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"Impossible, unless they master the special incantation I set, no one on Earth can forcibly strip the Revenge Spirit from its host!"
Mephisto was so certain because when he modified the Revenge Spirit, he used his primordial power to cast a unique forbidden Black Magic on its spiritual body.
This ensured that the host, in their Ghost Rider form, would have the ability to directly reorganize and repair all damage received using the energy from Hellfire.
Furthermore, even if the host was instantly killed before transforming, the "Super-dimensional Soul Teleportation magic" he placed on the Revenge Spirit could directly transport the host's soul back from his Hell to the human World for "resurrection."
Thus achieving true "immortality"!
But Mephisto also knew very well that this did not mean the Ghost Rider was immune to targeted attacks.
Because certain targeted magic and special items could still inflict unhealable substantial damage on the Ghost Rider.
They could even completely separate the Revenge Spirit and the host!
For example, sacred weapons crafted from Paradise Paving Bricks, the Black Magic of certain Hell Lords, and incantations cast by Mephisto himself.
Speaking of which, one must mention the origin of the Revenge Spirit and the Ghost Rider.
Approximately 20,000 years ago, during the Paleolithic Age...
God created a batch of original Revenge Spirits.
Their initial mission was to stop an Elemental Demon Lord named Zartannos.
However, this batch of Revenge Spirits ultimately perished in battle with this Elemental Demon Lord, using the essence of their life force to seal the latter within a stone statue.
(Note: Zartannos is a Rock Elemental Demon; his body is composed of ancient Earth rocks from billions of years ago.)
Then, more than two thousand years ago, after a series of changes, Mephisto, through cunning schemes, successfully enslaved the soul of Zartannos, who had by then absorbed the essence of all Revenge Spirit powers.
And in his Hell Dimension, he spent thousands of years cleansing the opponent's memory, transforming him into a living "Hellfire Flame Spirit"—which is the new Max version of the Revenge Spirit.
In the following days, Mephisto began to experiment by implanting fragments of the Revenge Spirit into different humans.
He wanted to use this method to develop the essence of the Revenge Spirit for his own use.
And Johnny Blaze was one of the Ghost Riders whose soul was deceived and imbued with fragments of the Revenge Spirit.
Even if these Ghost Riders, imbued with the Revenge Spirit, almost all eventually betrayed Mephisto, as long as their souls remained linked to Mephisto, then every human soul they judged would belong to Mephisto's Hell.
Therefore, Mephisto was not angry about the betrayal of these turncoat "agents"; instead, he treated it as a great source of entertainment and thoroughly enjoyed it.
(Note: There are many comic versions of the Ghost Rider's origin, such as the version where the primitive human boy "Ghost" was purely created by Mephisto!
The version where God created the Revenge Spirit to purify the sins of the World after the Great Flood!
And the version with Zartannos and the Medallion of Power!
There's also the version where the soul of the evil uncle Eli Morrow directly transformed into the Revenge Spirit!
So, this article adopts a more moderate version.)
Facing the current situation, Mephisto felt the most likely possibility was that some Hell Lords, who had old grudges with him, were secretly pulling strings.
But the problem was...
The Hell Lords he had "tricked" over the years were countless.
So much so that he couldn't find any clues for a while.
"Damn it, don't let me find out which bastard stole my Revenge Spirit, or I'll definitely repay it tenfold... I'll trick you to death, no discussion!"
It had always been Mephisto's turn to trick others; this time, being tricked himself, he naturally couldn't swallow this insult.
So, in his fury, he decided to send his son, Blackheart (also known as Witchheart), to the real World to investigate the specific situation.
And he himself quietly went to the most well-informed Hell Border and Sulphur Harbor to see if he could gather any inside information there.
What?
You say his useless son is more likely to mess things up than succeed?
Yes, Mephisto himself knew that.
But the problem was, the enemy could even casually take away the powerful Revenge Spirit, which meant their strength had at least reached the level of a Demon Lord.
And almost all of Mephisto's subordinates were low-level demons; only Blackheart could reach a level above Demon Lord.
So, if not him, who else could be sent?
...
...
Another Hell Dimension.
"My Lord Marduk, Amon's consciousness and soul seem to have disappeared in the real World, and his demonic body left at the outpost is dissipating."
A high-ranking demon with a pair of curved horns on his head and a pair of dark wings on his back reported to Maduk Kurios, the immensely massive Hell Lord sitting on the throne opposite him.
"Hmm?"
Maduk Kurios asked with a strange expression, "Bruise, that idiot didn't secretly lend his power to humans again, did he?"
"But even so, in the real World, only Ancient One could 'completely kill' him..."
Maduk Kurios was so certain.
Because Amon was his 7th-ranked Demon Lord, commanding 40 demon legions, his strength was unquestionable!
"Although Amon is a turncoat..."
Maduk Kurios's tone suddenly intensified, "But Ancient One, that bald head, has such gall, daring to directly kill my subordinate without even a greeting?"
Just then.
An enchanting female voice suddenly echoed from the back of the hall, "My Lord Satan, it was not the Sorcerer Supreme who made the move this time!"
Then, a pale-faced, slender female Vampire, draped in a blood-red cloak, slowly walked into the hall.
She respectfully bowed slightly to Maduk Kurios on the throne and to Bruise, the demon with dark wings on his back.
"Lilith, what do you know?"
Maduk Kurios said with interest, "I really can't imagine who else in the real World, besides Ancient One, has the ability to completely erase a Demon Lord and prevent his soul from returning to the Hell Dimension!"
Even Bruise, a Demon Lord known for his tyrannical nature, couldn't help but cast a scrutinizing gaze at Lilith.
Lilith did not keep them in suspense and immediately revealed everything she knew.
"According to the news my people sent back, Lord Amon seems to have descended upon the new black sky of The Hand under the alias of Shou, and attempted to wage war to occupy all of New York."
That's right.
Initially, Shou was merely a pseudonym that the Demon Lord Amon used to secretly gather faith and souls in the real World, behind his master's back.
And besides the alias Shou, he and the seventy-two Demon Lords under Maduk Kurios actually had another, more widely known title.
That was the seventy-two demons recorded in the grimoire 'Lemegeton' (translated as 'The Key of Solomon'), compiled by King Solomon, with whom he made covenants.
Finally, because King Solomon carved the names of these seventy-two demons onto seventy-two pillars, they have since been known as the Seventy-Two Pillars of Solomon's Demons!!
Of course.
For high-ranking demons with nearly infinite life.
The Seventy-Two Pillars of Demons were merely one of their many legendary aliases throughout human history.
"What?" Maduk Kurios heard this and covered his forehead with his hand, "How dare that idiot..."
Bruise's face showed an expression of understanding, "Yes, that's exactly something that idiot would do."
"However, his plan was ultimately thwarted by a street hero named Spider-Woman."
Lilith's words instantly drew their attention back to her, and then she continued with a solemn expression:
"This Spider-Woman seems to be an agent of a certain demon, and in battle, relying on the power granted to her by that demon, she successfully killed Lord Amon."
"Presumably, Lord Amon's soul being unable to resurrect in your Hell is also related to her, isn't it?"
"Interesting."
Maduk Kurios seemed indifferent to Amon's death; instead, he said with a playful smile:
"A mere agent can defeat Amon... Is there someone else, besides me, who can't stand the loneliness and is also preparing to make a move on Earth?"
"Never mind. As long as the other party doesn't affect our actions for now, let's not delve into their true identity."
Then, he turned his gaze to Lilith, praising her with approval:
"You did very well this time... Rest assured, as long as you can help me open the dimensional gate to the real World, I will continue to release Vanaar's soul as promised, thus helping you achieve your revenge!"
Lilith was overjoyed upon hearing this, "Thank you, My Lord Satan, for your benevolence."
After Lilith left excitedly, a sinister smile immediately appeared on Maduk Kurios's face.
"Bruise, once that foolish woman opens the dimensional gate and attracts Ancient One's full attention, then have your people snatch those Silver Coins..."
"Remember, you must not let anyone discover that this matter is related to us, otherwise, if we attract the attention of Paradise prematurely, then there will be no need to continue this plan."
"Yes, My Lord!!"
...
...
Although the commotion in Hell's Kitchen officially ended before the Sun rose the next day.
The impact of Shou and The Hand on this district did not subside.
Afterward, according to rough statistics from relevant departments.
More than a thousand people died in this riot, and countless civilians suffered injuries of varying degrees.
And all civilians who were "mentally polluted" needed extensive psychological counseling afterward to return to normal work and life.
In addition.
In Hell's Kitchen, almost all commercial supermarkets and public service facilities in all districts suffered large-scale damage, and many old residential buildings were directly burned to the ground.
The preliminary estimated direct economic loss was approximately... 500 million U.S. dollars!
Yes, you read that right.
This is the authoritative data released by the New York City Hall!
Don't ask why there were so many casualties, such a large affected area, but such low economic losses.
Who made Hell's Kitchen the universally recognized slum of all New York.
In the eyes of those professional appraisal companies, not only were these people's lives worthless, but their property was also worthless!
If it were other areas of New York, this amount of money probably wouldn't even be a fraction of the total.
The most, most, most crucial point is... the less the loss, the less the compensation naturally!
After all, most of the people living in Hell's Kitchen didn't have the money to buy insurance for their property.
So, this compensation payment would mostly have to be directly allocated and paid by the New York City Hall.
Although many discerning people could see something fishy in this.
But who would openly contradict the New York City Hall for a group of "garbage people" living in a slum?
However, if the gang members in Hell's Kitchen were to do the assessment and statistics, the economic loss would be at least 10 billion or more!
Many smaller gangs even ended up in a tragic situation of "losing both people and wealth," completely disappearing after this riot...
And just as the surviving residents were appealing and protesting to the City Hall and insurance companies due to the low compensation.
The Fisk Group suddenly announced with high profile that it had reached an agreement with the City Hall and would fully take over the relevant reconstruction matters of Hell's Kitchen in the future.
Its chairman, Wilson Grant Fisk, even openly pledged in an interview with reporters:
The Fisk Group would prioritize hiring those victims who lost their homes and jobs due to the riot during the reconstruction process.
And provide them with numerous optional positions and generous salaries to alleviate the employment pressure of the large number of unemployed people stranded in Hell's Kitchen.
As soon as this news came out, the originally agitated public immediately quieted down.
No choice.
Even the most vocal gang members didn't dare to cross the "Underground Emperor" Kingpin, let alone ordinary people who were easily bullied.
Although compensation was important, you also needed to be alive to spend it, right?
So, the residents of Hell's Kitchen had no other option but to accept their bad luck.
For this, New York City Mayor Owen McGill, who achieved a triple harvest of "political achievements, public reputation, and election," specially awarded Wilson Grant Fisk numerous awards such as "Excellent Entrepreneur" and "Excellent Good Citizen."
Who could have imagined that the "Underground Emperor" who secretly guided the entire incident to spiral out of control would ultimately become a "Great Philanthropist" publicly praised by the authorities?!
...
The next day.
Manhattan Financial Building.
Early in the morning, Selena led several Death Walkers to respectfully await Karl's arrival in front of the building.
Screech—
Before long, a sparkling portal opened out of thin air.
Immediately after, Karl and Samuel Sterns, along with two One-term Thunderbolt Warriors, walked out of it.