Marvel: Awakening the Universe.

Chapter 147 I am inherently dark, why should I fall into it? (Fourth update!)
In a cemetery marked with a cross, about fifty kilometers north of Stocktonburg.

Moru, who looks to be over fifty and whose body is almost halfway to the grave, is a cemetery caretaker. After waking up from a leisurely afternoon nap, he hears the noise coming from the cemetery, gets out of bed, and pushes open the door to go outside.

into the eye.

Not far from the cemetery, a young man wearing a black T-shirt was digging a hole with his back to the cemetery, seemingly unaffected by the cold of winter. He was holding an iron shovel.

Upon seeing this, the cemetery caretaker, Moru, chuckled.

"The cemetery here is free; there's no need for you to sneak over and dig."

"..."

Hawke paused in his digging, then turned and smiled at the cemetery keeper who was speaking to him from a distance.

“I didn’t sneak around. When I came over, I saw you sleeping and I thought it would be impolite to wake you. Besides, I wasn’t secretly digging a hole.”

"is it?"

The cemetery caretaker didn't believe a word of it and looked at Hawke with a smile: "Then what are you doing?"

Hawke smiled slightly, his gaze falling on the shovel in his hand.

“I was short of a shovel at home, and I happened to find one here, so I decided to test its sharpness. It felt pretty good, and I plan to take it home.”

"..."

Upon hearing Hawke's words, the smile on the face of the cemetery keeper, Moru, vanished visibly.

next second.

Moru's previously somewhat cloudy eyes became incredibly clear and sharp at this moment, and even his voice no longer sounded as weathered and aged as before.

even……

If you look closely, you'll notice that two yellow flames seem to have suddenly been lit up deep within Moru's eyes.

His name isn't Moru.

Carter Shrew!

This is his real name, and he is the first Ghost Rider from over 150 years ago, who signed a soul contract with Mephisto and gained the power of the Spirit of Vengeance.

Carter Slade, too, was tempted by Mephisto to sign a soul contract and became Mephisto's debt collector. After collecting debts from the residents of San Venganza, he escaped Mephisto's control to atone for his sins. He took the San Venganza Contract, which contained hundreds of souls, and went into seclusion there, where he built a free cemetery.

He hid the San Van González Pact inside an ordinary-looking shovel in the cemetery.

It is the very shovel that Hawke is holding in his hand now.

Carter Slade looked at Hawke with a serious expression, as if facing a formidable enemy.

"demon?"

"No."

Hawke smiled and shook his head, weighing the shovel in his hand. Then he turned to Carter Slade and said, "But the demons will be here soon. Since you're retiring, you should retire properly. Give me what's in here, and I'll help you deal with the Heart Demon that's coming later, how about that?"

He could tell that the Carter Shrew in front of him could also transform into Ghost Rider.

but……

It can only transform once more.

If Carter Slade in front of him doesn't transform, he can continue to live for quite a while using this energy.

But if he were to undergo one last transformation, the moment his energy is exhausted would be the moment his soul returns to hell.

And if Mephisto were to discover that he had deceived him back then, not only faking his death but also hiding in this demon land for so many years with the Sanctuary that originally belonged to Mephisto, what would happen if his soul returned to Hell and was exposed to Mephisto?

Ha ha.

He's about to get into serious trouble.

Hawke is kind-hearted and cannot bear to see anyone suffer.

and so……

He intended to make a fair deal with the original Ghost Rider, Carter Slade, standing before him.

Hawke will give the San Venganza Contract to Carter Slade. In return, Hawke will help Carter Slade stop the Witchheart Demon and the Water Demon who are following him from coming here to take the San Venganza Contract. Carter Slade will also be able to continue to hide and survive here with his last bit of energy.

really.

Carter Slade's expression changed drastically when Hawke uttered the name of the Witchheart Demon.

"The Demon of the Witch's Heart".

As the original Ghost Rider, he naturally knew the demons of Hell like the back of his hand.

The Witchheart Demon may not be the most powerful demon in the Hell Dimension, but its background is definitely the most powerful in the Hell Dimension.

none of them.

Because his father's name was Mephisto.

The Witchheart is said to be the child born from the union of Mephisto and a dark witch on earth. Because of this, the Witchheart still possesses powerful magic when it walks among humans.

but……

Carter Shrew was somewhat shocked.

How did he know I was here?

"So fresh."

Hawke scoffed at this, glancing around at the numerous tombstones in the cemetery before fixing his gaze on the cross on a nearby room. He then said to Carter Slade, "You don't think that putting a cross on that spot will prevent the souls buried here from going to hell, do you?"

After Sharon helped him find the burial ground of Carter Slade, he was on his way here, wondering how the Witchheart Demon knew that Carter Slade was hiding here under an assumed name.

until……

He saw the numerous tombstones in the cemetery.

Good guy.

Hawke was momentarily unsure whether Carter Shrew's ability to manipulate the situation to this extent stemmed from confidence or sheer luck.

Now, hearing Carter Shrew's words, he already had the answer in his heart.

After Hawke finished speaking, he sighed and shook his head, looking at Carter Slade: "It's a miracle you're still alive, Mephisto must be blind."

Carter Slade also realized what was happening at this moment, and looking at the large number of tombstones in front of him, his expression became very strange. He did not refute Hawke's words.

Because it was the truth, after Hawke said that, he really felt that Mephisto must be blind to have survived this long.

But soon.

Carter Slade snapped out of his daze and looked at Hawke: "May I ask what you need the San Venganza Contract for?"

Hawke shrugged. "I haven't decided yet, but since it's a transaction, there has to be some compensation, right?"

Carter Slade nodded.

"Yes."

"It's settled then. I'll help you deal with the Heart Demon that's already heading this way, and the Sanctuary Venganza Contract will be mine."

"……it is good."

Carter Slade thought for a moment, glanced at Hawke, and then nodded in agreement to the deal.

There's nothing we can do if you disagree.

Because the San Venganza Contract is already in Hawke's hands, and he only has one last chance to transform. Once the transformation is over, his soul will go to hell.

The thought of the torment he would suffer in hell after Mephisto saw him sent shivers down Carter Shrew's spine.

The most important thing.

He had confirmed that Hawke in front of him was not a demon.

This is enough.

After seeing Carter Slade nod, Hawke smiled broadly, then glanced at the setting sun and the two approaching figures, before finally looking at Carter Slade: "Now you can go back to your room and close the door."

Upon hearing this, Carter Shrew did not hesitate at all; he turned around, went inside, and closed the door.

All in one go.

Boom!
Hawke chuckled as he watched the dust shaken off the door as it slammed shut.

next second.

With a loud bang, the iron shovel in his right hand cracked open, and amidst the flying sawdust, an ancient parchment scroll was now in his grasp.

It was the San Van González Pact.

This place contains thousands of souls who made a deal with Mephisto back then, and who were later sent by the first Ghost Rider to collect the debt and harvest the souls bound to this contract.

Moreover, these thousands of souls are not just ordinary souls.

The thousands of souls on this San Venganza Pact are the evil souls of saints who were seduced by Mephistopheles and thus fell into depravity.

Mephisto may no longer need to harvest souls in this way.

But it wasn't like this 150 years ago.

At that time, Mephisto was still engaged in a fierce war with the Heavenly Dimension over the ownership of Earth's souls.

and so……

Mephistopheles seduced thousands of monks who were in San Van González and yearned for heaven.

Well known.

Whitening is three points weaker, darkening is ten times stronger.

These monks, who once yearned for heaven, were no longer saints after their corruption; they became fallen saints.

The power of a single evil soul is comparable to that of a hundred or even hundreds of ordinary souls.

This contract contains the power of thousands of fallen saints.

It's no wonder that when the Demon Lord invited the Earth Demon to join the grand event, he was so confident that once he obtained the San Venganza Contract, he would be able to create a brand new Hell Dimension and contend with Mephisto, thus reigniting the battle for the Earth's soul's place in the Dimension.

As Hawke held the San Venganza Contract in his hand, he could feel the roars and howls of thousands of evil souls sealed within it for hundreds of years.

These thousands of evil souls were even sending invitations to Hawke through the seal.

"bring it on!"

"Come with us."

"Let's fall into darkness together."

Let's enjoy the beauty of darkness together, and revel in its allure!

"Come with us!"

Countless evil spirits echoed in Hawke's ears with seductive voices that could make one's soul tremble, inviting Hawke to sink into darkness with them and fall into depravity!

only……

Falling into darkness?

Ah?
Does darkness need to fall into again?

I can be the light!

but--

I can also be darkness.

and so……

I am inherently dark, so how could I have fallen?
Hawke's lips curled slightly upward, revealing an undisguised mocking smile amidst the tempting cries of these countless evil souls.

Meanwhile, the San Vanganza Contract in his hand, which sealed thousands of evil souls, fell silent after a few scattered sounds.

seem……

They experienced a darkness that far surpassed anything they could ever hope to experience together.

I dare not act recklessly anymore.

……

(End of this chapter)