Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 167 The Devil's Enticement Plan (First Update! Requesting Recommendation Votes!)

"A contract? What contract?" Rosanne looked at the people around her in surprise, asking with a face full of doubt. But no one paid her any attention; no one seemed to have any intention of explaining, even though this was the reason she had been kidnapped.

Katar Slay stared intently at the arcane mages, remaining silent. The spell had already foretold the location of the Sanctuary Vangel's Pact, though it was unclear where he had hidden it. Salomon's demand for Katar Slay to hand over the Pact now was also to achieve the Sorcerer Supreme's goal. This goal was known only to Mordo, the mage Hamil, and Kasirius, so when Salomon uttered those words, they began to look around, preparing to attack.

"Why should I believe you?" Carter Slay's voice boomed, with the characteristic nasal tone of a Southerner. "How am I supposed to know you're not another group sent by Mephisto? If the Demon King gets his hands on that contract with a thousand souls, the world will become a living hell!"

"First, our leader isn't Mephisto, but Vishanti. Second, a thousand souls aren't enough to fill Mephisto's stomach; that's just a small dessert. Only a fool like the Warheart Demon would find the power of a thousand souls truly immense." Salomon was now nearly an adult, but still quite a bit shorter than the old cowboy, so he had to slightly raise his head so that Carter Slay could see the expression on his face, including his earlier sarcastic remark that he had lumped Carter Slay and the Warheart Demon into the same category. However, the last sentence was somewhat subtle, and not everyone understood it; only Rosanne, a journalist, caught on.

She stared wide-eyed at everyone's expressions. Unfortunately, no one seemed to realize this—this somewhat oblivious woman was already used to the appearance of a group of magicians; she had experienced the most unbelievable things in her life these past few days—what could be stranger than her boyfriend catching fire every night?

"Finally, it's perfectly normal for someone with such limited knowledge of planes as you to not be able to distinguish between different types of magic. In fact, you can't even tell the difference between a demon and a devil. Your becoming the Ghost Rider is recorded in Kamar-Taj, but we haven't disturbed your life—keep your last bit of power, old knight, the fires of hell will at least keep you alive for another half a century."

"My father..." Seemingly having overheard the mages' conversation, the Demon Heart, pinned to the ground, coughed violently a few times before bursting into laughter. "That old codger! If he had listened to my advice sooner, if that old man hadn't refused to hand over the throne that was rightfully mine, this place would be hell right now! Ha! But he's also a miser; he won't let a single soul that belongs to him escape. You will be hunted down by his hounds! Forever! Carter Slye, you're nothing but my father's dog! Cough cough!"

"Alright, we can skip this poor wretch's speech. He'll be taken back to Kamar-Taj and melted into the Vishanti's glory." Salomon made a jumping gesture with his finger. "Give us the contract, and you'll be free. Some girls these days actually like your style—a white-haired, white-bearded old cowboy. Trust me, someone will like you."

Carter Slay squinted, scrutinizing all the arcane mages strolling through the town. His reason for following the mage Hamil to San Venganza was to see what these people were up to, and he wasn't entirely satisfied with the current outcome—he didn't understand them, and he suspected that Johnny Blaze's inability to come was due to their interference. But even if he was right, it was useless, because he had no choice. This group of mysterious figures was determined to settle things today. He either surrendered the contract or had it stolen; his remaining power was insufficient to resist them.

The nailed-to-the-death Witchheart Demon is the best proof.

But he still had some questions.

"Why?" His voice choked in his throat. "Why didn't you stop the deal?"

"Everyone has the freedom to dispose of their own soul," Master Hamil answered Carter Slay's question. "Whether they want to go to Heaven or Hell, it's human freedom, and everyone must bear the consequences of their choices. Heaven isn't as wonderful as imagined, and falling into Hell isn't necessarily an eternal damnation. In any case, all the souls in the universe will return to eternal silence, becoming nourishment for the next cosmic cycle. As for why we didn't stop the devil from coming to San Venganza... we can only say that we couldn't find him; he hid too well, just like an ordinary person."

"I accept your explanation," Carter Slay said, though he didn't seem to fully accept it. Even so, he turned and strode out of town. "Now, I'm going back to the church; the covenant is there."

Mordo summoned a sorcerer and whispered some instructions to him. The sorcerer then led the other deacons to open a portal, bringing the Witchheart back to Kamar-Taj headquarters. The sorcerer Hamil also returned to headquarters with Roxanne; the temple deacons would later take her back to Houston. Only Mordo, Kasirius, and Salomon remained.

Next comes another task; Master Hamil is no longer at an age where high-intensity exercise is suitable.

Mordo opened the portal, and Carter Slay, Salomon, and Kasirios filed in.

This is a small chapel filled with tombstones, with a few trees planted among them. It's located on the outskirts of the city, but it's not exactly a place with electricity. There's only an old man here, and the power company, seeing it's not profitable, has given up on laying cables. When the sorcerers arrived with the old knight, it was pitch black, except for the stained-glass window at the back of the chapel, depicting Michael defeating Satan, which reflected a dazzling light in the faint moonlight and the distant city lights.

"That's a bit cliché." Kasirius raised an eyebrow as he watched Carter Slye pick up a shovel. "Aren't you worried people will guess what important things you're burying in the grave?"

"Not in the graveyard, I'm not that stupid." The old Ghost Rider didn't even turn his head, but walked straight to a tree with his shovel. Under Kasirius's somewhat surprised gaze, he slammed the shovel against the tree, and then took out a roll of yellowed parchment from the broken handle. This roll of parchment had a metal header, a common style for scrolls.

"This is the San Van Gunza Pact." He bent down with some effort, picked up the scroll, and said to the mages, "This is what you wanted. Now, tell me, how do you intend to fulfill your promise?"

"That's not what you need to worry about." Mordo's Living Tribunal scepter transformed again, sparks flashing in the night. "Keep the contract safe until we've resolved this objective."

"I'm a little disappointed." A well-dressed, white-haired old man with a cane emerged from the shadows behind a tombstone, his hair neatly combed back. When he appeared, Carter Slay almost dropped his contract, wisps of smoke rising from his body, accompanied by a burnt smell.

He's about to transform into Ghost Rider.

But Salomon patted his arm to calm him down, because Mordo and Kasirius had already drawn their weapons and chanted incantations. Salomon also pointed his twin swords at Mephisto.

This is another task, and for Kamar-Taj, this is the true purpose of the San Vangunzha Pact.

Trapping Mephisto.

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(End of this chapter)