Deep in the Rocky Mountains, a luxurious villa stood in solitude.
This was a property of the Ashton family, who had controlled Ravensfall for over a century, amassing immense wealth. But the last member of this family was nearing the end of his life, leaving behind a vast inheritance with no clear heir.
Jamie was tightly bound, facing a man in a white mask and the ghostly figure of an old woman.
"Jamie Ashton, I've waited so long for this day!"
Mary Shaw's face lit up with an uncontrollable grin, the kind that comes from knowing revenge is within reach.
"Mary Shaw, it was my ancestor who killed you, not me! Why do you have to come after me—and why did you kill my wife?!"
"Hahaha… it's all for the ritual! Once every member of your family is sacrificed, I'll become a perfect puppet with human senses—a truly flawless creation!"
It turned out Mary Shaw knew Ella lacked normal human senses, so her so-called "perfect puppet" was far from perfect. Mary's body had been turned into a puppet by Henry's father, making a normal resurrection impossible.
So, Mary devised an ancient ritual—one that would let her exact revenge while granting her puppet full sensory perception, even the ability to eat like a human.
"Sadly, my original body became the vessel for the Seed of Silence. It's useless now," Mary said, her expression tinged with regret.
The Hookman, standing nearby, grew impatient.
"Enough, Mary! Your old body was ugly and worn out—what's there to miss? You're a puppeteer; you can craft any puppet you want! Hurry up and finish the ritual. Mr. R is almost here!"
"Heh, Hookman, always in a rush. Fine, bring it out."
The Hookman pulled a body from a long, wrapped bundle. Jamie's eyes widened in horror—it was his wife's corpse.
"You bastard! Why did you bring Lisa's body here?!"
The Hookman placed the corpse on a chair across from Jamie.
Mary Shaw floated between Jamie and Lisa.
"It's for the final step of the ritual, of course! Jamie, did you know? You're not actually the last Ashton."
Jamie's eyes widened as realization dawned.
Mary Shaw's face twisted into a cruel smile.
"That's right. When I killed Sally, she was already pregnant. Maybe she was planning to surprise you with the news?"
Jamie's mind raced, recalling Sally's behavior before her death. It all lined up with what Mary was saying.
"No! Sally! Why?! Arghhh!"
Jamie screamed, descending into madness, unable to accept the truth.
But Mary didn't take his tongue just yet—she had more to say.
"And when I killed Sally, I used a secret spell to preserve the fetus. The ritual requires the Ashtons to be killed in order."
"My child… is still alive?"
The relentless blows had left Jamie numb. Even the news that his child was alive couldn't bring him comfort—only despair filled his heart.
"Now that you know the whole truth, let's complete the final ritual!"
Mary Shaw's wicked grin widened as she reached for Jamie.
But at that moment, an alarm the Hookman had set up outside the villa was triggered.
"Mary, hold on! Someone's here!"
Mary frowned at the Hookman.
"What? Is it Mr. R? I'm just two steps away from finishing the ritual!"
"Better play it safe. Let's check it out."
Reluctantly, Mary agreed, and the two cautiously headed toward the villa's entrance.
Suddenly, a lightning-fast shadow burst in from outside.
The Hookman vanished instantly, but Mary wasn't quick enough. The shadow drew a revolver and fired at her.
"Ahh!"
Mary let out a scream as a bullet released a stunning female ghost in a red dress, who began devouring her spiritual form.
"Francesca!"
From the shadows, the Hookman gasped in disbelief, recognizing the red-dressed ghost.
"You really are Jack!"
Francesca shot a glance at the Hookman, her eyes burning with unquenchable hatred.
"Hookman, save me!"
Francesca, infused with immense positive energy by Roy, was overwhelmingly powerful. Even Mary Shaw, a malevolent spirit born from a witch, couldn't hold her own and could only cry out for help.
The Hookman gritted his teeth, refusing to show himself. He knew he couldn't face Roy head-on, so his only hope was to stall until Mr. R arrived.
What he didn't know was that Roy had gained Elizabeth's authority, allowing him to sense the Hookman's approximate location—and the closer he got, the sharper that sense became.
"Come out, you coward! Are you just gonna let your partner die right in front of you?"
The taunt had no effect. The Hookman was selfish to the core, prioritizing his own survival above all else.
Roy paced the villa slowly, already sensing the Hookman's rough position and even picking up on his silent prayers to Belial.
But the Hookman seemed to exist outside of real space, meaning Roy couldn't harm him directly, even knowing where he was.
When the first taunt failed, Roy switched tactics.
"Hookman, remember that cruise ship you robbed years ago? I took care of the evil spirit on board. My team's salvaging the gold and jewels as we speak. How's it feel to do all that work just to hand it over to someone else?"
The air rippled faintly—Roy's words were getting to him, but not enough. He needed a bigger push.
Meanwhile, Francesca had beaten Mary Shaw to the brink of destruction. The red-dressed ghost licked her lips, scanning the room.
"Jack, I know why you killed me. It wasn't just about keeping the treasure for yourself. The real reason is you couldn't face me, could you?"
Roy raised an eyebrow, a strange expression crossing his face. He had a hunch where Francesca was going with this.
"I always wondered why you never touched me, why you pushed me to seduce that bandit leader. Now I get it—you're not even a man!"
Words like that were a lethal weapon against any man, especially one with insecurities in that department.
Even Cliff Layton, the calmest scientist, would lose it if Miss Joy said something like that.
Roy sensed the ripples in the air growing stronger.
Francesca wasn't done, and her words grew even more explosive.
"Guess what? I'm Roy's woman now! Bet you didn't see that coming. In death, I've felt ecstasy I never got close to with you!"
The Hookman couldn't hold back any longer. A figure emerged from the shadows—it was him!
He pulled a doll tied with hair from his coat.
"Don't move! This is a cursed doll! One prick, and Roy Black's dead!"
A cursed doll? Must be from that hair I lost back then.
"You think that thing can hurt me?" Roy smirked.
He knew about cursed dolls—common in many witchcraft traditions, with voodoo being the most potent. But no matter the type, they shouldn't affect him much, given his unique constitution.
Still, the Hookman clung to the doll like a lifeline.
"Try me! Let me and Mary Shaw go, and I'll pretend this never happened!"
Roy shook his head. No way he'd let these two walk.
"Stab it if you're gonna. Quit yapping."
The Hookman, seeing Roy's indifference, gritted his teeth and drove a needle into the doll's heart.
Roy felt a faint sting in his chest, frowning slightly.
But the pain was less than what he'd feel after a workout with Black Widow Zoe, and his superhuman healing erased it almost instantly.
The Hookman stared, dumbfounded, as Roy stood unharmed. He stabbed the doll repeatedly, but it only caused Roy minor discomfort, nothing more.
"You done poking yet?!"
Roy unleashed his Fear Incarnation ability, plunging the Hookman into terror.
Using the explosive speed of his Ghost Wolf form, Roy rushed forward, grabbing the Hookman by the throat.
"Got you!"
Roy's fear illusions could trap someone forever, but to let Francesca have her revenge, he dispelled the effect.
"No! This can't be!"
The Hookman couldn't accept it, especially as Francesca drew closer.
"Jack, ever since I became a ghost, I've dreamed of this moment—facing you again!"
Francesca's steps were graceful, but her eyes burned with deep-seated hatred.
"Francesca, please! I'll do anything for you!"
Roy noticed the Hookman trying to cast some kind of illusion, likely through Belial's power, to manipulate their minds.
As a servant of Belial himself, Roy was immune, but Francesca faltered, confusion clouding her eyes.
"Cut it out!"
Roy punched the Hookman in the gut, disrupting his spell and leaving him retching.
To prevent further tricks, Roy snapped the Hookman's limbs and tossed him to the ground.
"Francesca, finish it."
Clear-headed again, Francesca nodded silently, gripping her Smith & Wesson M629.
"Goodbye, Jack."
With an expressionless face, she pulled the trigger, blowing the Hookman's head apart.
[Ding! Obtained the Hookman's Fate Chest! Open it now?]
Killing the Hookman left Francesca with a sense of relief, the resentment in her spirit vanishing.
"Thank you, darling!"
She approached Roy, kissing him passionately, her joy palpable—like she wanted to go three hundred rounds right there.
But the timing wasn't right, so Roy broke the kiss after a minute.
"Francesca, we've got work to do. We can celebrate later."
"Mm!"
Francesca gazed at Roy with love, ready to do anything he asked.
"Go untie Jamie."
As for Roy, he wanted a word with Mary Shaw.
Mary had been gravely wounded in her fight with Francesca. Her soul was leaking energy, on the verge of dissipating.
It was similar to when the Cursed Twin Daggers were corroded by Mammon's blood, damaging Sadako and Kayako's souls.
A skilled witch could seal Mary's soul in a vessel and nourish it to restore her, but…
"Save me! I'll work with you! Just save me!"
Mary's arrogance was gone, replaced by desperate pleading.
Roy shook his head.
"I gave you plenty of chances, but you didn't take them. Now, someone else gets to decide your fate. Ella!"
Roy called out, and a tall, elegant figure stepped into the villa.
Mary's eyes widened.
"You betrayed me!"
In truth, Roy could've found this place without Ella—it just would've taken longer, possibly too long to save Jamie.
Ella stared at Mary impassively. Mary had turned her into a senseless puppet and forced her to commit countless atrocities.
To say Ella didn't hate her would be a lie.
"That's right, it was me."
Furious, Mary tried to activate a rune hidden in Ella's heart to kill her.
But Roy had already cleansed Ella's body with his Desire Incarnation ability during a prior positive energy transfer, overwriting Mary's control with his own mark.
So, in her extreme anger, Mary Shaw could only rage helplessly.
Realizing her control over Ella was gone, Mary gasped.
"This can't be!"
Ella…