154: The Emperor Vs Mephisto (Part 3)

Mephisto held the flickering blood-red flame in his hand.

A wicked smile spreading across his face. Over the years, this hypnotic power had won him many powerful followers across the universe.

He was confident that no matter how strong, all beings had a psychological weakness he could exploit - the fear of death.

Promise them immortality, and his hypnotic spell could seize upon that weakness and control them.

"If not for the Sorcerer Supreme on Earth, it wouldn't have taken such effort to manipulate you here!" Mephisto thought bitterly of the Ancient One - the only foe not afraid of death, but willing to accept it.

Watching the Emperor approach, Mephisto continued gloating, "Just make a soul pact with me...your mysterious armor will serve me well. I sense it contains power from the foundations of the universe itself! With it, I can surpass the very gods!"

Mephisto eagerly anticipated the emperor coming within his grasp, the red flame rising in his hand.

He would pat the emperor's forehead and utter the words to bind him as a servant, harnessing that cosmic armor's might for himself!

"Be my vassal!" Mephisto cried out, moving to place the spellbinding flame upon the emperor's head.

"Hm?"

Suddenly Mephisto froze, eyes wide with disbelief.

The hand he was about to use for the pat was seized by the emperor in an iron grip, stopping it cold.

"What's this?"

Mephisto exclaimed in shock. Before his stunned eyes, the emperor slowly raised his head.

"So that was your aim in summoning me here," The Emperor stated calmly.

"You...you aren't under my control?"

Mephisto stammered, still sensing no trace of his hypnosis taking hold.

Only now did the truth fully hit him - The Emperor was not spellbound at all, but had been acting the entire time to draw him out!

The emperor smiled slightly. "Your voice is too ugly. Who did you think would fall under that grating spell?"

Mephisto's face became extremely ugly.

His proud Ability has already made mistakes twice.

Both times against lowly humans of Earth whom he despised.

The emperor spoke truth - Mephisto's magic voices were but annoying groans against the Emperor Armor's celestial power. Hypnotism had no chance of success.

Had Andrew wished, he could have easily struck Mephisto down already.

Andrew squeezed Mephisto's hand painfully in his viselike grip while summoning the floating Emperor Sword with his free hand.

In a golden flash, the blade was in his grasp. He raised it sharply, divine energy radiating from it.

Even Mephisto felt the immense power coursing through the sword.

His expression changed to panic.

This strength was no less than the cosmic powers he had tasted from Galactus.

Facing this strange greatsword now, Mephisto knew he had to flee.

But to his shock, The Emperor still held his hand in that unbreakable hold!

The glowing sword neared inexorably.

With no choice, Mephisto gathered his strength and wrenched his arm free in a spray of blood.

The entire arm was torn from his shoulders in an instant, and Mephisto backed sharply at this critical moment.

This was the only way to avoid Andrew's powerful slash.

Andrew threw Mephisto's broken arm aside like a garbage.

"Quick reflexes..."

"So the Lord of Hell has some combat sense after all," he mused.

"I'd thought you were just a swindling salesman peddling souls."

Below them, Green Goblin watched in bewilderment as Mephisto sacrificed his arm.

What had happened to the sure hypnosis?

Mephisto regarded his torn limb with an ugly expression.

While it would regenerate, the pain was real.

With a thought, the stump writhed and a new arm emerged as the severed one dissipated in red smoke.

"You're quite the recycler, wasting nothing," Andrew mocked.

The taunts and disrespect fueled Mephisto's anger.

"Don't be so smug, Emperor. I wished to make you my servant to spare you pain, but since you spurn my grace, I'll rip that armor off and discard you here in the most agonizing death possible!"

Mephisto flexed his new claws as crimson hellfire swirled around them.

"You'll regret your arrogance, Emperor!"

Andrew answered by slashing his sword at the flaming claws.

The collision birthed a massive explosion of energy and flames, engulfing the scattered Green Goblin.

The intense heat vaporized chunks of his flesh instantly, his immortality meaningless against such power.

Mustering the last of his will, Green Goblin focused on avoiding the shockwaves, leads of meat frantically dodging behind meteors.

But it was futile - soon the last shred of him burned away in the fires of hell, leaving only a final look of primal fear and regret.

For a time, Mephisto and the Emperor continued battling, their tremendous might smashing apart the very meteors around them.

But soon Mephisto realized this cosmic space only allowed the emperor's power to grow ever greater.

"Let's take this somewhere more suitable, shall we?"

Touching his recovered limb, Mephisto tore open a swirling portal. Without waiting for a reply, he darted inside.

Andrew did not hesitate to follow him into the unknown.

Wherever Mephisto fled, he would hunt him down.

This was not over yet!

To be continued...