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*****
Phoenix, Arizona.
In the dead of night, within a chaotic bar situated on the outskirts of the suburbs, Danny huddled in the corner of a room. He carefully observed the two burly men standing guard over him, a flicker of fear flashing deep in his eyes.
He had no idea why these people had captured him, nor did he know what he was about to face. But the one thing he was certain of was that his mother would try her hardest to save him, and therefore, he couldn't give up either.
Piercing sound waves thundered in his ears, making it feel as though a heavy metal band was holding a concert inside his mind, leaving his head completely muddled.
Yet, amidst this cacophonous music, a distinct, low murmur resounded clearly in his ear, like the whisper of a devil.
Danny covered his ears. The sound originating from the noisy music immediately weakened, but that low, murmuring voice only became clearer.
He tried to discern what the voice was saying, but it was a language he had never heard before. However, the interesting part was that he could somehow understand exactly what it was saying.
"Sever connection, prevent tracking, soul shielding..."
Danny murmured the words to himself, having no idea what this meant.
Just at that moment, Kerrigan, the man who had abducted him earlier in the day, hurriedly ran into the room. Reeking of alcohol, he roughly dragged Danny up from the corner and yelled at the two men guarding him, "Let's go!"
According to the information his employer had provided, something was rushing toward their location.
Initially, he had been somewhat disdainful of the warning. However, his employer had been willing to pay him extra for it, which finally convinced him and put him on alert. If the employer was willing to pay more just to get him to leave, it meant one of two things: either his employer was an idiot, or his employer was absolutely certain that the approaching thing could wipe them all out.
The two guards didn't waste time with words, either. They immediately fell in behind Kerrigan and started running toward the exit.
"You two idiots, go notify the others!"
Kerrigan cursed under his breath, continuing to drag Danny as he moved outside.
"Damn it, I just got that chick's clothes off! Fuck!"
Kerrigan muttered curses, but as he watched his drunken subordinates stumble out—some swaying unsteadily, others hiking up their pants as they ran—the displeasure in his heart instantly vanished by more than half.
It looked like he wasn't the only one having a bad night.
"Heh!"
He chuckled happily, dragging Danny toward a car parked not far away.
Just at that moment, accompanied by the roar of an engine that sounded like a beast, a black motorcycle sliced through the darkness and appeared before the crowd.
It was Johnny Blaze and Nadya.
Seeing the two of them appear, Kerrigan froze for a second. He tossed the bound Danny into the car, then turned to Nadya with an insincere smile.
"Oh, bringing a new boyfriend to save the kid you had with god-knows-who? Beauty, your charm really is something else."
Paying no attention to Kerrigan's taunts, Nadya looked worriedly toward Danny inside the car.
"Danny!"
She cried out his name. Just as she was about to move toward the car, Kerrigan aimed his gun directly at Nadya and sneered, "I let you go during the day, and that was for old time's sake. Showing up again now is just pushing your luck."
Johnny Blaze quickly pulled Nadya back, stepping in front of her to shield her.
Kerrigan faltered for a moment upon seeing this.
"Hahaha! Playing the hero at a time like this... people die doing that! Friend!"
In the face of this mockery, Johnny Blaze's tone was incredibly grim, like that of a vengeful spirit, as he said, "He's very hungry."
"Hungry my ass! Here, eat a bullet!"
Kerrigan cursed impatiently and, without the slightest hesitation, pulled the trigger aimed at Johnny Blaze.
He had no time to waste on this moron. The enemy his employer warned him about could show up at any second, and he couldn't afford to stay here.
A fatal bullet slammed into Johnny Blaze's body. Nadya, her face pale with terror, took a step backward.
Johnny Blaze had said he had a way to save her son, but she never imagined he was just bringing her here to get killed.
"Let's go!"
Kerrigan said flatly, turning around to grab the car's door handle.
"Hehehe... HAHAHAHA!"
A burst of maniacal, hair-raising laughter suddenly rang out.
Everyone looked over, only to see Johnny Blaze standing right where he was, laughing like a complete madman, as if the bullet had inflicted no damage on him whatsoever.
While everyone else was stunned by this, Kerrigan's brow furrowed tightly, and he quickly yanked open the car door.
"Take him out!"
He roared the order at his men as he jumped into the car. Just as scorching flames began to pour from Johnny Blaze's wound, and amidst Jiana's terrified scream, he sped away, taking Danny with him.
Suddenly, Jiana felt a scorching heat that seemed capable of igniting the very soul.
When she looked, she saw that Johnny Blaze had vanished without a trace. In his place stood a burning, flaming skeleton.
The skeleton swayed its body gently, its head hanging slightly low. A series of guttural, primal roars, as if venting, continuously erupted from its mouth.
Witnessing this scene, the men were struck with terror. Even Jiana, who had arrived with Johnny Blaze, recoiled backward, her face a mask of fear.
"Hungry... so hungry."
The Ghost Rider murmured, the flames within his eye sockets dancing rapidly as he searched for his sin-stained prey.
"Attack!"
One of the mercenaries shouted in panic, the muzzle of his gun spitting a tongue of fire.
Seeing this, Jiana quickly retreated further, finding a piece of cover to hide behind.
"Is this the terrifying thing Johnny was talking about?"
Nadya whispered to herself. Watching the burning skeleton charge toward the mercenaries, she didn't feel afraid at all. Instead, she felt a profound sense of satisfaction.
A chain, burning with intense flames, flew out with a swing from the Ghost Rider, wrapping around one of the mercenaries. The terrifying hellfire, in just a single instant, reduced the man to nothing but ashes.
The Ghost Rider froze for a second. The flames on his face leaped violently, and it almost looked as if a trace of regret flickered across his features, as if he regretted striking too hard.
Because of this, he immediately retracted his chain. He rushed directly in front of another mercenary, flashing a grim smile. His hand, wreathed in hellfire, clamped around the man's neck, and swirling vortexes of flame ignited within his two empty eye sockets.
The Penance Stare.
The guilty soul was incinerated. The Ghost Rider devoured the man's soul and let out a satisfied sigh.
Because of Johnny Blaze's suppression, he hadn't been able to emerge for a very long time, much less savor the taste of a sinful soul.
But now...
He let out an excited, monstrous cry and charged toward the remaining mercenaries.
Immediately, a chorus of terrified screams began to ring out.
Jiana glanced across the battlefield. Seeing that the Ghost Rider was acting like a madman and wasn't responding to her at all, she gritted her teeth. Her eyes fixed on Kerrigan's vehicle disappearing in the distance with Danny, she dashed straight for a nearby car, started it, and drove off in pursuit.
"It's a monster! Run!"
Watching their companions get turned into ashes one after another by the Ghost Rider, the last few remaining mercenaries finally lost their nerve.
But they were prey that the Ghost Rider had locked onto. How could he possibly let them just run away?
The burning chain, moving like a sentient snake, wrapped around the remaining few men, yanking them back all at once as if they were strung together.
Several seconds later, the Ghost Rider let out a belch that sparked with embers. He gave a sharp whistle, summoning his hellish motorcycle, and rode off in pursuit of Jiana.
After the battlefield had fallen completely silent, Gwen and Mike descended from high above.
Gwen stared in the direction the Ghost Rider had vanished, looking at the fiery tracks left on the ground. She murmured, "So powerful."
Her own Fires of Vengeance, when compared to the Ghost Rider's Hellfire, were certainly easier to control and much gentler, even possessing the power to heal others. But the Ghost Rider's flames were far more explosive and significantly more powerful.
Still, if Gwen were given the choice, she would definitely still choose her own Fires of Vengeance.
"Let's go. It shouldn't take much longer now."
Mike said, pinching his chin. He turned to Gwen, adding, "After this whole thing is finished, we can still stay and hang out here for a few days."
Gwen nodded, her voice filled with anticipation. "The last time we came here, it was back in 2029."
Last time, they had traveled through time and space and arrived in the "Old Man Logan" world. They ended up hiring Logan as their driver, and Phoenix was where they had spent their time.
After a brief pause, Gwen added nostalgically, "I wonder how Uncle Logan and Laura from that world are getting on."
Compared to the Logan of this world, the Logan from the Old Man Logan world had a much more tragic life. If Mike hadn't gone there, the natural-born mutants of that world would have been completely wiped out.
"We'll have a chance to see them again."
Mike smiled and said, "They've gotten pretty far ahead. We should catch up."
Gwen nodded, leaped onto the nearby Nighthawk, and shot up into the sky.
...
"Damn it, damn it, what the hell was that thing!?"
Kerrigan yelled in anger, but the hand gripping the steering wheel wouldn't stop trembling.
He had originally assumed that man was just some idiot playing the hero, trying to save the damsel in distress. He never, ever expected that the guy was actually a demon.
So, was that thing the enemy his employer had mentioned?
Was it here to... snatch this kid?
He glanced over at Danny, who was tied up in the passenger seat and had already been knocked unconscious by him. A greedy light flashed in his eyes.
"If that's the case," Kerrigan murmured, "this kid might be worth even more."
Kerrigan murmured to himself, as if he could already see piles and piles of cash.
Under his control, the car drove into the Phoenix city area, weaving through the traffic, and quickly vanished from sight.
Meanwhile, Jiana, having lost her target, stopped her car on the side of the road, hugging the steering wheel in exhaustion and pain. When she heard the sound of an engine approaching from behind, she quickly looked back.
It was the Ghost Rider.
But the rider didn't seem to see her at all, instead speeding straight toward the city of Phoenix at the end of the road.
Seeing this, Jiana remembered he had been able to find her son through some kind of sense, so she quickly started her car and chased after him.
Although the speed of her car was nothing compared to the Ghost Rider's, the burning trail of flames left on the road clearly marked the direction for her.
And so, she followed him for the entire night.
But throughout the night, he didn't seem to be looking for anyone. Instead, he seemed to be hunting, using his Penance Stare to judge one person after another, devouring one soul after another.
Yet, she had no other options, so she could only continue to follow him.
This continued until the next day. Only when the morning sunlight fell upon the Ghost Rider's body and the hellfire dissipated did Johnny Blaze revert to his original form.
He clutched his head, letting out a painful groan.
The Spirit within him hadn't been let out for a long time, which caused it to throw a temper tantrum after emerging this time. It had played far too excessively, and Johnny's own restraining influence over it had weakened considerably, making him completely unable to control its actions.
"How are you doing?"
Jiana, forcing down her exhaustion and grief, went to Johnny Blaze's side and helped him up from where he was collapsed on the ground.
Johnny Blaze draped one arm over Jiana's shoulders, saying weakly, "Sorry. I lost control last night. I didn't save Danny."
Jiana remained silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Tonight, can we find them again? What about... that thing?"
"Don't worry. Last night, he was just upset. Tonight, I should be able to control him. As for Danny..."
Johnny Blaze closed his eyes, trying to sense him, but his expression turned grim. "I can't sense him anymore. Someone must have severed the connection between Danny and me."
The name of a particular devil inexplicably surfaced in his mind.
Hearing this, Jiana's heart trembled.
Johnny Blaze's eyes flickered. "Don't worry, there's still a way. They must want Danny for a reason, probably to perform some kind of ritual. When they begin the ritual, I'll be able to sense Danny again."
Jiana silently nodded her head.
It seemed this was the only way. After all, she was completely helpless on her own.
"Let's go. We need to get some rest first."
She forced a smile for Johnny Blaze's sake, then got onto his motorcycle, and they quickly rode away.
Meanwhile, after an entire night of hiding, Kerrigan had brought Danny to the agreed-upon transaction location: a coffee shop that had been entirely rented out.
Kerrigan walked inside, bringing Danny with him.
"This way."
A man in a black suit, exuding a sharp, imposing aura from head to toe, led Kerrigan deeper into the coffee shop. He brought him to a table near the window, where Kerrigan finally met his employer.
"The mission is complete, Mr. Klose."
Kerrigan sat down nonchalantly, took a sip of the coffee, and then, with a frown, began to dump an insane amount of sugar into it.
"You've done well."
Mephisto, who was using the alias "Klose," nodded his head, though his gaze involuntarily drifted and settled upon Danny.
Greed, gentleness, anticipation, and an overwhelming impatience.
That one look alone was enough to make Danny terrified.
"Hold on, Mr. Klose."
Kerrigan's eyes narrowed as he said, "I want to raise the price."
"Raise the price?"
Mephisto was momentarily stunned, and then he couldn't help but laugh out loud.
This was the very first human who had ever dared to face him and try to renegotiate for a higher price at the last minute.
How very interesting.
"That's right, a price hike!"
Kerrigan sneered and said, "Last night, a terrifying burning skeleton showed up. He killed all of my men! And those men were my good brothers!"
"Human lives? They are indeed worth quite a lot."
Mephisto nodded, but his gaze remained firmly fixed on Danny.
He needed to begin the ritual as soon as possible.
Danny was the vessel of power he had prepared for himself. This current body he was in now only contained his consciousness. He had to separate his consciousness from the vast majority of his power just to deceive that detestable bald woman and successfully come to this world.
As long as his consciousness could return to this power-vessel, he would not only regain control of his formidable power, but he would also be able to continue deceiving that woman. When that time came, operating in this world would be much more convenient for him.
Kerrigan watched Mephisto with a smile and said, "I trust that Mr. Klose is a generous man and can provide me with a satisfactory price."
"Of course!"
Mephisto smiled faintly and replied, "In that case, how about I give you a portion of supernatural power?"
"What?"
Kerrigan's heart leaped in shock. Staring at the smiling man in front of him, it was as if he was watching a demon open its jaws wide, right before him.
(End of this chapter)