The demonized Illyana stood up, resting her greatsword on her shoulder as she looked at the group, but she remained completely motionless where she stood. Wanda asked Strange with some curiosity, "Has she calmed down?"
"No, she is observing us. She has already realized that our main output relies on magic, so she is trying to find a way to counter that... I'm starting to agree with Spider-Man's theory. Perhaps Magik's dark side truly possesses its own independent consciousness, rather than her simply being corrupted."
Strange watched as the surroundings shook, the earth trembling and the mountains swaying. Subsequently, a heart-like object flew above Illyana. Following that, a silver-white liquid metal began to flow over her body. Strange reached out and cast a spell in an attempt to stop all of this from happening, but he failed. He could only shake his head, watching helplessly as the silver liquid metal blanketed Illyana's body, transforming into a set of silver armor.
"A red demon paired with silver armor... I really don't know where this girl learned her fashion coordination."
After shaking her head, Wanda asked Strange, "What is this metal?"
"Promethium metal. It has a physical state similar to a symbiote, but it is merely a similarity in its physical state; it is completely unrelated in all other aspects. It isn't afraid of fire or sonic waves, and what's more troublesome is that Promethium metal possesses an exceptionally high resistance to magic."
Back when the Avengers dealt with Nimrod, they had discovered this troublesome characteristic of Promethium metal. Since Illyana was quite familiar with them, it meant she knew that the majority of this group mastered magical power, which was why she utilized this thing to reinforce herself.
Furthermore...
Strange looked toward the arm with which Illyana held her sword. Her Soulsword was a part of her soul, and every time she used it, a portion of armor would manifest from it, meaning that as she became more proficient with its use, the coverage area of the armor would grow larger and larger.
However, on the demonized Illyana's body, there was not a single trace related to this. This further proved one of Strange's conjectures: the Illyana before them was no longer Magik, but the Darkchylde.
Wanda looked toward Strange with considerable surprise. "Resistance to magic? Then how do we deal with her?"
"Why do you think I carry an axe? You didn't think my hobby as a sorcerer was engaging in close-quarters combat with an axe, did you?"
Strange shook his head as he spoke. He didn't carry an axe because he liked close-quarters combat, but because he had anticipated this exact situation. "This is also why I sought out you and Bloodstone. Her style of combat hardly relies on magic at all, and your mutant power is crucial; it's a power that manipulates probability. We need her."
Naturally, the distant Illyana could not hear any of this. She had already charged toward them. Elsa, who had consistently wasted no words, attached a grenade launcher to the front of her rifle, then pulled the trigger. A violent blaze erupted instantly, but the demon emerging from within was completely unaffected.
Bloodstone followed up with a continuous volley of gunfire, but there was still no result. She smiled, then raised her rifle.
"Come on, girl! You should know, I'm someone who can smash a whole jeep to pieces with a single guitar!"
Elsa truly seized the opportune moment. The instant Illyana swung her greatsword, Elsa ducked to evade it, then rose and smashed the butt of her rifle against Illyana's chin. After her demonization, Illyana's height approached nearly two meters, a full forty centimeters taller than before. The rifle butt easily struck her chin in this manner, knocking her face to the side.
But the problem was, the gun also shattered. Consequently, Elsa could only offer an awkward smile. "Looks like I'll have to find something else to hit you with, wouldn't you say?"
The demonized Illyana merely snapped her face back forward and raised her left hand, which wasn't holding the sword. Fortunately, Wanda pulled Elsa back just in time. Following that, Illyana leaped backward a great distance, her mouth appearing to mutter incantations.
Immediately afterward, an intense scarlet light flashed across the ruins, and a literal, colossal Hydra manifested there. It was merely an ordinary monster, but it swept toward them with overwhelming momentum.
Strange instantly chanted an incantation, and the terrain transformed in a single moment, turning into shackles that firmly locked down the Hydra's nine heads. Subsequently, a large number of earthen golems emerged from the ground, charging toward the Hydra.
At almost the exact same time, Strange chanted another incantation. Aside from himself, Wanda, and Elsa, everything else in the surroundings came to a complete standstill.
Only then did Wanda notice Illyana, who was already at an altitude of nearly a hundred meters, descending from the sky with the intention of cleaving downward with her sword.
"Time stop. Generally speaking, this spell is not permitted, as it disrupts the laws of nature. But for many other dimensions, the concept of time itself isn't important. Limbo, however, is a fine place to play like this."
Strange spoke while gazing toward the sky. "Of course, I can't trap her for very long. She knows how to move within a time stop, and furthermore, I don't need to wait too long."
In the next instant after the time stop, Illyana struck the ground upon landing. Naturally, she hit absolutely nothing, leaving not even a speck of dust behind. On the other side, figures had already materialized. Standing at the very front, dressed in attire crafted from human skin, was naturally Belasco, whom everyone and their dog detested. Remarkably, another group of people followed closely behind him.
It was a group of people who looked quite respectable, as if they could make a fortune in a casino or a bar. Yet they indeed looked like demons—or rather, they looked far too much like the stereotypical demons who played word games.
"Ah, the Sorcerer Supreme of Earth-616, a monster hunter whose family power comes from Bloodstone, and a wielder of Chaos Magic. This truly is a grand gift."
Strange looked at Belasco. When Belasco appeared, even the demonized Illyana began to shift her aggressive desires. But Strange was more concerned about the high-ranking demons who had appeared. He discovered that this group of demons was actually not standing with Belasco; instead, they silently walked off to the side to observe.
This caught even Belasco completely by surprise.
"What are you doing?! Didn't we agree that you would help me reclaim Limbo?!"
Those demons shook their heads very straightforwardly. "We merely agreed to Mephisto's request to come as proof of our contact with you. This does not count as any evidence. Of course, if you can emerge victorious, then our Dark Consortium would still be very delighted to serve you, Belasco."
"And vice versa. Since you are not the one currently in control of Limbo, and you are not the one opening the gates for us, we have nothing to do with you."
Chapter 734: The Rise of Belasco
The Dark Consortium—a name that... absolutely no one had ever heard of.
The only thing Strange knew for certain was that these guys truly were a bunch of highly traditional demons who perfectly fit the stereotype. Although they looked and dressed in a rather dignified, civilized human manner, considering that a demon's physical form itself held no real meaning, it was entirely possible that their true appearances were incredibly abstract.
However, no one present, not even Belasco himself, realized that these people were not Belasco's helpers; they were merely the helpers of the Ruler of Limbo. As for whoever the Ruler happened to be, that was none of their concern.
This made things very strange. Strange looked at them, then turned his gaze back to Illyana. "This doesn't make sense, unless you believe your Ruler is two people at the same time. Or perhaps, it's you guys..."
Given the capabilities and mindsets of demons, it was highly probable that they had caused Illyana's demonic persona to remember certain things while ensuring her human persona forgot them. This was absolutely to their advantage, which was obvious from what they had been doing during this period.
"No, we have not interfered with any decisions regarding the Ruler of Limbo herself."
As if noticing what Strange was about to say, the leader of the Dark Consortium preempted him. "We merely offered a suggestion. After all, the Ruler of Limbo does not enjoy managing the realm herself. She always needs someone to handle the mundane affairs here, and we... are exceptionally good at that."
Strange could practically hear the muffled snickers coming from the group. With a broad wave of his hand, he summoned not just Wong and Ghost Rider, but also Peter, Iron Fist, Blade, Moon Knight, and Brother Voodoo over to his side. Seeing the surrounding demons, Peter looked somewhat perplexed. "Wait, Mephisto didn't show up?"
"No, I can pretty much confirm now that Mephisto hasn't come." Strange addressed the group while casting a glance at Illyana, who was staring intently at Belasco. "The question now is, what exactly does your Dark Consortium want?"
The Dark Consortium remained silent. Or rather, Strange understood why they didn't speak; they believed the answer was meaningless and that mortals couldn't possibly comprehend it. Thus, Strange turned his attention back to Belasco. "What about you then, the defeated Belasco? Do you really intend to rely on your own strength to face all of us and Illyana? Lest you forget, you are no longer the Lord of Limbo."
"Wait, back when Belasco was the Lord of Limbo, didn't we take him down anyway?"
Peter muttered in a low voice beside Strange, though it wasn't quite quiet enough. Both the Dark Consortium and Belasco caught the remark. Infuriated to the point of laughter, Belasco glared at the group and clenched his fists.
"Do you truly believe the victory is yours? Or do you take me for some sort of clown or comedian?! Enough! Today, I will make you pay the price! Even if I am no longer the Lord of Limbo, I remain a powerful dark sorcerer!"
As he spoke, Belasco conjured his longsword, pointing it directly at Illyana, who was still glaring at him. "Come, my apprentice! If you have the guts, face me in a one-on-one duel to see who the true Lord of Limbo is!"
Strange and Peter exchanged a look, suddenly sensing that something was terribly amiss. They had previously analyzed what Belasco desired most, and fighting for the leadership of Limbo under these circumstances was by no means his optimal choice.
Naturally, Illyana, who had been staring at Belasco, had already been silent for a good while. With a terrifying, low-pitched chuckle, she swung her sword and batted the Hydra she had summoned straight toward Belasco. The swatted Hydra flew through the air, hurtling directly at him.
Almost simultaneously, Peter's spider-sense and shadow vision detected Belasco suddenly materializing right behind Elsa. Instantly shifting his nano-suit into velocity mode, Peter used his Dragon Fang sword to swiftly intercept the sneak attack Belasco launched from behind Elsa. At that moment, not only was Belasco caught off guard, but many of Peter's teammates also looked at him in astonishment, completely unaware that he possessed such a technique.
"Haha, so this really is your trap! You certainly spared no expense! A user of Chaos Magic and a holder of a Bloodstone from Earth-616!"
Locking blades with Peter, Belasco used sheer, brute force to push him back, subsequently leaping backward to open up some distance. "You truly gambled a lot. Did you honestly think I couldn't deduce that this was a trap? Since I knew it was a trap, why do you think I still dared to come?!"
An intense flame ignited within Belasco's left hand as something terrifying seemed to condense. Yet in the very next instant, a golden light flared beneath his feet, and the demonized Illyana materialized right behind him.
"And why is that, my dear master?!"
The Soulsword slashed into Belasco, but unexpectedly, it failed to inflict any damage whatsoever. Completely indifferent to Illyana's assault, he even found the leisure to mock her. "My dear student, are you truly unaware? I have received the blessing of the great Chthon; I cannot be harmed! And as for all of you! This time! You are finished!"
In an instant, flames engulfed the surrounding terrain for dozens of kilometers. The members of the Dark Consortium vanished simultaneously, teleporting away. Shortly after, a few of them began discussing what to do next.
"Who do you think won?"
"How could a move like that determine a winner? There's still plenty of fight left. However, Belasco is indeed invulnerable, and there are very few ways to harm him. Right now, the little girl is demonized and not thinking clearly; who knows if her helpers can manage to banish Belasco."
The chatting demons fell silent because Strange had suddenly appeared right beside them.
"Alright, friends. Although I was initially contemplating how to persuade you if Mephisto were present, it seems that won't be necessary now." Strange walked up to them. "In order to lure Belasco out, we brought a user of Chaos Magic and a Bloodstone... well, that's her name. And these happen to be the exact things that Belasco, or rather Chthon, requires. So, if Belasco resorts to any means necessary, what do you think he will do?"
The demons of the Dark Consortium understood instantly. "Chthon cannot be summoned on Earth-616 yet; he plans to summon him here? In that case, we are willing to help."
"Excellent." Strange nodded with satisfaction, then proceeded to inquire further, "What is it that you actually want?"
"What we want is the wealth, land, resources, influence, and other assets of those hosts."
Strange waited for a moment, then looked at the demons in bewilderment. "And then what? What do you do with those assets?"
"Nothing. We simply want to possess these assets; that is our purpose."
At that moment, Strange finally understood why these characters had refused to state their purpose earlier.
Because a mortal truly could not comprehend it.
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