章 78: Chapter 78: Unchained Rage
"What good are names to the dead."
Rocks and rubble exploded from beneath the spirit of vengeance as he dashed forward at incredible speeds. Before any of the gathered Demons could react, Thog disappeared.
"Thog?!" Abigor yelled in surprise.
As the two figures flew back in the air, Thog looked down and saw dual katanas stabbed into his torso. Glaring at the Ghost Rider in front of him, Thog roared and raised his twin swords and swung them down to stab into his fiery opponent.
"Let's see how good you are with those swords." Ghost Rider said and pulled his katanas out of Thog's body and deflected the incoming swords in a shower of sparks.
"You bastard!" Thog yelled in fury, and the two entered a lightning-fast battle of blades.
Ducking under a horizontal slash from the red-skinned Demon, Ghost Rider swung his right katana in a vertical swipe. However, his attack was deflected by Thog's other sword, not deterred by having his slash deflected. Ghost Rider thrust his left katana into Thog's neck. At the last second, Thog twisted his neck to the side. Avoiding a lethal blow in favor of just receiving a large cut on the side of his neck.
Thog then stomped the ground in front of him, and a wall of fire shot out in front of Ghost Rider, enveloping him in fire. Thog then dashed back with a confident smile.
"How do you like that, you bastard?!" Thog said in a proud yell. "The flames of Thog the great!"
Without warning, Ghost Rider blurred towards Thog and grabbed the sides of his red-skinned face. Grunting in surprise, the red-skinned Demon stabbed his blades into Ghost Rider's torso. Smiling in his apparent victory, Thog's eyes grew wide when his opponent didn't react to his blades.
"Your flames are disgusting. Let me show you true primordial fire." Ghost Rider said and squeezed Thog's skull with a flash of light. Thog and Ghost Rider exploded in a burst of Hell Fire.
"Ah- Stop! This isn't fire! AGHHH!" Thog tried to escape Ghost Rider's grip but found it impossible to do so. All he could do was struggle and yell in pain as they continued to be engulfed in Hellfire.
SLAM
A large chunk of rock slammed into the two, sending them flying through the air and rolling across the ground, leaving a trail of smoke in their wake. One of the figures rolled to a stop and slowed to a halt. The identity of the fugue was hidden by dust and smoke.
"Thog!" Gressil landed on the ground with an explosive crash and looked at the dissipating dust cloud.
A small object shot out from the dust and rolled to a stop in front of Gressil's large forearms. It was a skull with its spinal cord still attached, charred black muscle and skin stuck loosely on the remains.
Gressil looked up to see Ghost Rider heading towards him. Thogs two swords in his grasp. The swords then started to glow orange. They then turned red as they were heated up. Smoke rose from the now melting blades as they dripped behind the spirit of vengeance as he walked. When nothing but the hilts of the blades remained, Ghost Rider tossed them aside and cracked his neck.
"Are you my next opponent?" Ghost Rider said as he continued walking.
"Hmph. Thog was the weakest of us all. Be sure that from here on out, you'll fin-"
"Hell's Inferno: Web of Chains." With hands clasped together, Ghost Rider glared at Gressil.
All his instincts yelled at him to move; with a mighty leap, Gressil jumped back as several fiery chains shot out from the ground and chased him. The chains were unending as a multitude of them continued chasing after him no matter how much Gressil dashed around.
"Enough!" Gressil yelled as he slammed his arms into the ground beneath him. Rocks and chunks of debris exploded out, shooting through the sky. Smoke and dust shot out into the air and hid the battlefield. This caused him to fall to the ground as his attack destroyed the ground beneath him.
"What?"
Gressil looked down as the earth beneath him glowed red and radiated intense heat. Before he could summon a pillar of earth to push him back to the surface, the ground beneath him turned bright white and orange, appearing like a small pit of lava formed below.
An extremely giant hand made of molten lava shot out of the pool below and flew after him, gripping him tightly. Gressil yelled in excruciating pain as he was squeezed and burned. The first shot up to the surface and continued towards the open space in the sky.
Ghost Rider held an arm up in the air, clenched into a fist. The large lava arm seemingly mimicked his movements like a puppet.
"Pathetic."
CRUNCH
Tightening his fist, The lava arm copied his action and crushed Gressil under its powerful grip. The Earth Demon couldn't even scream in pain as his life ended in an instant. Blood and limbs flew through the air as his large body was reduced to mush. The remains still within the lava arms grip were burned away and sank into the lava.
SWOOSH
An unbelievably strong gust of wind swept away Ghost Rider, so strong that it picked him up and carried him through the air. He was then sent upwards, flying high into the sky in a vortex of winds that created an enormous tornado.
Looking down at the vortex, Ghost Rider saw the sharp-toothed visage of Abigor. The Wind Demon snarled at him from his position at the base of the swirling wind cone. Abigor then slashed the space in front of him in a series of quick movements. Dozens of visible wind blades sped towards him, raising his arms defensively in front of him. The onslaught of Abigor's attacks hit Ghost Rider.
"You may have defeated Thog and Gressil, but I am on a completely different level! Now PERISH!" Abigor roared and continued sending wind blades at a trapped Ghost Rider. The tornado held him in place, not allowing him to move.
"Fire consumes the oxygen in the air for fuel." Ghost Rider said from behind his arms. "Do you know what happens to oxygen when fire burns everything within an enclosed space?"
Abigor said nothing and continued his attack; any moment now, the spirit of vengeance would grow tired and drop his defenses. Eyes growing wide, Abigor felt a sensation he'd not felt in many centuries—pure primal fear.
"…the oxygen dies out. Consumed by the fire's unending hunger." Opening his flaming jaw wide, blazing white fire spewed from Ghost Rider's mouth.
The beam of fire then expanded in size and width, disrupting the speeding tornado. Abigor watched with wide eyes as a cone of fire slammed down around him, striking the ground and causing it to burn up and melt. The fiery cone then began to spin clockwise at fast speeds. Abigor realized with fear that he was now encased within a swirling vortex of flames with no escape.
"Be reduced to nothing." Ghost Rider said from above the fire vortex, his arms spread out beside him.
Abigor tried to dash out of the vortex, but when he made contact with the twisting wall of fire, his entire right arm exploded in a burst of hot air. Backing away in fear, Abigor felt his body become thinner and thinner as the oxygen his body was composed of was pulled out.
"NO!" Abigor yelled in agony as his body and soul were consumed by the flames. Erasing his existence.
"H-How can this be?" Wallow asked in complete shock. Two of Blackheart's strongest warriors were just killed with an apparent ease. "We're completely outmatched!"
"It appears I've miscalculated," Sligguth growled and took a shaky step back as the Ghost Rider landed on the ground with a crash. He turned his head to look at him and Wallow. The large lava hand returned into the deep hole created by Gressil. "He shouldn't be this strong! He's nothing but a human!"
"Sligguth, we must retreat and alert Master! We stand no chance!" Wallow turned to him anxiously as the spirit of vengeance walked their way.
"Wallow, you fool. We do that were as good as dead. Master Blackheart does not tolerate failure." Sligguth took a shaky step forward and inspected the monster in the distance. "We have to work in uniso-"
"Wait! Where'd he go?!" Wallow roared.
Sligguth scanned the battlefield and couldn't find the Ghost Rider. That was until he looked up and saw him soaring in the sky, hand held out in front of him. Several hundred small orange lights then illuminated the dark sky.
FSH FSH FSH FSH
Small, extremely fast-moving bullets of fire tore through the sky and rained down where Sligguth and Wallow stood. Dashing away to avoid the volley of bullets, Sligguth slithered side to side and successfully dodged the deadly projectiles.
On the other hand, Wallow was not a fast Demon; his body composition resulted in him lacking legs, drastically slowing him down while he was outside of a body of water, where he usually was swift and untouchable. On land, he was nothing but a sitting duck to broad attacks.
"RAGH!" Wallow yelled in pain as he tried his best to dodge the bullets but was struck repeatedly no matter where he moved.
One of the flaming bullets struck one of his wooden horns, snapping it and burning the ends where it was attached. Growing angry at the feeling of his body beginning to boil due to the heat of the bullets, Wallow thrust his arms out and grabbed Ghost Rider mid-air. Stopping the onslaught of flaming bullets.
"DIE!" Wallow yelled and slammed the spirit of vengeance onto the ground with a loud crash. Following that, the water Demon spun and threw his opponent through several rock pillars spread around the area.
Not wanting to waste this opportunity, Sligguth dashed toward where he saw Ghost Rider being thrown. Jumping into the air, Sligguth grabbed the top half of the broken rock pillar and threw it towards the Ghost Rider with all his strength.
"Take this!" Sligguth yelled as the pillar impacted the crater Ghost Rider made with his body.
BAM
Landing on the ground, Sligguth turned his scaly head to see Wallow glide beside him. They waited for the dark dust cloud to dissipate, eager to see a battered corpse.
"Lieutenants? Don't make me laugh." A deep voice spoke from behind the dust cloud.
"Our attack did nothing?!" Wallow yelled in disbelief.
"He's bluffing." Sligguth muttered. "Could he be on Master Blackheart's level?"
A massive wave of fire shot towards Sligguth and Wallow. It moved with impossible speed, and the ground under the wave became charred as it passed over it. Leaving a trail of ash and smoke.
Looking over at a fearful Wallow, Sligguth turned around and slithered away at his full speed.
"Sligguth! HELP ME!" Wallow tried to run after his fellow Lieutenant but was caught by the wave.
Wallow's body boiled and exploded into steam as he was killed instantly by the wave of primordial fire. A choked scream echoed throughout the air as the water Demon, known as Wallow, ceased to exist.
"This can't be… we had the advantage in numbers! You shouldn't be this strong!" Sligguth said in frustration. "You were never this strong in the mortal realm!"
WHAM
Sligguth's world was sent spinning, and a world of pain shot through his head and neck as he was sent crashing through a small mountain after receiving an explosive punch. After what felt like forever, he rolled to a stop, head spinning and body racked with pain. Sligguth forced his healing factor to work overtime and stood up slowly.
"In the mortal realm, I always had to take care not to use too much of my power. Never allowing myself to lose control because someone could die… but here, I can let loose." Sligguth looked over and saw the Ghost Rider mere feet away. "Here, I can destroy everything, kill everything. Without needing to keep myself in check."
Ghost Rider then grabbed Sligguth's neck with his hand and lifted the snake Demon. Aggravating Sligguths still healing injury. "Let me tell you something, it feels amazing. I feel… free."
Sligguth stared into Ghost Rider's empty eye sockets and saw something that sent shivers of fear no one else other than Blackheart had ever done. In those dark eyes, he could see deep, primal rage. Rage so strong he felt like he was suffocating.
"But you all are weak… this isn't enough. I want a real fight." Ghost Rider then grabbed the top of Sligguth's head and dug his fiery fingers deep into his skin and flesh. "I've never skinned a snake before… let's give it a try."
Cries of pain and agony filled the air over the ruined remains of the destroyed city of Demons. Lava flowed freely through the rubble of ruined buildings, illuminating the wasteland with orange light. Beyond the city laid ruined pillars of rock and shattered mountains. A small lava pool bubbled deep inside a deep trench in the ground. Smoke bellowed over the charred, ruined ground that spanned a mile long.
Several feet away lay the remains of a dismembered corpse. Its skin was missing, leaving muscle and blood exposed. On a long green ox horn, the large head of a snake Demon sat impaled. Its bloody jaw hung loosely, red blood dripping slowly down its hanging long tongue.
•••
"Asmodeus, I hoped you would have put up more of a fight. That angel proved more interesting than you."
Stepping out of a large purple portal, Blackheart chuckled darkly. A golden spear over his shoulder, its blade glowing with gold light until it dimmed. Walking up to his large throne, Blackheart sat down and relaxed.
"Sligguth… Report." Blackheart ordered.
Blackheart glared as silence was his answer. Feeling his anger rise, the son of Mephistopheles would not tolerate such disrespect.
"SLIGGUTH!" Blackheart yelled and stood up, spear in hand. "Show yourself at ONCE."
Silence was his answer once again. Anger reaching its boiling point, Blackheart calmed himself and finally noticed something that struck him as odd. There was nothing but silence everywhere.
"…"
Blackheart narrowed his eyes in suspicion and walked towards the large open window, the eye socket of the giant skull of the Icon of Sin he built his fortress in. Instead of the usual sight of the city he built over the course of centuries, all Blackheart saw was a destroyed and battered wasteland.
Eyes wide in shock, Blackheart's eyes traveled down and saw all his fortress servants piled on top of each other down in front of the skull-shattered jaw. They were all burning slowly as fire danced over their unmoving, charred bodies.
Floating out of the window, Blackheart scanned his domain and saw it in tatters. Slow, burning anger rose in his chest. Everything he's built over centuries was destroyed. Who could have done this? Was it the remaining Hell Lords? Pluto? Or perhaps Satana? It didn't matter who. He would find whoever did this and make sure they suffered for eternity.
"Hurts, doesn't it?" A voice spoke from high behind him.
Blackheart spun around slowly; his eyes glowed crimson with rage. On top of the skull of the Icon of Sin stood a leather-bound figure with brown hair floating in the hot wind. His glowing red eyes looked down at him with anger equal to his own, a deep frown on his human face.
"…Harvey Miller." Blackheart spat the name out with venom.
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