"Terry! Quickly, turn into that alley!"
As the Beast guided him, Terry struggled to stay conscious. He could feel himself deteriorating with every passing second.
Fear of death gripped his body. As the adrenaline began to fade, the pain set in. His bones ached, and his arm was severely burned.
Sam's lightning hadn't seemed too bad at the time, but now the full extent of the damage was manifesting. The Beast directed Terry into a narrow alleyway.
Terry leaned against a wall, barely stopping himself from collapsing. He slowly dragged his body toward the end of the alley. He was starving, and despite the Beast's healing abilities, his body struggled to fully recover.
Terry needed a human to replenish his energy and heal himself. He cursed under his breath as his knees gave out, forcing him to sit with his back against the wall. Closing his eyes, he tried to rest while the Beast kept lecturing him in his mind.
"Terry, don't worry. You'll be fine," the Beast reassured, doing everything it could to keep him alive. It worked urgently, using its powers to close his smaller wounds and stop the bleeding.
Terry was in terrible shape. Even the Beast was surprised his body had endured this much. To stay conscious, Terry pressed down on his wounds, creating pain to keep himself awake.
"Beast, tell me your name," Terry said, trying to engage the Beast in conversation to stave off unconsciousness.
The Beast paused for a moment before answering calmly, "Remember it well, Terry. My name is Mephistopheles."
"Alright, I'll call you Mephisto," Terry replied with a faint smile, feeling as if he had heard that name somewhere before. The idea that this Beast was the Mephisto was almost laughable.
"You must be a high-ranking demon in the underworld," Terry said casually. Mephisto's grin grew wider; even Terry could feel it. The demon seemed proud of the compliment.
"I am a powerful demon capable of taking many forms," Mephisto began, his voice filled with pride. "When I first entered this world, I was forced into my simplest, most feral form."
Terry chuckled, curious about Mephisto's true form. "I bet you're a fiery woman, aren't you?"
Mephisto's scowl was almost audible, making Terry smile. He could tell the demon was irritated. Mephisto responded coolly, "I have no gender. I usually deceive humans into making deals with me."
"Do you trade in souls?"
"Who spread that nonsense?!" Mephisto snapped, his voice ringing so loudly in Terry's mind that it caused him pain. "Don't shout, you're giving me a headache," Terry complained.
"Tch, I'm not a succubus. I offer contracts to humans, either to drain their life energy or have them complete tasks for me," Mephisto said proudly.
"So, what's your true form like?" Terry asked, genuinely curious. He couldn't help but imagine Mephisto as the stereotypical old, wicked man from the movies.
"My true form is beyond comparison—handsome, powerful, and magnificently styled. It's far more aesthetic than my current one," Mephisto declared with pride.
"What do you think, Terry?" Mephisto asked, noticing Terry's silence. When Terry didn't respond, Mephisto shouted, "Stay awake!"
"Huh? Why are you yelling?" Terry opened his eyes, struggling even more to remain conscious. Despite his wounds healing faster now, it wasn't enough to fully recover.
As Mephisto watched excitedly, Terry leapt toward the nearest open window, slipping inside with ease. He found himself in a kitchen. Glancing around, his eyes landed on the refrigerator. With some technical knowledge, he planned to overload it and cause an explosion. While it wouldn't be massive, if left unchecked, it would create significant chaos.
"Wish I could manipulate fire," Terry muttered regretfully. Mephisto raised an eyebrow. "You already have that ability."
"What??" Terry exclaimed, both shocked and annoyed. "Why didn't you tell me? That would've been so useful!"
"You didn't ask," Mephisto replied nonchalantly, as if it were no big deal. In truth, he had forgotten but wasn't about to admit it. His reputation mattered.
"This entire building is interconnected by electrical cables. Most of them are plastic-coated, which can release hydrogen chloride and carbon monoxide if burned. Perfect for causing both fire and toxic gas," Terry mused, impressed by his own intelligence. "If the electricity catches fire, it'll lead to more deaths."
"How do you know all this?" Mephisto asked, genuinely surprised. Terry, proud of himself, explained casually, "I learned a few things, just in case I needed to kill someone back in school. This is one of those plans."
"You're absolutely insane," Mephisto remarked, amazed at Terry's audacity. Yet, he couldn't help but feel even more pleased with his choice of a host.
"So, what's the plan now?"
"In America, the main electrical systems of some buildings are located in the basement. Electricity flows through there before being distributed. Overloading the refrigerator won't cut it. I'll target the main electrical input instead," Terry said thoughtfully. Experience tales at empire
He began searching the house. Finding it empty was a stroke of luck. Shortly, he exited the house and descended into the basement. Ignoring the warning sign, he kicked open the door and entered.
Approaching the wall-mounted system, he removed the protective casing to expose the wires. Turning to Mephisto, he instructed, "Now, please spread flames across the wires but make sure they don't burn the plastic yet."
"Got it," Mephisto replied seriously. Flames appeared in Terry's hands, spreading over the wires without igniting them, coating all the cables in the building.
Once the flames covered the entire network, Terry asked, "Done?"
"Yes," Mephisto confirmed calmly. "The flames now encompass all the wires."
"Good. Let's get out of here. We've wasted enough time," Terry said, leaving the basement. As he exited the building, a police officer approached him. "Excuse me, can I see your ID?"
"No, you can't," Terry sneered, shoving the officer aside and walking away. The people nearby stared in shock at his audacity, clearing a path for him.
The officer groaned, trying to get up. "Stop! Come back here!"
But it was too late. By the time Terry was far enough, the explosion occurred.
"Boom!"
Six buildings detonated in an instant, debris flying everywhere. Terry escaped swiftly, surprised by the scale of destruction.
"You told me to coat the building in flames," Mephisto said with a smirk. "So, I included the transformer as well. Isn't it much more exciting this way?"
Feeling Mephisto's exhilaration, Terry grinned. The magnitude of the explosion was impressive, and he had to admit it.
"Lesson learned," Terry remarked calmly as he walked away. "Explosions really are an art form."