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Chapter 689: God's Herald
A gentle breeze blew, bringing cool drafts that should have been refreshing.
Yet Johnny felt only a bone-chilling cold. His expression stiffened as he stared at the face he hadn't seen in a long time.
Click... click...
This zombie shuffled over, step by step. What was even more terrifying was that with each step, his skeletal body, revealing its stark white bones, would visibly restore itself a little. From blood vessels to muscles, to the brain, it was like a living 3D render, completing the transformation from bone to flesh. By the time this old man reached Johnny, he had fully recovered. Even his clothes had returned to their original state, exactly as they were five years ago when he was buried in the coffin.
"I seem to have made a mistake." The zombie said to Johnny. His voice was strange, like a language that directly connected to one's spirit.
Large beads of sweat rolled down Johnny's head, splattering onto the ground. Johnny looked at the person before him, feeling utterly cold.
"Spirit of Vengeance?" Johnny's mind was in disarray as he asked blankly.
"That's right, I am a Spirit of Vengeance just like you. My name is The Spectre." The Old Bartender nodded and said, "This time, I came to Earth and possessed this corpse. But it seems I've stirred up some trouble... Was the original owner of this body connected to the New Gods?"
Johnny listened to this nonsense, wrath surging in his eyes. He desperately wanted to punch this person in the face.
"You can't beat me, rookie," The Spectre said. Inhabiting the Old Bartender's body, his form was intact, his clothes pristine, and every subtle movement was utterly graceful and harmonious. He looked very much like an aged gentleman.
But Johnny really wanted to spit. The Old Bartender was never a gentleman. On the contrary, that old man was an old hooligan, a scoundrel, and would never make such refined gestures, as that would only make him feel artificial and hypocritical. To put it bluntly, it was sickening.
"You are disgusting," Johnny growled. "For a Spirit of Vengeance to stoop to your level is simply a disgrace. Wantonly desecrating a deceased's body, you will suffer retribution."
The wrath in Johnny's heart surged, and he roared. At some point, the Spirit of Vengeance within him fell silent. It was no longer restless as before, nor did it attempt to forcefully seize Johnny's body. This young Spirit of Vengeance vaguely understood something. Although a powerful fellow spirit was right before him, he chose to remain silent, quietly observing from within Johnny. After years of living together day and night, the Spirit of Vengeance clearly trusted Johnny more than the newly arrived fellow spirit.
"Retribution?" The Spectre lowered his head, furrowing his brow in thought. Making such a gesture with the Old Bartender's body completely enraged Johnny.
Johnny was also a member of Donny's. He was very familiar with the Old Bartender; this uninhibited old man always liked to drag him along for drinks, because Ghost Rider couldn't get drunk...
"You should atone to the deceased! Even if you are a Spirit of Vengeance, it's unacceptable!"
"A Spirit of Vengeance who desecrates the dead, no matter where you come from, you are a disgrace!"
Johnny roared, and the Hellfire all over his body suddenly ignited. The Spirit of Vengeance, sensing Johnny's wrath, quickly responded and took control of the body.
On this night, Ghost Rider descended. This time, he would unleash judgment upon the fellow spirit before him.
"You, are guilty!"
Ghost Rider slowly raised his head, Hellfire burning on his Skull Head. He raised a hand that was also merely bones, extended his index finger, and pointed at The Spectre.
The Spectre looked up as if realizing something, and calmly said, "You are not my match. No Spirit of Vengeance is my match. I am the strongest Spirit of Vengeance in the Multiverse."
Ghost Rider swung his burning chains, flinging them fiercely at The Spectre. With a roar, the sulfurous smell of Hell swept towards The Spectre.
"You are merely a wretch tainted by Hell. You are far from enough."
The Spectre extended two fingers, and under Ghost Rider's disbelieving gaze, he precisely pinched the tip of the chain. The Hellfire on it quickly extinguished.
"The Spirit of Vengeance is God's creation, born to punish the sins of the world, a sacred being. Yet you have become Hell's dog. Tainted by demonic aura, you are filthier than a hell worm."
The Spectre gently lifted his foot and silently appeared before Ghost Rider. Then he gently pressed down on Ghost Rider's shoulder. With a thud, Ghost Rider fell to the ground, the flames on his body forcefully extinguished.
"I don't believe in God," Ghost Rider's mouth opened and closed.
"...This God is not the religious God you understand," The Spectre continued. "At least he doesn't drop down divine edicts or scriptures, nor does he need followers as weak as ants. The two are fundamentally not the same thing."
A scream rang out as Johnny returned. The Spirit of Vengeance was unable to resist and was forcibly repelled back, the body once again occupied by Johnny.
"You..." Johnny touched his face, deeply feeling the searing heat that had enveloped him in Hellfire, and stared at The Spectre with shock and rage.
"I am God's Herald, the strongest Spirit of Vengeance," The Spectre declared. "All Spirits of Vengeance besides me were born after me; I am the most ancient one."
The Spectre released his hand, as if he had just dealt with a trivial matter. Ghost Rider was defeated for the first time, losing completely, without even a chance to fight back.
God's Herald, The Spectre, appeared on Main Universe Earth in this manner.
Johnny scrambled up and fiercely punched The Spectre in the face.
Bang!
"You'll regret this, you idiot! You have no idea what's coming!" Johnny roared. This wasn't for himself, but for the Old Bartender who had been dead for a long time.
The Spectre touched his face nonchalantly. "That's why I found you. This body attracted me precisely because of its close ties to the New Gods. Across countless space-time within the Multiverse, I saw fragmented glimpses of this body. Only after possessing it did I bypass the New Gods' invisible obstruction and truly saw this body's past."
"Leave him, and choose another corpse!" Johnny said angrily.
"That won't do," The Spectre said very seriously. "In each universe, I typically only merge with one deceased person, unless there are special circumstances. Although possessing this body will incur the rage of the New Gods, even if I return the body now, it's too late. Those robots have already discovered that something is wrong."
Johnny was both shocked and filled with rage. "You'll regret it, you'll regret it! He won't let you get away with this!"
The Spectre said indifferently, "Then let him come. One of my duties is to judge sin."
With a soft sound, Johnny fell unconscious.
In the shadows, a man emerged at some unknown point. He took off his hat and looked at The Spectre with a frown. "Why did you have to possess this person?"
The Spectre shook his head. "Would you believe me if I said it was truly accidental? I followed the remnants of soul and information, and vaguely sensed that this body would be more convenient for me to act. Only after possessing it did I realize I had gotten myself into big trouble... Don't worry, Phantom Stranger, I know what to do."
(end of chapter)
A gentle breeze blew, bringing cool drafts that should have been refreshing.
Yet Johnny felt only a bone-chilling cold. His expression stiffened as he stared at the face he hadn't seen in a long time.
Click... click...
This zombie shuffled over, step by step. What was even more terrifying was that with each step, his skeletal body, revealing its stark white bones, would visibly restore itself a little. From blood vessels to muscles, to the brain, it was like a living 3D render, completing the transformation from bone to flesh. By the time this old man reached Johnny, he had fully recovered. Even his clothes had returned to their original state, exactly as they were five years ago when he was buried in the coffin.
"I seem to have made a mistake." The zombie said to Johnny. His voice was strange, like a language that directly connected to one's spirit.
Large beads of sweat rolled down Johnny's head, splattering onto the ground. Johnny looked at the person before him, feeling utterly cold.
"Spirit of Vengeance?" Johnny's mind was in disarray as he asked blankly.
"That's right, I am a Spirit of Vengeance just like you. My name is The Spectre." The Old Bartender nodded and said, "This time, I came to Earth and possessed this corpse. But it seems I've stirred up some trouble... Was the original owner of this body connected to the New Gods?"
Johnny listened to this nonsense, wrath surging in his eyes. He desperately wanted to punch this person in the face.
"You can't beat me, rookie," The Spectre said. Inhabiting the Old Bartender's body, his form was intact, his clothes pristine, and every subtle movement was utterly graceful and harmonious. He looked very much like an aged gentleman.
But Johnny really wanted to spit. The Old Bartender was never a gentleman. On the contrary, that old man was an old hooligan, a scoundrel, and would never make such refined gestures, as that would only make him feel artificial and hypocritical. To put it bluntly, it was sickening.
"You are disgusting," Johnny growled. "For a Spirit of Vengeance to stoop to your level is simply a disgrace. Wantonly desecrating a deceased's body, you will suffer retribution."
The wrath in Johnny's heart surged, and he roared. At some point, the Spirit of Vengeance within him fell silent. It was no longer restless as before, nor did it attempt to forcefully seize Johnny's body. This young Spirit of Vengeance vaguely understood something. Although a powerful fellow spirit was right before him, he chose to remain silent, quietly observing from within Johnny. After years of living together day and night, the Spirit of Vengeance clearly trusted Johnny more than the newly arrived fellow spirit.
"Retribution?" The Spectre lowered his head, furrowing his brow in thought. Making such a gesture with the Old Bartender's body completely enraged Johnny.
Johnny was also a member of Donny's. He was very familiar with the Old Bartender; this uninhibited old man always liked to drag him along for drinks, because Ghost Rider couldn't get drunk...
"You should atone to the deceased! Even if you are a Spirit of Vengeance, it's unacceptable!"
"A Spirit of Vengeance who desecrates the dead, no matter where you come from, you are a disgrace!"
Johnny roared, and the Hellfire all over his body suddenly ignited. The Spirit of Vengeance, sensing Johnny's wrath, quickly responded and took control of the body.
On this night, Ghost Rider descended. This time, he would unleash judgment upon the fellow spirit before him.
"You, are guilty!"
Ghost Rider slowly raised his head, Hellfire burning on his Skull Head. He raised a hand that was also merely bones, extended his index finger, and pointed at The Spectre.
The Spectre looked up as if realizing something, and calmly said, "You are not my match. No Spirit of Vengeance is my match. I am the strongest Spirit of Vengeance in the Multiverse."
Ghost Rider swung his burning chains, flinging them fiercely at The Spectre. With a roar, the sulfurous smell of Hell swept towards The Spectre.
"You are merely a wretch tainted by Hell. You are far from enough."
The Spectre extended two fingers, and under Ghost Rider's disbelieving gaze, he precisely pinched the tip of the chain. The Hellfire on it quickly extinguished.
"The Spirit of Vengeance is God's creation, born to punish the sins of the world, a sacred being. Yet you have become Hell's dog. Tainted by demonic aura, you are filthier than a hell worm."
The Spectre gently lifted his foot and silently appeared before Ghost Rider. Then he gently pressed down on Ghost Rider's shoulder. With a thud, Ghost Rider fell to the ground, the flames on his body forcefully extinguished.
"I don't believe in God," Ghost Rider's mouth opened and closed.
"...This God is not the religious God you understand," The Spectre continued. "At least he doesn't drop down divine edicts or scriptures, nor does he need followers as weak as ants. The two are fundamentally not the same thing."
A scream rang out as Johnny returned. The Spirit of Vengeance was unable to resist and was forcibly repelled back, the body once again occupied by Johnny.
"You..." Johnny touched his face, deeply feeling the searing heat that had enveloped him in Hellfire, and stared at The Spectre with shock and rage.
"I am God's Herald, the strongest Spirit of Vengeance," The Spectre declared. "All Spirits of Vengeance besides me were born after me; I am the most ancient one."
The Spectre released his hand, as if he had just dealt with a trivial matter. Ghost Rider was defeated for the first time, losing completely, without even a chance to fight back.
God's Herald, The Spectre, appeared on Main Universe Earth in this manner.
Johnny scrambled up and fiercely punched The Spectre in the face.
Bang!
"You'll regret this, you idiot! You have no idea what's coming!" Johnny roared. This wasn't for himself, but for the Old Bartender who had been dead for a long time.
The Spectre touched his face nonchalantly. "That's why I found you. This body attracted me precisely because of its close ties to the New Gods. Across countless space-time within the Multiverse, I saw fragmented glimpses of this body. Only after possessing it did I bypass the New Gods' invisible obstruction and truly saw this body's past."
"Leave him, and choose another corpse!" Johnny said angrily.
"That won't do," The Spectre said very seriously. "In each universe, I typically only merge with one deceased person, unless there are special circumstances. Although possessing this body will incur the rage of the New Gods, even if I return the body now, it's too late. Those robots have already discovered that something is wrong."
Johnny was both shocked and filled with rage. "You'll regret it, you'll regret it! He won't let you get away with this!"
The Spectre said indifferently, "Then let him come. One of my duties is to judge sin."
With a soft sound, Johnny fell unconscious.
In the shadows, a man emerged at some unknown point. He took off his hat and looked at The Spectre with a frown. "Why did you have to possess this person?"
The Spectre shook his head. "Would you believe me if I said it was truly accidental? I followed the remnants of soul and information, and vaguely sensed that this body would be more convenient for me to act. Only after possessing it did I realize I had gotten myself into big trouble... Don't worry, Phantom Stranger, I know what to do."
(end of chapter)
