"What happened here? Did you encounter a demon?" Daniel Davis asked, shocked at the sight of Tony Stark, whose face was pale and reeking of decay. Stark lay in the medical ward of the Avengers' base, emanating a dense aura of hellfire.
As Daniel began examining Stark, he quickly realized the issue. "No wounds, just pure contamination from hellfire. But for it to be this severe... Did you face Mephisto directly?"
Upon confirming that Stark bore no physical injuries, Daniel sighed in relief and promptly began casting spells to expel the hellish energy. Slowly, the dark energy dissipated from Stark's body, and his face regained some color.
"Where am I?" Stark mumbled as he came to, his expression shifting from confusion to fury. "That damn bastard... my Mark 55!"
"Good, you're awake. Drink this," Daniel said, handing Stark a vial of vitality potion.
After gulping it down, Stark licked his lips. "Chocolate-flavored?"
In the world of Harry Potter, many potions have extraordinary effects, but unfortunately, most of them taste terrible. The Polyjuice Potion, for instance, was one Daniel never dared to consume. Using his surgical abilities, Daniel had taken the time to improve the flavors of several potions, and now he had a variety of options, like chocolate-flavored vitality potions.
"Now that you're better, care to tell me what happened?" Daniel asked as Stark finished the potion.
"It was a demon named Roarke," Stark began, recounting the details of the encounter, with Natasha chiming in occasionally to fill in the gaps. As they spoke, Daniel pieced together the events.
It all started with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s involvement in monitoring Johnny Blaze, the Ghost Rider. While Daniel had largely stopped tracking the Ghost Rider after obtaining the Contract of San Venganza, S.H.I.E.L.D. hadn't. Though they had maintained a hands-off approach, things took a turn when a certain church approached Johnny.
Blaze had long since parted ways with his girlfriend, Roxanne, unable to resist the influence of the Ghost Rider. Their breakup was reminiscent of Bruce Banner's struggle in The Incredible Hulk. Had it not been for Daniel's intervention in Banner's life, the Hulk likely would have followed a similar path.
Blaze's romantic troubles weren't of concern to S.H.I.E.L.D., but the church's arrival changed things. It was connected to a critical figure—a young boy named Danny, the so-called Child of the Devil.
Though neither Blaze nor the church had contacted S.H.I.E.L.D., the agency quickly discovered their plans. Once Coulson confirmed the authenticity and scale of the threat, he sought the Avengers' assistance. This time, however, Coulson didn't call Daniel directly, perhaps feeling guilty about troubling him too often or for other reasons. Regardless, the Avengers responded immediately.
Confident at first, the Avengers soon suffered a devastating defeat when they confronted Roarke and his demonic forces. Had it not been for the intervention of Scarlet Witch, Stark might not have survived. Even Hulk, despite his immense power, struggled against the demonic forces, and if not for a potion Daniel had left behind, things could have gone far worse.
"Here's all the intelligence we've gathered on Danny and Roarke," Natasha said after Stark had finished. She led Daniel to the intelligence center, where the large monitor displayed the footage from the battle, along with all the information S.H.I.E.L.D. had gathered on Danny and Roarke.
"Give me a moment," Daniel said, taking out his tablet and quickly searching for additional information.
"How bad is it?" Natasha asked, using the opportunity to communicate with Coulson while Daniel reviewed the data.
"Things are grim. According to Moreau, if we don't stop the ritual in time and rescue Danny, the entire world could face unimaginable danger," Coulson's voice was filled with anxiety. He had faced many challenges since taking over S.H.I.E.L.D., but nothing of this magnitude.
"How's Stark doing?" Coulson asked after a brief pause.
"He's fine now. Daniel's already here, and we're confident he can handle the situation," Natasha replied, gesturing toward Daniel, who was deep in thought.
"Good to see you again, Coulson," Daniel greeted as he put away his tablet.
"I hate to trouble you again," Coulson said apologetically.
"No trouble at all. I've got a handle on the situation. Let's go," Daniel said, opening a portal with a flick of his hand, stepping through it to board Coulson's plane. Natasha followed closely behind.
"Who exactly is this Roarke?" Skye asked as soon as they gathered.
"You've already met him. He's Mephisto," Daniel replied casually, confirming Roarke's true identity. Thanks to the information provided by Stark, as well as data from Kamar-Taj, Daniel had pieced together the truth.
As one of the Hell Lords, Mephisto's powers were significantly diminished while in the human world. Over the years, Mephisto had been searching for a way to bypass these limitations. He eventually found one—a vessel to house his power.
Ordinary humans couldn't withstand the immense energy of a Hell Lord, so Mephisto had devised a plan: create a child, born of his bloodline, who could serve as the perfect vessel. This child, known as the Child of the Devil, would allow Mephisto to manifest a portion of his true power on Earth. Though he wouldn't be as powerful as in Hell, he'd be far stronger than he normally could be on Earth.
Danny was one of these rare Children of the Devil. Over the centuries, Mephisto had attempted to create such children several times, but the Ancient One had thwarted him each time. The process of creating a Child of the Devil was incredibly difficult, requiring a mother with a very specific set of attributes. If it were easy, the Earth would already be crawling with these demon-born beings.
"Mephisto? But that wasn't what he looked like last time," Skye, recalling their previous encounter with the demon, looked puzzled.
"Mephisto is one of the Hell Lords. His appearance isn't fixed," Daniel explained.
"Can you handle Mephisto?" Simmons asked anxiously.
"If we were dealing with Mephisto at full power, I wouldn't stand a chance. But this is Earth, and he's severely limited. I've got this," Daniel reassured her.
He wasn't just being optimistic; he had a solid plan. And even if things went awry, there were contingencies—like seeking help from Asgard. Odin, though frequently slipping into the Odinsleep, was still a formidable force who could intervene if necessary.
"This guy's tried and failed so many times, yet he keeps coming back," Daniel mused, finding Mephisto's persistence almost laughable. Judging by Danny's age, Mephisto had spent years preparing for this plan.
"So, what's the plan? Should we come up with a strategy?" Coulson asked as the plane flew toward Roarke's hideout.
"No need. We'll go in directly," Daniel said, dismissing the idea of a complex strategy.
Coulson likely envisioned bringing in heavy firepower for support, but Mephisto wasn't the kind of enemy modern weaponry could handle. Even Ghost Rider had once withstood several FGM-148 Javelin missiles. If a demon could shrug off that kind of firepower, a more straightforward approach was needed.
"Are you sure you can handle Mephisto? No backup plan?" Natasha asked privately as they prepared for the fight.
"The simplest way to stop Mephisto is to kill Danny. Without his vessel, Mephisto's plan falls apart. But you know Coulson and the others would never agree to that," Daniel replied quietly.
Killing one child to save the world was an option in certain philosophies, like that of Emiya Kiritsugu, but neither Coulson nor May would ever condone such a choice.
"I see," Natasha nodded thoughtfully, stepping away.
Despite May's moral dilemma over the death of a child, there was one person in S.H.I.E.L.D. who wouldn't hesitate to take such action: Nick Fury.
"Don't worry. Things won't get that bad. If I can't handle it, I'll call in backup from Asgard. No need for anyone to carry that burden," Daniel reassured Natasha.
Though Natasha could unflinchingly carry out Fury's orders, even if it meant killing an innocent child, Daniel didn't want her to bear such a responsibility. After all, this was the same woman who would one day sacrifice herself for the Soul Stone.
"Hey, Mephisto, long time no see. Haven't you had enough failures yet?" Daniel taunted when they finally reached Ushac and encountered Roarke, along with his numerous minions and the captured Danny.
Roarke had amassed a significant following through his contracts. Even though many of his followers knew demonic contracts were dangerous, they couldn't resist the allure. Wealthy, elderly individuals especially, nearing the end of their lives, would eagerly sign their souls away for one last taste of power.
"Without her, you're nothing. You can't stop me," Roarke growled, unfazed by Daniel's appearance. He was referring to the Ancient One's absence, a fact known to several major figures across the multiverse.
"Let's see if that's true. Don't forget, this isn't Hell. And who said she's truly gone?" Daniel smirked. As Roarke hesitated at his words, Daniel swiftly formed hand seals, summoning a dozen shadow clones using Ikon no Jutsu.
"Room: Sl
aughterhouse!" In the same instant, Daniel deployed his Ope Ope no Mi power, creating a spatial replacement that teleported Danny out of Roarke's grasp. The clones, their hands glowing, simultaneously conjured massive fireballs.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Fireballs rained down, engulfing Roarke and his demonic army in a sea of flames. The intense heat quickly transformed the ground into a molten landscape.
Facing someone like Mephisto, Daniel wasn't about to hold back. Each fireball burned at a temperature that rivaled magma, surpassing even Akainu's Magma-Magma Fruit.
After acquiring knowledge from the Gate of Truth in the world of Fullmetal Alchemist, Daniel had been diligently working on perfecting nuclear fusion, intending to use it as a trump card. Although he hadn't fully mastered it yet, his flames now reached temperatures nearing 3,000 degrees—half that of the sun's surface.
The key to nuclear fusion lay in the transformation of the soul. While Daniel had learned many things, his core powers remained the Ope Ope no Mi and the magic system of Kamar-Taj.
In the world of One Piece, magma is considered superior to fire. But outside that world, it's clear that fire's potential far exceeds magma's. If one could reach the surface temperature of the sun, fire could become one of the most destructive forces imaginable.
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