"Originally, even after signing the contract, my control over you wasn't that strong because your consciousness was indeed unique," Mephisto watched as the blood merged into the Joker's bones. As the Joker's body reformed, he began to laugh, apparently pleased with the only good news he had received lately.
"Unfortunately, you are too arrogant. It was bad enough that you thought about escaping my control, but you also tried to betray me. You succeeded once by luck, but did you think you could succeed every time?"
"Now, my knight, you will carry my power back to Earth to complete my tasks. You should be happy, right? After all, I haven't completely taken over your body, just controlled it slightly..."
As Mephisto's voice fell, the Joker suddenly opened his eyes, his body enveloped in hellfire. Unlike before, this time the Joker's head turned into a flaming skull, leaving behind his characteristic clown face no longer.
"Ah, this feels right! Since you've signed a contract with me, forget about showing your individuality. You are now my Ghost Rider. I calculate that a few drops of this blood can control you for quite some time, hopefully enough to keep you obediently mine..." Seeing the pure Ghost Rider form of the Joker, Mephisto was undoubtedly more comfortable and nodded in satisfaction. With a thought, the Joker initiated a dimensional transfer, disappearing into the hellish dimension.
"Earth, Saiyans, no rush. Once my plan succeeds, I will first banish you to hell and then see what waves you can make!"
On Earth, within the barren island, Robert and Clark discussed Mephisto's matters. Clark looked a bit more solemn as Carol also added some information about Mephisto.
In the cosmos, Mephisto's reputation is quite widespread, recognized as one of the top lords of hell, a power not to be underestimated, even if this incarnation was defeated by Robert.
Moreover, for Mephisto, this was hardly a failure. He didn't win against Robert but merely retreated back to his hellish dimension. Robert didn't gain anything from Mephisto, and Mephisto didn't lose much in Robert's hands...
Apart from some expended energy, most of it served as a protection fee for the Earthly dimension. But if these fees were considered as the cost for transforming the Joker, Mephisto could accept it. After all, compared to his later plans, this energy loss was absolutely manageable.
"Leave this place to me. You'd better stay in the outer world. Your powers can't probe through this subspace, and it's not good always to stay here. Robert is indeed powerful, but if Mephisto successfully brings all his power here, Robert will definitely not be his opponent!" After the conversation, Carol looked at Clark seriously and spoke.
Listening to Carol, Clark opened his mouth but couldn't find any rebuttal. He glanced at Robert, feeling somewhat helpless. He didn't understand why Robert couldn't stay quiet for long, always looking to fight unknown powerful beings, and somehow, Robert always managed to find them.
"Forget it, Clark has been running around lately and is quite tired. Let him take a break here!" Robert saw Clark's gaze and casually waved his hand, speaking softly, "When he's rested enough, he can leave."
"I've rested enough." Although Robert's tone was flat, for some reason, Clark felt there was a sarcastic undertone. He shook his head and looked at Carol, saying, "I'll leave this place to you for now. If you need to leave the universe for some reason, remember to notify me."
"There's nothing urgent at the moment. The Skrulls are in a low-key development phase. If there's no trouble, I just need to check in from time to time." Carol shook her head and spoke softly.
"Of course, the things you do on Earth, I will do in the universe. I've taken some life-sustaining planets under my protection. If they encounter trouble, I'll also leave to handle it and will inform you then..."
"You've taken a few life planets under your protection?" Both Robert and Clark were surprised, as this was something they hadn't heard before. Protecting several life planets sounded very prestigious, and even Clark wouldn't dare claim he could protect the entire Earth. On Earth, it was probably only the Ancient One who had protected the Earth for hundreds of years from assaults from various dimensions who could say something similar.
"They are just some minor planets, although their technology is more advanced than Earth's, capable of interstellar travel. But they are just beginning to enter the interstellar civilization stage and can't protect themselves in the cosmos..." Carol explained, shaking her head.
"In the cosmos, although there isn't a pure Dark Forest Law, there are still many ambitious predators lurking in the shadows. Once a planet steps
into the interstellar age, it must interact with other civilizations, and naturally, it becomes a target..."
"Those planets, even though they've entered the interstellar age, are still hard-pressed to contend with these predators, especially as few planets have developed as unevenly as Earth, which hasn't yet reached the interstellar stage but already hosts numerous beings of a higher civilization..."
Top powerhouses are not rare in the cosmos, but they are not necessarily part of advanced or top-tier civilizations. Many high-civilization powerhouses might not even be able to defeat a demon lord of hell, indicating that individuals like Peter Parker could survive in the cosmos or even thrive with the right equipment.
"While I was helping the Skrulls find a habitable planet, I saved a few planets. At their request, I also took them under my protection. But with my reputation out there, generally, no one dares to provoke them..." Carol continued, "So, theoretically, aside from dealing with some foolhardy youths and die-hard tough nuts, they don't really need my help."
"So it's somewhat similar to the behavior of the Saiyans and Frieza's forces back in the day..." Hearing Carol's account, Robert's mind flashed with a thought. "But there's a difference. The Saiyans and Frieza's forces mostly dealt with planets that hadn't entered the interstellar civilization, while in this world, those yet to enter seem less likely to be discovered. It's the planets that have started their interstellar civilization that seem more vulnerable..."
"Are these planets close to each other?" Unlike Robert, who thought of the Saiyans, Clark was more concerned about the distances between these planets. Even if Carol was fast, traversing among multiple planetary civilizations if they were too far apart wouldn't be easy.
"They're not too far apart. Normally, a star system suitable for the birth of life shouldn't produce just one life-bearing planet but rather two or three, each fostering different civilizations due to their proximity..." Carol shook her head, speaking softly.
"Oh, right, Mars also had life, but it perished, and Titan seems to have remnants of a civilization but no signs of life anymore..." Clark thought of what he observed when he left Earth to fight, nodding in understanding. It turns out this situation wasn't uncommon, even the solar system, which is relatively weak in development, has seen its civilizations vanish, with only the slowly developing Earth remaining.
"I've heard about the Martians; apparently, they were a very strong species..." Carol's expression grew serious as she looked at Robert and Clark. "As for the Eternals of Titan, that's also true, but the Eternals are nearly extinct, with only a mad Titan remaining. He has destroyed countless cosmic civilizations, reportedly even his own planet's civilization!"
"That vicious?" A hint of surprise flashed in Robert and Clark's eyes. Destroying a planet's civilization wasn't too difficult for Clark and Robert, but they definitely wouldn't destroy Earth's civilization, even though they weren't Earth's human inhabitants.
And the mad Titan had actually destroyed his own planet's civilization, truly earning the title of 'mad' because, unlike Clark and the Martian Manhunter, who are remnants of their planets, the mad Titan made himself an orphan...
"That mad Titan, is he strong?" Robert curiously looked at Carol.
"I think he couldn't beat me!" Carol smiled confidently, her voice soft but very firm. "Of course, he has his strengths. His subordinates are quite powerful, though it's said they might be the type that shatters upon contact..."
"Let's see when I get to the cosmos. Then I can see if I can bump into them!" Robert waved his hand, whether they're strong or not would only be known after a fight.
"Wait until you develop the ability to survive in the cosmos!" Clark glanced at Robert, reminding him.
"Psh! I have a feeling that once I reach Carol's level of power, I'll definitely be able to survive in the cosmos!" Robert glared at Clark, "And some people seem really rested enough, so let's go..."
"Let's go!" Clark responded without changing his expression, flying out of the barren island with Robert, while quietly whispering to Robert, "By the way, Robert, you haven't contacted Diana for so long, aren't you afraid she might be upset?"
"Scared, what's the use? I always have to wait until things settle down here before I can go see Diana..." Robert knew what Clark was getting at and shrugged as he whispered back.
"Cough cough, but you haven't seen her for so long, don't you miss her? Don't you always think about the past?" Clark looked around, although he was whispering, he couldn't help feeling guilty. Luckily, he wasn't wearing his Superman combat suit at the moment, otherwise, his image would be completely ruined.
"Missing her is natural, but I can endure it
. After all, every time I went to see her before, it was also after a long interval..." Robert glanced at Clark, "Of course, I can endure it, but that doesn't mean some people can. If not, spend more time with Lana, keep her company."
"I will." Clark nodded, not asking further, as although the situation was somewhat similar, the attitudes and handling methods of the brothers were clearly different, and he couldn't gain much experience, especially since Robert had no plans to visit Diana anytime soon.
However, following Robert's advice, Clark spent most of his time with Lana, even taking her along on nearby rescues, seemingly forgetting Lois's existence...
Meanwhile, at Tony Stark's house, after Steve and Bucky returned to London and Jarvis found no news of Hydra, Tony Stark hadn't left his home, only controlling his armor to help handle emergencies, while he himself stayed rooted in his lab...
This was bearable for a short period, but over a long time, it was definitely a detriment to his body, even a significant damage. Yet, Tony Stark was currently very excited mentally, as he had finally completed the goal he set for himself!
Tony Stark had met Robert and seen Superman and the terrifying demon lord of hell. When he witnessed one powerful being after another with terrifying destructive capabilities, Tony Stark's sense of crisis surged dramatically. In this bizarre era, he felt he needed at least the ability to survive a nuclear blast, or possess a single-unit nuclear blast capability to protect his safety.
Now, Tony Stark had achieved a suit of armor with single-unit nuclear blast capability. If only he had researched vibranium thoroughly, Tony Stark could have developed armor to survive in a nuclear explosion!
But even without reaching that point, Tony Stark's power level had made a qualitative leap. If he faced the same battles as before, he might not be the main combatant, but at least he wouldn't need to be a marginal observer anymore...
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