"I initially wanted to show you this little soul to prove my identity, but it seems unnecessary now..." Mephisto expressed his regret as he shook his head, watching a white soul vanish into a newly formed hellish rift beside him.
Indeed, the red-nosed clown was truly unlucky. Originally just part-time work turned into a brutal death, finished off and transcended by a joint effort from the Clown and Mephisto.
"So, Mr. Demon, is there something you need from me?" The Clown sat down on a nearby chair. He had noticed the white soul but remained indifferent. A mere soul couldn't affect the Clown.
If there had been a cup, the Clown might have even indulged in a drink with the demon before him, given that none of the demons he had met before resembled this one.
"I can see you have a strong obsession, and I can help you fulfill it," Mephisto said with a smile.
In Mephisto's view, the Clown's deep obsession surely meant he was desperate to fulfill it. By offering a little incentive to help the Clown achieve his obsession, capturing this most evil of human souls seemed within easy reach.
"Fulfill an obsession?" A smirk suddenly appeared on the Clown's face, as he felt this demon wasn't any different from General Ica, someone else who failed to see through him but thought they could discern others' hearts.
"Do you doubt my ability to help you achieve your obsession?" Mephisto asked, narrowing his eyes slightly at the Clown's sarcastic smile.
"Some obsessions aren't just about having the ability to achieve them!" the Clown nodded, his gaze flickering slightly.
"That's because you know nothing of true power!" Mephisto's voice was thick with seduction as he continued, "Just accept my power, and whatever your obsession, you can achieve it!"
"Oh? What's so special about your power?" the Clown asked, seemingly intrigued as if beguiled by Mephisto.
"I am a supreme lord of hell. Sign a contract with me, gain my power, and you will be invincible on Earth. You can fulfill your obsession, judge all whom you wish to judge..." Mephisto declared with authority, leaving the Clown looking bemused, caught up in Mephisto's performance.
"This demon, more powerful than a demon lord? Even more powerful than little Ica? Judge anyone I want to judge? Isn't that something the little bat has always refused to do?" the Clown mused, thinking of Batman.
Batman guarded Gotham from the shadows but did not kill criminals outright; he arrested them and let the law judge them, rarely judging and condemning on his own...
But now, the power of judgment Mephisto spoke of intrigued the Clown. He wondered if it could be used to judge Batman—if so, it would be quite interesting since Batman, too, was technically breaking the law.
"So, what would be my cost?" the Clown asked after coming back to his senses.
"Sign a contract with me, and I will grant you the power to fulfill your obsession. However, your soul will belong to me after your death," Mephisto explained as a contract materialized in front of him, floating towards the Clown.
The contract was dense with terms, and Mephisto's true name was already signed on it, indicating his confidence that the Clown would sign.
"After death?" the Clown noted the complex terms, particularly the vague definition of 'death.'
Gaining Mephisto's power would make him a supernatural being, potentially more powerful than a demon lord. Would signing the contract really lead to his death, or would it be that easy to die?
The Clown suspected it wasn't so straightforward. After all, his counterpart was a lord of hell, a demon. Are there truly good beings among demons? Ones that don't deceive?
"How about it? Are you satisfied?" Mephisto asked, seeing the Clown silently reading the contract and not even touching it.
"Not quite satisfied. You see, you're just granting me power without ensuring you can help me fulfill my obsession. What if I can't achieve my obsession? Isn't that just signing the contract for nothing?" the Clown spread his hands, smiling at Mephisto.
"The power I grant you will surely help you fulfill your obsession..." Mephisto assured confidently.
"What if I want to reverse time? What if I want to travel to the future? What if I want to create a world without order, a truly chaotic world?" the Clown's corners of his mouth lifted slightly, interrupting Mephisto.
"..." Mephisto was momentarily silenced by the Clown's interruption, his usual suave demeanor faltering at the Clown's questions.
"You can try to reverse time or travel to the future, though you haven't paid enough for such feats. As for creating a world without order, you really don't need
to create one because hell is such a place. Just sign the contract with me, and you can go to hell after you die..." Mephisto quickly recovered, explaining patiently.
"And the definition of death? What if you kill me after I sign the contract or trick me somehow, leading to my immediate death? Wouldn't I just be handing over my soul to you for nothing?" The Clown, not convinced, started to negotiate the terms of the contract, clearly unwilling to sign as it stood.
"How could that be? I am the most honorable lord of hell. Would I do such a thing?" Mephisto immediately denied, offended by the insinuation of dishonesty, though it was indeed a part of his nature.
"If you are so insincere, then let's meet another time!" The Clown waved dismissively, pretending to stand up but then paused, glancing around before smiling at Mephisto, "Or are you planning to force your hand and kill me now?"
"You don't need to provoke me. Since I've chosen you, I naturally won't force you..." Mephisto looked at the Clown sincerely and added, "Since you find issues with the contract, let's discuss modifications. What are your terms?"
"It's simple. You're here for my soul, so naturally, that's my price. But it certainly can't be as simple as just handing over my soul to you after death..." The Clown shrugged, speaking softly.
"Your contribution is to help me fulfill my obsession. So, after I fulfill my obsession and die, I will give my soul to you. How about that?"
"Fulfill your obsession then die?" Mephisto frowned, deeply examining the Clown, "And what if you never fulfill your obsession? And what exactly is your obsession?"
"My obsession is simple: to defeat the little bat, have him die as part of my plans, or to have an enraged little bat kill me..." A manic glint passed through the Clown's eyes, a look that even gave Mephisto pause, "But, the little bat broke our agreement; he started bringing in outsiders. So, I need to eliminate his support to force him back into the lone knight of the dark, to face him fairly and defeat him!"
Sensing the Clown's profound obsession, Mephisto realized it was indeed a deep one. Thinking over it, he decided there was no issue.
With a hum, as Mephisto contemplated, the contract began to change, morphing to state that Mephisto would grant the Clown power to fulfill his obsession, and upon achieving it and dying, his soul would belong to Mephisto. As for when the Clown would die after fulfilling his obsession—that would be up to Mephisto.
If the Clown died at the hands of the little bat he mentioned, so be it. If not, Mephisto wouldn't mind hastening his end. And who said that once the Clown signed the contract, he wouldn't be influenced by Mephisto? Just because the contract was fair didn't mean the power Mephisto granted was without its tricks.
"Fair enough, this contract seems acceptable... huh?" The Clown, satisfied, took the contract, but then noticed his finger was cut—a precaution he'd anticipated. He'd made sure the contract's terms were acceptable before picking it up. After all, signing the contract was inevitable, whether his finger was cut or not.
As a drop of the Clown's blood merged with the contract, it glowed briefly and then fused into his body, awakening a potent force within him.
"You'd better prepare a ride for yourself because those who sign a contract with me become Ghost Riders..." Mephisto's lips curled into a smile, "Oh, and before you fulfill your obsession, you need to do something for me first!"
With a whoosh, as Mephisto spoke, the Clown's head spontaneously turned into a flaming skull, his body morphing into a skeletal figure ablaze with flames.
"What if I don't do your bidding?" But at that moment, the burning on the Clown's body ceased, followed by his taunting tone.
"Hmm?" Mephisto's gaze sharpened as he watched the Clown's fiery skull undergo a transformation—his flesh regrew, returning to his familiar visage, though his hair now blazed like fire.
"How could this be?" This transformation was beyond Mephisto's expectations, as he had never seen his knights turn into such ghastly figures.
"You haven't answered me. What if I refuse to do your bidding?" The Clown stroked his face, the flames scorching it but causing no harm, and he looked at Mephisto with a faint smile, "I can feel it—the contract doesn't bind me, forcing me to act on your behalf. This power seems to have a will of its own, but it also doesn't seem to stop me, does it? The power
you've given doesn't entirely come from you, does it?"
"Don't forget, after you die, your soul is under my control..." Mephisto's expression darkened. He realized that the manipulations he had embedded within the power were unable to affect the Clown's will. He took a deep breath and said gravely.
"Then we'll see after I fulfill my obsession and die! I'm worried you won't welcome me warmly enough by then! For now, go back to hell!" The Clown suddenly spat out a terrifying flame that instantly enveloped Mephisto.
Mephisto hadn't expected the Clown to act so decisively. His body was quickly engulfed by the flames, turning into a droplet of blood that seemed to evaporate within the fire.
"I'll be waiting for you!" But the next moment, the droplet of blood unleashed a powerful force, as if struggling to escape the flames, but halfway through, it gave up and was completely evaporated by the flames.
"Huh? Gave up? Why?" The next moment, the flames from the Clown's mouth disappeared, and a spark flickered in the air but vanished quickly, though the Clown sharply noticed it, "Scared off? This world is indeed interesting! But what's more interesting is my new power..."
Looking at the flames on his body, the Clown mused, "So after I fulfill my obsession and die, my soul will belong to you? Ha! Do you think this power can really help me fulfill my obsession? My obsession isn't that easy to resolve! And who said I have only one obsession?"
"However, what I'm more curious about now is whether the little bat will indeed face my judgment..."
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