In the ruins of a desolate town, behind the cracked doors and the gaps between rotting wooden boards, it felt as if countless sinister eyes were watching the intruders.
Johnny tread carefully, following the faint traces of a road deeper into the town. All along the way, he could feel the Ghost Rider within him stirring restlessly—hungry. He knew the Rider was sensing the source of those unseen eyes… and craving it.
But saving Roxanne came first.
For once, Johnny and Zarathos were in agreement.Why? Well… probably—maybe—possibly—it had something to do with Roxanne's magnificent heart.
Witch Heart Demon gripped the back of Roxanne's neck with one hand, warning Johnny:"Johnny, if you dare transform, I'll snap her neck."
"Let her go. This is between you and me. Otherwise…" Johnny pulled out the Contract of San Venganza and threatened,
Witch Heart Demon, seeing the dawn light creeping in, relaxed his guard and threw Roxanne aside."Now! Give me the Contract of San Venganza!"
"In your dreams, you beach-born bastard!" Johnny snarled and landed a fierce uppercut to Witch Heart Demon's jaw.
The demon screamed as hellfire burned him, but with a ripple of black mist, the wound healed instantly.
Enraged, Witch Heart Demon kicked Johnny out from the shadows."Insolent fool! You think a half-broken mortal like you can defeat me?"
The two clashed violently, weaving between light and darkness—sometimes Ghost Rider gained the upper hand, sometimes Witch Heart Demon slammed Johnny into the ground.
At last, the Ghost Rider seized the demon with great effort. Without hesitation, he unleashed the Penance Stare."You—are guilty."
"Oh, no... no! I don't want to die! Please!"
Witch Heart Demon pleaded theatrically under the Penance Stare—but moments later, his face twisted into a mocking grin."Fooled you, idiot! I don't even have a soul for you to burn!"
He lifted Ghost Rider and smashed him hard into the ground. In the sunlight, the Rider vanished, leaving Johnny lying there, human once more. His body, unlike the Rider's, could barely move.
"What happened, Johnny? You came in here all fired up," said Zed casually as he and Woz strolled into the scene.
Johnny rolled onto his side with difficulty."Cough… cough… Cut the sarcasm. Stop him!"
But instead of stopping Witch Heart Demon, who was now picking up the Contract of San Venganza, Zed struck a flamboyant pose and declared:"However! I refuse! This trash isn't worthy of being my opponent. If I don't let him power up a little, where's the fun in that?"
"Shit!" Johnny rasped, struggling to his feet with Roxanne's help. "Don't screw around!"
Witch Heart Demon was furious at Zed's arrogance, but he forced himself to stay calm—everything for the greater goal.
He unfurled the Contract of San Venganza and shouted,"A thousand souls imprisoned within this contract—I command you, come to me!"
Immediately, the ruins filled with ghastly shapes. Shriveled, sinful spirits crawled out of broken houses and poured into Witch Heart Demon's body.
After a violent fit of spasms, he raised his blood-red eyes and grinned, rows of razor-sharp teeth gleaming."We are legion, for we are many. Now, you'll pay for your arrogance!"
Zed twirled his Ongekibō (Sound Strike Rod) and charged."Ha~! Let me have some fun, trash!"
In a flash, Zed appeared before Witch Heart Demon and struck him again and again. The demon barely had time to react before being pummeled mercilessly.
To these wretched souls, the Purging Flame was the deadliest of poisons. The moment it touched him, Witch Heart Demon screamed in agony.
Gritting his teeth, he turned into black mist and fled, reforming his body some distance away."Damn you!"
Zed ignored his rage. He looked down at his Ongekibō, then at Johnny's chain, and smirked."Johnny, throw me a piece of your chain—about this long," he gestured to his forearm.
Johnny didn't quite understand, but since Zed had the upper hand, he didn't question it. He stepped into the shadows, tore off a short length of chain, and tossed it over.
Zed snapped the chain onto the end of his rod, turning it into a Sound Strike Nunchaku. He twirled it, struck a pose straight out of Bruce Lee's playbook, and beckoned to Witch Heart Demon.
"Now, let me show you what it means when I say—Nunchaku beats Grandma! Ah~ da~!"
With a blur of motion, Zed closed in, feinted, then hopped back, bouncing lightly on his feet as he circled his prey.
A few swift fakes forced Witch Heart Demon into clumsy defense. Then—crack!—Zed landed a clean hit right across his nose. The demon roared and swung back, only to take another sharp strike to the face.
"Ah~ da~!" Zed shouted gleefully, clearly enjoying himself, wiping his nose in mock swagger.
"You... you damned bastard! How dare you humiliate me! I'll kill you!" Witch Heart Demon shrieked, clutching his face in fury.
Zed chuckled coldly."Pathetic. Even Mephistopheles disowns a worthless mutt like you. I gave you purpose—and you still don't appreciate it. Fine then… you're out of print!"
His grin faded. His expression hardened. The Purging Flame reignited along the nunchaku.
Woz knew what that meant—Zed was done playing around. Or rather, he was about to purge evil and uphold justice!
The ground split beneath Zed's feet as he surged forward. The blazing nunchaku struck like a storm—strike after strike raining down on Witch Heart Demon.
Bang!Bang!Bang!
Each impact of the Purging Flame burned away great clouds of black mist. The foul, corrupted energy dissolved rapidly under the relentless assault.
"No… no! My power—my power…!" Witch Heart Demon stammered in panic.
He was truly terrified now. He couldn't believe the Contract of San Venganza he'd fought so hard for was this fragile."No! My power is supposed to be invincible!"
"Wrong!" Zed barked. "My power is invincible! The performance is over, trash!"
He slammed the drum talisman onto the demon's chest, stepped back, and pressed the finisher button on his driver.
Don don cha!Don don cha!Duang~!
Zed unleashed his "Taiko Master" technique again—clear, rhythmic beats, alternately slow and fast, rising and falling with perfect cadence. It was mesmerizingly beautiful…
Except, of course, for the poor victim beneath it.
Witch Heart Demon felt his body coming apart piece by piece. Each beat struck directly at his soul, each rhythm a stab of unbearable pain.
"No… no! Spare me, please!" the demon begged.
Zed sneered."Hmph. How boring."
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(End of Chapter)