Life with superheroes

Jason fell to the ground again, his body twitching slightly.

Mike looked down at Jason, while Coulson and Millie gazed at him in astonishment.

"This must be a dream…" Coulson muttered, glancing over at his girlfriend.

Millie pinched Coulson.

"Ouch!"

"It's real," she nodded, looking at him with wide eyes.

Coulson shot her a resentful look.

At that moment, they saw Mike flip his palm, causing a knife to appear as if by magic. He then plunged it into Jason's forehead.

"Uh…was that necessary?" Coulson stammered, while Millie nodded vigorously. They both took a step back as Mike turned to face them.

"Of course it's necessary," Mike said. "This murderer has been resurrected multiple times, from what I've heard."

Thud, thud! As Mike spoke, the blade in his hand continued to rise and fall.

Coulson's eyes twitched as cold sweat beaded on his forehead.

Oh my god! Right now, you're more of a killer than he was! he thought, crossing himself discreetly.

"Hm? Finally not moving?"

Mike checked Jason, made the knife disappear with a flick, and looked over at the tent.

Kids, you didn't see any of this, did you? It's far too bloody—it'd be awful for your growth!

Seeing no movement from the tent, Mike exhaled with relief.

If anything comes up, he thought, I'll just say Coulson did it.

He glanced over at Coulson, who had gone pale, a chill creeping from his feet to his forehead.

We need to get out of here quickly, Mike thought. If word about Jason's…incident gets out, it could draw unwanted attention from some departments. Mike wasn't in the mood to deal with that. But he did need to clear a few things up with Coulson.

With that, he started walking toward Coulson.

Coulson swallowed hard and pulled Millie back.

"Stop! Whatever it is, just say it from there!"

Mike frowned. "What? Did he misunderstand something?" he thought to himself.

He paused. "What happened here today is classified," he said.

Coulson blinked in surprise before nodding to Millie.

Mike allowed himself a slight smile, deciding to trust Coulson. He's dependable enough, Mike thought. And if anything came up, he knew how to handle it.

Suddenly, Millie screamed, her eyes fixed on a spot behind Mike.

"Huh?"

Mike turned to see Jason standing again. His body was now oozing a black, thick liquid that radiated a sickening aura.

Is he still not dead? Mike thought. Does he actually need to be dismembered? Wait… Mike's eyes narrowed as he noticed something behind Jason's mask.

Curiosity, surprise, greed…and hunger.

"Who are you?" Mike asked coldly, a card appearing between his fingers.

"Oh? You caught on," Jason replied, chuckling softly. "Seems I was careless."

Jason, or whatever was inside him, stared at Mike before glancing toward the tent with a look of intense desire. "Such high-quality souls," he murmured. "A rare treasure."

Mike's gaze hardened as he stepped between Jason and the tent. "A demon?" he asked.

Jason laughed. "Indeed. It seems you know quite a lot."

He gestured toward Coulson and Millie, and a low, eerie whisper filled the air.

Thud! The two dropped to the ground, unconscious, along with everyone else in the area, collapsing like wheat cut down in harvest.

"Don't worry, they're only asleep," Jason said calmly, his voice smooth and unsettling. "As you guessed, I'm a demon. You can call me Mephisto."

Mephisto.

Mike's eyes narrowed.

The demon who made contracts to capture souls?

Powerful, cunning, and insidious, Mike recalled how Mephisto had manipulated mortals like Ghost Rider through contracts.

So, Jason's many resurrections were due to a contract with him? That would explain Jason's increased strength with each return.

And now, Mephisto must have shown up because Jason sensed the four of them—Mike and his sons—and it drew the demon's attention.

"Interesting," Mephisto said, studying Mike with a twisted smile. "You seem to know quite a lot about me, mortal."

Mike's focus intensified as he gripped the card tighter.

"What do you want?"

Mephisto glanced from Mike to the tent. "A contract," he said. "I'm quite fond of your souls."

Oh, you want to like me? Mike thought. And by "like," you mean enslave?

"What if I don't sign?" he asked, his voice calm.

Mephisto, known for obtaining souls through contracts rather than brute force, was probably wary of something—perhaps the Ancient One.

Or it might just be his taste for manipulation, another layer of his depravity.

"Hmm, that would make things difficult," Mephisto mused, tapping a finger against his mask. "Though it's a bit risky, it's hard to pass up such a collection…"

Without hesitation, Mike materialized his card.

Name: Banshee's Veil.

Item description: A shield that blocks a single spell.

A cross with a ruby at its center appeared in Mike's hand, enveloping him in a misty veil.

Snap! A second later, the veil shattered and the cross vanished. But so did the spell Mephisto had cast.

Mephisto frowned, but before he could act, another card appeared between Mike's fingers.

The card shattered, and Senbonzakura materialized in his hand.

Without hesitation, Mike invoked its power.

Not just Shikai, but Bankai.

With his ability nearly at full strength, Mike could finally support the Bankai form of certain Zanpakutō, though only for a brief moment.

"Bankai: Senbonzakura Kageyoshi!"

As the words left his lips, he released his grip on the sword, which melted into the ground like a phantom.

Moments later, massive blades rose from the earth on either side of him, forming a steel forest. Mephisto watched in amazement as the blades shattered, transforming into a swarm of pink petals that enveloped Mike and the tent behind him.

Mephisto reached out to catch one of the petals, only to feel a sharp sting as it sliced into his palm. And, to his surprise, he realized it could even harm his soul.

"Interesting. Very interesting!" Mephisto murmured, summoning magical energy that poured into Jason's body. Strengthening it further, he sent Jason hurtling toward Mike, who was hidden within the petal shield.

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