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[Frog] Chapter 174: The Power of the God, Mephisto Strikes
🕑 Added 2024-11-25 16:39:15 +0000 UTC“You think this little trick can block my bombs?”
“The power bestowed upon me by my master is beyond anything you mutants could ever comprehend.”
To Norman, Gwen’s efforts were nothing more than futile resistance. The frost power he wielded could freeze the webs to brittle shards in an instant.
Next, it would be Spider-Woman’s turn—along with the officers she was trying to protect.
“Spider-Woman, you and your little group will become part of my collection…” Norman declared with a wicked laugh.
Just as the pumpkin bombs were about to reach Gwen’s web shield, a blazing slash of fire seemed to tear through space and time, appearing right before the bombs.
The fiery slash, unstoppable in its path, sliced through all the bombs, reducing them to fragments.
The clash of extreme heat and frost filled the lab with a cacophony of sizzling sounds. In moments, thick steam erupted, blanketing the room and obscuring Norman’s vision.
“Who’s there?!”
Having his plans thwarted once again, Norman was furious, stomping in frustration. However, his rage quickly turned to terror as he realized the fiery slash was still heading toward him with undiminished power.
The attack was so swift that even with his glider, Norman couldn’t evade it. Before he could react, the slash cleaved him in two.
Flames surged from the wound, engulfing his body entirely. Screaming in agony, the bisected Green Goblin fell from the air.
Due to his cursed immortality, each time his flesh was reduced to ashes, it regenerated, only to be burned again by the relentless flames.
Norman’s two halves writhed on the ground, rolling in pain and howling miserably.
Hearing Norman’s anguished cries, Gwen’s Spider-Sense, which had been blaring, finally subsided. Behind her, the officers quickly retreated out of the lab.
Curious, Gwen discarded her web shield, revealing a familiar figure before her.
“Emperor?” she exclaimed.
Turning his head, Alan greeted her casually. “Hey.”
Surprised to see him, Gwen asked, “Why are you here?”
Alan improvised, “After he escaped from me last time, I’ve been tracking him. When you started fighting him, I sensed his energy and came over.”
Gwen nodded in understanding. “Thank goodness you arrived in time. Otherwise, I really wouldn’t have been able to deal with those strange bombs.”
“I was just passing by,” Alan replied with a faint smile, though he wasn’t about to tell her the truth. He knew Norman’s power had already transcended the realm of science and entered the domain of magic—Mephisto’s magic, to be exact.
Even if he explained, Gwen wouldn’t have the means to counteract it. This wasn’t ordinary magic; it was the power of the Lord of Hell himself.
“What about him?” Gwen pointed at Norman, who was still writhing in agony on the ground, his condition as pitiful as could be.
In this moment, Norman’s immortality didn’t seem like Mephisto’s blessing; it felt more like a curse bestowed by the demon lord.
---
Meanwhile, in Hell
Mephisto watched the scene through a magical projection he had conjured, his expression darkening as he saw Norman writhing on the ground.
“Useless,” Mephisto muttered, his voice tinged with annoyance. “Good thing I left a contingency with you. Otherwise, Emperor would’ve made you wish for death today.”
Lifting his gaze, Mephisto spoke to the void, “Hela, the time has come for you to repay your debt.”
Deep within Helheim, Hela smirked mockingly. “That didn’t take long, did it?”
“Mephisto, your servant is quite the disappointment,” she sneered.
Mephisto’s face darkened further, but he had no retort. Years ago, another individual who had received his power not only thrived but had even turned against him. How could Norman fare so poorly in comparison?
For a moment, Mephisto doubted whether Norman could even handle his real target, Emperor, let alone take care of that treacherous soul from the past.
Seeing Mephisto’s silence, Hela lost interest in mocking him further. She clenched her chained fists tightly, channeling a powerful force through some unseen medium.
The air around her trembled, letting out a low hum as her power reverberated.
---
Back in the Lab
Alan, watching Norman’s futile struggles, was about to take his next move when he suddenly sensed something amiss.
He immediately turned to Gwen and said, “Stand behind me!”
Without hesitation, Gwen moved to Alan’s side.
Raising an arm across his chest, Alan activated his armor. The shield emblem on his chestplate glowed brilliantly, transferring its energy to his wrist.
Moments later, the small shield on his arm burst into radiant golden light, expanding into a massive golden barrier formed entirely of energy.
...
At the next moment, it felt as if something had surged into Norman’s body.
The blazing flames surrounding him were instantly dispersed, exploding outward in all directions and colliding heavily against Alan’s Emperor Aurora Shield.
As the flames struck the shield, it seemed to generate a strange suction force, drawing all the fire into itself.
With a wave of his hand, Alan caused the Aurora Shield to shrink back into its smaller form, embedding itself on his wrist once again.
Not far away, Norman’s body, split in two, fused back together. However, unlike before, a faint black aura now emanated from his entire being.
A deathly stillness seemed to overtake his demeanor.
---
Norman slowly lifted his head, his pitch-black eyes now containing two sinister scarlet pupils.
“Emperor,” he hissed, “you’ve made me suffer terribly!”
As he spoke, Norman flung his arms outward. The black aura around him condensed into two long black staves, which he brandished as he lunged toward Alan.
“This... this is…”
“The aura of a god...”
“Interesting!”
Rather than showing any concern, Alan’s curiosity was piqued by Norman’s transformation.
“This is no place for you to help. Leave now,” Alan said gently, pressing a hand on Gwen’s shoulder.
Gwen felt a gentle but firm force pushing her out of the lab.
In the next instant, Norman’s dual staves came crashing down toward Alan.
Alan raised a hand, summoning the Emperor Sword, which materialized just in time to clash against the staves.
At the moment of impact, a powerful shockwave erupted from the clash, radiating outward and shattering all the glass in the lab under the sheer force.
“What an intense aura of death,” Alan observed.
“Could the god who lent you this power be…”
Just as Alan began to piece together his suspicions, Mephisto, watching from the depths of Hell, let out a sinister grin.
“The moment I’ve been waiting for has come,” Mephisto said.
“It’s time for us to meet, Emperor!”
With a sharp snap of his fingers—
Snap!
A cloud of blue energy mist erupted from Norman, enveloping both him and Alan.
In the blink of an eye, the two figures vanished from where they stood.
... (To Be Continued)
