After seeing the Hellfire pouring out of Ghost Rider's shattered remains condense into a massive fireball over five meters in diameter, Richard immediately understood what the Spirit of Vengeance intended to do. Invisible Woman and the Human Torch reached the same conclusion almost at once.
The civilians who had stubbornly refused to evacuate froze for a second or two as the blazing sphere swelled brighter and brighter. Then instinct took over. They turned and ran in blind panic, shoving past one another in their desperation to escape.
They might not have known what Ghost Rider truly was, but they weren't fools. They had already watched the Thing get burned into something resembling charcoal by that unnatural fire. The giant fireball forming in the street clearly wasn't decorative.
The surrounding NYPD officers came to the same conclusion. A monthly paycheck wasn't worth dying for. Within moments, police and spectators alike were scrambling away from the blast zone.
Invisible Woman and the others tried to retreat as well, helping the injured Thing move. But Ben's immense weight slowed them considerably. None of their powers were suited for rapid evacuation while dragging a multi-ton teammate.
Seeing the fireball intensify, Sue immediately erected a defensive force field around herself and Reed.
Then the explosion came.
The Hellfire sphere detonated like a miniature nuclear weapon. The blast echoed across Brooklyn and carried into neighboring boroughs. A violent shockwave expanded outward at terrifying speed, swallowing blocks in an instant.
A golden mushroom cloud climbed into the night sky. The explosion's light turned darkness into day, and the ground trembled like an earthquake had struck the city.
At the epicenter, Richard didn't move.
Before the detonation, he had already activated full-spectrum energy absorption, wrapping himself in a seamless defensive layer. The self-destruction was powerful, but it was nowhere near enough to threaten him. Even if it exceeded the upper threshold of absorption, his enhanced physique and regeneration would cover the remainder.
The shockwave and blinding glare lasted only seconds before fading. Dust and debris continued to swirl, and the golden cloud lingered above the ruined street.
Richard extended his telepathy and locked onto Ghost Rider's presence. The explosion had scattered fragments everywhere, and nearby reinforced concrete structures had collapsed under the force. None of that mattered.
At the center of the mushroom cloud, Hellfire began condensing again. A skeletal outline formed within the flames.
The restoration was noticeably slower. It took nearly ten seconds for Ghost Rider's full skeletal frame to reappear. The leather jacket and jeans were gone entirely. The Spirit of Vengeance had clearly prioritized survival over modesty.
After completing the regeneration, the Spirit took direct control of the body and attempted to flee immediately, abandoning its judgment of Richard.
But the moment it emerged from the cloud, it saw him standing there calmly, one long blade and one short blade in hand, watching with quiet satisfaction.
A primal sense of danger surged through the Spirit of Vengeance. It had felt something similar thousands of years ago when it first descended to Earth in fire and war. Even in ancient battles against its own kind, the instinct of annihilation had never been this intense.
It didn't understand why Richard triggered that reaction. It didn't question it either. It chose to trust instinct and gathered its remaining energy.
Hellfire flared violently around its skeletal form.
Richard moved first.
He flashed forward and raised the Yamato Blade.
Severance.
The blade sliced through Ghost Rider's body without resistance, as if cutting through empty air. On the surface, there was no visible wound.
But within, the Spirit of Vengeance felt something it had never encountered before.
A force of absolute separation tore at the fusion between spirit and host. The connection binding soul to body was forcibly unraveled.
For most beings, separating a Spirit of Vengeance from its host was extraordinarily difficult. For Richard, it was a technical problem with a known solution. Numerous precedents existed in the Marvel Universe—holy weapons, infernal spells, ritualistic black magic. The principle was straightforward once understood.
Under his gaze, a fist-sized golden sphere of light was pulled from the host's body.
The moment it left, the Hellfire vanished. The skeletal form collapsed into normal flesh and blood.
Richard looked down at the unconscious man who had reverted to human form. He frowned slightly. This wasn't any of the Ghost Riders he had expected. The man was a black male in his thirties or forties.
He didn't recognize him. That didn't matter.
At this stage, mercy would be absurd. The Spirit had intended to kill, and the host had willingly acted.
Richard's short blade flashed.
The man's head separated cleanly and arced through the air before falling.
Richard's attention shifted immediately back to the golden sphere—the true target.
Freed from its host, the Spirit of Vengeance attempted to escape.
Magnetic field binding.
An invisible, ultra-dense magnetic cage formed instantly around the sphere.
Richard fused the Yamato Blade back into its primary form, then reached out and grasped the Spirit directly.
Energy absorption.
The moment contact was made, the remaining power within the Spirit began draining at an astonishing rate. In two or three seconds, the sphere dimmed and shrank from fist-sized to the size of an egg.
He did not stop.
Five seconds later, it was no larger than a grain of sand. Then it vanished completely.
Plunder.
A system notification surfaced in his mind.
[New Ability: Hellfire!]
[Hellfire: A supernatural flame originating from the depths of hell. Not restricted by natural laws. Possesses demonization, materialization, regeneration, soul-burning, and transformation capabilities.]
Richard read the description and smiled faintly. Since it wasn't an X-gene mutation, it didn't merge with his other abilities or receive an Omega classification. That was irrelevant.
He dismissed the panel and glanced toward the Fantastic Four.
Sue's force field had barely held under the explosion, but all four of them were alive. Many others were not. A quick telepathic sweep confirmed roughly 276 deaths and 851 injuries.
Without addressing anyone, Richard teleported away and returned to the hotel entrance.
Inside the parked car, he looked at Fina in the passenger seat. "Where do you live?"
She blinked in surprise. She had expected to head home alone. She had watched the livestream of his fight and worried when it cut out. After such a battle, she hadn't assumed he would have energy for anything else.
She quickly gave him the address and discreetly texted her sister to prepare.
…
At noon the next day, Richard disentangled himself from the arms and legs draped over him. He dressed quietly while Fina watched him with sleepy reluctance.
"You're leaving?" she asked.
"Yeah."
She hid her disappointment and helped him finish dressing. Moments later, he teleported to the underground garage and drove his Aston Martin toward the manor. He had already texted the White Queen the previous night to avoid misunderstandings.
What he didn't know was that public opinion in New York had already shifted against him.
In the early hours of the morning, major media executives received official calls along with precise casualty figures. At the authorities' request, coverage of the battle was framed in a very specific way.
Richard Wesley became the headline villain.
…
S.H.I.E.L.D. Triskelion Headquarters. Director's Office.
Natasha sat across from Nick Fury, frustration visible on her face. "What are they thinking in the White House? Do they believe they can manipulate him? Deliberately guiding public opinion against him—aren't they afraid he'll pay them a personal visit?"
"They're neither insane nor arrogant," Fury replied calmly. "As for whether he visits them, that depends on whether he intends to stand against the entire world."
Natasha studied him, suspicion flickering in her eyes.
"I don't know what you're preparing," she said evenly. "But Richard isn't as easy to deal with as you think. And whatever your plan is, Banner and I aren't participating."
She left without waiting for a response.
Fury wasn't surprised. He had never expected blind obedience from her.
After she exited, he dialed the head of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s New York branch.
"From now on, I want hourly updates," Fury said coldly. "Every action Richard Wesley takes. Who he meets. What he does. I want to know everything."
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