56. Refining the Dark Mephistopheles

The next moment, Mephisto leaned forward and brought his face close to Qi Ming, instantly giving rise to a crushing pressure akin to the abyss.

He repeated his previous question: "Have you begun to despair of this world?"

Qi Ming steadied his nerves. "Despair? I've never held any hope to begin with, but life goes on, and one simply has to muddle through."

Mephisto's eyes glowed red. "Then why not cast aside those moral constraints that bind you and embrace supreme freedom with a light heart?"

His tone was treacherous, carrying a power that induced corruption, making one unconsciously want to sink into it.

Qi Ming felt a slight shock.

Red glowing eyes—this was Mephisto Generation Two!

Was this meant to be like the original series of *Nexus*, where he seduced Misono Mizorogi into becoming a Dark Dunamist?

Mephisto said, "I am the 'self you have been longing for.' Come, liberate your heart, attain this power to rule over everything, and forge a true world."

Qi Ming asked, "A true world?"

Mephisto replied, "It is an era where everything will change. A world where only the 'strong' can do as they please."

"In that future ruled by the survival of the fittest, you, possessing power, will be able to live happily and fulfill all your wishes."

Hearing this, Qi Ming fell silent for a moment, then let out a low chuckle:

"To phrase doing whatever you want and destroying the world in such a refined and unconventional way—truly, as expected of you."

"Fulfill all my wishes... The fellow behind you indeed has the capability to grant my wishes."

Behind Dark Mephisto stood Dark Zagi; crossing dimensions was absolute child's play for him.

"However, I refuse," Qi Ming stated bluntly.

Of course he wanted to go home, but that did not mean he would resort to any means necessary to achieve it.

He was real, but the people in this world were real as well.

Saijo Nagi's aloofness, Aihara Ryu's impetuousness, Yamanaka's contrariness, Megumi's cleverness...

These people also possessed their own joys, sorrows, and moments of elation—they were lives existing in vivid color.

He had no obligation to risk everything for the humans of this world, nor did they have any obligation to die just to fulfill his wishes.

Everyone was equal.

It did not exist that because I transformed to repel monsters and saved the world, I am therefore an exalted guardian deity, demanding that you harbor no complaints when I treat you as a "sacrifice."

When I fight, it is driven by my own moral compass, not because I want you to "owe me."

"You say you refuse?" Mephisto was somewhat surprised.

Just moments before, he had clearly sensed that the human before him was somewhat tempted.

"What Qi Ming loves most is to say 'no' to those self-righteous people who think they can change my principles!" Qi Ming's demeanor shifted abruptly.

"Then I shall dispense with courtesy." Seeing that negotiation was futile, Dark Mephisto prepared to force the issue.

His body dissipated into a mass of black Qi, surging toward Qi Ming, attempting to enter his body through his seven orifices and nine apertures.

Was this... an attempt to forcibly seize his body and turn him into a puppet like Mitsawa Hiroyuki from the original *Nexus* series?

That actually made things simpler.

Qi Ming, who had originally intended to transform into Ultraman Gaia, chose to tap the upper-left button on the arbitrary interface and activate the "Access DNA" function.

"No! What is this!" The next moment, Dark Mephisto, who had seemed unfathomable just moments before, let out a startled scream.

The black mist he had transformed into rapidly retreated, fleeing outward, and vanished in a flash without a trace.

"He fled just like that?"

As the words fell, the dial on Qi Ming's interface spun, and the main control screen changed.

Star-Bestowal: 2.
Amplification: 6/10.

The new seventy-two hours had not yet passed, yet the Star-Bestowal had increased.

It seemed that although only a tiny fraction of the black mist formed by Dark Mephisto had been absorbed—not even enough to amount to a measurable share of Star-Bestowal, and too severely incomplete to convert into DNA—the residual energy still yielded gains for Qi Ming.

"That obscure gaze watching me earlier must have been Dark Mephisto."

"He should behave himself for a while now, and I temporarily won't need to worry about being ambushed from behind."

...

With Dark Mephisto no longer playing tricks, the "ghost pressing against the wall" phenomenon dissipated, and Qi Ming smoothly returned to the marine base.

"Deputy Captain Saijo, could you spare a moment? There is something I'd like to consult you about."

Qi Ming called out to Saijo Nagi, who was head-down writing a report.

"Huh?" Megumi let out a soft exclamation of surprise.

"Oh!" Kishida reacted loudly, as if he had discovered some juicy piece of gossip.

Saijo Nagi remained calm, gracefully and openly walking outside with Qi Ming.

Upon arriving at a secluded corner, Qi Ming got straight to the point: "Deputy Captain, you used to be in 'TLT', right?"

TLT was the organization from *Nexus* whose primary business was discovering, investigating, researching, and eradicating Space Beasts, while concurrently capturing Dunamists for experimentation.

In this world, TLT's headquarters was located in North America; Saijo Nagi had served there initially before being "seconded" to TPC later on.

Saijo Nagi looked slightly startled. "Though I don't know where you heard about it, let me give you a piece of advice—do not go around talking about matters concerning that organization, or it will only bring harm to yourself and others."

Bringing harm to oneself and others referred to being captured by Memory Police to have one's memories erased.

Qi Ming remained noncommittal. "Within TLT, is there a person named 'Ishibori Hikohiko'?"

Saijo Nagi replied, "I've never heard of such a person."

None? Had Dark Zagi not mimicked him and infiltrated TLT?

Qi Ming asked, "Then have you ever heard of 'Misono Mizorogi'?"

Saijo Nagi's pupils constricted. "Why do you know that name? Everything about this is strictly confidential!"

Qi Ming retorted, "Take a guess."

Saijo Nagi said, "Could it be divination again? Or did you ask Megumi to hack into TLT's servers?"

"Though I don't know why you're inquiring about him, TLT has confidentiality regulations. Internal organizational matters must not be leaked."

"Even if I am now the Deputy Captain of GUTS, I have no right to disclose information to you."

Qi Ming was not intimidated in the least by Saijo Nagi's rigid adherence to the rules. He slowly said, "Today, I likely encountered the very thing that Mizorogi once encountered."

His calm tone rang out like a sudden clap of thunder on a clear day, causing Saijo Nagi's expression to change drastically. "You... exactly..."

Qi Ming prompted, "Ladies first, let's exchange intelligence."

After undergoing a fierce internal struggle, Saijo Nagi finally spoke.

She said that Mizorogi had once been her senior, teaching her many things.

During a past operation, Mizorogi and she had breached a factory. The two of them had separated due to special circumstances, and Mizorogi had pushed deeper into the innermost sector.

In the end, the factory exploded, Mizorogi vanished, and only she had managed to escape.

"Later on, he appeared again. He wasn't dead, but he had become a traitor standing in opposition to us."

Hearing this, Qi Ming nodded. This matched the plot of the original *Nexus* series.

Mizorogi had merged with Dark Mephisto inside that factory and fallen into the darkness.

However, there was a suspicious point.

With the first-generation Mephisto not yet eliminated, the second-generation Mephisto had directly approached him.

Could it be that, to deal with this intricate world, Dark Zagi chose to have two Dark Mephistos act simultaneously?

If so, could two Dunamists exist at the same time?

Dual operators?

Seeing that Qi Ming remained silent for a long time, Saijo Nagi couldn't help asking, "Alright, it's your turn. What was 'the thing he once encountered'?"

Qi Ming answered, "It is a demon. Mizorogi chose to sell his soul to the demon and thus plunged into the darkness, whereas I refused."

"You must be careful. Sooner or later, he will appear before us."

Not satisfied with this, Saijo Nagi continued pressing him with questions.

Yet Qi Ming had nothing more to disclose. The situation was growing increasingly complex, and the changes about to erupt in this "insect-jar" world were beyond even his ability to predict.