William hadn't expected much—just taking a chance—but was surprised to learn that there really was a follower of Mammon acting as an informant inside the Midnight Bar. Finishing the whisky in his glass, William narrowed his eyes. "Where is the skeletal demon?"
Freddy, in his bulldog form, looked up flatteringly at the soul coin in William's hand. "Right in New York City, Master."
Standing up, William walked over to the frozen-in-place bar owner, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "If you know Mammon or can contact him, tell him for me: stay in Hell where he belongs. Got it?"
Seeing the bartender's shifting eyes and obvious fear, William chuckled and tossed a Devonshire coin onto the bar counter. "That's for the drink."
Invisible, he lazily followed behind the floating Freddy and Fisher. After about ten minutes of flight, he was surprised when their path led them to Long Island Cemetery.
Seeing the cemetery from a distance gave William a bad feeling. And sure enough, Freddy hovered right above the grave of John Wick's wife, Helen.
Looking at the freshly turned, still-moist soil—despite the surface having been smoothed over—rage surged through William's chest.
To him, this kind of thing was absolutely intolerable. His voice turned sharp as he barked at Freddy and Fisher, "Find her. If you can't, I'll grind your bones to ash."
Hearing that, Freddy and Fisher immediately dropped to the grave, sniffing left and right, exchanging silent cues. Then both demons turned into mist and sped off toward Newark Airport, just outside New York City.
Seeing this, William instantly understood what was going on. "Sunday, check if the Helen possessed by the skeletal demon has left the US."
Not even ten seconds later, Sunday reported, "SIR, two hours ago, a private jet headed for Rome carried a woman with over 90% resemblance to Helen."
"Rome?"
Hearing that, William no longer felt the need to chase the skeletal demon immediately. He had already suspected something was off when the Pope of the Church of Light suddenly died, and now, with the skeletal demon possessing John Wick's deceased wife? There had to be a deeper plot.
A flight from New York to Rome took about nine hours, and since the plane had only taken off two hours ago, there was still plenty of time to respond.
"Sunday, find out who chartered that private jet."
A few seconds later, Sunday said something that almost made William curse aloud. "SIR, the plane was booked in the name of the Papal National Church Bank. No specific individual is listed."
"Fuck," William immediately realized how John Wick's movements had been leaked so quickly—an inside job. The worst kind of betrayal.
"We're going back to Rome."
Five hours later, outside Rome Airport, William sat in a Range Rover and watched through his smart lenses. Helen, who now looked at least ten years younger, had just disembarked. "Sunday, keep your eyes on her. I want to know what she's up to. Record everyone she comes in contact with."
"Understood, SIR."
Following his order, drones took to the sky and spider bots crawled onto the vehicle carrying the skeletal demon.
While waiting for his enemy to slip up, William drove into Rome's city center and, dressed in a baseball cap and wide sunglasses, disguised himself as a tourist and wandered through the city.
A few hours later, sitting at an outdoor café, William suddenly sensed Mephisto's presence. A sweep of his mental energy confirmed it—Mephisto, wearing a trench coat and leaning on a cane, was walking straight toward him.
Snapping his fingers to summon a waiter, William ordered a coffee for Mephisto. Then, smiling as Mephisto approached with a sour expression, he asked, "How's the war going in Hell?"
Looking at Freddy and Fisher, who were lying obediently at William's feet, Mephisto growled, "With two of Hell's hounds at your side, don't tell me you don't already know."
Mephisto stared hard at Freddy, still in bulldog form, but couldn't identify what kind of demon he was due to the spatial barrier wrapped around him.
That made him frown deeply.
"Sorry, I really don't," William said with a grin, glancing at Freddy and Fisher, who were both drooping their heads in fear. Then he checked his watch and smiled again. "Not even five minutes left until our bet expires. Are my ten thousand mid-tier demons and the land in Hell ready?"
"Of course," Mephisto replied, pulling out a leather contract from his coat. "Sign this, and we're even."
So that's your move?
Knowing full well that William would never sign a demonic contract, Mephisto was clearly trying to force him to abandon the bet.
With a wave of William's hand, a breeze unrolled the contract on the table, revealing its contents.
Holy glyphs lit up in William's eyes. After a quick glance, he noticed the parchment's natural texture seemed to hide some unfamiliar script. What's more, the surface text stated that if William became a lord of Hell, he would be obligated to defend it against invasions from other dimensions.
Just that clause alone was a deal-breaker. William himself didn't know whether he might one day attack Hell—either alone or with allies.
"You two take a look at this land. See if anything seems off."
Hearing that, Freddy hesitated—still terrified of Mephisto—while Fisher, equally scared, wasted no time. He jumped up onto the armrest of the nearby chair and stared intently at the contract.
After a long look, he turned and shook his head at William, indicating he had no clue.
Mephisto sneered from his seat, mocking Fisher with a crooked smirk.
Then Freddy, also climbing onto the armrest, stared at the contract for a while before stammering,
"M-Master, the land listed in the contract is located in Silent Hill. Many nightmare demons hide out there…"
"Nightmare demons? So you're a nightmare demon?" Mephisto asked, barely containing his rage, eyes glowing ominously as he glared at Freddy. It was as if he'd devour him on the spot if he dared say another word.
But William casually pulled Freddy's soul coin from his storage and began to toy with it in his hand.
With that visible, Freddy didn't dare hide anything. "The land's not bad, b-but it's a key passage into Lord Mephisto's core territory. If any battles break out, Silent Hill could easily be caught between two fronts."
"A strategic choke point?" William, having already suspected foul play, sneered. "Demons will always be demons."
With a casual gesture, he purified the contract—completely destroying it—and then surprised Mephisto, Fisher, and Freddy alike by saying,
"We'll go with the territory you proposed: Silent Hill. But I'm not signing any contract. You just need to officially announce the transfer, let the demons of Hell know about it. Whether it can stop Cyttorak's army, or what happens later, that's my problem."
Mephisto immediately realized: William could very well just let Cyttorak's forces pass through Silent Hill without resistance.
Now it was Mephisto who had to grit his teeth.
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