"Damn it!"
At that moment, Professor Connors, now with his newly transplanted arm, let out a startled cry, making Charlie jump.
"No way!"
Charlie turned, his face darkening. Was something actually going wrong?
He saw Connors rubbing his still-recovering arm, panic written across his face.
"Miscalculated the time! I've got a date tomorrow, and if this arm doesn't heal in time, it'll ruin my image."
Charlie: "…"
What image did this disheveled guy think he had?
Relieved, Charlie teased, "At your age, it's about time… wait, you're not married?" He suddenly realized.
Connors, dead serious, replied, "What's so strange about that?"
"Uh, nothing strange. Thanks for all your hard work over the years," Charlie waved off.
"Not hard at all. For my arm, it's all worth it."
"That's not what I meant."
"Then what?"
"You know, that."
"I don't get it."
"Doesn't matter."
Charlie thought for a moment, then pulled out a membership card and handed it to Connors.
"This restaurant's pretty nice. Take your date there, and she'll be impressed."
Connors curiously took the card, eyeing the address of the high-end restaurant, puzzled.
"This place isn't cheap. Isn't Spider-Man supposed to be broke?"
Charlie's mouth twitched. "Commander Carter gave it to me."
"Gave it to you?"
Harry, nearby, chimed in, "That day Carter was looking for her membership card forever. So you swiped it."
Charlie: "…"
"See through but don't call out. No tact at all. How're you gonna survive at S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
"No worries. If I can't hack it, I'll come back and inherit the family business."
"Ugh!"
With that, Charlie stormed out of Osborn Castle, face dark.
"BUZZ!"
Magical sparks flared as he drew a circle, stepping through the portal.
Meanwhile, in a dark corner of Neon City.
In an alley, under the glow of hellfire, Ghost Rider's eyes turned into swirling vortexes of flame.
The Eye of Judgment activated, and the man staring into those eerie eyes froze, his body petrifying completely.
"Urgh~"
"CRUMBLE~"
The petrified corpse turned to ash, leaving only a shattered skeleton on the ground.
Job done, Johnny Blaze clapped his hands and turned to mount his blazing motorcycle.
In the corner, a disheveled woman curled up on the ground, her face filled with fear, hands clamped over her mouth to stifle any sound.
She didn't dare risk becoming this terrifying figure's next target.
Sure, she knew this was Ghost Rider, but he looked way too scary to be a good guy.
She wasn't taking chances.
Johnny Blaze glanced at the rude woman but didn't care.
Few people he saved thanked him to his face.
He was used to it.
With great power comes great responsibility, as Spider-Man said. A real man does good without expecting rewards.
Or gratitude.
Hah, I'm getting the hang of this.
With that, he coolly ran a hand through the hellfire atop his head, saying to the woman, "I forgive you."
He twisted the throttle, ready to leave.
The next moment, the woman's face lit up, shouting, "Spider-Man!!"
"SCREECH~"
The flaming motorcycle paused. Johnny Blaze looked up at the red-and-blue figure dropping from the sky, too exasperated to complain.
Lady, do you know who saved you?
Me!
Not Spider-Man!
She's way too excited to see him. Can't she consider Ghost Rider's feelings?
He eased off the throttle as Spider-Man swung down in front of him.
"Hey, how's it going?" Charlie waved.
"Not great," Johnny Blaze glanced at the woman in the corner.
Charlie caught the hint, casually opened a portal, and sent her through.
"Where'd you send her?" Johnny asked.
"George's precinct."
"She should go home."
"Mr. Hellfire Heartthrob, I don't know where her home is."
Charlie cut to the chase. "I need Mephisto. Tell him I want to make a deal."
"A deal?"
Johnny's hellfire receded, flesh regenerating rapidly.
Back in human form, his face grew serious.
"Dealing with a demon's not a smart move."
Charlie shook his head. "My friend's dead. He's my only shot."
Johnny mused, "You could ask the god behind you. His power's probably stronger than Mephisto's."
"He's off traveling. Can't reach him."
"Traveling?"
Johnny's cheek twitched. "Doesn't that guy have a job?"
"Who knows!"
"Alright, I'll ask."
Johnny closed his eyes, mentally calling Mephisto's name.
Soon, a flicker of hellfire sparked in the dark alley, and a white-haired man in a tuxedo stepped out, smiling.
Seeing Charlie, his old face grinned wider.
"Adorable little bug, what's the reason you're looking for me?"
As Mephisto spoke, Johnny stepped back, keeping his distance.
If he had the chance, he'd love to teach this damn demon a lesson.
But his strength didn't allow it, so he dutifully collected sinful souls for him.
Charlie glanced at him, getting straight to the point.
"Where's Mary Jane's soul?"
"Who?" Mephisto feigned confusion.
Charlie's tone hardened. "Don't play dumb. When someone close to me dies, you're the first in line for their soul."
Mephisto's eyes lit up. "Oh, that girl! Yes, her soul's with me. What are you offering for it?" His smile was playful.
A faint blue glow flickered in Charlie's eyes. "What do you want?"
"I want to tag along to those places you go."
"What's that mean?" Charlie frowned.
Mephisto chuckled. "The Resurrection Match, I believe it's called. I'm quite intrigued."
Charlie sneered. "Sure, but you'd have to be like me."
"Meaning?"
"You'd have to die to get there."
"I don't die."
"That's not a given."
Charlie crossed his arms, voice dripping with disdain.
"Even dimensional demons can perish. You just haven't met a scary enough opponent."
Mephisto kept smiling. "So you're rejecting me."
"It's not my call."
"Great, let's play a game then!"
Mephisto eyed Charlie, his smile growing brighter.
"To find your friend, you'll have to do it yourself."
"What's that mean?" Charlie frowned.
Mephisto explained, "I've hidden her in a very secret place. Find her, and I'll let her go with you."
Charlie's eyes narrowed. "And if I don't?"
"Then your soul's mine, and it has to be willingly given."
Mephisto's eyes gleamed with anticipation. If Spider-Man willingly gave his soul, the guy behind him couldn't interfere.
"Think it over. This is a contract with me!" he reminded.
"Fine, I'm in."
Charlie didn't hesitate. He'd been through this before. Even with a contract, if his body died, the Resurrection Match would still pull him in.
But he could enter the Resurrection Match. Mary Jane, a normal human, might not.
He'd never seen a powerless contestant there.
Since Charlie indirectly caused Mary Jane's death, he couldn't stand by.
Mephisto was surprised by Charlie's quick agreement but mostly delighted.
Johnny's face changed. "You out of your mind?"
He leaned in, whispering, "You willingly sign that contract, you fail, you lose your freedom.
And that guy won't make it easy to find your friend. You know that."
Charlie just smiled.
"For a friend, it's worth everything."
"For a friend…"
Johnny's view of Charlie shifted.
To give everything for a friend—this guy's heart was…
Wait, his friend was a girl.
"Is she your girlfriend?" he asked.
"No."
"Oh, got it."
Johnny stopped persuading.
No one could talk a man in love out of it.
Especially not an invincible Spider-Man.
Mephisto, eager, produced the contract.
"Sign it!" he handed it to Charlie.
Charlie scanned it, then shook his head.
"Your contract's full of holes. It's not fair."
Mephisto froze. This might be the first time someone called out his contract's flaws to his face.
Johnny silently teared up.
Finally, someone faced a demon contract rationally.
If he'd been calmer back then, things might've been different.
No, even if he'd been calm, the outcome wouldn't have changed.
His father was dying. He had no other choice.
All interpretation rights belonged to Mephisto.
But now, invincible Spider-Man was killing it!
Under Johnny's expectant gaze, Mephisto thought for a moment. "This is the contract I prepared. You don't have to sign."
"Cool."
Charlie shrugged. "Congrats on passing up your only shot at Spider-Man's soul. I just wait a bit, and I'll find Mary Jane through the Resurrection Match. You think that's unlikely?"
Mephisto fell into thought.
"You just said you'd do anything for a friend," he pointed out.
Charlie shrugged again. "I'm not an idiot. I like fair games. You're terrible at this."
"So what do you want?"
"Hey, nice tone you got there!"
Charlie held up the contract. "You guarantee absolute fairness, no deliberate traps, and spell out every term clearly."
"Too complicated. I don't do that," Mephisto's face darkened.
Charlie raised an eyebrow. "You've scammed so many souls with this trick, and you're still a rookie at contracts?"
Before Mephisto could snap, Charlie took the contract to Johnny.
"Turn around, bend over."
Johnny: "???"
"What're you doing?"
"Revising the contract."
"Dude, you scared me."
Johnny exhaled, turning to offer his back.
"Uh, you could use the wall."
"Too rough."
"My bike's tank."
"Why didn't you say so?"
Charlie placed the contract on the motorcycle's tank, revising it with Mephisto's quill.
Half an hour later, Mephisto grew impatient.
"You done?"
"Done."
Charlie handed him the contract. Mephisto stared at the dense terms, head spinning.
"This is way too much."
"So there's words you don't know?"
"Of course not! I can read!"
Mephisto glared, then studied the new contract.
Another half hour later, Charlie got impatient.
"You done?"
"Done."
Satisfied it was fine, Mephisto signed his name.
He handed it back, and Charlie casually signed his.
"BUZZ~"
The contract ignited in hellfire, sealing the deal.
Both smiled simultaneously.
"What're you smiling about?"
"Nothing, just eager to find my friend. You?"
"Nothing, just eager to claim your soul."
Charlie spread his hands. "When do we start?"
"It's already started."
Hellfire spread around Mephisto, his figure fading.
"As per the contract, you get three clues," Charlie said.
"I know."
As the hellfire vanished, Mephisto's voice echoed in the dark alley.
"First, at the universe coordinates I give you, the real Mary Jane will definitely appear near you.
Second, I've sealed her memories. You'll have to recognize her yourself.
Third, you only get one chance to choose Mary Jane. Choose wrong, your soul's mine.
One last friendly tip: Mary Jane might be your enemy. Kill her, and you'll lose your chance to find her."
As Mephisto's voice faded, Johnny finally exploded.
"That bastard! None of those clues are useful, and he made your friend your enemy. He's doing this on purpose, that evil, cunning jerk."
Charlie smiled calmly. "Knew it wouldn't be easy, but at least I've got a target."
A spark of hellfire flared before him, revealing an unfamiliar multiverse coordinate.
Universe #14512, a completely unknown universe.
Charlie chuckled. "This guy trying to mimic the Resurrection Match? What a naive demon."
Compared to the traps of the Resurrection Match, Mephisto's task was child's play.
Fine, the main world didn't need Spider-Man right now.
His absence would let these events simmer faster.
He'd have plenty of time to scavenge some goodies in another universe.
With that, he pulled out the golden orb, the Time Tablet opening a multiverse portal.
The invincible Spider-Man was about to leave his legend across the multiverse.