Andrew said with a look of disdain, "Sorcerer Supreme, it's annoying to be so mysterious."
Ancient One didn't care; she said, "Next, the Demon Lords will definitely make other moves."
"New York is my territory, I'll keep an eye on it."
Andrew said that no matter what the Demon Lords planned, he wouldn't be afraid. From the moment he stepped onto Earth, he had been preparing for this war.
Compared to more than a year ago, Andrew's strength had undergone a tremendous change, and he had a divine teammate by his side nicknamed the Lord of Freebies.
Additionally, the actions of the Demon Lords weren't entirely without benefits; the more dangerous New York became, the more soul contracts he could harvest.
"Good."
Ancient One nodded and said, "The mages of the New York Temple need to maintain the seal and cannot help. I will send Johnny to New York to assist you. He can now control the Spirit of Vengeance."
"Johnny? It's about time he came back. If he doesn't return soon, his girlfriend will be snatched away."
Andrew smiled and disappeared from in front of Ancient One.
On Earth, the apocalyptic aura came and went quickly. Before people could understand what was happening, everything returned to normal.
Tony and the others looked at each other. What just happened? Why did it feel like they had walked through the gates of Hell?
Tony was about to speak when Dr. Reed shouted from outside, "Quickly get the citizens out of the underground space; it could collapse at any moment."
Everyone was startled and rushed out. Then, they quickly transferred the injured and citizens. The unfortunate thing was that the elevator was damaged in the previous battle, so they had to personally help them up.
Susan thought for a moment, raised her hands, and a protective shield appeared under the citizens' feet. Then, she controlled the shield to rise, and the citizens ascended as if in an elevator.
Human Torch said in surprise, "Sister, your control and abilities have improved so quickly."
"It's alright."
Susan was a little embarrassed; her method of improvement was quite special and couldn't be told to others.
Soon, all the citizens were sent out. As everyone was about to leave, Iron Man thought of something, looked back at the sealed place, and asked, "How do we deal with that unknown creature's bones?"
Colleen said, "No need to deal with it. The Divine Dragon's remains cannot leave this place."
"Divine Dragon's remains? So, there really are dragons? This world is becoming increasingly unfamiliar."
Tony sighed. Rhode scoffed, "That doesn't sound like something the smartest person in the universe would say."
Recalling his previous loss of control, Tony was a little embarrassed. He snorted, "If you're envious of me, you can just say so. I'll send you a signed poster of myself."
"Hey, this place is about to collapse. If you want to show off your affection, please do it outside."
Garrett shouted impatiently, "Hurry up and get out."
The Superheroes laughed heartily and left the underground space one after another. At the same time, Andrew's figure appeared next to the Divine Dragon's remains.
"This dragon bone is not only the core of New York's ley lines but also the core of the Beast's resentment and the core of Evil God Power. Once it leaves the New York underground, New York will be destroyed."
Andrew thought for a moment, raised his hand, and a large amount of Demon Lord Power surged out, forming a Demon Lord Seal in the underground space.
Anyone else who wanted to touch this dragon bone would first have to break his seal.
"Done, let's go."
Andrew nodded and disappeared from the sealed place. The next second, the underground space began to collapse, burying everything.
"Hundreds of thousands of souls, some Evil God flesh and blood, not bad."
Andrew thought to himself. Once upon a time, he was happy with a few hundred souls, but now, hundreds of thousands of souls couldn't satisfy him. Clearly, he had changed.
Outside the Midtown Financial Company, a group of reporters were interviewing Tony Stark and others. Human Torch was very excited, talking endlessly about his great achievements.
Gwen didn't accept the interview. She slapped her forehead and said annoyedly, "I left Andrew at the park."
"It's a miracle that Andrew hasn't dumped you yet."
Skye scoffed in the communication channel. Gwen said, "Nonsense, I'm going to find him right away."
With that, Gwen immediately left. Jessica shook her head. Gwen's behavior was indeed quite amusing, no wonder Andrew never exposed it.
"My idol has such a terrible personality."
Jessica sighed inwardly. At this moment, Spider-Man walked over, looking dejected, and said to Jessica, "Jessica, please tell Spider-Woman I'm sorry."
Jessica comforted him, "What happened before wasn't your fault. I also punched Colleen."
"It's just that I'm too useless. Uh, Jessica, I didn't mean to say anything about you."
Spider-Man sighed. He had been in a bad mood recently because his beloved goddess, Mary Jane, was marrying the son of editor-in-chief Jameson.
Jessica smiled and said, "Spider-Man, don't take this to heart. Speaking of which, I also need to go apologize to Colleen."
Colleen was currently holding Iron Fist's body, her eyes blank. Seeing this, Jessica had an idea—to pull Colleen into their team.
In the park, Gwen kept apologizing to Andrew, "Andrew, I was on the phone for too long just now, I'm really sorry."
Andrew said indifferently, "It's fine, it's not the first time."
Gwen felt even more guilty. She was truly an unqualified girlfriend.
At this moment, Gwen remembered what happened before and asked the knowledgeable Andrew, "Andrew, do you know what a Demon Lord's Favored One is?"
Andrew nodded and replied, "Yes, I do. A Demon Lord's Favored One refers to someone who is favored by a Demon Lord and has Demon Lord Power in their body."
"Has Demon Lord Power in their body?"
Gwen was stunned. Why would she have Demon Lord Power in her body? Wait, could it be Spider Power? No, Peter also has Spider Power.
"Gwen, it's come to this, so I won't pretend anymore. I'll lay my cards on the table."
Andrew looked at Gwen and said seriously, "I am the Hell Demon King. You have my power in your body. In others' eyes, you are a Demon Lord's Favored One."
"Uncle, at this age, don't have such a chuunibyou dream of being a Hell Demon King."
Gwen complained—the word chuunibyou was taught to her by Andrew.
"Why does no one ever believe the truth?"
Andrew spread his hands, "Not only am I the Hell Demon King, but I also have several girlfriends, so I never care if a girlfriend is late for a date, or even abandons me."
"Alright, I know I was wrong. I promise there won't be a next time. I'll spend these next few days with you."
"Do you even believe that yourself?"
"Uh, no."
…
In the hospital room, Steve and the elderly Carter, lying on the hospital bed, both breathed a sigh of relief after watching the news. New York had escaped another disaster.
Steve sighed, "Your era seems even more dangerous than World War II. Disasters are happening all the time."
Carter said, "It's our era, Steve. You are also a person of this era."
Steve was silent. He hesitated, then asked, "Carter, would you be willing to become eighteen again and live another lifetime with me?"
Carter heard this and asked worriedly, "Steve, is a demon trying to make a deal with you?"
Carter had lived for decades and knew many things. Steve said, "Whether it's a demon or not, it's not important. What's important is, Carter, are you willing?"
"Steve, I cannot let you sacrifice for me."
Carter shook her head and said, "Moreover, those who make deals with demons never come to a good end. I think you should be clear about that."
Steve sighed and didn't bring up the matter again. Restoring Carter to youth was not only for Carter but also for himself.
Steve was truly too lonely.
…
The earthquake caused by The Hand temporarily came to an end. This time, not many people died, but the loss of private and public property was relatively significant.
The survivors, while haggling with insurance companies for compensation, cursed the city hall and S.H.I.E.L.D. for being useless, almost allowing The Hand to succeed.
It's worth mentioning that the official explanation for this incident was that The Hand buried a large amount of explosives—dragon bones, ninja resurrection, and similar things—under Midtown. The official completely denied these claims.
Garrett received a lot of criticism because of this incident. He cursed that bastard Nick Fury every day at home.
Regardless, life had to go on. As time passed, citizens found that New York seemed to have changed. For example, the crime rate had skyrocketed.
Previously, robberies mostly happened at night, but now people were robbed even during the day, and some even directly rushed into stores to steal things.
Other criminal incidents, such as assaults, fights, shootings, etc., also emerged endlessly. Police officers and Superheroes became very busy, and their figures could be seen everywhere.
Simply put, New York was getting worse and worse.
Amidst the chaos, time arrived in July. On this day, Roxanne, a famous host from Horn TV Station, came to a small town near New York for an interview.
"Last weekend, about a dozen college students went hiking in the mountains. As a result, they were all brutally murdered, their bodies not even intact. The townspeople say a demon has appeared in the mountains."
Roxanne said to the camera, "The police have a different view. They believe that what's in the mountains is not a demon, but a serial killer. Today, we will go up the mountain with the police to search for the criminal and uncover the truth behind the murders."
"Live capture of the major criminal who killed over a dozen college students?"
The audience was very interested and left numerous comments in the live broadcast room.
After introducing the basic situation, Roxanne handed the microphone to the tall police officer next to her and asked, "Officer, when do we depart?"
"We're leaving now. We've already got leads and are sure to catch that serial killer."
The officer said confidently. He seemed interested in Roxanne and kept showing off his strength.
"Good, I hope everything goes smoothly."
Roxanne smiled. Then, she and her assistant followed the police on foot into the mountains to search for the criminal.
Not long after searching, the police found the suspect next to a wooden cabin—a strange man nearly two meters tall, holding a large machete and wearing a hockey mask.
It's worth mentioning that the large machete in the strange man's hand was dark red and had a strong smell of blood, which was chilling.
"I told you, it's not a demon."
The officer was somewhat smug. He and the police pointed their guns at the strange man, then he shouted, "Put down the knife and surrender immediately."
"They caught the killer so quickly? How boring."
Seeing this scene, the audience expressed disappointment. Roxanne also shook her head. It was too easy. She thought to herself, "If he were a real demon, the ratings would surely skyrocket."