Blackheart

A gravedigger’s house naturally wasn’t much to look at. The most eye-catching thing inside was a statue of the angel Michael!

When Earth Demon saw the angel statue, he was so frightened that he dared not enter. He shouted from the doorway, "This is a blessed angel statue. It has Holy Power!"

"Of course it has Holy Power. Without the Archangel’s protection, Mephisto would have discovered me long ago!"

Seeing Earth Demon’s reaction, Slade mocked, "Looks like you’re a fallen angel!"

After saying that, Slade turned to Wang Bert as he entered and asked, "And what are you? Why aren’t you affected by Holy Power?"

"Maybe because I donate to the church often!"

Wang Bert replied with a smile. Everyone was speechless. Did he think angels could be bribed? Besides, why would a Vampire donate money to a church?

Wang Bert did not waste words. Pointing at Damon, he said, "He’s this generation’s Ghost Rider. We came to ask how to get rid of Mephisto!"

Slade set his shovel aside and asked, "You’re not here for the contract?"

Wang Bert sat down without speaking. Damon said, "Mephisto did tell me to retrieve the contract, but I won’t help him!"

Slade lit a premium cigar with a match, took a satisfying puff, and said, "The Archangel told me you would come looking for me, but I didn’t expect so many people. And you came earlier than I expected!"

"The Archangel?"

Coulson hurriedly asked, "Can angels come to Earth?"

"You may be human, but the aura around you is very unpleasant!"

Slade snorted. "When I pray, the Archangel occasionally speaks to me. He once told me that a new Ghost Rider would be drawn by fate to this cemetery."

After a pause, Slade continued, "And I would be responsible for guiding him onto the right path. That is my mission!"

"Fate? I think it was money!"

Damon spread his hands. "Mr. Slade, I don’t know what the right path is. I only want to get rid of Mephisto!"

Slade said, "I can tell you some things, but can these people be trusted?"

"Bert is definitely trustworthy. As for this S.H.I.E.L.D. agent…"

Damon looked at Coulson and said hesitantly, "I don’t know whether he can be trusted either!"

Coulson was not angry. He said amiably, "S.H.I.E.L.D.’s goal is to protect the world. You can trust me!"

"I’ve heard that kind of nonsense plenty of times. People like you are best at saying stupid things, doing stupid things, and being stupid people."

Slade was full of disdain, but he did not drive Coulson away. He said, "First, you need to understand one thing: your soul was not taken by Mephisto. It is still in your body! Just like me, all Mephisto did was put a Spirit of Vengeance into my body!"

Damon was stunned. "My soul is still in my body?"

"That’s right, it’s still there!"

Slade said, "That is why I was able to betray Mephisto. If he had my soul in his hands, he would have killed me long ago. Why would he let me live until today? However, we both signed contracts. Mephisto can take our souls at any time, as long as he finds us."

Damon said thoughtfully, "So we can’t let him find us?"

"Exactly. This place is a sanctuary. Mephisto cannot sense it, which is why I have been safe all these years!"

Slade nodded. "If you are willing, you can live here with me. As long as you sincerely believe in the Archangel, he will surely protect you!"

"This…"

Damon hesitated. This was not the solution he wanted. It was merely a way to run away!

"Mephisto tempts God’s followers into falling, while the Archangel lures Ghost Rider Cop into betrayal. It sounds like angels and demons are playing chess!"

Wang Bert’s eyes flashed as he asked Slade, "Mr. Slade, what exactly are Spirits of Vengeance?"

"They are Judgment Angels sent by God to punish sin in the human world, but Mephisto tempted them into falling!"

Slade exhaled a ring of smoke. "That is why Spirits of Vengeance never stop judging sinners."

"So that’s how it is. I had thought before that Ghost Rider’s methods were clearly different from those of demons!"

Damon suddenly understood. He asked, "Mr. Slade, is there any way for me to completely get rid of the Spirit of Vengeance and Mephisto?"

"If there were, I would have used it long ago. Would I still be guarding this place every day?"

Slade said irritably, "Besides, the Archangel once told me that the Spirit of Vengeance in you is different from those in other Ghost Riders. It has always been in your body. No one can separate the two of you, including Mephisto!"

Damon was dumbfounded. "What? The Spirit of Vengeance has always been in my body? That’s impossible!"

Slade said, "You are very different. Even the Archangel is watching you!"

Damon gave a bitter smile. "I don’t want this kind of difference!"

"It seems Mephisto didn’t choose you at random. You and he were connected from the start!"

Wang Bert stroked his chin. "Let’s set that aside for now. First, we need to get ownership of your soul back."

Slade said warily, "Don’t tell me you plan to exchange the contract for his soul. I will not give you the contract!"

"I wasn’t planning to trade the contract either. This so-called Little Hell sounds dangerous enough. We can’t let Mephisto succeed!"

"Exactly!"

Coulson nodded while discreetly searching the room. Something as dangerous as a contract naturally had to be kept by S.H.I.E.L.D.! Slade shook his head. "Without that contract, Mephisto will not return ownership of the Ghost Rider’s soul. In fact, even if he has it, he probably still won’t return it!"

Wang Bert said, "Not necessarily. His son Blackheart has come to Earth. We can capture him and exchange him with Mephisto!"

Slade sneered. "You think a demon would care about his son?"

"If he refuses, I’ll drag Blackheart around the world for an exhibition and let every lord and demon god laugh at him."

Wang Bert said, "His son may not matter, but what about his reputation?"

Everyone looked at Wang Bert speechlessly. He could even come up with an idea like that. Was he actually the demon here?

Slade thought about it, but still shook his head. "That method may not work. Mephisto is not as simple as you think!"

"We have to try. Besides, we were going to deal with Blackheart anyway!"

Wang Bert said, "Mr. Slade, you don’t mind if we rest nearby for the night, do you?"

"I mind, but does it matter? Haven’t you already bought this place?"

Slade said irritably, "Hey, that agent over there, this freak is acting so arrogantly. Aren’t you people going to do anything about it?"

Coulson spread his hands. "There’s nothing we can do. He has too much money. We can’t control him!"

"You organizations really are unreliable!"

Slade cursed, then said to Damon, "Stay here. I’ll teach you some things. The Spirit of Vengeance can actually be controlled, as long as your will is strong enough. After all, this body is yours!"

"Mr. Slade, thank you!"

Damon was overjoyed. What he needed most right now was guidance from a senior!

"You can leave now!"

Slade began driving them away. Wang Bert did not mind and left with Coulson.

The moment they stepped outside, Earth Demon nervously warned, "Boss, Blackheart won’t be easy to deal with. You mustn’t underestimate him!"

Wang Bert asked, "Is he strong?"

"Of course the Demon King’s Son is strong!"

Earth Demon said, "Although he sealed most of his power to avoid being discovered by Kamar-Taj, when things become critical, he definitely won’t care about that anymore."

"The Demon King’s Son?"

Wang Bert snorted. "It’s fine. If we really can’t beat him, Kamar-Taj can clean up the mess for us!"

Earth Demon nodded at first, then gave a bitter smile. "That’s true. I’m just afraid Kamar-Taj will clean us up along with him!"

Coulson suggested, "Mr. Wang, perhaps S.H.I.E.L.D. can send some people to help!"

"There’s no need. Coulson, the reason I allowed you to follow us this entire time was mainly so S.H.I.E.L.D. could learn the truth about this world and stop being so arrogant."

Wang Bert shook his head. "All you need to do is keep your eyes open and watch. That’s all."

Coulson froze for a moment, then said, "I understand. Mr. Wang, I’ll have to trouble you with this matter!"

Wang Bert nodded in satisfaction. This guy was much better at talking than Nick Fury. He patted Coulson on the shoulder and said, "Coulson, I think highly of you. You’ll be S.H.I.E.L.D.’s next Director!"

"Mr. Wang, please don’t joke. Director Fury is doing very well."

Coulson smiled bitterly. If those words reached the World Security Council, he would not become Director in this life or the next! "It’s not that he’s doing badly. He’s doing too much. Tell me, why would you let a paranoid man become Director? Don’t you have regular psychological evaluations?"

Wang Bert snorted. "By the way, Coulson, I’ve been taking such good care of you. If people from Kamar-Taj really come, remember to help block them for me."

Coulson complained, "Mr. Wang, that’s the real reason you kept me with you all this time, isn’t it?"

Wang Bert laughed. "No, I kept you around because I appreciate you!"

That evening, Slade rushed out of the house anxiously and searched all around, as though he had lost something important!

Just then, a voice suddenly rang out. "Old gravedigger, did you lose this broken shovel, or this ten-million-dollar check?"

Slade abruptly turned around and saw Wang Bert standing there with a shovel in one hand and a check in the other, smiling at him!

"…"

Slade cursed and walked over to snatch the ten-million-dollar check away. He asked, "Can it really be cashed?"

Wang Bert complained, "I thought you would choose the shovel. Old gravedigger, you’re not honest at all!"

"You already took it. What use would there be in taking it back?"

Slade snorted and asked, "How did you know the contract was inside the shovel?"

"Because I have X-ray vision!"

Wang Bert shrugged. "The ten-million-dollar check can absolutely be cashed. Once this matter is settled, use the money to enjoy yourself properly!"

"Definitely. I’ve guarded this place for so many years. It’s time I enjoyed myself properly."

Slade put the check in his pocket and asked, "What do you plan to do with the contract?"

Wang Bert said, "Find somewhere to seal it away! I have no use for this thing. I only took it because I was afraid you wouldn’t be able to protect it."

"I can’t protect it. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have stolen it from me!"

Slade looked at Wang Bert and said, "This contract isn’t some treasure. It is a responsibility."

"I know!"

Wang Bert waved his hand and returned to the truck. Frank had already prepared the tools. He asked, "Why not just destroy this contract?"

"If it could be destroyed, Slade and the others would have done it long ago!"

Wang Bert shook his head, snapped the shovel in two, and removed the contract from inside. "Enough of that. Seal the contract inside Vibranium!"

"Alright!"

Frank did not waste words. He placed the contract into a device specially made by Ivan, then took out a container of Vibranium and began operating it! The Vibranium purchased from Ulysses was all raw ore, so it was not difficult to process—when Wakanda first obtained Vibranium, they were still primitive people, yet they could still process it! Soon, the contract was sealed inside the Vibranium. Wang Bert picked it up and fused the Vibranium into his body! "Alright, Instructor Frank, it’s time for you to make the plan!"

Wang Bert smiled. "You will have full command of tomorrow’s battle against Blackheart!"

Frank said, "Earth Demon does not understand Blackheart’s strength. I only have a seventy percent chance of winning this battle!"

"Seventy percent? That’s enough!"

Wang Bert nodded in satisfaction. Punisher never disappointed!…

At noon the next day, in a church outside Houston, Blackheart, dressed in black, looked at the statue of God above him and smiled disdainfully. I am killing your followers in a church. What can you do to me?

"Blackheart!"

At that moment, a gust of wind transformed into a human figure before Blackheart. It said nervously, "Earth Demon has been captured and is heading this way!"

Blackheart asked, "Who captured him? Ghost Rider?"

Wind Demon said, "Besides Ghost Rider, there is also some freak of an unknown race. He has a strong bloody aura, but he isn’t afraid of sunlight!"

"Hmph, how reckless. It’s daytime now!"

Blackheart snorted and strode outside. As the prince of Hell, how could he fear mortals and freaks?

Wind Demon and Water Demon followed behind him. Wind Demon secretly wrote on Water Demon’s body with the wind. Water Demon paused, and Wind Demon made a money-counting gesture. Water Demon quietly nodded, and a line of words appeared on his clothes: "Whoever has money is the boss!"

Blackheart had no idea about the little tricks of the two demons behind him. The moment he reached the church entrance, he saw Earth Demon being escorted toward them by two people.

Wang Bert stopped more than ten meters away from Blackheart. He waved a hand in front of his nose and said in disgust, "Buddy, you smell strongly of sulfur. How many days has it been since you showered? You’ll never get girls smelling like that!"

Blackheart recognized Wang Bert and sneered, "A mere Vampire dares provoke me?"

"Aren’t you just some second-generation Hell brat relying on your father’s protection? What the hell are you acting so smug for?"

Wang Bert cursed disdainfully, "Without Mephisto, you are nothing!"

"Shut up! I, Blackheart, do not need to rely on him!"

Blackheart roared, "Once I get the contract and establish a new Hell, I will go back and kill him! I will let everyone know that I, Blackheart, am stronger than Mephisto!"

"My foolish son, you have truly disappointed me!"

At that moment, an old yet powerful voice suddenly rang out. "If you truly had the ability to kill me, I would have nothing to say. After all, you are my son. The problem is that you are so stupid you do not even know your own subordinates have betrayed you. How do you plan to kill me?"