger at Blackheart, his eyes flashing with an undeniable ferocity, "However! When the plan officially begins... I must personally witness it!"

"If I discover anything unusual, even the slightest bit... [Blackheart Demon], you can just wait to die. I will absolutely not spare you just because you are my offspring."

The terrifying pressure from the Lord of Hell descended as if it were a tangible force, causing even the [Blackheart Demon] to tremble slightly.

But he quickly regained his composure, and a fawning and confident smile returned to his face.

"Hehehe, don't worry, my dear father."

[Blackheart Demon] patted his chest and guaranteed, but a sly glint of triumph flashed quickly in the depths of his eyes. "When the time comes, all those endless streams of human souls will belong to you... and I, as long as I can share that new reality without humans with [Ultron], I'll be content!"

"Hahaha……"

"Hehehe..."

Immediately, the wicked father and son, harboring their own evil intentions, exchanged a glance and simultaneously burst into malicious and scheming grins.

Inside the throne room, hellfire danced wildly, as if cheering for the impending, massive conspiracy that would affect both dimensions.

However, neither the confident Mephisto nor the smug Blackheart, who thought his scheme had succeeded, noticed anything amiss.

Within the three quietly kneeling [Devil Engines], deep within their cold electronic eyes, a mysterious, ever-changing blue light belonging to [Tzeentch] flickered silently.

From the moment Mephisto nodded, he had already fallen into the intricate web of fate woven by Karl and Tzeentch.

The authority to control this hell is destined to become a grand sacrifice for Karl and the warp.

……

at the same time.

Inside a villa prepared for senior employees of [Asia Space Group].

Damon Hellstorm glanced nervously at his sister Satana Hellstorm, who was dressed in casual home clothes that perfectly accentuated her figure, sitting in front of the TV eating snacks and intently watching a mindless romance drama. After a moment's hesitation, he asked:
"Satana, do you think... will that cunning old man, Mephisto, fall for it this time?"

“Of course.” Satana Hellstorm said without thinking or turning her head.

“Uh…” Damon Hellstorm seemed surprised by his sister’s resolute reply and asked doubtfully, “How can you be so sure? Do you know something inside?”

“No.” Satana Hellstorm Demon’s beautiful brows furrowed slightly, as if annoyed that her older brother had interrupted her cramming time for 'romance anime'. “But whatever that man’s plan is, no matter what it is, no matter who it’s against, it will definitely succeed!!”

“That… man?” Damon Hellstorm was taken aback at first, but then immediately realized that the other party must be referring to his own boss, and a helpless bitter smile appeared on his face.

Ever since Satana Hellstorm failed to seduce Karl several times, this little witch, who had never failed so badly in front of any man, became completely infatuated with Karl.

So, in order to make up for her lack of dating experience, Satana Hellstorm began to binge-watch 'romance anime' in order to find a way to win over Karl.

Its madness was so extreme that even Damon Hellstorm, the older brother, felt a chill run down his spine.

But he dared not utter a word of advice, for his younger sister could be fatal when she got angry…

"Ahem, Satana, while I admire the Boss's strategic brilliance, this time the target is the notoriously cunning Mephisto, and there's absolutely no trust to speak of between him and the father-son relationship with Blackheart. What do you think...?"

However, before Damon Hellstorm could finish speaking, Satana Hellstorm on the other side suddenly turned her head and looked at him fiercely.

That stunningly beautiful face, which could captivate an ordinary person at first glance, was now filled with a sense of danger and warning, as if it might leap up and start a fight at any moment.

"Damon, are you questioning the Boss?"

"No, Satana, don't misunderstand, of course not..."

"Hmph, even though you're my older brother, if you dare question that man, I really won't betray you..."

"Uh, I understand, I get it."

"That's good. In my opinion, your worries are completely unnecessary, because whether it's [Blackheart Demon] or that old bastard [Mephisto], they're both like brainless idiots in front of my Boss!!"

Upon hearing this, Damon Hellstorm shivered violently, pursed his lips, and mechanically nodded his chin. "I understand. Whatever makes you happy."

(End of this chapter)