Chapter 275

Nick Fury had been left dumbfounded by Carter’s impassioned speech just now. But on second thought, S.H.I.E.L.D. was an espionage organization. Surely, in the future, there wouldn’t be a three-headed alliance led by Peggy Carter, with Hill and Natasha as her aides, storming into his office to demand better benefits and more vacation time for female agents, right?

Then his one eye shifted, and he spotted Evenson standing there as if nothing had happened. So you’re the little bastard stirring up trouble. He said irritably, "Is there anything else you need to confess?"

"You’ve been suspicious about the identities of my subordinates too, haven’t you?" Since they had already been exposed this time, he might as well lay it all out.

"Good. Saves me the trouble of asking." Nick Fury had known Evenson’s subordinates were unusual. After all, Hubbs had left a deep impression on him. But he had not expected them to be so powerful.

Captain America had been pressed down and beaten by that giant the whole time, while Natasha had been tied up outright. That special operations squad had also been slapped onto the ground, spitting foam, and only Melinda had been allowed through.

"You said Hubbs was one of your magical creations. Are they the same? How were they made? Did you create them from thin air with Magic, or use Magic to mutate human bodies?" Nick Fury asked one question after another.

"Neither." Evenson said, "Back then, I only thought explaining it would be too troublesome, so I brushed it off with vague answers." Then he looked at Nick Fury sincerely. "But now I’m ready to tell the truth."

"They weren’t made by me, and they aren’t mutants. Whether before or now, they were never human. They…" Evenson said with a sinister grin, "don’t belong to this world."

"Then what are they?" Nick Fury pressed.

"Melinda should have told you…" Evenson pointed at Nick Fury, "about Mephisto."

At the mention of that, Nick Fury got a headache. Who knew what had gotten into things lately? Those legendary mythical figures had been popping up one after another.

Norse mythology wasn’t nonsense. Strictly speaking, it was even Earth’s suzerain state. The Bible and Faust weren’t just rambling either; the Demon Monarchs of Hell could come up here and wreak havoc. Sigh, these people really had no consideration at all for his original worldview.

The most frustrating part was that S.H.I.E.L.D., which claimed to be everywhere and was tasked with preventing all unknown dangers, had no way at all to gather intelligence on them. Asgard was manageable enough. If they built a good relationship with Lady Sif, they could pry out some information. With some effort, they might even set up a United Nations special envoy to Asgard. But what were they supposed to do about Hell?

Even if jumping from the eighteenth floor could get someone into Hell, how would they send intelligence back? Through dreams?

"Do you remember what that old devil called me?" Evenson asked.

"Demon Sorcerer." Nick Fury murmured the name. "So, are you one? You’ve always insisted that you’re a Sorcerer."

A proud expression appeared on Evenson’s face. "Among dark wizards, there are Demon Sorcerers who study demonic stones, cursecasters who use the curses of vengeful spirits to kill invisibly, and Destroyers who use Sulfur Flames to annihilate their enemies. But none of them can compare to Sorcerers, because…" Evenson proudly declared, "only those who have mastered all three of these magical powers can be called Sorcerers."

"I told you long ago that even among dark wizards, Sorcerers are extremely… huh?" Evenson had been indulging in self-satisfaction, but after glancing at Nick Fury, he said, "You don’t seem surprised at all?" He realized that the other man’s expression had not changed in the slightest.

"No, I’m very surprised," Nick Fury said.

"Why can’t I tell?"

Nick Fury said, "Look at how wide my eye is."

"Mm…" Evenson examined him carefully, then shook his head. "I can’t tell. Maybe your face is too dark."

"No, listen. My subordinates are all demons. I’m a Sorcerer who deals with demons. I’m evil, very evil!" Evenson stressed.

"Evil enough that you didn’t even own a car before you started working for me?" Nick Fury landed a direct critical hit on Evenson.

"Come on. A wizard who deals with demons and commands evil powers worries about making a living like an ordinary person, and stands on my side." Nick Fury gestured as he spoke slowly. "Meanwhile, someone called a god blew up my research base, stole the Cosmic Cube, and killed dozens of agents." The more Nick Fury spoke, the angrier he became. "He turned my most trusted subordinate into a monkey and manipulated him at will."

"So I can make a judgment." Nick Fury said sincerely, "The power you command may be cruel and violent, but you yourself have genuinely contributed to this world. I cannot call you evil."

"But…" Just as Evenson was about to applaud, Nick Fury suddenly changed tack. "You’d better explain how those demon subordinates of yours came to this world."

Sigh, I knew it. Evenson said naturally, "Making contracts with demons and summoning them into this world to serve oneself is the lifelong goal of Demon Sorcerers. For Sorcerers, though, it’s basic training."

"You can summon creatures from other worlds?" They had been searching for aliens for nearly a hundred years before finally finding some, and those had practically delivered themselves to their door. Yet apparently, there had long been people capable of dragging lifeforms from other worlds over and using them as subordinates.

"Yes," Evenson said.

After getting the answer, Nick Fury pondered for a long time. "You’re afraid Loki will use the Cosmic Cube and draw the attention of other forces in the universe. But why aren’t you worried that your summoned demons will attract the attention of their world? Is it because they’re not strong enough to be worth worrying about?"

Evenson sneered. If that force really set its sights on him now, he would have nothing to worry about.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. claims to be everywhere. If someone suddenly disappeared from a primitive tribe in Africa, would you know?" Evenson did not answer directly, but asked a question instead.

"You mean you’ve summoned too few to attract their attention?" Nick Fury immediately understood.

"The place where demons live is called the Twisted Nether. That place is countless times larger than the universe we live in, and their numbers exceed even the ants on Earth. Let alone a few lesser demons, even if tens of thousands went missing, it probably wouldn’t cause so much as a ripple," Evenson said unconcernedly.

"Lesser demons?" Nick Fury caught that term. "That big guy isn’t weak. Captain America might not be his match."

"Of course. He’s a regular soldier." Evenson nodded. "By their standards, he should have the strength of a squad leader."

A squad leader? That did not even count as an officer. He was probably among the first tier of cannon fodder.

"From now on, you are forbidden from summoning demons again!" Nick Fury said in an unquestionable tone.

"Of course." Evenson waved a hand. "I can barely afford to keep these few as it is. Why would I summon more?"

"Fine." But when he saw that Nick Fury’s expression had not softened in the slightest, he had no choice but to stand up and raise his hand, speaking with solemn gravity. "In the name of Evenson Richter, I swear upon the Well of Eternity, the source of endless magical power, that I will not summon another demon into this world."

"Mm." Only then was Nick Fury satisfied. He felt that Evenson had already revealed all his secrets, so there was no reason to lie to him about something like this. Besides, he did not know what that oath was about, but it sounded pretty formidable.

Most importantly, Evenson’s household had not gained any new members in years. Those fellows had all appeared together back then.

Honesty was the best deception, just as Kil’jaeden could also be called the Honest One.

"Director." Just then, a bald agent suddenly rushed in. "We’ve found Loki."

"Where?" Nick Fury hurriedly asked.

"Germany, Stuttgart, 28 Koenig Street."

"Fine, I’ll go." When Evenson saw Nick Fury glance his way, he knew what he meant.

"I’ll go too." Carter volunteered as well. "I really want to test my strength."

Nick Fury did not say much more, only adding at the end, "Bring our guest too."