Marvel: Killing Makes You Stronger

Chapter 201: Carol Danvers

"My knight, Carter Slade." Mephisto smiled with relief upon seeing the skeletal cowboy engulfed in the flames of hellfire.

"Mephisto."

The dashing skeletal cowboy's jaw moved up and down, his voice hoarse. His torch-like eyes stared at Mephisto, exuding a calm and composed demeanor.

"Carter Slade, tell me, what makes you persist in opposing me to the point of weakening yourself? Your knightly status is barely holding, and you have less than ten years left to live," Mephisto asked curiously. "When you die, your soul will return to my embrace."

"You know the price of betrayal."

A warrior he created and bound by a contract, yet who betrayed him for so-called justice—what could be the price for such betrayal?

Naturally, it was torment and suffering.

Countless years of torment and suffering made Carter Slade's life worse than death.

Yet, Carter Slade betrayed him nonetheless.

"Mephisto, you will never understand," Carter Slade said hoarsely, staring at Mephisto.

Mephisto fell silent. It was not that he did not understand; he simply could not comprehend why Carter would make such a choice.

The atmosphere grew quiet. After a while, Mephisto spoke slowly, "Then let's complete our transaction."

"The contract."

Carter said indifferently.

Mephisto smiled slightly and waved his hand, causing a parchment scroll to float before Carter. Carter carefully read and analyzed every word on the scroll. Demonic contracts were never trustworthy and required meticulous scrutiny, especially with someone like Mephisto, who loved playing word games.

Having followed Mephisto for countless years and witnessed much, Carter understood this well.

When he finished reading, Carter looked at Mephisto in surprise. There were no traps or loopholes in this contract, which was entirely unlike Mephisto's usual style.

Carter suddenly realized that this task entrusted by Mephisto was not simple. Reflecting on the conversation between Blackheart and the young men and women in front of the estate in New York, it was clear there was something of great importance to Mephisto.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have let him go, even at the cost of the Contract of San Venganza.

The Contract of San Venganza was extremely important to Mephisto. Otherwise, Carter, as the Ghost Rider created by Mephisto, bound by contract, would not have betrayed Mephisto to hide the Contract of San Venganza.

Regardless, this was a good thing for Carter.

So, Carter signed the contract. This also meant Carter was finally free; his soul was liberated, and his perseverance had finally paid off.

This made Carter very happy and relieved.

Since Mephisto had honored the contract, Carter shared everything he had seen and heard with Mephisto, putting Mephisto completely at ease. Previously, Mephisto had been uneasy about sending Blackheart to contact Bi Xiao.

For this reason, he sought out the traitorous Ghost Rider, Carter Slade.

Carter Slade believed he had escaped Mephisto's control, but that was not the case. Mephisto was merely using Carter to complete a future arrangement.

This time, to confirm Bi Xiao's promise, Mephisto did not hesitate to release Carter and give up the Contract of San Venganza.

However, giving it up did not mean the arrangement had failed. Mephisto believed his plan would still come into play. As long as his ambitious son Blackheart continued to seek to overthrow him, he would inevitably come for Carter Slade and the Contract of San Venganza.

Carter did not know Mephisto's thoughts. After removing his cowboy hat and bowing, he disappeared in a blaze of hellfire.

Ghost Riders inherently possessed the ability to traverse dimensions, making Carter the strongest under Mephisto and feared even in hell.

Mephisto watched Carter Slade leave, secretly breathing a sigh of relief.

He was already pondering how to curry favor. Flattery was a profound skill that needed to be done comfortably to ensure Bi Xiao's cooperation.

………

In the manor, Bi Xiao sat on the balcony, gazing at the moon. With his current power, he could easily see a speck of dust rising from the moon's surface.

But he wasn’t looking at that. Instead, he "saw" a massive energy entity rapidly approaching Earth at the speed of light.

In this era, such a large energy body moving at the speed of light was unheard of, yet Bi Xiao saw its form.

A human—a blonde woman harboring immense energy within her body.

She was clad in brown leather armor and a blue and gold uniform with a star on her chest, engulfed in fiery energy, and dragging a long tail flame as she flew through space.

At the moment he saw this woman, Bi Xiao had already seen through all her information.

Carol Danvers.

Captain Marvel, a human capable of matching the power of a Celestial in her binary form, had undergone a transformation in the 1990s after being exposed to the energy of a light-speed engine due to her involvement in Project Pegasus and subsequent experiments conducted by the Kree. This transformation made her Captain Marvel.

Brainwashed by the Kree, she became one of their strongest warriors, completing various missions before coming to Earth to recover her memories and help the Skrulls find a new home.

She had a deep friendship with Nick Fury, who obtained a modified pager from her capable of sending interstellar signals.

During the most critical moment at Hell's Gate, Nick Fury sent a distress signal, prompting Carol to rush over.

Bi Xiao was not particularly interested in her.

After a glance, he continued to daydream. In reality, he was perfecting the Golden City, aiming to upgrade it quickly amid the war between Heaven and Hell.

However, Bi Xiao's brief glance greatly disturbed Carol.

While traveling at the speed of light in the vacuum of the solar system, Carol suddenly felt a terrifying presence, causing her to abruptly stop. This extreme contrast didn’t affect her, highlighting her physical resilience.

Suspended in the vacuum, with golden energy burning around her and her golden hair flowing, Carol scanned her surroundings in shock, finding only some deserted planets and asteroids.

"What was that feeling just now?" Carol furrowed her eyebrows, recalling the overwhelming sense of terror she rarely felt, especially since becoming Captain Marvel and regaining her memories. Despite encountering many powerful enemies in the galaxy over the years, few could evoke such a feeling in her.

It felt as if she were being watched by an even more terrifying existence. Although it was only for a moment, she sensed it.

Carol never doubted her intuition. At her level, she could sense even the slightest changes, and the intensity of that feeling had made her shiver.

In that instant, she felt like she was plunged into a freezing winter, about to be frozen solid.

"Who is it? Could it be related to Fury's distress signal? Damn it."

Boom!

Thinking of the distress signal she received, Carol gritted her teeth, her immense energy erupting. Accompanied by a massive energy blast, she transformed into a golden beam, speeding towards Earth.

She sensed that Earth was facing a formidable enemy, one that could threaten the entire world.

An enemy that even she found terrifying.

But that was her home, where her friends were. She couldn’t just stand by. Even knowing there were more powerful enemies on Earth, she had to return.

"Hurry, faster, faster," Carol shouted anxiously in her heart.

………

On a primitive, unknown planet, Bi Xiao stood on a lakeside beach in the depths of a primordial forest, wordlessly watching an elderly man in a suit kneeling on one knee before him with a look of reverence.

"Supreme Guardian, you..."

"Enough, you can stop talking, Mephisto."

Bi Xiao interrupted the man's flattery. Despite the pleasant words, he found them awkward.

Mephisto immediately fell silent.

Bi Xiao rubbed his forehead. "Alright, stand up."

Mephisto obediently stood.

With a slight wave of his hand, a chair appeared. Bi Xiao sat down, sipping a cocktail, ignoring Mephisto. Such arrogance was normal for Mephisto. If Bi Xiao had shown warmth, it would have made Mephisto uneasy.

"Tell me your thoughts."

"The old guy in Heaven wants to start a war to lure you in, then combine the forces of Heaven and Hell to attack you. Of course, I know this is nothing to the great master," Mephisto said respectfully from the side.

Bi Xiao nodded inwardly, confirming his previous speculations.

His presence had made Yahweh wary, even murderous.

Indeed, if he were Yahweh, he wouldn’t tolerate such a powerful being. Only by eliminating him in advance could he feel secure.

"I think, in response, we can reverse the situation and encircle Heaven, thereby delivering a heavy blow to Yahweh and his angels.”

The essence of this war is an information battle. Yahweh assumed that Mephisto would certainly cooperate with him, considering they could sign a contract. If Mephisto violated such a high-level contract, he would suffer a backlash that even he could not bear.

However, Yahweh never imagined that before signing the contract, Mephisto had already decided to side with Bi Xiao. Any backlash would only occur after the contract was signed, but before that, Mephisto had already disclosed everything to Bi Xiao.

So what was there to fear afterward?

"Then as he wishes," Bi Xiao said with a slight smile.

Mephisto was not surprised, though he was impressed by Bi Xiao's confidence. Outwardly, he remained calm and said, "The initiative is not in my hands, Master."

He was referring to the timing of the war and other such details.

Once he confirmed cooperation with Yahweh and signed the contract, he would no longer be able to leak any more useful information.

Bi Xiao was indifferent to this: "No need to worry. I just need them to leave Heaven."

After speaking, he glanced sideways at Mephisto. His tone was gentle but filled with boundless bloodlust: "Follow your contract, and you may survive."

"I understand, Master."

Mephisto felt a chill in his heart. He sensed that the young man's words implied the fall of countless lives.

"Then let me look forward to this fishing party."

Bi Xiao was full of anticipation.

………

Since the Hell's Gate incident, Earth has been in a very eerie state of peace. Even the United States, which usually liked to stir up trouble, had settled down.

All countries understood that since the Hell's Gate incident, it was confirmed that Earth was never alone, nor were humans the only species.

There were creatures more terrifying than humans, such as demons, Asgardians, and beings so powerful they could easily wipe out Earth, the Gods.

With external threats, the nations originally competing for dominance within Earth had to settle down.

Internal strife also needs appropriate timing and circumstances.

Knowing that there were greater threats and pressures beyond Earth, continuing internal strife to seize resources and power was akin to dragging the whole world into the abyss.

Even though the United States had superior military, economic, and technological power compared to other countries, it could not stand against the whole world. Realizing this, the United States stopped causing trouble.

Instead of wasting time, it started researching ways to deal with these terrifying creatures.

Not only the United States, but all major countries worldwide began urgently preparing, engaging in a new round of arms and technology races.

Weapons needed upgrades, and so did technology.

In the United States, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s role became prominent. During the Hell's Gate incident, S.H.I.E.L.D. had developed numerous contingency plans. The Avengers Initiative passed quickly, with significant funding allocated to S.H.I.E.L.D. to develop, while urging Nick Fury to accelerate the formation of the Avengers.

Fury was both pleased and troubled.

He was pleased because his Avengers Initiative was progressing smoothly, receiving Congressional funding and approval, allowing him to operate openly.

But he was troubled by the woman in front of him.

An old friend.

In S.H.I.E.L.D.'s headquarters office, Carol wore a simple brown jacket and white jeans, with a baseball cap on her head. Her silky blonde hair flowed down, and unlike her former warrior's fierce demeanor, she now looked more like a fashionable girl.

Carol held a meowing orange cat, staring silently at Nick Fury sitting at his desk with a death glare.

Fury had been handling documents, but under Carol's intense gaze, he couldn't help but surrender.

"OK, OK, I apologize. I'll treat you to a burger and soda," Fury said, raising his hands helplessly.

Carol had no malice, but her life level was too high. Even though Fury was a reinforced human, the gap between him and Carol was too vast. Her stare was something even an ace agent with his mental fortitude couldn't withstand.

Carol finally withdrew her gaze with satisfaction.

Then, out of curiosity, she asked, "So, who is that boy?"

"We only know part of the information. His name is John Shaw, in Chinese, Bi Xiao," Fury said, pronouncing the Chinese name with perfect accuracy, unlike the poor attempts in movies.

As the influence of the China grew, becoming a major language power, agents had to master these languages. In fact, not only Fury but most elite agents possessed this skill.

People like Natasha and Coulson, for example.

Carol understood because she had a universal translator chip embedded behind her neck, connecting brainwaves and language patterns. It could translate and transmit any language to her brain, a common device in the universe.

"Shaw? He looks so young, it's incredible," Carol marveled.

She was filled with curiosity. With Fury present, she had seen everything that happened at the Hell's Gate in Greenland Island: Wanda, Pietro, Bella, Thor, Loki, Bi Xiao, demons, Hell lords, and so on. It all fascinated her.

She never expected so many strong beings on Earth, nor the presence of famous figures from Norse mythology like Thor and Loki, along with various demons.