Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 961 Under the Fire and Halo (First Update)

With each gunshot, each explosion, each slash, a burst of sparks erupted in the dimly lit laboratory, illuminating the ghostly shadows on the walls. If one relied solely on their ears, nose, skin, and intuition rather than sight, it would be easy to believe that the scorching, electric-sparkling halberd was constantly slicing across their heads. Fitz and Mike instinctively ducked and hunched over, running towards the laboratory exit, trying to resist the piercing whistling of the blades that seemed to pierce their eardrums and slice through the air, and the terror brought on by the near-nose smells of gunpowder, burning bones, and the sulfurous stench of flames.

Even after crawling to the lab exit, the chilling sensation on the back of their necks lingered, as if the fear lurking deep within their genes was screaming and urging them to huddle together. Fitz and Mike had to muster their courage to move their limbs. They couldn't even see the giant in his golden power armor clearly; the presence of the Royal Guard, like his power armor, was as magnificent as a Baroque dream. As ordinary humans, Fitz and Mike could only see the flames that splattered with each attack Ghost Rider suffered, the lab walls constantly being bombarded by explosive charges, the high-strength concrete and radiation-shielding coating crumbling like butter cookies.

This is not a battle that ordinary people should participate in!

Mike cursed under his breath, while mentally considering whether to call for backup.

The thought was quickly dismissed; Mike later deemed it foolish and likely to endanger his comrades. Moreover, considering the mastermind's identity, the past experiences of S.H.I.E.L.D. were a stark reminder of what could happen if they angered him. Agent Coulson had finally gained Congressional recognition, but there was no guarantee that the madman who recklessly dropped nuclear bombs wouldn't attack them again—even if Mike knew it was to prevent the spread of alien parasites, the man's cold-blooded ruthlessness was chilling, and his equally cold-blooded armed personnel were even more terrifying.

After narrowly escaping the laboratory, Fitz assured Mike that he had never seen such beautiful fireworks in his life, but that was another story. In Fitz's recurring nightmares, the Royal Guards, entrenched in the dark swamp, were always enveloped in a faint light. It wasn't sunlight, firelight, lamplight, or even the electric currents from their halberds—nothing like that. It was a light emanating from within, a mysterious and unknown power swirling around their power armor, dispelling the malice lurking in the shadows beneath the darkness.

He had read H.P. Lovecraft's novels and considered them fantasy horror. However, Fitz was now very grateful to have read a line Lovecraft had written: "I think the kindest thing in the world is that the human mind cannot connect what it knows and what it thinks." He dared not imagine what he was seeing, what terrifying destruction of the rational world lurked in those shadows; he was only thankful that those things were far enough away from him, even if those protecting him were not very friendly.

"That place was as dark as a muddy rabbit's burrow," Leopold Fitz recounted in a casual conversation after marrying Gemma Simmons, describing his dream and this terrible ordeal. Fitz exaggerated the scene and his own bravery to avoid causing Simmons unnecessary worry.

Constantine plunged the halberd's blade into the Ghost Rider's burning body, his large-caliber bomb gun firing at close range. The explosive rounds spewing from the barrel struck the Ghost Rider's body like a spiky warhammer, easily piercing and shattering him, scattering burning bone fragments everywhere. Constantine didn't find the battle particularly difficult. If the Spirit of Vengeance's target hadn't been an ordinary person like Robbie Reyes, but a genetically modified warrior like himself, Constantine felt he might have had a harder time—however, the Royal Guard were perfect humans created by the Immortal City's monarch using dark technology and genetic alchemy. Even with the Spirit of Vengeance's power, Robbie Reyes's attacks seemed to Constantine like they were in slow motion.

Constantine had also considered the impact of Ghost Rider's hellfire on him. According to available information, this power had an astonishing ability to transform matter, rapidly homogenizing inorganic materials. However, surprisingly, the flames Robbie Reyes emitted from his empty eyes not only failed to adhere to the Royal Guard's Baroque-style power armor, but also inexplicably extinguished before even reaching Constantine, as if they had never existed.

Perhaps it's because Robbie Reyes hasn't fully embraced the power of the Spirit of Vengeance? Constantine shook his head after pulling the trigger. He lacked the necessary information to make a judgment. The only intelligence regarding Robbie Reyes's combat abilities had been submitted by Wanda Maximoff at his urging, and compared with that of the first Ghost Rider, Johnny Blaze.

The only slightly troublesome aspect was that Ghost Rider's regenerative abilities seemed to have improved. Robbie Reyes's regeneration speed was increasing, with extradimensional energy being continuously shaped into matter in the real world. Every time Constantine defeated (not killed, but rendered incapacitated) him, he felt Ghost Rider become stronger—the first time he defeated Ghost Rider took half a second, the second 1.3 seconds, the third 2.1 seconds, and the fourth and fifth times, Ghost Rider's recovery speed gradually increased. Constantine maintained a high-intensity attack, but even a perfect human needs to break down lactic acid to restore his body to its normal state, while simultaneously digesting the high-energy nutrient solution injected by the power armor's life support system.

So he took his first breath since the battle began.

Constantine exhaled a long breath, and the power armor's oxygen supply system immediately flooded his lungs. His modified lungs rapidly exchanged gases, and the hemoglobin surging through his veins bound to oxygen with far greater efficiency than normal. His mitochondria worked frantically, causing his body temperature to rise by two degrees Celsius. He refused the power armor's control system's suggestion to inject combat serum; such a task was completely unnecessary for him. He spun his halberd, using the spiked end to pierce the Ghost Rider's skull, pinning it to the concrete ground before crushing it with his steel boots. For a moment, the flames engulfing the Ghost Rider were nearly extinguished.

Even if he didn't understand the situation, it didn't stop him from slaughtering Ghost Rider.

"Hurry, Mike!" Fitz dashed ahead down the corridor, ignoring the expensive equipment brought from the SHIELD base along the way. He was utterly panicked; his light-colored suit was riddled with charred holes—the result of Constantine's fiery barrage during the battle—and his short brown hair was singed. Fitz felt his lungs fill with sulfur, and hellfire burned fiercely in his throat. He swallowed hard, rusty saliva. "We need to get to the Quinjet! We need backup!"

"Watch out, little monkey!" Mike quickly followed.

He had no objection to Fitz's idea, but he wasn't sure if the Quinjet could control the situation, especially since one of them was wearing heavy powered armor. The sound of concrete cracking was clearly audible even through the thick walls of the corridor, forcing Mike to listen carefully and be ready to grab Fitz at any moment, because the man in the gold powered armor and Ghost Rider had repeatedly crashed through the corridor walls in front of them. Mike didn't believe those two would be kind enough to pay attention to innocent civilians; if Fitz hit them, his fate would be no different than being hit by a speeding truck.

Fortunately, the Quinjet's landing point wasn't far away, as it was used to transport equipment.

Fitz and Mike ran out of the tunnel, sunlight immediately streaming in, as if they had left the nightmare behind (though Mike could still hear the crashing sounds behind them). "Hurry!" Mike said, pointing at the Quinjet, "We'd better talk to HQ before making a decision."

"Yeah, I'm so happy—"

With Fitz's scream, Mike stared in disbelief as the Quinjet floated up unattended.

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(End of this chapter)