Chapter 169: Chapter 167: The Captured Spirit
"I've wasted so much time luring you here, and now, you want to let all my efforts go to waste?" Alessa said darkly, her voice tinged with obvious anger. Each word she spoke echoed in the place, a testament to the unending darkness she had embraced after what had the church members done to her. "If you can't give me what I want, then no one is leaving this place!"
As Alessa spoke, her delicate, pale hand slightly lifted, and then a wildly agitated dark energy began to condense in her palm. The air around them thickened, carrying the scent of a forest long forgotten by time, hinting at the ancient and malevolent forces at her command.
"You'll have to get past me first." At that moment, Jon stood in front of Rose and Sharon, his resolve as evident as the determined glint in his eyes.
"Overconfident." Alessa said coldly.
With that, the dark energy rushed toward him like a wild wind, instantly blasting Jon's body away and slamming him into a wall. The impact resonated through the air, a grim reminder of the power she wielded.
This hit was undoubtedly lethal, thus triggering the Spirit of Vengeance within Jon. A ghostly blue flame flickered in the depths of his eyes, a silent prelude to the inferno about to be unleashed.
Jon's body ignited with hellfire, and as his flesh faded away, the Ghost Rider reappeared. The transformation was a spectacle of otherworldly power, flames dancing around him in a macabre waltz, painting shadows on the walls that seemed to twist and scream.
In an instant, Alessa's dark power was forcefully suppressed by the Ghost Rider's hellfire. "What is that...?" Alessa's face turned ugly, a blend of shock and intrigue.
She could feel that the flaming skeleton man in front of her possessed an exceptionally strong power. History had seen her emerge victorious time again, relying on the sinister energies that thrived in her dominion. Yet, Jon's flames lit a different kind of fear within her, one she hadn't felt since her human days, tied to the stake.
With a wave of the Ghost Rider's bony hand, a ball of flame flew towards Alessa, striking her on the forearm. "Ah~!"
Alessa felt extreme pain, something she hadn't experienced since becoming a demon. The burning sensation, eerily reminiscent of her mortal end, reignited the terror of her final moments. It was as if the flames sought to remind her of her human frailty, a state she thought she had transcended.
But now, this indescribable burning sensation reminded her of being tied to the stake by the church, feeling the flames consume her. Those flames had been cold, judgmental, fueled by fear and ignorance. Now, they were pure, righteous, a reflection of the vengeance she had once craved.
That was her only sensation before death, leaving her with nothing but hatred for the world.
To Christabella and her congregation, she was a witch, a demon; to Claudia with the Order of Valtiel, she was a vessel for descending the god. Each of these perspectives only served to underscore the depth of her power, and yet, they also marked her as an outcast, destined to forever wander the edges of darkness and light.
But regardless of the perspective, it proved she possessed extraordinary powers, making her impossible to be easily burned to death.
Yet, this also meant the pain she felt on the stake was far greater than any ordinary person could endure.
To her, the world was twisted, devoid of any kindness, even from her own mother who could only watch as she was burned alive. Therefore, after her death, she created a world filled with chaos and horrors, a twisted reflection of the injustice she felt, a realm where she dictated the terms, a sovereign of suffering.
Realizing that even in death, a trace of kindness lingered in her heart, deeming it detrimental to her vengeance yet reluctant to erase it, she separated this kindness from her soul and left it in an orphanage, hoping it would be adopted by kind-hearted people.
That kindness was Sharon.
But now, with her only remaining kindness gone, she was determined to use Sharon and her mother for revenge.
The Ghost Rider summoned the hellfire again, realizing that Alessa was in a moment of distraction, presenting the perfect opportunity to eliminate her.
However, just as he was about to unleash a more powerful hellfire, he suddenly heard Sharon's cry from behind.
"Mommy, what is this?! It hurts!"
Turning around, the Ghost Rider saw that Sharon's forearm was ablaze, just like Alessa's.
Realizing something, the Ghost Rider immediately retracted the hellfire, causing the flames on Alessa's arm to vanish, along with those on Sharon's arm.
Alessa and Sharon were essentially one soul; harming one meant harming the other. This revelation brought a moment of silent understanding between the Ghost Rider and Alessa, a fragile ceasefire born of necessity.
Alessa seemed to realize why the Ghost Rider suddenly stopped, saying, "She was separated from my soul. If I die, she dies!"
She was right; to eliminate Alessa meant also eliminating Sharon.
The flames around the Ghost Rider gradually faded, and he returned to his human form.
Jon let out a sigh, then said, "Indeed, I had already guessed this." His voice carried a weariness.
At that moment, Alessa stood up and said, "Initially, I just wanted to use Rose for my revenge plan, but now I've changed my mind." Her eyes, once alight with the fire of vengeance, now showed a glimmer of something else. Was it doubt? Regret? Or perhaps the realization that her hatred only brought more suffering, even to herself.
Looking at Jon, she continued, "But now I've changed my mind. I want you to help me with my revenge."
Jon smiled and said, "What if I refuse? I might not be able to kill you now, but you also can't kill me." His tone was light, almost teasing, but his eyes betrayed the gravity of their standoff.
Alessa snorted coldly, and with a raise of her delicate hand, a dark power instantly choked Rose.
"If you don't agree, I'll kill her, leaving Sharon forever without a mother!"
Rose immediately felt suffocated, falling to her knees in agony, while Sharon's face turned pale with worry and confusion at the sight of her mother.
"Sharon is you, and Rose is kind of like your mother too, right?" Jon immediately said. His words, seemingly simple, carried a weight, a reminder of the intertwined fates that bound them all.
"What do I care?!" Alessa said coldly. But the flicker in her eyes, for just a moment, suggested otherwise. Was there still a part of her that cared, a fragment of who she once was?
Jon cursed inwardly: 'Damn, this little **** dares to threaten me? Watch how I deal with you later!'
But the situation was more or less what Jon had anticipated, closely following his plans.
"Alright, I agree to your terms, as long as you promise to let them go. I'll help you with your so-called revenge. Just tell me what to do." Jon said, feigning cooperation.
Alessa retracted her dark power, and Rose immediately collapsed on the ground, gasping for fresh air.
Then, Alessa slowly approached Jon, saying, "I will attach myself to you, and you need to go to the church to reveal the truth."
The truth Alessa referred to was naturally about her being burned at the stake. She opened her arms, her slender hands gently wrapping around Jon's waist. Soon, Alessa's body became both solid and ethereal, gradually merging into Jon.
However, at that moment, Jon suddenly smiled and loudly said, "Ah ha, you fell for it, fool!~"
As his words fell, Jon suddenly waved his hand, summoning the Darkhold, slowly forming a protective array.
This dark spell, obtained from the Darkhold, was created to capture and seal a soul within the caster's body.
Indeed, since Alessa could not be killed, capturing her in him was the next best option, at least for now. Her power was great. If not for the Ghost Rider's hellfire completely countering Alessa, without risking Sharon's life, Jon doubted he had another option.
"What have you done?!" Alessa sensed something was amiss and immediately tried to escape, but she found herself seemingly sealed within Jon's body, unable to leave.
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