When Ghost Rider finally found an opportunity to control Blackheart, he eagerly launched a Penance Stare at the sinful demon.
"Demon, look into my eyes."
Ghost Rider, holding Blackheart's head, forcibly made his eyes meet his Penance Stare.
At this moment, Blackheart's hideous face showed a timely hint of fear.
Hellfire surged in Ghost Rider's eyes, but he felt no burning sensation from the other's soul.
The next second, the fear on Blackheart's face turned into mockery.
"Hahahahaha!"
"This move is completely useless against me, because I have no soul for you to burn."
As Blackheart's words fell, he backhanded and grabbed Ghost Rider's neck.
"I guess that old man forgot to tell you! The Penance Stare doesn't work on those without a soul."
"How about it, aren't you surprised!"
As Blackheart's terrifying demonic power permeated, the bright yellow flames on Ghost Rider's body gradually began to turn black, as if about to extinguish.
"Do you know? This power should have been mine, but that old man didn't trust me."
"You pathetic fellow, chosen by my father as a puppet."
"Now, I'll give you a chance: become my subordinate, help me find the contract of san venganza, and when I ascend to the throne of Hell King, I will grant you freedom."
Blackheart extended an olive branch to Ghost Rider, wanting to recruit him.
Unfortunately, Barton had just merged with Zarathos, and his consciousness was chaotic, acting purely on instinct, completely unable to understand the meaning of his words.
Struggling, he reached out and beckoned to his Soul Chariot.
In an instant, the chariot burst into roaring Fire, then activated on its own and slammed into Blackheart.
However, Blackheart easily swatted it away with a backhand.
"Let me see what it is about you, you poor wretch, that the old man valued so much, that he would sign a contract with you and give you this power."
Blackheart extended a finger and pressed it to Ghost Rider's brow, immediately reading the contents of the original contract and seeing Barton's wife and child.
As he tried to delve deeper, he felt a restless, burning sensation brewing.
At this time, under the suppression of Blackheart's power, the Hellfire on Ghost Rider's body slowly receded, revealing his mortal form.
Barton, having recovered, was somewhat confused, not knowing what had happened while he was unconscious!
Where was he now, and who was this guy choking him?
However, before he could think further, he heard the guy in front of him say:
"So that's it, you have a lovely son!"
"Well, now the terms have changed! If you don't want your wife and child to go to Hell, then obediently work for me."
"A demon's curse is never an empty threat!"
Hearing this, Barton's eyes showed a hint of anger.
If motorcycle stunt performance was his life, then his wife and children were more important than life itself.
"Stay away from my wife and son."
Barton roared at Blackheart.
In response, Blackheart simply exerted force and threw Barton a dozen meters away.
Such a blow, for Barton in his mortal body, nearly shattered his bones and caused internal organ damage to varying degrees, leaving him struggling on the ground, unable to get up for a long time.
"Swear your loyalty to me, and I will consider sparing them; otherwise, I have countless ways to torment their souls."
Blackheart said, approaching Barton again.
"Eliminate all evil, give me your body!"
At this moment, a voice seemed to appear in Barton's consciousness, telling him to give up his body; he knew it was from the entity Mephisto had placed inside him.
"No! I will personally drive him back to Hell!"
Barton's will was extremely firm this time, and he slowly stood up, a spark of Fire appearing in his eyes, and then the extinguished Hellfire reappeared.
Ghost Rider, transformed again.
This time, Barton successfully controlled this power with his own consciousness, no longer feeling that pain in the process; now, he was truly Ghost Rider.
"Get back to Hell, demon."
Barton rushed forward, kicking Blackheart a dozen meters away.
He then casually picked up a steel bar nearby, which was instantly enchanted with Hellfire, and threw it like a spear with great force.
The steel bar, wrapped in Hellfire and carrying immense inertia, directly impaled Blackheart's body and pinned him firmly to the ground.
However, Blackheart paid no attention to this, reaching out and pulling the steel bar out of his body inch by inch.
"So that's it, have you finally awakened now!"
"But this is perfect; only humans have weaknesses."
Blackheart completely ignored this level of damage, elegantly stood up, and looked at Ghost Rider with an evil glint in his eyes.
Then, the battle resumed.
Just then, alarms blared all around, and military vehicles arrived on the scene.
Large numbers of fully armed soldiers disembarked from the vehicles, pointing their guns at the two confronting figures and Shen Mu.
Among them were four newly equipped sonic cannons, weapons capable of continuously emitting terrifying sound waves once activated.
If an ordinary creature were exposed to such sound waves for an extended period, everything, starting from their internal organs, would be vibrated into dust.
And the five military helicopters in the sky also aimed their guns at the dragon, the demon, and the skeleton knight on the ground.
"General Ross, all preparations are in place. Should we attack immediately?"
At this moment, a soldier reported to the proud General Ross.
"Wait a moment. Those two monsters are fighting each other. We just need to wait for them to finish before we act."
"On the other hand, that other guy... my soldier's intuition tells me he's the most dangerous."
"Everyone listen up! Once I give the order, all heavy firepower will prioritize covering the horned guy. We must take him down first."
This was General Ross's first face-to-face encounter with supernatural beings. Although he felt a faint worry, the powerful firepower gave him a slight sense of reassurance.
"Brother, while you can tell who the strongest here is, isn't it a bit rude to plan your tactics right in front of me?"
Just after General Ross finished giving his orders and was about to turn his gaze back to the two fighting figures, a faint voice appeared beside his ear.
"Whoosh!"
As a soldier, General Ross's subconscious reaction was to pull out his gun, but a force bound him in place.
He stiffly turned his head only to find that Shen Mu, who had been watching the show from a distance a second ago, was now standing beside him, looking at him with a "friendly" expression.