(An extra chapter today, still owe one more, will make it up over the weekend. Everyone, please be sure to read the author's note at the end of the chapter.)
Top-floor laboratory, Stark Tower.
Lin Huai had just hung up on Fury's encrypted call. He turned around, his expression complex as he looked at the group waiting for news.
"How did it go?" Natasha asked. Captain America Steve Rogers was also present. Although he had suffered some scrapes during the last interception operation, his posture remained upright.
"Mixed news," Lin Huai began. "Johnny's hellish roadshow has been quite successful. First, he slaughtered a prison in Houston; not a single Criminal escaped. Then, he drove his hell motorcycle playing urban off-road between skyscrapers. He also turned Black Heart Demon's last elemental minion, Wind Demon, into a charred smear on a building's outer wall."
Hearing this news, the tension in the lab eased a bit.
"So, he's still punishing the wicked." Dr. Banner said softly.
"Not entirely," Lin Huai shook his head. "During our trip to the North Pole, Black Heart Demon and his minions attacked Johnny's girlfriend Roxanne three times. Fortunately, I had Master Russell keeping an eye on her, so they failed. Now, Master Russell has simply sent her to Nepal. Karma-Taj is probably the safest place on Earth right now."
He paused, looking at the Captain: "Also, Captain... about the last time you stopped Johnny... Fury said Johnny doesn't seem to care much for you. He just pushed you aside and left. Fury also said you nearly became his... old acquaintance. Hmm... physically speaking."
"As for the two main villains, Black Heart Demon and that mysterious Spirit Guide, after Wind Demon died, they completely disappeared. Both S.H.I.E.L.D. and Karma-Taj have lost track of them."
At that moment, Tony Stark, who had been hunched over his workbench, suddenly exclaimed excitedly:
"Done!"
He stood up from behind the workbench, holding a newly crafted object in his hand. Its appearance was both ferocious and possessed a strange kind of beauty.
It was a pair of black obsidian metal gauntlets, covering the hands and forearms, with claw blades gleaming with a cold silver light. The overall design was sleek and full of power.
"Clang!""
Tony slashed at a thick alloy plate with the gauntlets. There was no loud collision, just a soft cutting sound. The half-meter-thick alloy plate was cleanly sliced in two, the cut so smooth it reflected light.
"The Beyonder characteristic of [Wolf], I fused it with some hard-to-get Vibranium and part of my understanding of energy conduction," Tony said, admiring his own creation, his tone full of a creator's pride. "I call it 'claws of rage'. The claws are incredibly sharp, able to tear through most physical defenses. More importantly, I retained the most core aspect of its Beyonder characteristic—wounds inflicted by it will be tainted by a 'madness' infused spiritual power, making them extremely difficult to heal. Most crucially, it can adapt to the user's physique and size."
"Perfect." Natasha appraised it, her eyes gleaming with the look of a top-tier Assassin beholding a divine weapon. "Dr. Banner mentioned Beyonder items have side effects. What are its?"
"The side effects are quite severe." Tony's expression turned serious. "Carrying it for extended periods will amplify the user's emotions, especially aggression and anger. If worn for too long, the wearer will eventually attack any living thing in sight. In my simulated experiments, I 'wore' it for only twenty minutes, and it took me two hours to calm down."
He carefully placed the "claws of rage" into a specially designed containment box: "It's a genuine Beyonder item artifact. It should be used when needed, but try to rotate its usage among yourselves. Later, I will attempt to reforge it again, to reduce the side effects."
"Your occult knowledge has improved significantly." Lin Huai praised, then steered the conversation back to the main issue. "Now, to the important business. Fury's bad news is... HYDRA suffered heavy losses in their attempt to 'capture' the Ghost Rider. Now Pierce is furious, absolutely convinced this is my mess, and he's pressuring through the World Security Council to force me, the'severely injured patient', to immediately 'recover' and clean up this mess."
"Classic blame-shifting." Tony scoffed.
"However, Fury also brings good news." Lin Huai smiled. "Our 'Rider' has finally found a place to settle down—a cemetery in the Texas wilderness. It used to be a church, and it seems there's some residual holy power that can help Johnny stay sane at night."
"This might be our only chance to communicate with him," Steve Rogers said solemnly, glancing at the bruise on his arm that hadn't fully faded. "I must go."
Everyone looked at him.
Steve took the initiative to speak: "I could feel it last time, he just saw me as an obstacle. In his eyes, I'm not a'sinner'. Maybe... he sees me as a good person. I hope to establish a connection with him. I see a cursed and suffering soul, not a pure Monster. We should help him, not just fight him."
Lin Huai looked at the Captain's determined eyes and nodded. This was indeed the best choice at the moment.
Just then, Tony's tablet computer chimed with a news alert.
"Hah, look who's making a fool of themselves again." Tony snorted lightly, turning the screen to face the group. The headline read: "Hammer Industries Announces Historic Breakthrough in Military Exosuit Technology; Justin Hammer Claims Its Performance Now Surpasses That of Stark Industries."
"A fly buzzing around the smell of blood." Natasha said dismissively.
Lin Huai didn't care about this at all. "Let him make a scene. A bunch of clowns can't stir up any real trouble." He stood up and made a decision:
"Steve, just the two of us will go. It's time to have a proper, calm talk with our 'Rider'."
...
Meanwhile, in an abandoned slaughterhouse on the city's outskirts, the air was thick with the stench of rust and decay.
Black Heart Demon's face was so dark it could drip water. He kicked a rusty barrel, venting his inner Fury. "A mere mortal toyed with by my father, and yet he can push me to this point!"
"What truly troubles you," the Spirit Guide's voice remained as icy and emotionless as ever, "is not the mortal, but the'soul' residing within him.""
She glanced around the vast, empty workshop. Standing there were over a hundred fanatical followers—bankrupt businessmen, desperate patients, and social outcasts—quietly recruited by Black Heart Demon and herself in the city's shadows over the past few days.
"It's about time." The Spirit Guide ignored Black Heart Demon's rage. She walked to the front of the crowd and raised her pale staff.
She began chanting dry, twisted syllables!
"Hummm..."
A strange vibration spread outwards from her.
The expressions on the faces of the hundred-plus fanatical followers instantly froze. Then, their bodies rapidly withered and shriveled, their vitality seemingly sucked dry by an unseen force, turning into streams of ashen-white energy that poured from their mouths, noses, and eye sockets.
These streams converged in mid-air, forming a murky river of tormented souls and life essence, swirling and surging towards the tip of the Spirit Guide's staff.
Black Heart Demon watched this scene, a flicker of greed in his eyes, but more prominent was a deep-seated wariness.
"Drifters of the River of Eternal Darkness, Administrators of the Death God's Throne, Shadows of the Spirit World, Harbingers of the Tidal Cycle of Souls, Keeper of the Cycle of Decay..."
The Spirit Guide knelt on one knee, raising her staff. Her voice, infused with spiritual power, resonated with devout reverence:
"Your servant offers this sacrifice. The mortal soul you toyed with has slipped beyond our grasp. The soul of vengeance, however, remains within our reach. Your servant humbly requests your guidance and power."