I forgot to revise the previous chapter before publishing it...
Although H.E.R.B.I.E. had no idea who the old man before him was, he had nowhere left to turn and certainly wouldn't let this lifeline slip away. He hurriedly asked, "What kind of deal?! What do I have to give you?"
"Your soul, my dear H.E.R.B.I.E.," the old man said with a smile, uttering those terrifying words. "I'm very interested in the unusual souls of artificial intelligences like you. Just sign this contract with me, and I can help you out of your predicament."
As he spoke, the old man conjured an antique-looking sheet of parchment out of thin air. Some terms of exchange were written on it. In short, the old man would help H.E.R.B.I.E. escape his predicament, and upon H.E.R.B.I.E.'s death, his soul would belong to the old man before him, whose name was Mephisto.
"Mephisto..."
With his vast store of knowledge, H.E.R.B.I.E. naturally knew that name. He simply hadn't expected devils to actually exist in this world.
Still, H.E.R.B.I.E. didn't hesitate for long. In his current situation, it didn't matter whether Mephisto had some ulterior motive. All he wanted now was to survive.
But before H.E.R.B.I.E. could sign the contract, Mephisto's expression suddenly changed, and he shrieked, "Damn it! You're not dead!"
Then H.E.R.B.I.E. saw Mephisto begin flailing and struggling, as though some force were dragging him away. No matter how hard he fought, however, his figure continued to fade, and he soon vanished entirely.
"No-!"
Having finally glimpsed hope, H.E.R.B.I.E. cried out at the top of his voice. Unfortunately, Mephisto never reappeared. All he could do was watch helplessly as the Avengers eliminated his copies one by one.
Kraft learned from the television news that H.E.R.B.I.E. was done for. He didn't feel particularly strongly about it,