Richard had never seen Ghost Rider in person.
His knowledge came solely from a handful of videos circulating online. Though brief and often blurry, these clips provided enough evidence to confirm that the figure was indeed Ghost Rider. What remained uncertain was which incarnation of Ghost Rider had appeared in New York.
The footage showed a spectral motorcycle wrapped in hellfire, but this detail alone wasn't sufficient to identify the specific Ghost Rider. While the fourth generation drove a hellfire-infused muscle car and the prehistoric Ghost Rider rode atop a flaming mammoth, the first three generations all used motorcycles as their primary mode of transportation.
Clearer footage would have allowed Richard to pinpoint the exact generation, but unfortunately, these videos—much like typical UFO sightings—were frustratingly blurry. They revealed only general outlines, with all meaningful details lost to poor resolution.
Despite not knowing which Ghost Rider had arrived in New York or their purpose for being there, Richard felt no concern about potential confrontation. A few months ago, he might have worried. After all, Ghost Rider's immortality—granted by the Spirit of Vengeance—made him virtually impossible to kill.
Now, however, even if Ghost Rider targeted him directly, Richard would remain untroubled. More than that, he actually looked forward to the possibility of facing the supernatural entity. Beyond testing whether he could defeat Ghost Rider, Richard had an even more compelling reason to desire this confrontation.
He wanted to plunder the power of the Spirit of Vengeance itself!
This desire connected directly to his recently upgraded ability:
[Plunder: Omega-level mutant power, the extraordinary ability to seize the powers of every life personally taken!]
The system's explanation remained characteristically brief, but the implications were profound. On the surface, the upgrade to Omega-level Plunder might seem unchanged from its previous iteration. In reality, the transformation was revolutionary.
Before the upgrade, Richard could only plunder the X-gene mutant powers from mutants he had personally killed. Now, any life that fell by his hand—whether mutant, Inhuman, or other extraordinary being—would yield their powers to him upon death. This meant that if he managed to kill the Spirit of Vengeance that possessed Ghost Rider, he could claim its supernatural abilities as his own.
Prior to his transmigration, Richard had read numerous Ghost Rider comics. He knew the Spirit of Vengeance was supposedly created by God in heaven and possessed the attribute of immortality. According to lore, only the deity who created it could truly destroy it.
But Richard didn't entirely accept this limitation.
If this were the DC Universe, such a rule might prove absolute. But this was Marvel—a universe where "God" didn't wield the same level of supreme power as in DC's cosmology. Although the comics never explicitly defined God's power level within Marvel's hierarchy, existing evidence suggested that such a being was, at most, a universal-level entity, likely comparable to cosmic father figures like Odin.
Beyond Marvel's less omnipotent deity, Richard had another reason to believe he could kill the Spirit of Vengeance: historical precedent. He knew that the current Spirits of Vengeance were actually second-generation entities created by God roughly 6,000 years ago, designated as "living weapons."
The original Spirits of Vengeance had all perished in battle against the elemental demon lord Zarathos. More precisely, the original spirits had sacrificed themselves to seal away Zarathos.
As for the second generation of vengeful spirits—the "living weapons"—they possessed a cannibalistic ability to devour their own kind and grow stronger. The surviving Spirits of Vengeance had consumed numerous others of their kind to enhance their power.
This fact alone proved it inaccurate to claim only God could destroy a Spirit of Vengeance. At minimum, these entities could kill and consume each other.
Although Richard hadn't yet determined exactly how to kill such a being, one certainty remained: the Spirit of Vengeance possessed finite energy. If he could somehow exhaust that energy completely, barring unforeseen complications, the Spirit of Vengeance could be killed.
At Silver Manor, in the training ground behind the main building, Richard conducted his daily regimen, diligently working to improve his proficiency with Octoslash and Judgement Cut End.
Though these abilities had only recently been upgraded to level 4, and advancement to level 5 would take considerable time, Richard embraced the journey. As the saying went: a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, and mighty rivers form from countless smaller streams. Even if immediate progression proved impossible, persistent training would eventually yield results.
For this, Richard had abundant patience.
Time passed steadily until dusk settled over the estate. After an entire afternoon of rigorous training, Richard returned his Masamune to his system space. His clothing shimmered as it transformed from Sephiroth's iconic outfit back into casual attire.
With these preparations complete, he teleported directly to his bedroom in the main building. There, with Emma Frost's assistance, he disrobed and accompanied her to the bathroom, where he enjoyed both a relaxing bath and her expert "massage" services.
Nearly an hour later, he carried the exhausted White Queen back to their bedroom and gently placed her on the bed.
"I'm attending a charity dinner tonight," he informed her. "Don't wait up for me—get some rest."
"Are you going alone, or taking Clarice with you?" Emma Frost asked promptly.
"I'll go alone," Richard replied.
Hearing his answer, Emma Frost simply nodded without further comment.
Under her watchful gaze, Richard selected a bespoke suit from the closet—one handcrafted by a master tailor—and dressed himself meticulously.
With his wealth having skyrocketed, his lifestyle increasingly resembled that of the decadent elite. The key difference between him and other wealthy capitalists was his focus: while they obsessed over accumulating more money, Richard concentrated on enhancing his power. To him, money was merely a number. As long as his strength continued to grow, financial matters remained trivial.
Once dressed, he made his way to the garage alone. After surveying the collection of twenty-plus luxury vehicles, he approached a vintage 1957 automobile.
An Aston Martin DB Mark III!
From a performance standpoint, no classic car—regardless of condition—could match modern engineering. But for a billionaire like Richard, performance metrics and cost efficiency were irrelevant considerations.
He had paid a premium for this immaculately preserved Aston Martin DB Mark III for one simple reason: he had watched Bruce Wayne drive this exact model in "Batman v Superman." In the film, Bruce had driven this car to Lex Luthor's dinner party.
Coincidentally, the charity dinner Richard would attend tonight was also hosted by someone who presented himself as a philanthropist while secretly operating as a supervillain.
Kingpin!
The host of tonight's charity dinner was none other than America's undisputed crime lord, Kingpin.
Of course, the name printed on the invitation wasn't "Kingpin" but Wilson Grant Fisk. Though his criminal empire was an open secret, he wasn't behind bars—quite the opposite. The man lived in extraordinary luxury.
The reason was simple: a critical lack of evidence to prove his guilt. Moreover, in a capitalist nation like the United States, a man of Fisk's immense wealth had countless methods to cultivate a public persona of respectability and philanthropy. Tonight's charity dinner served as the perfect example.
Richard had initially declined the invitation. Upon learning of Ghost Rider's appearance in New York, however, he reconsidered. He was curious to discover which target would draw Ghost Rider's attention when both he and the American underworld's kingpin occupied the same venue.
From an official U.S. government perspective, Richard's threat level dramatically exceeded Kingpin's. Fisk's criminal operations merely degraded public safety in certain areas. Richard's existence made high-ranking officials throughout the federal government deeply uneasy.
But Ghost Rider operated beyond government classifications. The Spirit of Vengeance followed its own criteria for judging evil.
After sliding into the driver's seat, Richard guided the vintage Aston Martin—a vehicle several times older than himself—out of the manor grounds and toward downtown Manhattan.
At an upscale hotel in Manhattan, elegantly dressed guests arrived in succession. Reporters clustered at the entrance, cameras flashing continuously as they captured images of every attendee.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, a silver limited-edition Mercedes-Benz sports car pulled up to the hotel entrance. As its distinctive gullwing doors opened upward, Johnny Storm—better known as the Human Torch—emerged wearing an impeccably tailored suit. At his side was supermodel Nina Quinn, his girlfriend of just a few days.
The moment Johnny exited the vehicle, reporters directed their cameras toward him and began snapping photos rapidly. Despite the Human Torch's status as a member of the Fantastic Four and Kingpin's notorious reputation as America's criminal overlord, none of the press seemed surprised to see Johnny escorting his girlfriend to the event.
Whether charity gala or exclusive soirée, Johnny never missed a high-profile social gathering. For him, such events provided the perfect stage to bask in attention.
Just as Johnny wrapped his arm around his supermodel girlfriend's slender waist, openly savoring the barrage of flashing cameras with unconcealed satisfaction, a black vintage car arrived at the hotel entrance.
As its door swung open, the photographers' attention immediately shifted away from the Human Torch toward the new arrival.
Richard "Mutant King" Wesley!
Upon recognizing him, the press corps pressed their shutter buttons with renewed frenzy. Like all media professionals, these reporters constantly hungered for the novel while quickly tiring of the familiar. Compared to the Human Torch and his supermodel companion—a common sight at such events—they found Richard infinitely more newsworthy.
His star power and the traffic he could generate for their publications vastly outshone Johnny's. This marked only his second public appearance since being crowned the "King of Mutants."
Richard paid no attention to the photographers or to Johnny's visibly displeased expression. He simply walked directly toward the hotel entrance.
Just as he was about to pass by, Johnny —still holding onto his newly acquired girlfriend Nina—stepped forward to intercept him.
"Why come alone?" Johnny taunted. "Couldn't find a date?"
Richard had no intention of engaging with the Human Torch. After all, his primary purpose tonight was to determine whether Ghost Rider would make an appearance and, if so, which target would draw the Spirit of Vengeance's interest—himself or Kingpin.
Nevertheless, in response to Johnny's provocation, he asked casually, "Is this your new girlfriend?"
Before Johnny could answer, Nina Quinn abruptly pulled away from his possessive grip and quickly clarified, "No, we're not a couple. I'm simply accompanying him to the dinner."
What?
Johnny froze momentarily, looking in bewilderment at Nina, who had explicitly agreed to date him just days earlier.
Though initially confused by her sudden denial, he quickly realized something was amiss. The blonde, blue-eyed beauty now gazed at Richard with unmistakable warmth and affection.
As an experienced playboy, Johnny immediately recognized the signs.
"You two know each other?" he demanded.
"Not only do we know each other," Richard replied with calm deliberation, "we've had quite... profound conversations in the hotel's presidential suite." He paused briefly before adding, "By the way, did Nina mention she has an equally beautiful sister who works as a fashion designer?"
Though Richard's words were carefully measured, Johnny immediately grasped their subtext.
As Johnny prepared to respond, Richard continued, "You've just reminded me that attending such an event without a companion would indeed be rather lonely."
With these words, he turned his gaze toward Nina Quinn. No further invitation was necessary. She immediately stepped forward, taking his right hand with intimate familiarity and pressing her curvaceous figure against him.
Witnessing the supermodel, he'd spent weeks pursuing—the girlfriend he'd just introduced to his social circle—abandon him without hesitation and throw herself into Richard's arms with undisguised passion, Johnny's expression darkened to unprecedented levels.
From their position, the surrounding reporters couldn't overhear this exchange. However, when they observed Nina Quinn—just moments ago introduced as Johnny's new girlfriend—take Richard's hand possessively, their journalistic instincts immediately triggered.
Though they couldn't discern the specific details, one thing was abundantly clear: the Human Torch had been summarily dumped by Nina Quinn without a second thought.
Within seconds, tomorrow's headlines flashed through the reporters' minds:
"TORCH TORCHED: SUPERMODEL DITCHES JOHNNY STORM MID-GALA FOR MYSTERIOUS MUTANT!"
"NO MORE FIREWORKS: HUMAN TORCH LEFT SOLO AS DATE DEPARTS WITH MUTANT ROYALTY!"
"ROYAL FLAME: STORM'S DATE SEEN FLIRTING WITH MUTANT KING MINUTES AFTER ARRIVAL!"
"FANTASTIC FUMBLE: JOHNNY STORM LEFT IN SMOKE AFTER SUPERMODEL SWITCH-UP!"
"FIRE & FLAIR NO MORE: FASHION ICON WALKS OUT ON HUMAN TORCH FOR CROWNED COMPETITION!"
"FROM FANTASTIC TO FORGOTTEN: TORCH'S LOVE LIFE TAKES AN ICY TURN!"
"SUPERMODEL NINA QUINN CALLS JOHNNY STORM 'TOO HOT TO HANDLE'—AND NOT IN A GOOD WAY!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Support me at p@treon.com/goldengaruda and check out more chapter of this or more early access chapter of my other fanfic translation.
New fanfic :
Marvel : The God Of Punishment System
I Am Raditz
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~