Chapter 018: Summoning

Wang Bo had given some thought before putting Afra in charge of Lone Mountain.

Though he was the King of Lone Mountain, he was often away. A short absence was fine, but a long one might stir unwelcome thoughts in others.

Wang Bo didn't care much, but dealing with such matters later would be troublesome.

Rather than trouble in the future, it was better to appoint someone now to manage Lone Mountain and nip any such thoughts in the bud.

Afra happened to appear—not only powerful but loyal. Managing Lone Mountain should not be difficult for her.

After all, Lone Mountain itself didn't have many problems.

Lake-town was under Bard's management; Afra only needed to oversee the dwarves, urge them to forge weapons, and provide some assistance.

The rest were trivial matters that one person could handle.

Wang Bo believed Afra would not disappoint him too much.

As for the other mid-level demons, he put them back into his Time Villa. Though capable, they were not upper-level demons and could hardly help him much.

So it wasn't time to deploy them yet. Keep them for now; when needed, send them out.

With the three upper-level demons assigned their roles, the matter of Saint Fanga was settled.

Next, Wang Bo turned his attention to invading Hell, defeating Mephisto, and helping Hela seize the throne of Hell.

After several discussions, Hela and Wang Bo settled on a simple, direct plan.

Once his injuries healed, he would sneak into Hell and summon Lady Gremory.

If summoning Lady Gremory caused too much commotion, Hela would block Mephisto's interference; after Wang Bo summoned Lady Gremory, the three would join forces to kill Mephisto.

If the summoning was quiet and Mephisto didn't notice,

the three would rendezvous, find an opportunity to kill Mephisto, and let Hela inherit the throne of Hell.

The whole plan was simple and crude, without a shred of cunning.

None of Wang Bo, Hela, or Lady Gremory was inferior to Mephisto. Wang Bo was slightly weaker, but with his Divine Raiment and Gungnir, he would be no less than Mephisto.

Now, with the three joining forces, even if Mephisto could draw on Hell's power, he might not defeat them.

Even if they truly couldn't beat Mephisto, they could retreat safely.

Soon, a week passed, and Hela finally recovered to her peak state.

Wang Bo, poised for action, asked, "When do we start?"

Hela waved her hand, opening a portal to Hell, and stepped through first.

Wang Bo naturally followed, striding in.

After passing through the portal, Wang Bo officially entered Hell. But before his eyes, his nose caught the scent of Hell.

It was the pungent smell of... sulfur.

Yes, in this boundless, endless Hell, the first thing Wang Bo smelled was the sulfur that filled the air, almost omnipresent.

This foul odor hit his nostrils the moment he stepped into Hell.

Wang Bo immediately activated his Solar True Qi, switching from external to internal breathing, to block the thick sulfur smell in the air.

Then, what Wang Bo felt was the astonishing temperature in the air.

On Earth, air over thirty degrees Celsius is considered hot; standing outside for a short while can cause heatstroke, and over forty degrees can knock people out or even kill them.

But in Hell, the air temperature reached sixty to seventy degrees. Such heat would make one sweat profusely in minutes, and staying longer could cause dehydration and death. Combined with the overwhelming sulfur smell... Wang Bo could say with certainty that an ordinary person would not survive five minutes in Hell.

This place, as its name suggests, is no place for the living.

After Hela led Wang Bo into Hell, it seemed Mephisto hadn't noticed them, nor did he appear before them instantly to strike first.

So Wang Bo began to draw the summoning circle.

To finish quickly, Wang Bo used his Stand—Superman—which, at astonishing speed, drew the intricate and complex circle in an instant without a single mistake.

Wang Bo stood at the edge of the circle and channeled his magic.

As the circle absorbed his magic, mysterious runes lit up one by one, emitting a hazy glow. Seeing this, Hela set up a black barrier to conceal the light.

At the same time, Wang Bo felt his magic, through the circle, connect to a very distant place.

During this process, Wang Bo had to maintain a steady output of magic, and his considerable magical power was consumed at an alarming rate.

Ten percent, twenty percent, thirty percent, fifty percent... seventy percent...

To be honest, if all that magic were compressed and released, it would be enough to destroy a city.

Yet before activating the summoning circle, it seemed insufficient.

Fortunately, Wang Bo did not fail. When his magic was depleted by ninety percent, it finally connected to a summoning circle.

The next second, Wang Bo felt a powerful presence follow the magic, traversing space several times, and in an instant, the owner of that presence appeared before him.

A woman full of intellect, wearing a crown, slowly emerged from the summoning circle.

The woman smiled slightly. "We meet again, Wang Bo."

"Lady Gremory." Wang Bo nodded. "Let me introduce you. This is the Goddess of Death, Hela. Hela, this is the Archdemon Gremory; you may call her Lady Gremory."

Hela sensed the immense power within Lady Gremory and nodded slightly. This woman's strength was beyond imagination, no less than her own.

"Goddess of Death Hela, daughter of Loki?" Lady Gremory asked tentatively.

"No, my father is Odin," Hela said.

Lady Gremory nodded lightly. After all, different worlds might have different myths; changes were only natural.

Whether daughter of Loki or Odin, as long as she didn't hold them back, it was fine.

And Hela hadn't concealed her aura, so Lady Gremory could naturally sense her strength.

Though not as strong as herself, she was not far behind.

"Good." She accepted this ally.