"Listen, cowboy, I'm not your enemy," Wes said helplessly, trying to explain. He truly had no interest in continuing this meaningless fight.
Unfortunately, his earlier actions had already thoroughly enraged Carter, a true-blooded cowboy through and through.
"Save it, wizard! You dared to barge into a cowboy's home and brazenly steal from him. Time to pay for your recklessness!" Carter roared, his eyes blazing with fury as he deftly drew the tough leather whip from his waist.
CRACK!
The whip lashed through the air with a sharp, thunderous sound, like it was tearing the very air apart.
Wes knew clearly that unless he could thoroughly subdue this stubborn cowboy, Carter would never listen to reason.
And so, another fierce battle erupted between the Ghost Rider and the wizard.
Far off in space, a high-tech satellite captured the intense battle in perfect clarity.
Coulson and his task force were stationed only 30 kilometers from the site.
When Coulson saw the unbelievable footage on the screen, he felt his worldview shatter completely.
"Sir, we can confirm that Wes Elwin is the wizard. But… what on Earth is that thing he's fighting?"
At S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters inside the Triskelion in New York…
Nick Fury watched the same shocking footage on his monitor. Upon hearing Coulson's question, he could no longer contain his fury and exploded:
"Motherfuxxer!"
"How the hell would I know?!"
"What's with this flood of freaks showing up on Earth lately?!"
"It's a damn disgrace! There's a flaming skeleton cowboy hiding in the United States and we didn't know a damn thing about it! What the hell have you people even been doing?!"
Fury's notorious need for control and deep-seated paranoia made it especially hard for him to handle the sudden emergence of two powerful individuals operating completely outside his grasp. The shock hit him so hard, it felt like his heart might give out.
"Sir… 'Flaming Skeleton Cowboy' is a bit of a mouthful…"
"Motherfuxxer! Is this really the time to be nitpicking names, Phil?! Do you wanna go mop the toilets?!"
"Absolutely not, sir."
"Then keep eyes on them. If there's any chance to make contact, take it."
"Yes, sir!"
Back in Texas, the fight between Wes and Carter had reached its peak.
"Wizard, why do you keep avoiding my gaze? Are you afraid?!"
"Weak provocation. I'm not about to stare into the Penance Stare."
"You know all kinds of hidden truths, wizard. So why come to steal the San Venganza Contract? You know how important it is!"
Even while trading blows, the two didn't stop arguing—firing verbal jabs back and forth like seasoned rivals.
But clearly, neither of them had the upper hand in this war of words.
Wes cast a Transfiguration spell, turning the surrounding overgrowth into thick, unbreakable iron chains that wrapped tightly around Carter and his fiery steed.
But the Ghost Rider's hellfire possessed terrifying powers of transmutation—able to burn through and corrupt nearly anything it touched.
The chains glowed red-hot under the scorching flames and were just moments away from becoming Carter's new deadly weapon.
Just as Wes was about to cast a Petrificus Totalus, he suddenly sensed a wave of sinister magic.
Carter muttered, "The Devil… I smell the Devil…"
"Wizard, let me go! The Devil is coming!"
Wes didn't doubt him for a second. He, too, had smelled the sharp sting of sulfur in the air—the unmistakable scent of something hellish.
Without hesitation, Wes released the Transfiguration spell.
Carter quickly pulled his horse alongside Wes.
Wes downed a potion in one gulp, and his depleted magical energy began to rapidly recover.
Just moments ago, the two were locked in bitter combat—but now, in the face of greater danger, they stood side by side in wordless alliance.
"It's here!"
A swirling, ominous black wind suddenly surged toward them.
"Damn devils!"
Carter unleashed a full barrage from his shotgun, firing a relentless stream of bullets that surprisingly dispersed the shadowy gust.
A man slowly emerged, his face pale as paper, hair hanging messily over his shoulders.
"Hand over the San Venganza Contract," the man hissed, "and we might grant you a relatively painless death."
Suddenly, the ground beneath them surged upward as a towering figure burst forth from the earth.
Then, a spreading puddle of water rippled forward, gradually forming into a man whose entire body appeared slick and dripping wet.
These three were none other than the underlings of Mephisto.
The Elemental demons
Wind Demon. Earth Demon. Water Demon.
Judging from their names alone, it was clear these three were nothing more than mid-tier lackeys.
The three devils moved into a triangular formation, tightly surrounding Wes and Carter.
"Go back to hell, you wicked bastards!!" Carter snarled, not in the mood for talk. He immediately aimed at the hulking Earth Demon and pulled the trigger without hesitation.
The bullet roared out of the barrel and struck the Earth Demon directly, forcing him to stagger back several steps.
The Water Demon conjured a long whip and lashed it fiercely at Carter.
A blazing burst of fire shot toward the Water Demon in response.
But the Water Demon expertly wielded his watery whip, snapping it with such force that the flames were extinguished instantly.
"A water-based demon... now that's rare," Wes muttered.
With a quick flick of his wand, Wes summoned a ferocious fire dragon. The creature twisted and snarled, lunging at the Water Demon with bared fangs.
Immediately after, he cast a "Sectumsempra" toward the Wind Demon.
But the Wind Demon swept a hand forward, summoning a razor-sharp blade of air that cleanly neutralized Wes's spell.
"Wizard, you should be grateful we're still in the human world—our power is severely limited here. If not, you'd already be dead from that spell," the Wind Demon screeched, his voice so shrill it seemed to pierce through bone.
"What, did the Sorcerer Supreme's barrier fail? How the hell did the three of you slip in?" Wes questioned coldly.
Just hearing the name Sorcerer Supreme made the Wind Demon tremble visibly.
To pass through the protective barrier set by the Ancient One, they had been forced to give up at least 90% of their power. The journey to breach the human realm had been grueling and costly.
"I'm going to rip out your soul and torture it for ten thousand years!" the Wind Demon spat, now directing all his hatred at Wes.
Wes simply shrugged, utterly calm. "If you can manage that, be my guest."
Furious, the Wind Demon raised his hand and summoned a raging storm. Under his precise control, a powerful cyclone began to form.
"Too slow."
The demon's ultimate move took far too long to charge.
"Bone-Shattering Curse."
Without hesitation, Wes cast a powerful dark spell.
The Wind Demon rose into the air on a spiraling gust, launching a full-scale aerial assault.
Blade after blade of wind rained down like a storm of knives, slicing down toward Wes.
"Protego Armor!"
Wes instantly wrapped himself in an invisible, impenetrable layer of magical armor. The deadly wind blades clanged harmlessly off his shield, scattering in all directions.
But just as he was about to counter, a towering column of water slammed into him, knocking him several steps back and nearly breaking through his magical defense.
The Water Demon, having finished off the fire dragon, had arrived to support the Wind Demon.
One attacked from above, the other from below—forming a deadly pincer attack aimed at Wes.