While Havoc fought for influence within the realms of Chaos, Drex Valen was laying plans elsewhere.
One of those plans involved Hell itself.
Every dimensional lord was effectively omnipotent within their own domain.
Their word became law.
They were the sole ruler, the supreme authority, the unquestioned master of everything contained within their dimension.
Outside their territory, things were different.
At the same level of power, entering another lord's dimension uninvited was often equivalent to volunteering for suicide.
Hellfire blazed across the horizon.
The stench of sulfur lingered everywhere.
Countless demons and devils of every imaginable shape roared from mountain-sized plateaus and jagged highlands.
Scenes of the strong devouring the weak unfolded constantly.
A world where only strength mattered.
Savagery.
Violence.
Predation.
Mercy and compassion had never evolved here.
This was the Hell Dimension of Marvel.
In Marvel's cosmology, Satan was not a single individual.
It was a title.
A coveted position claimed by countless Hell Lords throughout history.
Many demon kings had called themselves Satan when dealing with outsiders.
But among their peers?
Anyone foolish enough to openly declare themselves the one true Satan would immediately become a target for every Hell Lord in existence.
At some point in the distant past, Hell had fractured.
No one seemed entirely certain why.
The dimension shattered into countless fragments, each seized by powerful rulers who proclaimed themselves demon kings and carved out personal kingdoms.
Every one of them dreamed of unifying Hell.
Of becoming its supreme ruler.
Of claiming the title of Satan.
The largest fragment of Hell lay beneath Drex's feet.
This particular piece possessed a unique authority.
The right to determine who ruled Hell itself.
Unfortunately, far too many Hell Lords had discovered it.
The resulting wars had raged for ages without a victor.
Unable to conquer one another, they had settled into an uneasy stalemate, each occupying their own territory while continuing to call themselves rulers.
The arrival of a multiversal demon god shattered that balance instantly.
The largest fragment of Hell erupted into chaos.
In an instant, the entire dimension trembled.
Darkness churned violently.
Black light fractured across billions of miles.
Reality collapsed back into primordial chaos, erasing everything caught nearby.
Rotting celestial bodies twisted apart and dissolved into elemental torrents.
Catastrophic destruction swept across the dimension.
"A demon god we've never seen before!"
"Is he after Satan's throne too?"
"Damn it! Even multiversal entities are competing with us now?"
"No one ever complains about having too much power..."
The assembled Hell Lords and demon kings arrived full of confidence.
Then they saw Drex.
Most immediately lost their nerve.
The power radiating from him was simply too terrifying.
Of course, there were exceptions.
Three beings emerged who could stand on equal footing with him.
Multiversal dimensional demon gods.
The ruler of the Crimson Cosmos, Cyttorak.
The source of the Juggernaut's power.
A being whose energies even the mystics of Kamar-Taj sometimes borrowed.
Then there was Shuma-Gorath.
An enormous eye surrounded by endless tentacles.
A classic eldritch horror whose very existence defied comprehension.
And finally...
The most dangerous of them all.
Chthon.
Creator of black magic.
One of the oldest gods in existence.
A being of immeasurable power.
Even the Living Tribunal considered him a cancer upon the universe.
Under Marvel's magical system, Chthon effectively owned the rights to black magic itself.
Every sorcerer who practiced dark magic drew upon his legacy.
In a sense, every spell cast generated profit for him.
Faith.
Souls.
Power.
He collected them all while barely lifting a finger.
A true heavyweight among heavyweights.
Cyttorak looked directly at Drex.
"The God of Destruction and Ruin..."
He paused.
"No. That's no longer accurate."
"You should be called the Lord of the Chaos Dimension."
The title made sense.
The Living Tribunal had already reclaimed the office of Destruction and Ruin.
Though Drex himself had suffered no meaningful loss, other high-level entities now identified him primarily through his dimension.
Drex didn't particularly care.
Names were ultimately insignificant.
"You're after Satan's throne as well?" Cyttorak asked bluntly.
Drex smiled.
"That's the highest honor among Hell Lords, isn't it?"
"The Emperor of Hell."
"The supreme authority over every infernal realm."
"Unlimited power. Unlimited influence."
"You mean to tell me none of you want it?"
The question drew silence.
Everyone wanted it.
Every being present dreamed of becoming Satan.
The absolute ruler standing above all Hell Lords.
But therein lay the problem.
The moment someone came close to achieving that goal, everyone else united to tear them apart.
The authorities possessed by Hell Lords overlapped heavily.
Most of their power ultimately originated from mortal fear.
If a true Satan emerged, all that fear would flow into a single being.
The others would lose everything.
At best, they would survive as servants feeding on scraps.
At worst, they would cease to matter entirely.
None of them could tolerate that.
Hell Lords were arrogant by nature.
Every one of them believed they deserved the throne.
If they couldn't have it, no one would.
Drex's interest was much simpler.
If he could control all fear throughout Marvel's Hell dimensions, his power would grow to an absurd degree.
Among multiversal demon gods, he might become unmatched.
Of course...
Marvel's Satan was still nowhere near as impressive as DC's Satan.
"You intend to start a war?"
Chthon's voice emerged cold and sharp.
As usual, everyone ignored Shuma-Gorath.
The eldritch horror rarely participated in conversations anyway.
Drex answered with a punch.
A direct one.
His fist crashed straight into Chthon's face.
He hadn't come here to debate.
He had come here to fight.
Three multiversal demon gods stood before him.
Whether they could defeat him or not would only be determined through battle.
BOOM!
The impact detonated like a cosmic supernova.
Shockwaves erupted outward.
The surrounding Hell Lords and demon kings were instantly swept away by the unimaginable force.
Most of the spectators only managed to see Drex punch Chthon once.
After that, consciousness abandoned them.
The stronger ones survived with horrific injuries.
The weaker ones died instantly.
Many didn't even leave ashes behind.
They were too insignificant for even that.
Chthon staggered backward.
The strike had landed so hard that he felt as though a third of his very existence had vanished.
Shock flashed across his face.
Then his hand clenched into a fist.
"At our level," he said coldly, "you're still using your fists?"
Drex laughed.
The mockery enraged Chthon.
The Elder God withdrew his fist and unleashed a tidal wave of black magic.
Dark sorcery flooded reality.
The spells exploded outward in every direction, carrying enough power to shatter dimensions.
Thunderous energy rippled through Hell.
Space itself failed to withstand the pressure.
Large sections of the dimension fragmented.
Gray void currents spilled into existence.
Yet Chthon quickly discovered something horrifying.
His black magic wasn't working.
At all.
Every attack vanished into Drex.
Absorbed.
Consumed.
Devoured completely.
Drex himself was equally surprised.
As expected of a multiversal demon god.
The power contained within Chthon's attacks was extraordinary.
Each spell felt like devouring hundreds of entities comparable to Chaos or Jehovah.
Then Drex attacked.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
Chthon's colossal body flew backward.
Space shattered along his path.
Reality screamed.
Dimensional barriers exploded one after another as he crashed through them.
Finally, he vanished into the void itself.
At the far edge of the horizon, a colossal rift tore open.
Entire regions of Hell disappeared into the fracture.
And the war had only just begun.
...
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