"This generation's Ghost Rider is that strong?"
In a cemetery, an old caretaker gazed into the distance.
The skies had shifted.
As a Ghost Rider himself, he sensed potent demonic power and a kindred presence.
He'd felt this new Rider's awakening but noted his stillness until now, facing high-ranking demons.
"Should I act?" Carter Slade hesitated.
Guarding the Contract of San Venganza had drained him to his limits, leaving power for one last transformation.
He'd be of little help.
Having waited so long for the next Ghost Rider, he couldn't risk the Contract.
"The time's almost right." He murmured.
"Dawn's near."
"Show a weakness, then move." Kaiser's voice echoed in Johnny Blaze's mind.
Johnny paused his actions.
"Oops, dawn's coming." Blackheart taunted, eyeing the faint glow on the horizon.
His grin widened.
The Water, Earth, and Air Demons unleashed even fiercer power.
Johnny's flames flickered, on the verge of faltering.
Boom!
Sizzle…
Multiple attacks struck Johnny, who used the momentum to retreat.
His blazing motorcycle roared, now enchanted by Hellfire, as if it had a soul.
Leaping onto it, Johnny accelerated past the speed of sound.
"Damn it!" Blackheart roared, enraged.
Kaiser struck.
The surrounding space fractured.
"What's this?"
"The Mirror Dimension?!"
"Damn, it's the Sanctum Sanctorum! Run!" Blackheart's face twisted in panic.
Even Mephisto's avatar dimmed, retreating slightly.
The Ancient One's fall was known across dimensions, but few dared invade Earth after Dormammu's defeat by an unknown powerhouse—a tale that spread among dimension lords.
Mephisto's eyes flashed with wariness, recalling the new Sorcerer Supreme, wielder of Chaos Magic.
A headache even for him.
The four demons vanished swiftly.
Crack!
The Mirror Dimension shattered, but Kaiser stayed hidden, smoothing the spatial ripples.
"He didn't show himself?"
"Who's there?"
"Is the Sanctum after the Contract of San Venganza too?"
Mephisto's avatar, witnessing the scene, pieced it together.
Blackheart's arrival and Johnny's transformation couldn't escape the Sanctum's notice, yet no one had intervened.
Something was off.
"Already here?"
"With Johnny Blaze?"
"No wonder he mastered the Ghost Rider's power so fast."
Mephisto connected the dots, noting Johnny's rapid progress.
Blackheart and the three demons were high-ranking, too much for most Sanctum sorcerers to handle simultaneously.
"Trying to pit us against each other?"
"Let's see if Johnny Blaze is up to it."
Mephisto's form faded.
As dawn broke, Johnny's flames extinguished.
"Whew, those demons were tough." He panted.
His first real demon fight, and though confident he could win, he held back for the plan.
"What now?" He called out, unsure if Kaiser was near.
"Find the previous Ghost Rider." Kaiser replied, stepping from the shadows.
"Take the Contract of San Venganza."
"His power's at its limit—he can't protect it anymore."
"We'll use it as bait."
Johnny's eyes lit up.
"Time to close the net?"
The step-by-step strategy felt exhilarating, like being carried to victory.
"Almost." Kaiser said.
"Mephisto likely suspects the Sanctum has someone with you."
"But he doesn't know we've seen him too."
"Even if he did, he wouldn't care—it's just an avatar."
"Over countless years, his avatars have descended many times."
"The Vishanti Array limits their power, so he thinks the Sanctum won't prioritize him."
"His game's been in play for a long time."
Kaiser saw through Mephisto's scheme.
In the original Ghost Rider story, Mephisto tried to plant a seed on Earth through a half-human child to channel his power, only to be stopped by an angelic Johnny Blaze.
"When you get the Contract, head to San Venganza." Kaiser instructed.
"Act like you're purifying those fallen spirits."
"Leave the rest to me."
"Got it." Johnny said, studying the address Kaiser provided.
His task was simple: retrieve the Contract, go to the town, and wait for the win.
Johnny roared off on his Harley toward Carter Slade's cemetery.
It wasn't far, and he arrived quickly.
"You're here fast." Carter Slade said, spotting the approaching motorcycle.
"Carter Slade?" Johnny asked, eyeing the old man.
"You know some things, don't you?" Carter replied.
"Here for the Contract of San Venganza?"
"Exactly." Johnny said.
"The Sanctum's sorcerer sent me."
"This time, Mephisto's in for a surprise."
His eyes burned with suppressed excitement, fueled by memories of his father's death before him.
Carter didn't hesitate.
He snapped his shovel, revealing the Contract.
"This is it." He said, handing over a parchment-like scroll.
"It holds three thousand fallen spirits."
"I hope the Sanctum's sorcerer can end this."
Johnny took the Contract, feeling an overwhelming wave of evil wash over his soul.
"No wonder the demons want it." He muttered, his expression grim.
Such malevolent energy was a demon's dream.
With the Contract of San Venganza in hand, Johnny Blaze didn't forget Kaiser's instructions.
He raced toward the town Carter Slade had marked.
"He's found the Contract!"
"He's not hiding its aura?"
"Let's go!"
Blackheart's eyes snapped open, sensing the fallen spirits' sealed but enticing evil.
"Finally, the day has come." Mephisto said, stepping from the shadows, his eyes blazing with anticipation, as if Earth's souls were already his.
"They're here?" Kaiser stood in San Venganza, awaiting Johnny.
His timing was precise—Johnny would arrive at night, perfect for transforming into the Ghost Rider.
"What do I do now?" Johnny asked, seeing Kaiser already there.
"Nothing." Kaiser replied.
"My goal is to lure Mephisto out."
"Stand in the center of the array with the Contract."
"A purification beam will descend."
"Blackheart won't let you cleanse those spirits."
"Your job is to lose—perfectly."
Johnny blinked.
"Lose perfectly? So, act?"
That, he could do.
"No problem, I've got this." He said, thumping his chest confidently.
Kaiser vanished.
Johnny stood with the Contract as runes appeared across the town, linking into a golden glow that lit the night sky.
"Damn it!"
"That's the Sanctum Sanctorum's array!"
"They're trying to purify the fallen spirits!"
Blackheart's face twisted, seeing the golden light over San Venganza.
If the spirits were cleansed, his plans would collapse.
"Clever, Sanctum." Mephisto muttered, his expression shifting.
In the past, the Sanctum had tried and failed to purify the spirits.
Now they were trying again.
"Could the new Sorcerer Supreme have developed runes to target them using Chaos Magic?"
Mephisto pondered.
Chaos Magic, the source of all magic, was last wielded by Chthon, one of the four Elder Gods, creator of the Darkhold and dark magic's origin.
All who used dark magic—himself, Dormammu, and others—borrowed from Chthon, a multiversal entity, singular across countless timelines.
Chaos Magic could indeed purify the spirits.
Mephisto hastened.
He needed Blackheart to claim the Contract to bear his full power.
"They're coming?" Johnny sensed the high-ranking demons approaching.
"Stop!" Blackheart roared, seeing the Contract floating midair, his eyes wild with desperation.
The Water, Earth, and Air Demons elementalized, charging the golden runes.
"Here we go!" Johnny stepped forward, flames surging as he transformed into the Ghost Rider.
The battle erupted.
Kaiser watched from the Mirror Dimension, waiting for Mephisto.
This was the only dimension lord foolish enough to show himself.
Kaiser was curious—could a dimension lord truly never die?
The fight outside raged.
The runes shattered under the demons' assault.
Johnny was pummeled by the four high-ranking demons, their elemental synergy overwhelming.
Unlike the original story, where they fell one by one, here they fought as a unit, leaving Johnny nearly defenseless.
He was on track for a perfect defeat.
Boom!
A final blow sent Johnny crashing to the ground, his skull's flames flickering, nearly extinguished before fading.
"Cough… damn it." Johnny groaned, back in human form, aching.
"I overestimated myself."
He wasn't their match, but he'd completed Kaiser's task.
Survival was enough.
"Finally, it's mine!" Blackheart crowed, seizing the Contract.
"The power of the fallen spirits!"
"I'll be the new Lord of Hell!"
His mad laughter echoed as he chanted, releasing three thousand fallen spirits.
Ghostly shadows soared, chilling the air.
"About time." Kaiser said, stretching, his gaze fixed on a shadow where a kindly old man stood—Mephisto, hiding his cunning behind a gentle facade.
Blackheart absorbed the spirits, his aura surging to unprecedented heights.
"Whoa… that monster…" Johnny felt a Sub-Skyfather-level pressure for the first time.
"Well done, my child." Mephisto said, stepping forward with his cane, eyes gleaming with joy.
His near-millennium-long plan was nearing fruition.
"You old bastard, why are you here?" Blackheart froze, stunned to see Mephisto.
"But perfect timing—the power you coveted is mine now."
"Your centuries of scheming, wasted."
"Feeling powerless?"
"HAHAHA!"
Blackheart's sanity frayed under the spirits' influence.
"I'm pleased." Mephisto said, his smile turning sinister.
"Offer me everything."
Blackheart froze, unable to move.
"Damn it! What did you do?" He raged, helpless.
He watched as Mephisto's avatar merged into his body.
The Water, Earth, and Air Demons trembled in fear, realizing Blackheart had failed.
Mephisto would claim everything.
"Nearly a thousand years of planning, and it's done." Mephisto said, revealing his true demonic form as Blackheart's body exploded.
A towering, crimson, horned demon appeared before Johnny.
"So that's his true form?" Johnny muttered, sensing mortal danger.
"You're here at last." Kaiser said, his voice cutting through.
Mephisto turned, seeing space ripple as Kaiser emerged.
"Who are you?"
"A Sanctum sorcerer?"
"Why do you seem familiar?"
Mephisto's eyes narrowed, puzzled.
Kaiser had been here, yet hadn't intervened.
"With this body, opening Hell's gateway will be easy." Mephisto sneered.
Kaiser met his gaze, unleashing his divine might.
The Water, Earth, and Air Demons were crushed instantly, and even Johnny felt the oppressive force.
"Divine aura? A god?"
Mephisto's eyes widened, realizing he'd been outplayed.
***
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