Death was the final destination of all living things, and people always had all kinds of strange, horrible or beautiful imaginations about the unknown.
For example, the Italian poet Dante Alighieri.
His [Divine Comedy] depicted hell as a funnel-shaped nine-story world with a wide top and narrow bottom.
The further down, the deeper the sin of the soul itself.
In the [Bible], hell had an eternal fire that burned the souls of sinners.
All kinds of religions had different records about it.
In fact, the concept of hell first appeared in religious books.
In the widely spread and well-known concept, it was the place where the soul suffered, and it was mainly used to imprison and punish the unjust people who were sinners before their death.
But in the Marvel Universe, Hell was real.
It consisted of many overlapping and parallel dimensional worlds, and there were many rulers.
For example, the nine worlds in Norse mythology.
The underworld in Helheim, where Hela was located, was regarded as 'Hell'.
Hades, a member of the Olympians, ruled a territory, which was also 'Hell'.
Of course, what was best known was Mephisto's 'Hell'.
On the one hand, this old devil had more presence.
From time to time, he would come out to frolic and scamper.
On the other hand, the dimensional world dominated and controlled by the great King of Hell was the opposite of heaven.
They were just like two large enterprises with overlapping businesses, harvesting the vast majority of human souls on earth by various means.
The ones in the front lines were just renditions of souls of this divine lineage.
Just like Thor, if he died, he would only fall into Helheim, then sink to the bottom of Yggdrasil and return to the embrace of darkness.
Instead of falling into Mephisto's hands.
Anyway, the scope of business varied from one 'Hell' to another.
It involved the complex game between the dimensional demon gods, hell and heaven, and many divine systems. Even the most knowledgeable scholars had a difficult time understanding it.
"It's a terrible place."
Strange opened the transmission portal and arrived in Mephisto's Hell.
Compared with the lower dimension as the venue for the second match, it was even hotter here.
The burning wind with the smell of sulfur blew in his face, making him feel like he was choking.
"This is ... Hell."
Strange murmured.
What greeted him was only red.
The rocks, the vegetation, earth, and sky were all red as if they were a huge, boundless furnace.
A dark and illusory line of shadows spread across the cracked, hard ground, like ants in a line.
Those were the souls that had fallen to Hell!
"Mephisto … Salvation ... San Venganza contract …"
Strange took a deep breath and mumbled to himself.
His goal was to recapture the souls of the residents of San Venganza from the hands of the old devil so that those people could be freed and the rescue could be completed.
It sounded very difficult, but it was the only effective way that Strange could come up with.
The magic cloak lifted its body and slowly swept through the air.
Even though the heavy armor had been 'decreased in weight' with a spell, it still slowed down his flight.
"Are you sure you can save my life from Mephisto's hands?"
Strange looked at Superman, who was following him. He made such a risky move because he believed in the powerful strength of the contractor.
"The old devil is the Lord of Hell, a dimensional demon god who can arm wrestle with Sorcerer Supreme."
Luke didn't reply upfront but smiled at the corners of his mouth, "I thought you left San Venganza to go to Hell on your own accord, intending to prove to the Vishanti that you were brave and willing to pay the price to save others."
"What? Want me to solve the problem?"
Strange coughed twice and looked embarrassed.
He wasn't an Asgardian that would only ask where the enemy was, not how strong the enemy was.
Going to hell, directly facing Mephisto, and taking the Contract of San Venganza.
The reason that prompted Strange to take this risky decision was naturally Superman.
Since his contractor could quickly pass the second match in 20 minutes, he could easily defeat Blackheart, the Prince of Hell...
Stalling Mephisto's cunning old devil and creating opportunities for himself might be a viable plan.
Strange was very conscious of the fact. He didn't have the luxury of expecting Superman to be like the Sorcerer Supreme.
Going to Hell alone, fighting an amazing battle with Mephisto, and finally bringing him back intact.
"Can you do it? Try to stall Mephisto, or be my only and heaviest bargaining chip at the negotiating table."
Strange asked with a straight face.
"If I said no, would you give up and turn back?"
Luke asked.
Strange pursed his lips and shook his head gently.
This was a gamble.
He wanted to make a deal with the legendary cunning and cruel old devil and make a deal that he had never done before.
"So, it doesn't matter if I could block Mephisto. The key is whether you are fully prepared to be cheated by the devil, lose the bet, and have no mental preparation for the consequences!"
Luke stared at the raging red tide-like clouds. Behind that, a pair of hidden eyes stared at him.
"I am willing to accept the cost of failure."
Strange said solemnly.
"Then just let it go. This is your test, Stephen."
Luke smiled.
At the moment his voice fell, thunder came from the deep clouds.
A huge, deafening noise erupted, as if the drums were beating, the horn was blowing, and a great battle was about to come.
"Stephen Strange!"
"And your contractor!"
The gloomy voice sounded quiet, echoing in their hearts.
"Do you want the Contact of San Venganza back?"
Strange slowed down, and the magic cloak bellowed behind him.
He glanced at Luke, whose face was calm, and his inner panic suddenly subsided.
Like a gambler with no confidence, holding the only bargaining chip.
"That's right. Wise Lord of Hell, generous Lord Mephisto, I've come to bargain."
Strange behaved politely, which was a necessary show of respect for the strong.
"Bargain? Little mystic, what can you do to impress me? What bargaining chips do you have to get me to sit down with you at a negotiating table?"
Mephisto sneered, and the desolate field and the empty sky suddenly shook as if responding to his question.
"My soul! A soul of a Sorcerer Supreme!"
Strange stood up and replied loudly.
"Mephisto, as long as you give me the Contract of San Venganza, I will give my soul voluntarily!"
"In this way, I'll have completed Vishanti's test and will take over the position of Sorcerer Supreme."
"And you, on the other hand, will get the soul of a Sorcerer Supreme -- isn't that enough to impress you?"
Luke was dumbfounded. He actually saw Strange use the usual tactics of a con man from the studio next door.
Selling one's own soul to the devil, or angel, or other existence -- this was Constantine's specialty.
"The Sorcerer Supreme's ... soul."
Mephisto's tone elongated, seemingly interested.