Carrigan sat in the jeep, his face a mask of panic and terror. He kept glancing backward, terrified that the white-masked monster might be in pursuit...
Even the savage werewolves which were capable of tearing apart elite special forces had been nothing more than stray dogs before that man.
The former mercenary leader had encountered powerful beings with extraordinary abilities before. Take the hell-lord Mephisto, for instance... he hadn't even dared to meet the old man's gaze, fearing he might be dragged into a lava-filled hell on the spot.
Then there were the high-ranking vampires and werewolves, inhuman dark creatures who, once enraged, could only be stopped by a team of over a hundred elite soldiers. Countless sorcerers and monster hunters who had infiltrated Eastern Europe had ended up as nothing more than dessert, devoured without a trace.
Carrigan had always considered himself worldly. Before becoming Romania's crime lord, he had graduated from the Ryazan Higher Airborne Command School and joined Russia's Alpha Group as an elite operative.
Perhaps driven by an innate thirst for danger, the bloodthirsty man chose to become a mercenary after retiring, operating in perilous regions like Chechnya and Albania before eventually rising to become one of Romania's top crime bosses.
In less than two years, Carrigan had shed the "one of" and seized complete control of Romania's largest criminal syndicate, crushing local gangs with his ruthless methods...
And the turning point in his fate? A white-haired old man who called himself 'Mephisto' had appeared when Carrigan was on the brink of death, two bullets lodged in his chest. In exchange for a new life, he had offered up his soul.
From then on, Carrigan became a puppet, serving as the middleman between vampires and werewolves while expanding his empire, amassing wealth, and wielding enough hidden power to send shockwaves across Eastern Europe...
"I can feel it… That bastard is after me!"
The former mercenary leader urged his subordinate to drive faster, his earlier aura of dominance utterly shattered. The white-masked man had effortlessly slaughtered werewolves and crushed a high-ranking Volturi vampire like an insect.
That overwhelming power had broken Carrigan's spirit... especially the final spectacle, when hundreds of flaming javelins had rained down like a storm of absolute destruction, shredding everything in their path.
Without hesitation, Carrigan had fled through a secret tunnel in the manor... And just as Sean had predicted, he now scurried back to his master like a beaten dog, begging for protection.
The jeep roared past Bucharest's Arcul de Triumf, its tires screeching as it nearly lifted off the ground. Pedestrians were ignored as the vehicle barreled toward the Bucur Church... a historic, low-lying chapel nestled among rows of buildings, a silent witness to the city's past...
Legend had it that the city's founder, a shepherd named Bucur, had inspired its construction. The weathered walls bore the marks of centuries, having survived countless wars and foreign rulers.
Carrigan shoved open the church doors. It wasn't a service day, so few worshippers were present. A priest moved to confront the intruders, only for a gunshot to ring out, the bullet striking a biblical mural and shattering its compassionate face.
"Get out! Or your gods won't save you!"
After driving out the priest and worshippers, Carrigan knelt before an ornate statue and retrieved a strange disk engraved with a massive pupil. Holding it above his head, he whispered Mephisto's name.
A chilling wind howled as gray mist swirled, the stench of sulfur filling the air alongside flickering flames. The silver-haired old man in a black trench coat materialized, leaning on his signature silver skull cane.
This wasn't the same human vessel as before... proof that the Sorcerer Supreme's attack had left its mark.
"Carrigan. Have you found Danny? My treasured descendant?"
Mephisto glanced at the crucifix above with a depiction of the savior nailed to the cross, the inscription "INRI" (Iesus Nazarenus, Rex Iudaeorum) etched into the wood...
"My esteemed master… I've encountered some trouble." Carrigan crawled forward on his knees, trembling, "Two sorcerers came for me. They the slaughtered vampires and werewolves... They're clearly targeting you."
Mephisto's brow furrowed. He wasn't surprised the Ancient One had noticed his schemes, but why had she only sent two people?
"I had hoped to lure Ancient One out of Kamar-Taj." The old man sighed.
He kicked aside his groveling servant in disgust, "Useless."
Fortunately, he'd already contacted the vampire elders... Danny would soon be in his grasp.
The rebirth ritual was merely a decoy to distract the Sorcerer Supreme. Even at full power, Mephisto stood no chance against her in the mortal world. The legendary Eye of Agamotto could trap any fool daring to challenge Kamar-Taj in an endless time loop, driving them to madness.
Even Dormammu, a being beyond time and dimensions, hesitated to provoke the unfathomable Ancient One.
A cunning demon like Mephisto wouldn't recklessly antagonize her. His true goal was to use the ritual to divert her attention, ideally drawing her out. He had even prepared a grand surprise, but the Ancient One seemed to have sensed something, refusing to leave Kamar-Taj.
This ruined his plans to exploit Kaecilius, the fallen sorcerer turned Dormammu worshipper. Without the Ancient One present, Kaecilius could strike at Kamar-Taj's heart, toppling the Three Sanctums and shattering the balance between the Dark Dimension and the mortal world.
And Mephisto? He would seize the moment to establish a Dark Dynasty, a lawless realm for dark creatures, free from the Sanctums' shadow. Only then would he descend in his true form, crowning himself its sole ruler, commanding vampires, werewolves, and demons as he carved his dominion into the mortal world.
"It seems we must accelerate the plan." The old man sighed, removing a glove and pressing his palm to Carrigan's head.
Fangs peeked through his human guise as sulfur and lava churned behind him, black mist swirling like water.
"No! Master, give me another chance!" Carrigan thrashed, sensing his impending doom.
"Relax. This is your reward." Mephisto's tone was almost kindly, "You'll shed your human shell… and become a true demon."
Corrupting energy ate into Carrigan's body. His skin withered like flesh dunked in acid, his hair turning ashen. Only his eyes which once burned with ambition remained, now glowing with bloodthirsty crimson light.
"Foulspawn. Take every vampire and werewolf in this city… and stall those two sorcerers."
Mephisto smirked. If the Ancient One refused to act, he'd proceed with the rebirth ritual and launch his grand scheme.
"And you, my knight… join them."
From the shadows emerged a blackened figure, hellfire burning in its eyes, and a glaring double "D" emblem staining its chest like fresh blood. The newly transformed Foulspawn instinctively recoiled from its presence.
The former Daredevil, now a hollow puppet, nodded mechanically. He was the Ghost Rider now...
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