"Hmm? Now you finally thought of visiting this old man?"
At the Benevolence Society branch, or what should be called the Americas Branch Training Ground now, Oaks came alone to find Grandpa Carter Slade.
But at first, Oaks almost didn't recognize him...
"How many bottles of 'Spring of Vitality' have you drunk??"
Oaks stared at the handsome old man with gray hair in front of him, who looked no more than sixty years old.
"If you weren't such an 'old man', I would have thought you were a neighbor dropping by!
You look at least twenty years younger!"
"Well, my body has some special qualities, so I drank two extra bottles," Carter Slade replied while flipping his gray-white long hair that he had specially grown back.
"Ah... It feels like I'm back in the days at the graveyard."
"...I think this place is much better than a graveyard!"
Suppressing the desire to further comment, Oaks glanced at the members who were training happily on the training ground, cleared his throat, and got straight to the point.
"Grandpa, have you felt any... strange sensations recently?"
"Strange sensations?"
Carter Slade was stunned for a moment and then became serious. "You've felt it too? I thought it was just my imagination!"
"Really?!"
Oaks narrowed his eyes. "It's not something I sensed; it's a warning from an old man... What did you sense, Grandpa?"
"...A power that is connected to the power I once possessed has appeared in the west."
Carter Slade leaned on his trusty old shovel and frowned.
"At first, I thought it was that kid, Johnny, but it seems different.
It was a fleeting sensation. I thought I missed Johnny after not seeing him for so long, but now it seems like it's something else."
As the guide of the Ghost Rider, Johnny Blaze, and a former Ghost Rider himself, Carter Slade's sensitivity to souls has greatly benefited Oaks.
If he sensed something familiar...
"Is it the Ghost Rider or... something from hell?"
Although Oaks asked this question, he was already prepared.
If someone could be referred to as an "old acquaintance" by Odin, it couldn't be the young Ghost Rider.
After thinking for a moment, Carter Slade slowly shook his head. "That power is too distant and fleeting for me to be certain. Initially, I thought it was Johnny, but upon careful consideration, it's not that simple.
Johnny's power should have undergone changes, but within that power, there is a hint of hell."
A gleam of light flashed in Carter Slade's eyes that were no longer clouded as before. "Perhaps... something from hell has escaped."
"It seems like I need to go there myself."
Oaks nodded solemnly. If it's related to hell, it's better to put aside technological means for now.
Carter confirmed the presence of hellish power, but it's uncertain if there's anything else.
However, since there's no movement at the New York Sanctum, it shouldn't be a major event. Or perhaps the Ancient One foresaw that Odin would remind me?
"Speaking of which, hell is also a dimension..."
After carefully inquiring about the Ghost Rider's techniques and precautions from Carter Slade, Oaks set off for the west.
Whether it was Odin or Carter, neither could determine the precise location of that power. With so many cities along the western coast, it would take some effort to find it.
"Malorn, have there been any special events in the cities along the western coast in recent days?"
While on the road, Oaks contacted Malorn. "Especially anything supernatural, like battles or destruction."
"Yes, brother."
Malorn's voice quickly came through.
"Yesterday in Los Angeles, there was an incident that seems to fit. There was an unknown explosion at a private research laboratory, and witnesses saw a... skull covered in blue flames?
Hmm... a skull covered in blue flames and a purple figure flying in the sky. However, the incident was quickly suppressed, and it seems that the US government had taken action to block the news."
Malorn's tone was full of surprise. "A skull covered in blue flames... sounds quite cool, and there's someone who can fly? It's unscientific, but very magical."
"The government intervened to block the news... It seems like it was quite a significant battle.
The skull covered in blue flames should indeed be the Ghost Rider, Johnny, who has broken free from the curse of hell and regained his role as the guardian and judge—the legendary Spirit of Vengeance."
Oaks was a bit puzzled. If it's the Ghost Rider then what kind of entity was the purple figure flying in the sky?
But that undoubtedly belonged to the mysterious side of power.
A wizard, perhaps? If it's the kind that can fly, it must be quite a powerful wizard...
"At least knowing it was in Los Angeles makes it easier. I hope they haven't gone too far."
...
An abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of Los Angeles had now turned into a battlefield of visual effects explosions.
Burning vibrant blue flames, dancing chains of fire, and countless purple energy beams and spheres clashed in the air. Amidst the low growls of the Ghost Rider, there were piercing manic laughter from a neurotic woman.
The Ghost Rider's opponent was none other than a woman flying in the sky!
"Witch! You're dabbling in evil powers beyond your control!"
On the Ghost Rider's skull-like head, there were bright blue lights in his eye sockets. However, the power of the Hellfire Eyes couldn't seem to affect the figure in the sky who laughed recklessly.
"Can't control it? Hahaha! That's a joke!"
The witch in the sky wore a purple veil, and her explosive curly hair looked wild and mad.
"That is the supreme grimoire of the realm of magic, the sacred text of black magic representing boundless power!"
"Evil? Hehehe...
Ever since the tragic and laughable trial of the witches, do you think I still care about that?!"
"The power of the Darkhold will drag you into the abyss!"
A thunderous explosion resounded as the battle between the Ghost Rider and the witch reached its climax.
"I'll say it again, hand it over to me. It doesn't belong in this world; it should be banished..."
"Impossible!"
The witch screamed, and her violent magical energy even forced the Ghost Rider to take several steps back.
"My power is unstoppable! If you keep interfering, I'll send you back to damnation!"
In the midst of the chaotic ruins, countless rubble and debris were lifted by magic, crashing towards the Ghost Rider wielding the chains of fire. But in the next moment, a burst of blue flames reduced them to ashes.
"Roar!"
Raging blue flames erupted from the Ghost Rider's mouth, piercing through the witch's magical defenses and causing her to scream once again.
However, the Ghost Rider's attack only hit an illusion, and the real witch appeared in the air behind him!
"Damn it..."
The Ghost Rider quickly turned around, but an incomparable surge of magical energy had already struck him!
At the same time, a rift opened behind him.
And in front of the witch, a magic book radiating immense dark power floated in the air.
"You...!"
The Ghost Rider was directly blasted into the dimensional rift by the witch's magic energy, and the rift quickly closed as if it had never appeared!
"Hahaha... Go back to your hell! Idiot!"
The witch laughed triumphantly, her gaze drifting over the dark grimoire floating in front of her and her eyes were intoxicated.
"Indeed! Just a simple incantation opened the portal to hell... Darkhold, what other surprises do you have for me?"
"What did you just say?"
A voice sounded above her, causing the witch to startle and look up.
"Who... are you?"
The witch grabbed the Darkhold and looked at the Starlight Falcon in the sky with some fear—she was very familiar with this form.
The aerial combat form of the Avenger Druid!
"The Darkhold?"
Oaks had already noticed the peculiarly shaped magic book in the witch's hand, radiating powerful dark magic.
He descended to the ground, surveying the chaotic scene around him.
"You banished the Ghost Rider to the dimension of hell?!"
Oaks, who had sensed the fluctuation of the battle power from afar, was a step too late. The Ghost Rider had failed, and his power had vanished.
This woman is an incredibly powerful witch!
However...
"Don't you know that the Ghost Rider can travel between hell and the mortal realm?"
"Hmm?"
The witch was momentarily stunned, and her expression suddenly changed.
Because a chain burning with hellfire had already wrapped around her neck!
Behind her, the striking figure of the Ghost Rider appeared once again, with cool visual effects.
The witch let out a piercing scream, and in the next moment, her form shattered once again—it was yet another illusion!
"Wait, don't leave just yet."
Just as the Ghost Rider was stunned by another missed attack, Oaks stretched out his hand and a colossal beam of sunlight descended. And in a wailing sound, a purple figure was blasted out of thin air!
"..."
The struggling purple figure found that she couldn't utter a word while trapped in the beam of sunlight—it disrupted her ability to cast spells even without incantations.
Next, the dense astral energy transformed into magical shackles, imprisoning the witch beneath the beam of sunlight.
"Please, Mr. Ghost Rider."
Oaks gestured to the silent Ghost Rider.
"She probably wants to be a good person."
"...Thank you for your help, Druid."
He nodded slightly, and the flaming blue skull turned towards the startled witch.
"Look into my eyes, sinner!"
"Boom!"
The Ghost Rider's signature move, the Eyes of Judgment, the ultimate utilization of the Hellfire Eyes.
Through his eyes, the Ghost Rider burned the witch's soul with hellfire, making her see and remember all the sins she had committed in the past, allowing her soul to experience all the pain she had inflicted upon the innocent, achieving the effects of judgment and punishment.
Although he had transformed into the Blue Flame Ghost Rider, he could still perform this technique.
"..."
Under the continuous illumination of the Sunlight beam, mages couldn't chant incantations to cast spells.
Witches and mages had fundamental differences—they possessed immense inherent magic power, so although they could chant spells, they could also release magic directly without incantations.
However, Oaks' Sunlight beam had been modified to disrupt even the cosmic energy of the Eternals, let alone the witch's magic.
She may have formidable magic power, but as long as she wasn't stronger than Oaks, she couldn't cast spells!
Gradually, the witch's violent struggles subsided.
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