"Master, save me!"
Hearing the Green Goblin's desperate call for help toward Mephisto, Alan narrowed his eyes. Rather than feeling concerned, a trace of excitement flickered across his face. Ever since he'd obtained the Emperor Armor, he hadn't yet met an opponent who could make him go all out. This Mephisto might just be a perfect test of his skills.
As Alan took a few steps forward, the Green Goblin reflexively stumbled back several more, his fear evident. Alan's mere presence had clearly left a deep psychological scar.
Swallowing hard, the Green Goblin forced himself to speak. "Emperor, my master will be here soon. You'll pay for what you've done… with your soul."
To the Green Goblin, Mephisto was the ultimate, most powerful deity. If he was terrified, others surely would be, especially upon hearing that Mephisto would personally arrive. He imagined Alan would be so scared he'd beg for mercy.
Alan, however, ignored the Goblin's wild imagination. He simply asked, "How much longer until Mephisto arrives?"
Seeing Alan's fearless and even disrespectful attitude, the Green Goblin snapped, "Don't be so arrogant. My master…!" But then, his expression shifted, growing panicked. Despite his soul cry for help, he wasn't getting any response from Mephisto.
"How… how can this be?" he muttered, "Master, he…"
Observing the Goblin's reaction, Alan deduced that Mephisto likely wasn't coming after all. A bit disappointed, he murmured, "Looks like Mephisto won't be showing up." He paused, his tone turning colder, "Which means there's no reason for you to keep living."
He extended his hand towards the Green Goblin, golden energy gathering in his palm. The Green Goblin's terror peaked. Though he was technically immortal, he couldn't shake the sense that Alan had countless ways to deal with him, ways that might even make death seem preferable.
"No… no…!"
Just as he was about to plead for mercy, Norman's voice echoed in his mind, "Let me take control. I have a way out of here."
The Green Goblin immediately responded, "Alright, how certain are you?"
"Thirty percent," replied Norman, his tone uncertain. But even thirty percent was a glimmer of hope for the Goblin, who felt utterly helpless against Alan.
Soon, the red veins in the Goblin's eyes began to recede, replaced by a look of clarity and calm. Sensing this change, Alan remarked, "Looks like the two of you manage to get along decently."
Hearing that, Norman, now in control, frowned slightly. Glancing toward the New York Police Department behind Alan, a hint of resentment flashed in his eyes. The original plan was to come to the station tonight and kill the homeless man. But things had spiraled out of control.
He couldn't help but complain aloud, "I told you not to be so flashy. We could've snuck in, assassinated, and left quickly… but you didn't listen."
The Goblin, still inside, wanted to retort, but recalling tonight's ordeal, he almost slapped himself. He regretted not listening to Norman. However, the situation was past the point of regret.
Knowing they had more pressing concerns, Norman pushed aside his grievances with the Goblin. They needed to escape.
The golden light in Alan's hand made him uneasy. Reaching into his pocket, Norman pulled out every remaining pumpkin bomb he had. His next move startled Alan, who was preparing to seal him away.
"Hmm?" Alan murmured.
For unkillable beings like the Green Goblin, Alan had sealing techniques. But instead of attacking, Norman shoved every last pumpkin bomb into his mouth, swallowing them all in one gulp. His previously hollow stomach bulged out, now round and full.
Satisfied that his plan was working, Norman flashed Alan a smile. "Emperor, we'll meet again."
In the next moment, green flames erupted across Norman's body. There was a sudden flash in his stomach, followed by a massive explosion that spread outward from him at its core.
This time, there was no hellfire with icy flames—just a pure, unadulterated explosion.
Alan wanted to dispel the barrier and suppress the explosion, but he was already out of time. He could only take a few quick steps back, plunging the Emperor's Sword into the ground and creating a protective golden barrier that shielded himself, Gwen, and the others.
Before them, the explosion raged, sending Norman's body into countless pieces, scattering in every direction.
"An undying regeneration ability…" Alan muttered, "So this is another way to use it."
He quickly understood Norman's plan: to blow himself into fragmented pieces using the blast, relying on the intense force of the explosion to scatter himself as far as possible. As long as even a single shred of him escaped, he could eventually regenerate.
"Looks like Norman's two personalities have pretty distinct roles," Alan observed. As the explosion died down, he withdrew the Emperor's Sword, watching as the scattered remains on the ground began to darken and decay. He knew then that Norman had managed to escape.
With Alan deactivating the protective barrier and sheathing his weapon, Gwen and Tony immediately ran up to him.
Tony, aiming his only remaining palm repulsor at the lingering smoke, asked, "Is it over? Did he just… self-destruct?"
Gwen looked on with curiosity as well.
Alan shook his head. "Not quite. He used his immortality to escape."
Under his mask, Tony's expression shifted. "There really are abilities like that in this world."
Gwen also looked to Alan with interest, seeking answers only he could provide. Alan, after a brief thought, said nonchalantly, "Just think of him as a mutant who suddenly awakened his X-gene."
Compared to something like Mephisto, the concept of the X-gene would be easier for Gwen and Tony to understand.
After all, the strange powers of mutants were hardly new on Earth, and an ability like immortality wasn't too much of a stretch.
Tony lowered his palm repulsor, flipped up his mask, and turned to Alan. "Emperor, thank you. You helped me find… what my father left behind."
Gwen looked on in surprise, unaware of the connection between them.
Alan simply replied, "No need to thank me. Even if I hadn't told you, in the end, that would have been yours regardless."
Tony seemed confused by Alan's words and was about to ask more when he saw George and his officers approaching from a distance.
"I'm leaving," Alan announced, "I'm not one for dealing with detectives."
As he prepared to depart, Gwen quickly spoke up, "Thank you."
Alan smiled slightly. "No need." And with that, he took off into the sky.
Watching him leave, Tony turned to Gwen and said, "I don't like dealing with detectives either."
Gwen thought for a moment and nodded, "Yeah, same."
One after another, the two left the scene. By the time George arrived with his team, all three had already gone.
George shook his head, chuckling wryly, "These folks really do things their own way. Didn't even stick around for a thank you."
After a quick complaint, he instructed the officers, "Clean up the scene, and don't let any details of tonight's events get out."
One officer, standing beside George, pointed off in the distance and said, "Chief, keeping this under wraps might be tough."
Following the officer's gaze, George saw several work vans approaching, including a few SWAT vehicles. Recognizing the logos of some prominent media outlets, George knew it was inevitable; the explosive sounds and bursts of fire were bound to have drawn attention. Nearby residents likely either called the police or uploaded videos online.
The approaching media, intent on capturing the action, confirmed his suspicions.
Watching the work vans line up around the scene, George's mouth twitched in frustration. "Those guys sure know how to disappear in a flash!"
At the police station entrance, Anna saw the flood of police cars and news vans arriving, immediately guessing the cause of all the commotion.
She was someone who disliked trouble, so after a moment of thought, Anna muttered to herself, "Alan's place is close by. I'll head there to lie low for a while."
Despite only having spoken with Alan once, Anna didn't feel at all unfamiliar with him. Originally, George had planned to find her a place to stay tonight, but given that he was barely able to manage his own situation, Anna could only think of heading to Alan's house. Taking advantage of the lack of attention on her, she quickly slipped away from the scene.
Meanwhile, in Hell…
Mephisto's expression was dark as he faced the calm Ancient One. "Just how much power did you absorb from the Dark Dimension?"
The Ancient One replied evenly, "Enough to protect Earth."
Mephisto's face twisted even more at this. Power enough to protect Earth?
Grinding his teeth, Mephisto finally said, "Fine, I agree. I won't interfere on Earth! Nor will I do anything that endangers it. But only on Earth—once I'm there, you won't have any control over me."
The Ancient One nodded. "Agreed."
With that, she opened a magical portal, stepping through before it closed behind her. Mephisto was left alone, his expression shifting from red to green with frustration.
Muttering to himself in disbelief, he said, "Damn it, is this still the Earth I know? When Odin caused all that havoc back then, where were you all? But I show up once every few centuries, and you act like lunatics."
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, and he slowly vanished into the darkness.
In Odin's palace…
Heimdall stood at the bedside, recounting the recent battle on Earth.
"Emperor…"
Odin repeated the name Heimdall had heard, then smiled slightly. "It seems that Thor may not be invincible on Earth after all."
Originally, he had thought that as long as Thor reclaimed Mjolnir, he would be the unbeatable God of Thunder on Earth.
After all, the physique of Asgardians was far beyond that of Earth's "frail" humans, even without divine power—as long as he didn't run into that Supreme Sorcerer.
But now, Odin realized he had underestimated Earth.
"So Mephisto just let this go?" Odin asked, looking at Heimdall, puzzled. This didn't seem like Mephisto's style.
Heimdall shook his head. "Not sure, but after the contractor's call for help… Mephisto never arrived to rescue him. And I can't see into Hell."
Heimdall's sight and hearing could only extend throughout the Nine Realms.
Odin's single eye narrowed as he considered an unlikely possibility. "Could it be that she… blocked Mephisto?"
His queen glanced at him, curious. "Who are you talking about?"
Odin shook his head, unwilling to explain further, and instead addressed Heimdall, "Return to your post. Thor and Loki's conflict should soon reach its conclusion…"
The next morning.
At S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters…
Nick Fury was reviewing files on his desk, including a stamped document labeled Avengers Initiative. Today was the day he would be formally discussing the initiative with the higher-ups. Whether or not they approved, he intended to proceed with it.
As he was preparing his arguments to convince the top brass, the door suddenly swung open.
Irritated by the interruption, Nick Fury glared at the doorway. But when he saw who it was, his annoyance subsided a bit. In a commanding tone, he said, "Hill, next time, remember to knock before you enter my office."
Maria Hill's next words, however, made Nick Fury leap out of his chair.
"We've found Steve Rogers…"
...