"San Van Gonza contract?"
Tony frowned, repeating the name with suspicion.
Johnny Blaze nodded, his expression grave.
"Yes. It's an extremely important artifact. Both the Witch-Heart Demon and the Demon King Mephisto are searching for it."
Hearing that, Tony leaned forward thoughtfully.
"If it's so critical, where is it now?"
Johnny sighed heavily, the weight of old regrets clear in his voice.
He reached into his black leather jacket and pulled out a scroll, carefully placing it on the glass conference table.
Everyone's attention immediately snapped to the ancient parchment.
"The previous Ghost Rider entrusted it to me before he died," Johnny explained quietly.
Tony clapped his hands once in mock celebration, though his face remained grim.
"Great. So we're facing an unknown mind-controlling witch and the Demon King himself..."
He shook his head.
"The slate was already snatched by the Witch-Heart Demon. Now, only this San Van Gonza contract remains, and we have no idea what the enemy's real goal is."
The helplessness in his voice was obvious.
They knew their enemies—
But not their enemies' purpose.
They were being forced to react, always a step behind.
"Regardless," Fury interrupted firmly, "we must locate them before they can act further."
He rapped his knuckles against the table sharply.
"The Holy Light Stone weapons we've developed are our best hope against demons. We've been preparing for this."
Fury was confident.
Ever since confirming the existence of demons, S.H.I.E.L.D. had been secretly developing weapons imbued with Holy Light energy—artifacts capable of burning demonic creatures to ash.
Johnny, however, wasn't as optimistic.
"Your weapons may work against lower-tier demons," he said bluntly.
"But against someone like the Witch-Heart Demon? Be very careful. They're on an entirely different level."
Tony grimaced.
"It just keeps getting better..."
At that moment, a chime sounded in Tony's ear.
"Sir," J.A.R.V.I.S.'s voice spoke smoothly, "violent energy fluctuations detected thirty miles from New York City."
Instantly, the holographic projection shifted again.
A colorful, blinding beam of light pierced the sky and splashed across a deserted highway.
As the light receded, a figure appeared—
A blonde woman in a sleek black leather jacket and black high-heeled boots, straddling a gleaming black motorcycle.
Bella.
The moment they saw her face, Clint Barton and even the stoic Steve Rogers reacted in recognition.
"The Goddess of Judgment!"
"She's back from Asgard?!"
Bella's sudden return sent a wave of excitement through the room.
Natasha Romanoff's eyes sparkled with curiosity.
Even Johnny's eyes widened slightly in surprise.
He hadn't expected that the world-renowned Goddess of Judgment would look so young—and so dangerous.
On the screen, Bella abruptly lifted her head, her sharp golden eyes staring directly toward the camera as if piercing through the projection itself.
For a moment, everyone watching felt a chill run down their spines.
And then—
Whoosh!
A flash of golden light engulfed her figure.
In the blink of an eye, Bella disappeared without a trace.
"She's still as vigilant as ever," Tony muttered with a helpless grin.
Fury, meanwhile, narrowed his one good eye thoughtfully.
"Her sudden appearance at such a critical time... it's too much of a coincidence," he mused.
"Regardless," Tony said, standing up and stretching his arms, "I'll have J.A.R.V.I.S. track her if possible."
He smiled a little.
"With the Goddess of Judgment back on Earth, our odds just improved dramatically."
He turned and left the room.
Fury glanced at the remaining team members.
"Captain, we've prepared a set of Holy Light Stone equipment for you. You'll need to get used to it," he informed Steve.
"Understood," Steve Rogers said simply, adjusting his shield.
As the others dispersed to prepare, Fury remained seated, deep in thought.
Meanwhile, on the outskirts of New York—
Bella cruised down the empty highways under the noonday sun.
Her black motorcycle roared beneath her, the engine's purr blending with the crisp winter air.
Thanks to her magic, she was completely invisible to any mundane surveillance systems.
No satellites, drones, or cameras could track her.
She had nothing to fear.
Soon, she arrived safely back at her apartment complex.
After parking her bike, she summoned her magic, storing the motorcycle neatly away into her personal spatial dimension.
A small smile touched her lips.
It felt good to be back.
Stepping inside her cozy apartment, Bella immediately noticed the thin layer of dust covering everything.
Her smile turned wry.
She pulled out her phone, which was buzzing with missed calls—mostly from Angie.
Bella chuckled and quickly returned the call.
Within seconds, Angie's excited voice chirped through the speaker:
"Bella! You're finally back! How was the East? I saw the photos you sent! It looked so beautiful!"
Bella leaned against the wall, smiling warmly as she listened to her little sister chatter nonstop.
Angie continued:
"Mom's been on my case non-stop! She says I stay at home too much. Ugh, the other day she even tried to set me up on a blind date!"
Bella laughed softly, comforting her.
Before heading to Asgard, Bella had smartly set up an auto-reply system and told Angie she would be away on an extended study tour.
Thankfully, Angie hadn't overthought the small inconsistencies.
After nearly an hour of chatting and gossiping, Angie finally hung up reluctantly.
Bella stretched, surveying her dusty living room.
With her supernatural efficiency, she set to work cleaning.
It didn't take long.
In less than half an hour, the apartment sparkled again.
She even emptied the refrigerator, took out the trash, and went shopping for fresh groceries—and, most importantly, stocked up on ice cream.
Sweet, delicious ice cream.
Something Asgard sorely lacked.
Later, curled up on her sofa with a spoon in one hand and a tub of ice cream in the other, Bella finally relaxed.
She opened her laptop, casually scrolling through news headlines.
At first, nothing seemed too important.
Some headlines about minor superpowered individuals appearing.
But then—
Her eyes narrowed.
She hacked into the hidden S.H.I.E.L.D. database effortlessly, scanning through classified reports.
And there it was.
A familiar, unsettling figure appeared on the screen:
A man in a purple suit, pale-faced, wreathed in dark mist.
Bella's gaze sharpened.
"Witch-Heart Demon?"
She skimmed the attached report.
The Texas S.H.I.E.L.D. branch had been wiped out completely.
The mysterious slate had been stolen.
And the San Van Gonza contract remained their last hope.
Bella clicked her tongue in annoyance.
She had warned Fury not to meddle with forces beyond human comprehension.
If they didn't listen—
Well, they could reap the consequences.
She had no intention of cleaning up S.H.I.E.L.D.'s mess for them.
S.H.I.E.L.D. and even Fury were nothing more than disposable tools in her eyes.
They weren't allies.
They weren't friends.
They were resources to be discarded when convenient.
Yawning lazily, Bella shut her laptop.
She planned to saltfish at home for the next few days—completely ignoring the world's chaos.
The next morning, Bella made her decision.
She packed a few things into a backpack and prepared to leave for Forks Town.
Christmas was just two days away, and Forks was known for its charming winter festivities.
In past years, she and Angie rarely visited because of school or other commitments.
But this year, Angie had insisted.
"Since you're finally back, you have to come home for Christmas!"
Bella smiled softly at the memory.
After a month of non-stop training and battling in Asgard, she deserved a break.
A slow, peaceful Christmas sounded perfect.
Besides—
Forks in winter was beautiful.
The thick forests dusted with snow, the sleepy town covered in festive lights, the crisp scent of pine in the air...
For once, Bella could forget demons, gods, politics—and simply enjoy being human again.
She slung her backpack over one shoulder, locked the door behind her, and set off toward a little town nestled deep within the snowy woods—
Back to Forks.
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