"Etc."
No sooner had the king finished speaking than Peter-B suddenly spoke up, his brow furrowed as if he were trying to recall something. "King, are you sure this Mephisto... his way of bewitching people is to transform into familiar relatives or friends, right?"
"Absolutely true." Wang nodded. "This is his most frequently used trick, and also his most effective one."
Peter-B's expression turned somewhat strange. He pondered for a moment before saying in an uncertain tone, "Well... if I remember correctly, I seem to have... met this Mephisto you mentioned."
The moment he said that, everyone in the room turned their attention to him.
"It was just in a dream," Peter-B added. "It happened several months ago."
Wang's expression immediately turned serious. He leaned forward, staring intently at Peter-B: "You didn't sign any contract with him, did you?"
"No, I'm not stupid!" Peter-B quickly waved his hand, as if trying to distance himself from the situation.
He licked his slightly dry lips and continued speaking:
"I just... dreamt of both Mr. Stark and Aunt May. We had a good time in the dream, just like before. But, near the end of the dream, they asked me... if I wanted to see them again."
The king's expression grew increasingly serious, and he pressed, "What was your answer?"
"I did say 'I want'," Peter-B. admitted, "But they quickly said it would only require me to pay a 'trivial' price."
He shrugged, his tone tinged with lingering fear:
"When I heard that, I knew something was wrong. Because... everything comes at a price, doesn't it? Last time, I just wanted Strange to help me erase everyone's memories of me as Spider-Man, and I almost ripped through the multiverse. I definitely won't touch something that sounds like magic again."
After saying that, he let out a breath, feeling as if he had unloaded a burden he had carried for a long time.
But when he looked up to see everyone's reaction, he found the atmosphere somewhat strange.
"Wait, why aren't you all saying anything?"
Peter-B was stunned.
He noticed that, at some point, everyone in the room had silently backed away, creating a noticeable distance between themselves and him.
Wang, Qin, Peter-A, and even the usually quiet Dr. Banner and the tall Bob all looked at him with extremely complex and wary eyes.
That feeling... was like he was some kind of dangerous infectious agent.
"What... what are you doing?" Peter-B was completely bewildered. He subconsciously looked at himself, but there was nothing wrong with him.
Peter-A. didn't speak, but raised his pale hand and pointed tremblingly behind him.
Behind me?
Peter-B, filled with doubt, slowly turned around.
Then, he froze completely.
A tall figure appeared behind him at some point, standing there quietly, as if he had been there for a long time.
The man was wearing a well-tailored dark red suit and was holding a wine glass, gently swirling the deep red liquid inside.
But his face was not human.
It was a face like a red demon, with pointed ears, an exaggerated and eerie grin at the corners of its mouth, and eyes burning with Hell flames.
That's not even the most shocking part.
Beside this demon stood three other people.
One of them was tall and wore a familiar matte gold battle suit, with a dark blue cape hanging down his back, and short, light-gold hair that was neat and stylish.
That was... Sentry Robert, but his eyes were vacant, and an ominous black mist swirled around him.
The other was a woman dressed in a red bodysuit and leather jacket, her fingertips pulsating with crimson chaotic energy—it was none other than Scarlet Witch Wanda, who had been out of the public eye for a long time.
The last one was dressed in a black leather jacket, but his head was a white skull engulfed in flames.
He straddled a menacingly designed motorcycle, its front end also blazing with Hellfire.
Peter-B's mind went completely blank for a moment.
He finally understood.
Although he did not agree to the contract, from the moment he had that thought, an invisible coordinate had already been planted.
That dream was not a failed temptation, but a sign of success.
Unbeknownst to him, he himself had become an anchor point.
A guide who led this lord of Hell, ignoring all the defensive magic arrays of Kamar-Taj, and directly invaded the core of this mage's holy land...
And Mephisto's choice of timing was incredibly coincidental—it happened precisely when Strange wasn't on Earth.
"Ugh..." Peter-B clutched his head, crouching down in anguish, his voice filled with regret and despair, "I'm so sorry, guys... I've gotten you guys into a huge mess again!"
Mephisto ignored Peter-B's breakdown, observing with interest the people in the room who were on high alert, before finally fixing his gaze on Jean and Sentry Robert.
He took a small sip of the red liquid in his glass, let out a satisfied sigh, and then spoke to his three "subordinates" behind him in a light and elegant tone:
"Go."
"Let them, like you, return to my warm embrace."
"Offer up your Soul Stone."
Almost instantly, crimson Chaos Magic and burning Hellfire filled the entire room.
Sentry Robert waved his hand, creating an energy shield for everyone. Just as he was about to forcefully defeat Ghost Rider and Wanda, an endless darkness swept in, completely blocking his path.
"Me, sealed away from Void? Interesting, Bob. Why are you so hostile towards me? We are one!"
Void Sentry Robert, looked at his counterpart in another universe before him, a wicked smile playing on his lips.
"I'm not one of you."
Sentry Robert stared solemnly at his own reflection in this universe. "As far as I know you, Void, you could never willingly work for Mephisto."
"Yes, you're right. It's just a deal. I'm more interested in you than Mephisto, Bob."
As soon as the Void Sentry finished speaking, boundless darkness swept in again, rushing straight towards the Sentry.
"Alright, then I'll settle things with you here."
Sentry Robert also stopped holding back, his body instantly bursting forth with a fierce golden light, like a dazzling Sun piercing through the darkness in an instant, crashing straight into the Void Sentry.
Bang!
The collision of golden and black energy caused ripples in the space, and an invisible wave of energy surged forth, instantly destroying the reception room.
Despite the shockwave, Wang shouted back, "In this situation, isn't anyone here able to help?!"
Spider-Man A didn't speak, but instead covered his Symbiote Suit with another layer of Iron Spider Armor, glanced back at Spider-Man B, and ordered, "Take care of Morgan! Peter B! I'll go deal with this burning skull!"
Having said that, he reached out and shot out Silk that stuck to the Ghost Rider in front of him. He then pulled him over with a sudden burst of strength and threw a powerful punch.
Bang!
With a dull thud, the two quickly disappeared from sight, leaving only Scarlet Witch Wanda watching them menacingly.
"Alright, guys, do you have any good ideas on how to deal with her?" Dr. Banner glanced at Wanda, then at Wong and Spider-Man B. "I don't want to become the Hulk and then smash you all to pieces."
"I'll do it. There's no hope of reviving Sarah anyway, so it's better for me to die here."
Jean Grey spoke expressionlessly, then unleashed a torrent of psychic energy, relieving some of the pressure on the King, before turning and flying towards Wanda.
"Nice little trick, but too bad you're too weak."
Scarlet Witch Wanda tilted her head, instantly neutralizing the terrifying psychic power. The next instant, countless spikes, constructed from Chaos Magic, appeared out of thin air, tearing through space and piercing towards the unsuspecting Jean Grey!
Scarlet Witch raised her hand again, aiming at Dr. Banner, Wong, and Spider-Man B, completely ignoring Jean Grey who had just launched a counterattack against her.
The crimson magic gathered once more, and just as she was about to launch her next attack, a clear and crisp cry suddenly rang out, and golden-red flames transformed into a giant phoenix, forcefully tearing through Wanda's magic.
-Bah!
"Huh? How is that possible?!"
The Scarlet Witch's brows furrowed sharply as she looked at the sea of fire ahead. The intense heat rushed towards her, and the figure she should have easily killed was now walking step by step through the flames towards her.
Jean Grey looked down at her hands, which were burning with flames, feeling the unparalleled power within her. She then looked at the Scarlet Witch, a glint of gold flashing in her eyes.
"You're disappointed, ma'am. I'm not that easy to kill. Now it's my turn."