Peaceful days always seemed to pass quickly.
In a quiet, unremarkable coffee shop tucked into a corner of Manhattan, Van En sat comfortably by the window enjoying a leisurely afternoon tea. The café was small and warm, filled with the low murmur of conversations and the soft clink of cups.
Across the table sat Wu Xinmo.
He looked terrible.
His face was pale, dark circles hung under his eyes, and his posture slumped as though every ounce of energy had been drained from him. During the past few days, he had been running himself ragged carrying out Van En's assignment.
Despite that, the results were impressive.
He had already captured six different types of demons.
For someone operating under constant pressure from hell itself, that achievement was remarkable.
Still, Wu Xinmo looked exhausted.
"My father already knows about our deal," he said tiredly.
He rubbed his temples before continuing.
"He sent a message to all the demons on Earth. Almost every demon operating in the United States has already begun leaving the country."
Wu Xinmo sighed deeply.
"If I want to capture any more, I'll probably have to leave the United States."
"Really? That's amazing."
Van En's response sounded half-hearted.
The truth was that he wasn't particularly impressed. His mood had already soured when he realized something important.
Among the six captured demons…
There was no succubus.
Van En silently cursed the Demon Heart.
You useless devil.
You can't even catch the right demon to make someone happy, yet you want to challenge your father? How naive.
Wu Xinmo rolled his eyes at Van En's indifferent tone.
"What I mean is," he said impatiently, "why do you insist on twenty different types of demons?"
He leaned forward slightly.
"What if we remove the type restriction?"
"I could capture thirty for you."
"Or even forty."
Van En calmly sipped his coffee before answering.
"You don't understand."
"What I want isn't demons."
Wu Xinmo stared at him blankly.
"You… don't want demons?"
Then what exactly had he been catching all this time?
Chickens?
Wu Xinmo leaned back in his chair with an exhausted sigh.
"It's not that I don't want to keep capturing them," he muttered. "But my father will definitely send people to stop me."
He thought for a moment before making another suggestion.
"How about this? You give me the contract first."
"Once my strength increases, I'll definitely capture forty kinds of demons for you."
Van En glanced at him sideways.
"You're a devil," he said flatly. "Not an angel."
"Go grab a random three-year-old kid off the street and ask whether he believes a devil's promise."
Wu Xinmo grimaced bitterly.
"You have no idea how important that contract is to my father."
"He will absolutely not allow our deal to succeed."
He paused before adding something that clearly worried him.
"Actually, I'm surprised he hasn't come looking for you yet."
"He must be distracted by something in hell."
"But once he comes to his senses, he will definitely come for you."
Wu Xinmo's voice lowered.
"And when he does…"
"…he'll try everything he can to kill you."
"And then—"
He stopped abruptly.
Because he suddenly noticed that Van En wasn't paying attention to him anymore.
Van En was staring directly behind him.
"What happens next, my good son?"
A calm, familiar voice spoke from behind Wu Xinmo.
Wu Xinmo jumped to his feet instantly, like a cat whose fur had suddenly stood on end.
He spun around in horror.
Standing behind him was a well-dressed elderly gentleman.
The man looked refined and elegant, leaning lightly on a cane. His posture was straight, and his expression carried a faint smile that somehow made the air feel colder.
Wu Xinmo's face turned green.
He turned back toward Van En.
"When did he arrive?"
Van En answered casually.
"Right around when you were talking about capturing thirty or forty demons."
Wu Xinmo's eyes widened.
"Then why didn't you warn me?"
Van En shrugged.
"You're in the human world."
"He can't beat you here."
"So what's there to be afraid of?"
Wu Xinmo stared at him in disbelief.
Clearly this guy had no idea what a "kind father's smile" really meant.
This wasn't about whether someone could win or lose a fight.
Meanwhile, Van En calmly took another sip of coffee and casually clicked his tongue.
"Old Mo," he said conversationally, "I've noticed something."
"Your parenting style seems to have failed."
He tilted his head thoughtfully.
"Does your kid lack maternal love or something? He has no confidence in anything he does."
Van En suddenly remembered someone else.
"Actually, I know another family with similar problems."
"The father locked up his eldest daughter for years."
"He raised his eldest son to be ruthless and blindly confident."
"And the second son is clever but incredibly insecure. Always desperate for approval and constantly causing trouble."
Van En shook his head seriously.
"I think royal families really need special classes on how to raise children."
A flicker of surprise passed through Mephistopheles' eyes.
What was this guy talking about?
Was he mocking him?
Or…
Was he talking about Odin?
In that instant, several possibilities raced through Mephistopheles' mind.
Odin rarely left Asgard anymore.
Yet Thor had recently visited Earth.
Could this mortal be Odin's agent?
Was Odin secretly trying to steal the San Venganza contract?
The more Mephistopheles thought about it, the more suspicious the situation seemed.
That old man Odin…
Had he really gone back to scheming after all these years?
Was he planning to invade hell with the thousand damned souls from San Venganza?
Had Odin become too old to fight directly and now resorted to trickery?
Mephistopheles' expression changed repeatedly as these thoughts raced through his mind.
Van En finally noticed.
He turned toward Wu Xinmo, who had quietly moved behind him.
"What's wrong with your dad?" Van En whispered. "Is he having some kind of relapse? His face keeps changing colors."
Wu Xinmo lowered his voice nervously.
"If you ask me," he whispered, "he's definitely plotting something."
"My dad is extremely cunning. He thinks ten steps ahead of everyone."
"You can't believe a single word he says."
Wu Xinmo leaned closer.
"Soon he'll probably start talking about a bunch of random nonsense."
"That's just a trick."
"Don't follow his lead."
"Otherwise we'll definitely end up at a disadvantage."
For the first time, Mephistopheles carefully examined the young man sitting in front of him.
After a long silence, he finally asked a question.
"What benefits did Odin promise you?"
Van En froze.
Huh?
What are you talking about?
He glanced back at Wu Xinmo.
"You were absolutely right," Van En whispered.
Then he simply leaned back and gave a cold, mysterious laugh.
In Mephistopheles' eyes, that reaction confirmed everything.
Still, he was unwilling to retreat so easily.
That would be humiliating.
Quietly, he slipped his left hand into his sleeve.
With a subtle movement of his fingers, a tiny insect the size of a mosquito appeared between them.
This creature was something he had created over countless years using fragments of his own soul.
The Gu Heart Demon.
It was one of a kind.
Its purpose was simple.
The insect would silently enter an enemy's ear and influence their thoughts, gradually manipulating their mind.
The creature possessed a terrifying advantage.
While flying, it traveled through a subspace slightly beneath normal reality, making it almost impossible to detect.
Only when it entered a person's ear would it return to real space.
Most forms of physical or energy defense were useless against it.
Very few people on Earth could resist such an attack.
With a single thought from Mephistopheles, the insect disappeared the moment it took flight.
One second passed.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
A full minute passed.
Mephistopheles watched carefully.
Van En simply scratched his ear.
Then continued drinking his coffee.
Van En appeared completely calm.
But if Mephistopheles had been paying closer attention, he might have noticed something strange.
Tiny ripples were spreading across the surface of Van En's coffee.
Because at that moment, Van En's back was soaked with cold sweat.
A moment earlier, a tiny insect had suddenly appeared inside his ear.
Since arriving in this world, he had never been so close to an enemy attack.
The creature had appeared out of thin air.
It felt almost like divine intervention.
Fortunately, his psychic abilities had already reached extraordinary levels.
The instant the insect appeared, his mental power surged outward and completely enveloped it.
Van En silently sighed in relief.
The demon king of hell truly lived up to his reputation.
Wu Xinmo had been right.
This guy was unbelievably cunning.
First he tried to confuse his opponent with meaningless conversation.
Then he secretly launched a sneak attack.
Completely shameless.
It took Van En several seconds to calm himself.
Before he could say anything, Mephistopheles suddenly shouted angrily.
"Odin!"
"This isn't over!"
With that declaration, he turned and vanished instantly.
Van En blinked in confusion.
Then he slowly turned toward Wu Xinmo.
"Is that part of the conspiracy too?"
.....
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