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Ch. 314 Doctor Doom's Plan
🕑 Added 2024-03-05 16:00:10 +0000 UTCTaking the magic scroll handed over by Doom, Russell unrolled it and began to read through its contents.
After just finishing the beginning, his expression turned into one of shock.
What the heck!
Who in their right mind wrote this!
Indeed, the scroll contained instructions on how to return from hell to the mortal world.
The only problem was, this method was anything but ordinary.
The method of return was a form of black magic, and not just any black magic!
Because this black magic required the use of a Knight Spirit of Vengeance.
That's right!
It required a Knight Spirit of Vengeance, one who harbored the spirit of revenge and wielded the fires of hell, specifically for cleansing evil on Earth.
If it weren't for Doom providing the scroll, Russell would have definitely suspected that the author of the scroll was suffering from delusions.
Using a Knight Spirit of Vengeance, whose purpose was to cleanse evil on Earth, as the core of a magical formation.
One had to admit, this idea was beyond insane.
Putting aside his inner shock, after reading the entire contents of the scroll, Russell handed it back to Doom.
"Where did you get this scroll from?" Russell asked Doom.
"I acquired it through a trade with a demon," Doom replied calmly.
"A trade?"
"Don't beat around the bush. You wouldn't trade with demons from hell."
Other people might possibly trade with demons, but not Doom.
Because his mother had made a deal with Mephisto, the Lord of Hell, and had her soul taken away by him.
"I summoned a demon to the mortal world, and after taking care of him, I obtained this from him," Doom explained slowly.
"Summoned accidentally?" Russell continued to inquire.
"Of course not. To summon that demon, I attempted it dozens of times."
"It was only after eliminating those demons that I finally summoned the original owner of this scroll."
Madness!
Upon hearing Doom's explanation, Russell immediately labeled him as a madman.
Doom's strength was indeed not low, but his actions were no different from dancing on the edge of a knife, and he did it dozens of times.
From a magical perspective, spellcasters could indeed control the targets they summoned to a certain extent.
But nothing was absolute.
Summoning a minor demon could result in summoning a Hellfire Demon, for example.
"Have you verified the methods mentioned in the scroll?" Russell switched to another question and continued to ask.
"Of course not. If I had verified it, I wouldn't need your help," Doom replied nonchalantly.
"You have a magic scroll obtained from a demon, and you haven't verified whether the magic inside it is effective. Yet, you invite me to go to hell with you."
"Mr. Doom, do you think my mind is not sound, or do you think I'm as crazy as you are?"
Russell initially thought that Doom was a pretty decent person.
After all, there were very few people in the world who were willing to go against Mephisto, the Lord of Hell, to reclaim their mother's soul.
For ordinary people, the Lord of Hell, Mephisto, might be a completely unfamiliar entity.
They couldn't even imagine how terrifying Mephisto really was.
But for Russell and Doom, who were both mages, they were well aware of Mephisto's power.
In the field of magic, Mephisto belonged to the kind of individual who could single-handedly support an entire magical system.
Just like how Kamar-Taj's white magic required borrowing energy from Vishanti, Mephisto belonged to the same level.
"If I wasn't crazy, then I wouldn't have come to you."
"As long as you're willing to accompany me on this trip, I'll give you a method to break through the Skyfathers level within a year."
Doom calmly revealed his trump card.
Breakthrough to the Skyfathers level within a year?
After hearing Doom's words, Russell was momentarily stunned.
In terms of strength, he was already considered a sub-Skyfathers after awakening the Divine Sun Power.
But even so, he still needed a long time to become a Skyfathers, much longer than a year.
Unless he could obtain advanced rewards from the system.
Such as Infinity Ultron, Dark Doctor Strange, or Power of Odin, and so on.
Otherwise, he couldn't think of any way to become a Skyfathers in a short time.
"Your reward is indeed very tempting."
"But I'm sorry, I can't just believe you based on your words alone," Russell said slowly.
"Just based on what I said earlier, it's indeed difficult to make you believe me."
"However, if you listen to the following, you might change your mind."
"I have a way to grant you some of Mephisto's authority and help you establish your own kingdom in Hell."
After hearing Doom's words, Russell's expression became extremely serious.
"What exactly are you plotting?"
"I've said it before, I just want to invite you to accompany me to Hell and help me reclaim my mother's soul."
"As for how I know you want to establish a kingdom, it's simple because you're not the only one who has been to Vanaheimr."
"I know what you did in Vanaheimr, I also know that you awakened the Divine Sun Power in the Golden Palace of Asgard."
"I know why you wanted to make New York a demilitarized zone, turning it into your actual territory."
"Your rise is indeed legendary, but on the path of seeking power, I have gone further than you."
Doom's tone became extremely serious.
If Russell had only thought that Doom was a bit crazy earlier, now he felt that Doom truly deserved the title of "Lord Doom."
Just based on his awakening of the Divine Sun Power and turning New York into his territory, Doom guessed his true plan.
Well done!
If it weren't for the inappropriate setting, Russell really wanted to applaud Doom.
As Doom had said, making New York a demilitarized zone wasn't just about humiliating the official goverment; it also had a very important purpose.
A kingdom!
He was preparing to make New York his own kingdom.
As for why he wanted to do this, the reason was simple: he wanted to become a Skyfathers as soon as possible.
And establishing his own kingdom was the best method he could think of and had the ability to implement at the moment.
"Even if I believe that you really have a way to grant me some of Mephisto's authority and establish a kingdom in Hell, there's one thing I don't understand."
"Since you have a method like this, why don't you use it yourself?"
"If you can establish a kingdom in Hell and seize some of Mephisto's authority, you should have the ability to resist Mephisto on your own."
Russell calmed his emotions and asked Doom.
"It's very simple, because I can't use this method."
"Perhaps in your eyes, awakening divine power is a simple matter, but for the vast majority of people, it's nearly impossible."
"Otherwise, the number of divine power awakeners in Asgard and Vanaheimrwouldn't be so rare."
"Besides, my method is only useful to you, or rather, to those who possess the Divine Sun Power or divine power."
Upon hearing this, Russell suddenly had some associations.
"The method you mentioned, could it be about opening the Gates of Heaven in Hell, then using the power of heaven to sever Mephisto's authority, while at the same time establishing an uncontaminated kingdom in Hell?"
"Talking to smart people makes things easier. Yes, the method I mentioned is indeed that."
Doom didn't deny it and said straightforwardly.
"In principle, this is indeed a method."
"But you should know that whether it's opening the Gates of Heaven in Hell or using the power of heaven, neither of these tasks is easy."
"If we were to evaluate their difficulty, it wouldn't be any simpler than returning from Hell to the mortal world."
Though Doom admitted, Russell still found it hard to believe that he could accomplish it.
Opening the Gates of Heaven in the mortal world wasn't easy, let alone in Hell.
What's more, even if he successfully opened the Gates of Heaven in Hell, he wouldn't be able to use the power of heaven.
He wasn't an angel, and heaven wouldn't respond to his summoning, let alone lend him the power of heaven.
It seemed that Doom understood Russell's thoughts, so he cast another spell and produced a cross made of what looked like pure gold out of thin air.
"This is a Holy Cross from heaven. With this, even in Hell, you can easily open the Gates of Heaven."
"As for how to use the power of heaven, with this thing, it shouldn't be too difficult for you."
Doom explained patiently.
A Holy Cross from heaven?
Where did this guy get it from?
First, he got the scroll from a demon in Hell, and now he has this Holy Cross from heaven.
If Russell didn't know what kind of person Doom was, he would have suspected that Doom had changed careers and become a supplier for the multiverse.
"You didn't summon several dozen angels and steal this thing from them, did you?" Russell asked with a smile.
"Of course not. Demons from Hell are not trustworthy, but angels from heaven can cooperate with them in some simple ways."
"I acquired this Holy Cross from a major angel through a trade, and there's absolutely no issue with its source."
"Otherwise, it wouldn't be a Holy Cross, but a Fallen Cross."
Doom explained patiently.
With that, Doom handed the Holy Cross to Russell.
"This is your deposit. Regardless of whether I can reclaim my mother's soul or not, this belongs to you."
Russell didn't refuse and accepted the Holy Cross.
When Doom took out the Holy Cross, the Divine Sun Power within him became extremely active, as if it had the urge to devour the Holy Cross.
"I'll take the deposit!"
"Now, tell me, when do you want to start?"
After asking so many questions, Russell finally made a decision.
It was just accompanying Doom to Hell, nothing too difficult!
If they really encountered any unexpected situations, he also had a trump card to use.
Although his trump card couldn't defeat Mephisto, it could definitely ensure his safe return to the mortal world.
"I'm still looking for the whereabouts of the Knight Spirit of Vengeance. Once I confirm his location, I'll notify you."
"Alright!"
Doom's prepared method for returning requires the cooperation of a Knight Spirit of Vengeance.
Upon hearing Russell's response, Doom immediately cast a teleportation spell and left the observation deck.
After Doom's departure, Russell had no intention of continuing to enjoy the scenery. He cast a portal spell and returned to the main headquarters of the Justice League.
Once back at the Justice League headquarters, he briefly informed Diana and then headed to the private training grounds within the headquarters.
After instructing No. 3, he retrieved the deposit provided by Doom from the system space, the "Holy Cross."
Grasping the Holy Cross, made of a unique material from heaven, in his right hand, Russell didn't hesitate. He began channeling the Divine Sun Power within him.
The sacred energy within the Holy Cross could enhance the divine authority of the Divine Sun.
While he needed to leave the Holy Cross to open the Gates of Heaven, it didn't require much energy to do so. As long as there was sacred energy within the Holy Cross, it could serve as the key to open the Gates of Heaven and borrow the power of heaven.
That's right!
The Holy Cross was merely a key.
Once the Holy Cross was connected to heaven, Russell could handle the rest with his own Divine Sun Power.
Although his Divine Sun Power had little to do with the sacred energy within heaven, they had many commonalities, at least in terms of attributes, making them interchangeable.
Time passed slowly.
As he absorbed most of the energy within the Holy Cross to strengthen his own divine power with sacred attributes, Russell, floating in the training chamber, opened his eyes.
As his eyes opened, the golden light that radiated from him, like the sun, gradually dissipated.
When the golden light that had filled the entire training chamber disappeared, No. 3's voice resounded within the chamber.
"Sir, Mr. Doom has sent you three messages. Would you like to check them now?"
"Project them."
As soon as he said that, a holographic screen appeared in front of Russell.
During the time he was absorbing the energy from the Holy Cross, Doom had located the Knight Spirit of Vengeance. This was the first message.
The second message detailed Doom's solo attempt to capture the Knight Spirit of Vengeance, which ultimately ended in the Knight's escape.
As for the third message, it was Doom's invitation for Russell to join him in capturing the Knight Spirit of Vengeance.
Checking the time in the lower left corner of the screen, Russell saw that Doom had sent the third message just this morning.
"Reply to Doom and tell him it's okay."
"Very well, sir."
After instructing No. 3, Russell cast a portal spell and returned directly to his bedroom.
It had been seven days since he started absorbing the sacred energy from the Holy Cross. Although he hadn't sweated or accumulated any dust during those seven days, Russell decided to take a relaxing hot bath.
It was still daytime, and the Knight Spirit of Vengeance wouldn't appear during the day, so there was no need to rush.
After a comfortable soak in the hot bath, Russell used a portal spell to arrive at the dining room.
For him at this point, eating was merely a habit. Even if he stopped eating and drinking from this moment forward, the Divine Sun Power within him could convert into enough energy to sustain his life.
Moreover, the Divine Sun Power continued to strengthen his Kryptonian physiology, making him increasingly less categorized as a "human."
After finishing his lunch in the dining room, Russell calmly headed to Diana's study.
