Chapter 52: Chapter 52
A stable will not change much because of someone who comes by chance. For instance, the Ancient One is going to teach Kaecilius black magic, as seen with the appearance of the evil spirit knight.
The name of the Ghost Rider is Johnny Blaze. As a child, in an effort to save his father from cancer, he unwittingly signed a contract with Mephisto and became his knight. He only trades with the devil; if he is not powerful or cannot avoid all tricks, the end will inevitably be sorrowful.
Although Johnny's father was cured of cancer, he died in an accident during a performance. This experience made Johnny understand Mephisto's sinister nature, prompting him to escape Mephisto's grasp and leave his hometown. He embarked on a motorcycle tour and became a well-known star.
However, Johnny clearly underestimated the power and cunning of Mephisto. He had lived in peace for many years because Mephisto did not plan to use him. Now, with Mephisto's son, the Sorcerer, coming to Earth to seize the Contract of San Venganza to increase his power and compete with Mephisto for the position of lord of the hell dimension, Mephisto will not simply allow him to find it.
[*The Contract of San Venganza, also misspelled as "Contract of San Vengeanza," is an ancient scroll created by Mephisto that holds the massive power of all the souls of the doomed townspeople of San Venganza. It plays a major role in the Ghost Rider lore.]
In Abel's opinion, while the Contract of San Venganza may have its uses for Mephisto, it is not simply a power-enhancing item.
We must remember that only a little over a hundred evil spirits have signed the Contract of San Venganza—at most a few hundred. The power that such a number of evil spirits could grant to the Heart Witch is not enough to build a Demon Earth the size of a small town, which is utterly futile.
It can only be said that the Heart Witch's intellect is lacking. He thinks that by stealing one of his father's items, which are not particularly rare, he can defeat him. As a result, the unfilial son will not end well; even without the Ghost Rider, Mephisto can ensure the Heart Witch cannot succeed.
That said, Abel did not want them to take the Contract of San Venganza. Regardless of its effects, he wanted to secure it for himself.
When Abel sensed the fierce and violent power in New York City, he immediately made an excuse, left home, and transformed into black smoke, heading to the source of that power and landing on the roof of a nearby building.
Observing the Ghost Rider battling the wind demon from the roof of another building, Abel did not act immediately. Instead, he watched from a distance as the powerful evil spirit knight burned the wind demon to nothing.
So far, the three powerful demons who followed the Heart Witch had been killed, leaving only the Earth Demon and the Water Demon.
It was possible to temporarily eliminate the Ghost Rider, yet one by one, he dispatched his subordinates. Abel wondered how this man thought; it seemed Mephisto had not given him much intelligence when he created him.
Slowly rising, Abel watched as the Ghost Rider defeated the wind demon, then fell from the high building on his bike, contacting Johnny's first love and the police Ghost Rider, preparing to follow.
As expected, after being pursued by the police, the Ghost Rider drove northwest, leaving only a trail of burning tires.
He took out a piece of chewing gum and threw it into his mouth. Abel moved, transforming into black smoke and ascending into the clouds to follow the Ghost Rider.
Abel maintained a distance to avoid being noticed by the Ghost Rider, but he feared that if the Ghost Rider did notice him, it would complicate his efforts to find the location of the Contract of San Venganza.
Recalling related memories, Abel remembered the location of the Contract of San Venganza: it was in a cemetery guarded by the previous Ghost Rider. The former Ghost Rider stood with a shovel in hand as a guard in the cemetery.
He did not want to delay any longer; Abel intended to take the Contract of San Venganza for himself from the beginning, even if he did not fully understand its purpose.
As he arrived to observe the Ghost Rider, night had fallen.
Abel followed all the way, and the sky gradually brightened.
Eventually, led by the Ghost Rider, Abel reached the cemetery where the previous Ghost Rider and the Contract of San Venganza were hidden. He did not approach immediately, instead staying a short distance away from the cemetery, watching as Johnny, restored from Ghost Rider to human for the first time, prepared to leave.
Abel did not want to provoke the spirit of vengeance within him; his strength had not yet reached the level necessary to face the current Ghost Rider head-on.
As for the former Ghost Rider, Carter Slade, who possessed a small portion of the spirit of vengeance's power, Abel was not overly concerned; his strength was sufficient to contend with him.
Thus, when Johnny drove away on his motorcycle, Abel appeared outside the cemetery as black smoke, walking in step by step until he reached Carter Slade.
"Hello, what are you doing here? Are you looking to bury someone, or is there something else?"
"I come from Kamar-Taj."
"The Sorcerer of Kamar-Taj, I wonder what brings you here?"
"The Heart Sorcerer is gathering demons on Earth to find the Contract of San Venganza. I would like to ask you to relinquish it to me. I will keep the contract safe from the Heart Sorcerer."
After listening to Abel's words, Carter Slade inserted the shovel in his hand into the ground, leaning on the wooden handle as he replied, "I'm sorry, I don't know what contract you're referring to. In fact, I've been ignoring these matters for quite some time. You might want to ask someone in the church; perhaps they will know where the contract is."
"Perhaps you didn't understand what I said. I am not asking where your contract is; I am asking you to hand it over to me."
"I don't know what you're talking about. Please leave here."
Seeing that Carter Slade was obviously trying to drive him away, Abel sighed.
"I wanted to avoid being so rude; sorry… Accio Shovel!"
He drew his wand and pointed it at the shovel in Carter Slade's hand. The shovel broke free from Carter's unprepared grasp and flew into Abel's hands.
Wielding the magic wand, he tapped the wooden handle of the shovel, which immediately splintered, revealing a slender scroll in Abel's hand: the Contract of San Venganza!
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone