Reading settings
Chapter 207: Hunting the Hulk (1)
“How are we supposed to save him? You’re not planning on storming into Hell to drag that old fiend Mephisto out, are you?”
Tony shrugged and spread his hands helplessly. The Mephisto active on Earth was just a Human Host for the Great Demon's true form; killing it would be pointless.
But openly charging into the Hell dimension to stir up trouble? The difficulty was astronomically high.
Unless you could gather a large group of Level Seven masters and have a Level Eight powerhouse lead them and hold the formation, charging into Hell would be a suicide mission. The Great Demons there aren't pushovers; each one is an embodiment of sin. Slaughter and extermination are just their daily routine.
Hell, much like Apokolips, exists outside the Speed Force Wall and isn't bound by the Multiverse. The many constraints and screwed-up rules of the Omni-Sphere World are completely useless against Hell.
For instance, the ridiculous rule of madly spawning countless universes to duplicate all the good stuff countless times over has no effect on Hell. Of course, it’s a different story if the demons decide to charge into the Omni-Sphere World themselves.
The Ancient One was incredibly powerful, but to fight her way into Hell and capture someone… Tony shook his head. She probably wouldn't even leave a complete corpse behind.
"There's no need to go to Hell. As long as the Spirit of Vengeance is in my hands, Mephisto will come to the negotiating table himself. He can't bear to part with this Spirit of Vengeance," the Ancient One said.
The Ghost Rider, having been slapped to the ground, looked up at the sky in a daze. The spot where the Ancient One had struck him was still throbbing with pain.
To make an undying creature like him feel pain! Who was this old woman? She took him down with a single slap?
A flurry of hurried footsteps sounded from outside the door, followed by the door being violently kicked open. Wong's chubby body squeezed in with some difficulty as he roared, "Damned demon, how dare you set foot in the sacred Kamar-Taj! The aura of Hell on you is nauseating! Prepare to die… Huh?"
Wong's gaze first fell upon the cool-looking, uniquely posed Ghost Rider. His vast knowledge allowed him to recognize the identity of this Skull Head at a glance.
"It's actually a Spirit of Vengeance? The Spirit of Vengeance that specializes in hunting evil creatures? I always thought it was a legend, I never expected it to be real!" Wong's face lit up with pleasant surprise.
"...Weren't you guarding the New York Sanctum?" Tony asked, speechless.
"I just finished the handover with Mordo. He's guarding the New York Sanctum, and I've come back to take over as the librarian," Wong said, staring intently at the Ghost Rider. The more he looked, the more he liked what he saw, even the flames seemed beautiful in his eyes.
Max was genuinely confused. "What is a Spirit of Vengeance? Is it famous?"
Wong glanced at Max. He knew Max was Tony's subordinate from the day they fought Kaecilius, so he explained, "The Spirit of Vengeance appeared on ancient Earth, born amidst a rain of fire that fell from the sky. For a very long time, they served as Guardians. A Great Demon named Zarathos crossed over from another dimension, intending to seize Earth during a power vacuum. The First Generation Spirit of Vengeance put up a fearless, death-defying resistance and successfully repelled Zarathos."
"That battle was tragic. The First Generation Spirit of Vengeance was numerous, but the vast majority died fighting Zarathos. Only a few survived, but they were the ones who protected the Primitive Humans. So, theoretically, the reason we can stand here today is thanks to the sacrifice of the Spirits of Vengeance. It's a pity so few people know this history."
Max grew pensive, falling silent as he looked at the Ghost Rider.
Twenty thousand years ago, the Eternals fled into space, the Deviants were wiped out, and drastic changes in the continental plates, frequent volcanic eruptions, and an astonishing frequency of earthquakes once plunged humanity into despair. Earth had completely lost its protective power, becoming an undefended planet.
The First Generation Spirit of Vengeance, born from the rain of fire, filled the role of Guardian during Earth's most critical and fragile moment.
Although most Spirits of Vengeance were extremists who showed no mercy to sinners, this could never erase their contributions.
"Sinner, look into my eye..." The Ghost Rider stubbornly climbed up from the ground. The flames on its head flickered as it prepared to activate its Penance Stare.
SMACK!
Before he could finish, the Ancient One slapped him again, completely forcing the Spirit of Vengeance back. The Ghost Rider reverted to his Johnny form.
The most terrifying part was that the Ancient One maintained a gentle smile on her face the entire time, which created a hair-raising feeling.
The Ancient One's smile.
"So it's a newborn Spirit of Vengeance..." Wong took a wary step back. A rookie Spirit of Vengeance was the kind of unlucky thing that would unleash Judgment at the slightest disagreement. There was no telling who might get insta-killed in a frustrating way.
Wong asked, "Where did you find this guy? He looks like he was just born. How dare he attack a selfless guardian like the Sorcerer Supreme? Only a rookie would do something like that."
"It's a long story. Max stumbled upon him by chance and brought him back," Tony said vaguely, shooting an imperceptible glance at the Ancient One.
When it came to attacking the Ancient One, it wasn't just a rookie Spirit of Vengeance; even a mature one would likely see her as a heinous villain.
To extend her life, the Ancient One had drawn too much power from the Dark Dimension, and now there was no turning back. In the eyes of a Spirit of Vengeance, this was an unforgivable Original Sin, irrefutable proof of intimate dealings with the Dark World.
A Spirit of Vengeance couldn't care less about motives like protecting the Earth; they would just roll up their sleeves and fight.
Of course, Wong didn't know this. He simply thought the Spirit of Vengeance attacked the Sorcerer Supreme because she had killed too many people in the process of defending the Earth and was being wrongfully judged as an Executioner.
The Ancient One spoke up. "I'll take this little young one with me for now. It would be a lot of trouble for you if he stayed here."
"Fine by me." Tony righted the motorcycle and tossed it to Wong. "I have no confidence I can withstand that guy's Penance Stare. If I got accidentally killed by a hothead obsessed with punishing evil and promoting good, that would be a terrible way to go."
He had something else he needed to do, and teaming up with the Ghost Rider would have been perfect. Unfortunately, if they really got into a fight, the Ghost Rider would be the first one to stab him in the back.
It was better to toss him to the Sorcerer Supreme to be disciplined first.
If this greenhorn Spirit of Vengeance wasn't beaten into submission, Tony would write his name backward.
The Ancient One and Wong left with the unconscious Johnny. Before she left, the Ancient One gave Tony a deep, meaningful look that left him feeling bewildered.
After they were long gone, Tony said to Max, "We're returning to New York. I'm going to build a batch of specialized soldiers to hunt a Beast. At the same time, I'll send Betty over and let her make her own choice... whether to remain a member of our family or to become our enemy!"
"And if she becomes our enemy?" Max pressed.
"Then she is no longer one of us. That is her choice. At least I will have shown her sufficient respect..." Tony said in a heavy voice. "I will kill her myself to eliminate any future threat!"
(end of chapter)
“How are we supposed to save him? You’re not planning on storming into Hell to drag that old fiend Mephisto out, are you?”
Tony shrugged and spread his hands helplessly. The Mephisto active on Earth was just a Human Host for the Great Demon's true form; killing it would be pointless.
But openly charging into the Hell dimension to stir up trouble? The difficulty was astronomically high.
Unless you could gather a large group of Level Seven masters and have a Level Eight powerhouse lead them and hold the formation, charging into Hell would be a suicide mission. The Great Demons there aren't pushovers; each one is an embodiment of sin. Slaughter and extermination are just their daily routine.
Hell, much like Apokolips, exists outside the Speed Force Wall and isn't bound by the Multiverse. The many constraints and screwed-up rules of the Omni-Sphere World are completely useless against Hell.
For instance, the ridiculous rule of madly spawning countless universes to duplicate all the good stuff countless times over has no effect on Hell. Of course, it’s a different story if the demons decide to charge into the Omni-Sphere World themselves.
The Ancient One was incredibly powerful, but to fight her way into Hell and capture someone… Tony shook his head. She probably wouldn't even leave a complete corpse behind.
"There's no need to go to Hell. As long as the Spirit of Vengeance is in my hands, Mephisto will come to the negotiating table himself. He can't bear to part with this Spirit of Vengeance," the Ancient One said.
The Ghost Rider, having been slapped to the ground, looked up at the sky in a daze. The spot where the Ancient One had struck him was still throbbing with pain.
To make an undying creature like him feel pain! Who was this old woman? She took him down with a single slap?
A flurry of hurried footsteps sounded from outside the door, followed by the door being violently kicked open. Wong's chubby body squeezed in with some difficulty as he roared, "Damned demon, how dare you set foot in the sacred Kamar-Taj! The aura of Hell on you is nauseating! Prepare to die… Huh?"
Wong's gaze first fell upon the cool-looking, uniquely posed Ghost Rider. His vast knowledge allowed him to recognize the identity of this Skull Head at a glance.
"It's actually a Spirit of Vengeance? The Spirit of Vengeance that specializes in hunting evil creatures? I always thought it was a legend, I never expected it to be real!" Wong's face lit up with pleasant surprise.
"...Weren't you guarding the New York Sanctum?" Tony asked, speechless.
"I just finished the handover with Mordo. He's guarding the New York Sanctum, and I've come back to take over as the librarian," Wong said, staring intently at the Ghost Rider. The more he looked, the more he liked what he saw, even the flames seemed beautiful in his eyes.
Max was genuinely confused. "What is a Spirit of Vengeance? Is it famous?"
Wong glanced at Max. He knew Max was Tony's subordinate from the day they fought Kaecilius, so he explained, "The Spirit of Vengeance appeared on ancient Earth, born amidst a rain of fire that fell from the sky. For a very long time, they served as Guardians. A Great Demon named Zarathos crossed over from another dimension, intending to seize Earth during a power vacuum. The First Generation Spirit of Vengeance put up a fearless, death-defying resistance and successfully repelled Zarathos."
"That battle was tragic. The First Generation Spirit of Vengeance was numerous, but the vast majority died fighting Zarathos. Only a few survived, but they were the ones who protected the Primitive Humans. So, theoretically, the reason we can stand here today is thanks to the sacrifice of the Spirits of Vengeance. It's a pity so few people know this history."
Max grew pensive, falling silent as he looked at the Ghost Rider.
Twenty thousand years ago, the Eternals fled into space, the Deviants were wiped out, and drastic changes in the continental plates, frequent volcanic eruptions, and an astonishing frequency of earthquakes once plunged humanity into despair. Earth had completely lost its protective power, becoming an undefended planet.
The First Generation Spirit of Vengeance, born from the rain of fire, filled the role of Guardian during Earth's most critical and fragile moment.
Although most Spirits of Vengeance were extremists who showed no mercy to sinners, this could never erase their contributions.
"Sinner, look into my eye..." The Ghost Rider stubbornly climbed up from the ground. The flames on its head flickered as it prepared to activate its Penance Stare.
SMACK!
Before he could finish, the Ancient One slapped him again, completely forcing the Spirit of Vengeance back. The Ghost Rider reverted to his Johnny form.
The most terrifying part was that the Ancient One maintained a gentle smile on her face the entire time, which created a hair-raising feeling.
The Ancient One's smile.
"So it's a newborn Spirit of Vengeance..." Wong took a wary step back. A rookie Spirit of Vengeance was the kind of unlucky thing that would unleash Judgment at the slightest disagreement. There was no telling who might get insta-killed in a frustrating way.
Wong asked, "Where did you find this guy? He looks like he was just born. How dare he attack a selfless guardian like the Sorcerer Supreme? Only a rookie would do something like that."
"It's a long story. Max stumbled upon him by chance and brought him back," Tony said vaguely, shooting an imperceptible glance at the Ancient One.
When it came to attacking the Ancient One, it wasn't just a rookie Spirit of Vengeance; even a mature one would likely see her as a heinous villain.
To extend her life, the Ancient One had drawn too much power from the Dark Dimension, and now there was no turning back. In the eyes of a Spirit of Vengeance, this was an unforgivable Original Sin, irrefutable proof of intimate dealings with the Dark World.
A Spirit of Vengeance couldn't care less about motives like protecting the Earth; they would just roll up their sleeves and fight.
Of course, Wong didn't know this. He simply thought the Spirit of Vengeance attacked the Sorcerer Supreme because she had killed too many people in the process of defending the Earth and was being wrongfully judged as an Executioner.
The Ancient One spoke up. "I'll take this little young one with me for now. It would be a lot of trouble for you if he stayed here."
"Fine by me." Tony righted the motorcycle and tossed it to Wong. "I have no confidence I can withstand that guy's Penance Stare. If I got accidentally killed by a hothead obsessed with punishing evil and promoting good, that would be a terrible way to go."
He had something else he needed to do, and teaming up with the Ghost Rider would have been perfect. Unfortunately, if they really got into a fight, the Ghost Rider would be the first one to stab him in the back.
It was better to toss him to the Sorcerer Supreme to be disciplined first.
If this greenhorn Spirit of Vengeance wasn't beaten into submission, Tony would write his name backward.
The Ancient One and Wong left with the unconscious Johnny. Before she left, the Ancient One gave Tony a deep, meaningful look that left him feeling bewildered.
After they were long gone, Tony said to Max, "We're returning to New York. I'm going to build a batch of specialized soldiers to hunt a Beast. At the same time, I'll send Betty over and let her make her own choice... whether to remain a member of our family or to become our enemy!"
"And if she becomes our enemy?" Max pressed.
"Then she is no longer one of us. That is her choice. At least I will have shown her sufficient respect..." Tony said in a heavy voice. "I will kill her myself to eliminate any future threat!"
(end of chapter)
