Chapter 206: Hell -2

"How about we strike a deal?" I suggest, keeping a smile on my face while tracking Satana's slow, deliberate movements. "You are both devils, right? Isn't making deals your whole thing? I want to take this girl with me. Name your price." I direct my offer towards Mephista, who remained airborne but was watching the exchange with growing curiosity.

"No deal," Satana declares, her eyes narrowing in defiance. "She belongs to me; you stole her from me in the first place." She continues her seductive approach, her eyes glowing faintly red, though her frustration was beginning to show. "Why isn't it working?" I hear her mutter under her breath, clearly annoyed that her enchantments weren't affecting me.

"Why is everyone so interested in mortal females?" Mephista says with a bored sigh as she finally descends to the ground. Her crimson skin seemed to glow faintly as her wings fold behind her, and her voluptuous figure moves with effortless grace. "Even Father's obsessed with collecting and torturing mortal female souls. There is even one named Cynthia Doom, he has been tormenting for centuries now."

My eyebrows shoot up at the mention of Doom's mother. Hearing this bit of information from her mouth is really an unexpected fortune.

"Speak for yourself. My family doesn't have such peculiar tastes," Satana quips, glaring at Mephista with a mocking smirk. Her glowing eyes flick back to me. "And why isn't it working still?" she mutters again, this time more audibly.

"Oh, really?" Mephista shoots back with a smirk of her own. "Then why are you trying to gift this mortal girl to your father?" She pauses mid-sentence as her fiery orange eyes flash, locking onto Raven's unconscious form. Her tone shifts to one of surprise and excitement. "Wait a second… she is not a mortal human girl at all! Her body is overflowing with demonic mana—an enormous amount, at that. She must be the child of a Hell Lord, for sure!"

"Tch," Satana clicks her tongue in frustration, her sway stopping abruptly. Her eyes dim back to yellow as she crosses her arms, glaring at both me and Mephista with equal parts anger and irritation.

"Huh, you didn't want me to notice that, did you?" Mephista smirks, her glowing eyes narrowing. "Sorry, boy, but the stakes just rose too high. Lord Mephisto would love to have such a beautiful half-demon, half-human girl in his collection. Your mortal soul? Not even close to hers in value. So, no deal," she adds, her sneer cutting through the tension like a blade.

"Hey, you red-skinned bitch! She is mine, do you hear me? I'm the one who has been chasing her for days!" Satana snaps, her voice laced with rage, glaring at Mephista with fiery eyes.

Mephista scoffs, her lips curling into a smug smirk. "As if I need permission from a bratty little succubus like you," she retorts coldly before vanishing in a flash.

Almost simultaneously, Satana disappear as well, leaving only the faintest trace of demonic energy in the air.

My Clairvoyance immediately paints the scene—both of them had ignored me and teleported directly behind me. Their attention now locked on the unconscious Raven, who lay unconscious on the ground just two steps away.

A small grin tugs at the corner of my lips as I slowly open my enclosed palms, which had been hidden behind my back the entire time.

"Holy Banishment," I whisper under my breath.

White flames burst forth from my palms, crackling with holy energy as they spiral into a massive circular portal of blazing fire.

The portal pulses with power, its flames devouring the surrounding darkness, pulling it inward like a black hole of light.

"Fuck! Holy flames??!" Mephista shrieks, her confident smirk replaced by wide-eyed horror as she turns to face the portal.

"What the hell is this—AAAGHHH! It burns!" Satana screams, stumbling back, her once-seductive sway replaced by panic.

"See you later, girls," I quip with a wink before clenching my hands into fists. The portal surges forward at an impossible speed, swallowing both of them in its white-hot blaze before they could react. In the blink of an eye, the two demonesses vanish, sucked inside the fiery portal.

"I hope this keeps them at bay for a while,"I mutter, watching the banishment portal of Holy Flames vanish. From what I understand, this power is designed to banish weaker demons back to their respective demonic realms, theoretically creating a warded area that prevents any form of teleportation for those demons. However, both Satana and Mephista are far from weak, and this is Hell—which should technically be their realm, at least it's surely Mephista's home turf.

I wasn't entirely sure if the banishment had even worked perfectly. For all I know, the two of them might have been teleported just a short distance away, preparing to return by flying back.

"Ha, maybe I should have roasted them with Holy Flames a bit first—or better yet, tried using Anti-Power on them," I say with a wry smile. But I know why I didn't. If those attacks had failed or if either of them had gotten too hurt, they might have called their 'daddy,' and then I would have been royally fucked.

"Teacher, I told you that I need some OP defensive items," I grumble with a sigh, hoping she had already received my earlier message. In fact, I have been mentally projecting that same thought every 30 seconds—just in case—desperately wishing for her to show up soon—and not leisurely like after finishing her tea. The time difference in this realm complicates things, after all.

My attention shifts to Raven as I kneel beside her, gently brushing my fingers across her soft, pale cheeks. "Don't worry. I won't let any bad guys… or bad girls… take you away," I whisper softly, chuckling as I continue infusing her with Phoenix Flames to stabilize her condition.

"So, Mephisto really does have Doom's mother's soul," I muse aloud. My meta-knowledge had suggested this, but hearing it confirmed now really changes many things. A smirk creeps across my lips. "Maybe I should go rescue his mother. Surely the magnanimous Dr. Doom would forgive me then for… well… destroying his company… and seducing his childhood sweetheart," I add with a mischievous glint in my eyes.

GRRRRRRHHHH…

Low, guttural sounds echo through the valley, pulling my focus. My gaze darts backwards, spotting dark silhouettes closing in the valley.

"Looks like the servants have come sniffing out the Master's scent," I mutter, shaking my head.

Standing up, I encase Raven in a shimmering Psionic Forcefield, though unease gnaws at me—it doesn't feel like enough. "Shield of Holy Flame," I murmur, releasing streams of white fire from my palm. The flames swirl and expand into a protective dome around her, their brilliance radiating purity and strength.

"This should keep the lesser demons away from you," I nod with satisfaction, feeling glad that my Holy Flame powers have evolved further, enabling me to do neat fancy tricks like this.

SKREEEEE!!

HHHHRRRRAAARGH!

The guttural cries of demons intensify, filling the narrow valley. Above, flying demons circle, their leathery wings slicing through the air. Below, bipedal monstrosities—horned, furred, with sharp teeth and glowing red eyes—emerge in droves. They come in all shapes and sizes, yet every single one seems focused on me.

"Well, since you all have decided to show up, let me send you back to the real Hell!" I mutter with a sly smile as a massive amount of white flames begin gathering in my hands.

HHHHRRRRAAARGH!!!

The demons charge at me like feral beasts, their claws and fangs bared, radiating pure malice.

"Holy Area Cleansing!" I yell, unleashing a massive beam of white flame from my hands.

The inferno cuts through the horde like a blade, incinerating them on contact. They don't even get the chance to scream as the purifying flames reduce them to ash in an instant.

"Phew… this gives the phrase 'burn in hell' a whole new meaning," I chuckle, watching the white holy flames flicker in the aftermath. The move is devastatingly effective against fodder demons like these, but I can feel the drain it takes on my energy.

RRRRRAAAWWWWW!!

Just as I am about to catch my breath, a cacophony of guttural roars erupts from the opposite end of the valley.

"You have got to be kidding me," I mutter, my eyes narrowing as an even larger swarm of demons pours in.

GRAAAAAHHHHHH!!!

At the rear of the approaching horde, a hulking figure towers over the others—Zannarth, a 3-meter-tall demon I recognize as one of Satana's servants.

"Ha, looks like I will have to step things up," I say, hovering off the ground. The sheer number of flying demons swarming above and Zannarth's imposing presence make it clear my earlier move won't be enough this time.

A grin spreads across your face as an idea strikes. "I have been meaning to try something new."

"Holy Sword!" I command, pushing my palm forward.

The white flames erupting from my hand begin to coalesce, taking form. In seconds, a pulsing blade of pure fire materializes before me, floating in the air.

"Cool," I mutter with a smirk, gripping the Flame Sword in my hand. It feels as solid as steel, though it's made entirely of flames. Magic is weird like that—impossible and utterly fascinating all at once.

The sword pulses and shines brighter, as if reacting to the demonic entities drawing closer. "Don't worry," I say, holding the blazing weapon in my right hand . "There is plenty of you to cleanse here." In my left hand, white flames flicker to life, crackling with intensity.

"Yes, Father, the girl I told you about is down in this valley."

A loud, haughty female voice echoes from above the valley. My smirk vanishes as recognition hits. Mephista.