As a cunning demon, Mephisto has always been adept at using whatever power he can access.
Whenever an enemy's strength is sufficient to warrant caution, he finds a way to avoid direct confrontation.
The strength Aaron displayed earlier was enough to threaten him.
To secure victory, he called in the demon lord who had been watching from nearby.
This way, Aaron's strength could be diminished.
In truth, Mephisto couldn't fully gauge Aaron's power.
Aaron had absorbed energy from both himself and others, making his strength considerable.
Before coming, Mephisto had visited the purple dimension and the sixth dimension.
He didn't believe Aaron would forgo the energy there.
Thus, assuming the worst-case scenario, Aaron must have acquired the dimensional lord's energy from at least two dimensions, as well as accumulated energy over time.
If he wasn't careful, he could risk defeat.
Mephisto wasn't one to put himself in danger, especially in uncertain fights. The demon lords were merely pawns to use up their remaining energy.
Now that the strategy was set, it was time for Mephisto to take the stage.
"Die!!"
Mephisto laughed maniacally as his demonic body grew stronger with the power of magic.
He, too, could use magic to enhance his divine form, making his body as massive as a mountain or star-sized.
But he generally avoided such transformations.
However, facing Aaron, he had to deploy his most potent methods.
This was a matter of life and death!
Aaron saw Mephisto's enhanced form but didn't flinch.
While magic could indeed reinforce the divine body, it didn't mean that Mephisto could stack his body's strength like Aaron.
As Mephisto charged, Aaron calmly threw a punch.
In the next second, a red figure flew out like a rag being torn apart.
Mephisto's eyes widened in disbelief as he flew backward.
He couldn't understand why his magical enhancements, which were supposed to rival Aaron's, fell so short.
Wasn't it the same magic?
What was the difference?
Mephisto couldn't grasp it. With Aaron closing in, he decided to change tactics.
Mephisto transformed into black mist and scattered.
When he reappeared, he was at the dimension gap.
He took a deep breath, drawing hellish energy into himself.
His body expanded like a balloon.
Soon, he had grown into a towering titan thousands of meters high.
And he continued to grow.
It seemed as though he might surpass the stars themselves!
As his body swelled, his strength, defense, and magical capacity grew stronger.
After all, a body of such size would be immobile without enough power to support it.
Mephisto felt confident.
His confidence returned.
He felt as though the entire world was now within his grasp.
Looking at Aaron, who seemed smaller than an ant, Mephisto grinned, revealing rows of terrifying fangs.
His voice boomed like a torrent of bells, creating waves that reverberated throughout the land.
"Aaron, what can you do now?"
"You're so small, but no matter how powerful you are, how could you possibly threaten me?"
Mephisto, still growing, took a step forward, and the ground trembled as though an earthquake of magnitude 8 had struck.
Each step caused the earth to shake and mountains to tremble.
Cracks appeared, and thick yellow smoke poured out, followed by flowing lava that dyed the land orange.
Mephisto walked across the hellish landscape like an ancient god descending from the heavens.
He focused on Aaron and stepped toward him!
Boom!!!
The ground erupted, leaving behind a massive pit.
For good measure, he twisted his foot, as if he were crushing an ant or cockroach beneath his heel.
"Finally dead!"
Mephisto saw Aaron crushed underfoot.
With his current power, which was dozens of times greater than before, victory was inevitable.
At that moment, Mephisto felt an immense sense of triumph.
"Are you happy?" Mephisto muttered to himself.
"Definitely happy he's dead! I..."
Mephisto suddenly realized that the voice was far too familiar!
He turned his head, only to find Aaron had somehow appeared next to his ear.
"Sometimes, size doesn't equate to invincibility. In fact, it may become your greatest weakness."
Aaron launched a punch with unyielding force, aiming directly at Mephisto's temple.
Boom!!
The once invincible Mephisto fell again!
Aaron's punch pierced straight through his temple.
Blood poured from the wound, flooding the earth beneath.
Mephisto's massive body collapsed, but his consciousness remained intact.
He stared at his broken body, filled with confusion and doubt.
As he recovered from his injuries, ready to fight again, he noticed Aaron had vanished.
It wasn't certain that Aaron's duplication was involved.
"What happened? Where is he? Come back, you coward!" Mephisto roared.
Mephisto continued growing his body, unwilling to accept defeat.
He believed this setback was temporary.
Once his power reached a certain level, he could surpass Aaron.
After all, he was the Lord of Hell!
But Aaron had already left. After killing Mephisto again, he received a message from Ancient One and departed the hell dimension.
Meanwhile, the black-hearted demon, who had been flung a great distance, finally recovered and returned.
He scanned the surroundings in anger.
The man he had been hunting was nowhere to be found.
"Don't bother looking," Ancient One's voice rang out. "He's gone. Damn it, he's gone! How can he just leave?!"
Mephisto angrily kicked a nearby mountain, venting his fury and cursing Aaron's actions.
He had never encountered such a frustrating opponent.
Aaron had come, defeated him, and then left without a word.
Was the Hell Dimension really his home? Coming and going as he pleased?
What did Aaron think of him? A mere steward?
"Damn humans!!"
"I want to enter the real universe!"
The black-hearted demon howled, his voice full of frustration.
"Yes, we will enter the real universe! As long as we kill him, everything will be fine!"
Mephisto rarely agreed with the black-hearted demon, but now he did.
"We need a long-term plan..." Mephisto murmured.
Meanwhile, Aaron's soul returned to his body.
It had been a valuable lesson for Mephisto.
By the way, he had killed several demon lords and absorbed their power.
For now, Aaron hadn't yet considered dealing with Mephisto the way he had with Aggamon and Tiboro.
It was still unrealistic at this moment.
Aaron's control over the Hell Dimension and the energy within it was far weaker compared to the other two Dimensional Lords.
Of course, Aaron could keep killing Mephisto,
But completely eliminating him would take an unpredictable amount of time.
In that time, too many variables could arise.
It would also attract more Dimensional Lords attention, and that would cause problems.
He didn't know if Mephisto's hidden tricks had been exhausted either.
So, with the intent of making a quick exit, Aaron returned to the real universe.
Let Mephisto stew in his anger.
"You're back..." Ancient One said, her face a mixture of shock and admiration.
Aaron had truly stirred up chaos in the dimensional universe this time.
He had slapped the Dimensional Lords face in their own domain.
Aaron nodded to Ancient One. "What's going on? Why did you rush me back?"
"It's nothing," Ancient One replied. "A group of predators broke into your home, but the main culprit has been captured by your wives."
Ancient One explained, though a hidden concern lingered in her heart.
She feared Aaron had developed an addiction to absorbing Dimensional Lords energy.
If he wasn't careful, he could provoke a joint Dimensional Lords assault.
In her mind, if Aaron weren't so terrifying, she would have gladly abdicated to him.
Aaron was a far superior Sorcerer Supreme than she was.
He was the nemesis of Dimensional Lords!
"Ravagers?" Aaron asked, confused. The word brought to mind the pirates from Guardians of the Galaxy.
"They're a military organization similar to pirates in the interstellar world. This time, they've been hired to steal the Infinite Gems from you," Ancient One explained.
She didn't know much about interstellar affairs.
Earth was trouble enough for her.
"Understood. I'll deal with them now."
Aaron's mood darkened. He had stolen from others, and now someone tried to steal from him? This was intolerable!
After bidding farewell to Ancient One,
Aaron teleported back directly.
Ancient One watched him leave and thought for a moment. She didn't mention something she was concerned about.
Six Infinite Gems in one person's hands were dangerous.
Human nature couldn't be tested that way.
Moreover, collecting all six gems might attract unwanted attention.
The waters of the universe were deep and bottomless.
Back on Earth, Aaron saw a group of beaten, tightly bound marauders.
They looked more grotesque than before, but their shape remained intact.
Among them, Aaron recognized a few faces.
Wasn't this the alien who had killed Yondu's loyal men?
Aaron had forgotten his name, but remembered that it was a very fitting one.
"He's the one who electrocuted Yondu's crew. This time, Yondu didn't come, but he did," Jean said, pointing out the leader.
"We've captured his subordinates, and the rest have been dealt with."
The other marauders stared, surprised that Jean knew so much without asking.
They were terrified by her ability to see through them.
"Here are the coordinates of the fleet they left. If nothing else, Yondu and the others are at this location," Jean continued.
Aaron's mind scanned the coordinates, but no battleships were present.
They had run off.
Cunning foxes...
Aaron thought, then looked at the bound marauders.
Using his mental powers, he delved into their memories, extracting the information he wanted about the galaxy.
Though these marauders weren't well-known, their position gave them access to vital information.
Aaron, lacking interstellar knowledge, was eager to fill the gaps.
The marauders, realizing their fate lay in Aaron's hands, began pleading for mercy.
But their pleas didn't change Aaron's mind.
If they dared steal from him, they had to be ready to die.
After probing their memories, Aaron gave the order.
"Kill them."
"Wait, you can't kill us! We're members of the Marauders! If you kill us, the entire Predator group will come after you!"
Electrocute Kill shouted in panic.
"He's lying! They've long been expelled for violating the Marauder code," Jean calmly revealed.
Electrocute's eyes widened in fear as he saw her unwavering resolve.
He continued to threaten, "If you kill us, Yondu will seek revenge! His sentry arrows are unstoppable!"
Aaron waved his hand dismissively.
Dark Phoenix instantly used the Phoenix Force, killing all the marauders without hesitation.
Yondu and his crew had already fled. There would be no revenge.
Meanwhile, Wanda sat quietly on the sofa, eyes wide with awe.
So cool!
It was her first time seeing the God of Magic in person, and he was even more powerful and regal than she had imagined.
Aaron, noticing the unexpected guests, addressed them with a smile.
"Loki, long time no see."
Though he said that, his gaze lingered more on Wanda.
According to his memory, Wanda hadn't awakened her powers yet.
But with Loki's early appearance, Aaron wondered what Loki had been up to.
He was intrigued.
"My ally, it's good to see you. There's a saying on Earth – we're old friends from another life, right?" Loki greeted with a grin, glancing between Aaron and Wanda.
He felt the subtle yet powerful sense of danger emanating from Wanda's body, realizing she was a force more terrifying than himself.
Loki couldn't help but feel a little envious. Aaron had gained such a powerful ally so quickly in Midgard.
Why couldn't he do the same?
He still considered himself quite attractive.
Loki, ever the master of atmosphere, decided to break the silence and tell Aaron about his recent activities in Midgard.
Upon hearing that Loki had become the leader of HYDRA, Aaron nodded thoughtfully.
It seemed outrageous, but not entirely unbelievable.
After all, there were multiple versions of Loki – old Loki, Crocodile Loki, and even President Loki.
So, a HYDRA Loki made sense.
No wonder Wanda had been born early.
With Loki's magic knowledge backing HYDRA, their superpower experiments would surely progress more smoothly.
Even Wanda now possessed powers far stronger than in the original timeline.
She could now manipulate others' minds with ease, striking decisively when needed.
As Loki spoke, he noticed Aaron's attention was focused on Wanda.
Thus, Loki decided to mention Wanda's potential as a magic apprentice.
Aaron looked at him with a curious expression.
Wanda was indeed talented, but Loki was practically pushing her forward!
"She's a great talent," Aaron acknowledged, his thoughts wandering.
Could it be that the Scarlet Witch's story would unfold sooner than expected?
He gazed at Wanda, who looked so young, and pondered.
Should he start training her now?
[Please support me at my patreon if you want more: patreon/OGCrafter for 20+ chapters]