Setting aside whatever conspiracy Mephisto was brewing or what details it entailed, the primary objective for this newly formed, yet-to-be-named magical superhero team was simple: capture the demon first and ask questions later.
"In other words, you could tell at a single glance that this guy was one of your boss's lackeys?"
Two motorcycles tore down the streets of New York, closely pursuing a high-end black sedan ahead. The driver up front looked like an ordinary salaryman in every respect, but on the two motorcycles tailing him sat a flaming skull-headed Ghost Rider and a leather-clad, shotgun-wielding monster hunter.
No matter how one looked at it, the two trailing behind seemed far more like the villains.
"No, I'm absolutely certain that guy isn't one of Mephisto's demons. The scent is wrong. The sulfur smell on him feels a bit familiar, but it definitely isn't from Hell."
As a veteran Ghost Rider, Johnny Blaze had already freed himself from the restriction of only transforming at night. He could now transform into the Ghost Rider in broad daylight to hunt down his enemies. He answered Elsa's question while accelerating to his absolute limit, attempting to close the gap.
However, that wasn't a valid excuse for him and Elsa to recklessly drag race through New York during the day. Very soon, they would find themselves on the most-wanted list. After all, they weren't well-known heroes; they looked much more like villains.
Therefore, they had to be fast.
With that thought in mind, the Ghost Rider stood up from his motorcycle. With a sudden leap, he jumped directly onto the roof of the target car. He then thrust his hand straight through the roof into the vehicle, dragging the occupant out by force.
The out-of-control car instantly flipped and rolled toward the side of the road. After the car rolled over, the Ghost Rider landed to one side with his target in tow, hoisting the individual up by the neck.
"This is rare. You indeed aren't one of Mephisto's demons, yet Mephisto managed to send you in. How did you get in here?"
The man being held aloft appeared utterly terrified, displaying none of the characteristics of a demon. Instead, he continuously attempted to plead for mercy and struggle against the grip.
Elsa circled the perimeter a couple of times. After confirming there was no danger, she parked her motorcycle nearby and questioned, "Are you certain you didn't grab the wrong person?"
"I couldn't be mistaken. His soul radiates a dense odor of sulfur, and more importantly, this body does not match his soul."
At this point, the Ghost Rider seemed to realize something. Swinging the chains in his hand, he traced out a portal and stepped into it while dragging the fellow along. Seeing this, Elsa immediately followed. They left behind a group of police officers who arrived at the scene in their cruisers a few minutes later, completely bewildered.
The opposite side of the portal led directly to the New York Sanctum Sanctorum. At this moment, Peter and Strange were watching television. The news happened to be broadcasting the glorious exploits of the duo, and J. Jonah Jameson had even begun calling for the Avengers to intervene—even if it meant Spider-Man showing up.
"I've never been on television before. Honestly, I didn't know I was so photogenic."
Elsa remarked as she walked past, quite satisfied with her appearance on the screen. However, now was not the time to focus on appearances. Strange, while enduring their reckless behavior, inquired, "Well? Did you discover any useful information?"
"Practically nothing. Aside from knowing that this guy isn't one of Mephisto's demons, we are completely in the dark."
Elsa's reply caught Strange slightly off guard. He then went into the room where the man was detained to inspect the possessing demon. After a while, Peter, anxious for updates, also arrived at Strange's side. Looking at Strange's heavily furrowed brow, Peter couldn't help but grow tense. "What happened?"
"To put it simply, it's uncanny. These demons weren't advanced sleeper agents placed in our world ahead of time by Mephisto. Instead, they were automatically summoned here by fulfilling ritualistic conditions."
Strange's grave expression caused Peter to sense impending trouble. He understood precisely what Strange's words implied: Mephisto had mastered a pathway to enter Universe 616 from other dimensions.
However, what was even worse was Strange's demeanor. Peter noticed that Strange appeared to be hesitating, as if holding something back, so he pressed further, "I take it you have an even worse piece of bad news that you haven't made clear."
Hearing this, Strange nodded and let out a sigh. "I already know where these demons are coming from."
Peter's spirits instantly lifted. That was a good thing, so why the gloomy countenance? But Strange's next sentence made Peter understand exactly why he looked so troubled.
"These demons originate from Limbo. Limbo is similar to Hell, and the creatures there are similar as well, but it isn't the same dimension. That's why the Ghost Rider noted that the sulfur scent was different."
"What? But isn't Limbo..."
Strange nodded. These demons came from Limbo, and as the Sorcerer Supreme of Limbo, Illyana should theoretically be capable of monitoring the entry and exit of the entire dimension just like Strange did. Yet, a batch of demons had slipped through, which made no sense.
Peter leaned toward believing that Illyana was innocent. Unfortunately, just because he thought so didn't mean others would share his perspective. When this conclusion was laid out before Strange, he had to consider a specific scenario: had Illyana been corrupted to some extent during the process of taking over Limbo, or had she perhaps already fallen?
If that were the case, her destructive potential would be far too immense.
"And the even worse scenario is that if Magik allowed these demons in either intentionally or unintentionally without stopping them, she could theoretically let in far more—even an endless horde of such demons."
Strange looked at Peter with deep concern. "So, Spider-Man, I'm wondering if our operations should temporarily exclude Magik."
Peter looked at Strange, seriously pondering the issue as well, though the direction of his thoughts was slightly different. After a brief deliberation, Peter ultimately shook his head.
"As you know, Illyana was taken away by Belasco for a very long time, and half of her soul was extracted to create a Bloodstone. Even under those circumstances, she never once gave up the fight. She isn't an object that can be corrupted so easily. If you intend to exclude her, the consequences might be difficult to calculate."
After offering a mild warning to Strange, Peter drew inspiration from Limbo's former master and asked in return, "Could it be possible that Belasco is the one stirring up trouble?"
"Belasco has already been banished; there is no place left for him in Limbo."
As a master professional in magic, Strange provided Peter with this definitive yet unbelievable conclusion.
"Regardless of what Mephisto's intentions and plans are, to accomplish all of this, he must rely on Magik. In other words, Magik definitely has something wrong with her."