Lin Rui believed that, despite the strength of his attack, it should not have had much impact on Blackheart. After all, Blackheart had recently consumed a large amount of soul power, which should have increased his strength to a formidable level. This would explain why he was confident enough to fight against his father, a seasoned demon.
Hoo~
As expected, after Lin Rui spoke, a faint trace of black, ethereal energy began to emerge from the ground of the ruined area in front of him. These energies seeped up from the ground, slowly converging and eventually converging in the center of the large pit created by Lin Rui's attack, forming a swirling mass.
Lin Rui watched as the black energy coalesced and took the shape of a person. As the energy solidified, it became clear that the figure was Blackheart, who had been dispersed by Lin Rui's attack but was now fully restored.
"You!…" Blackheart began to speak but was interrupted by the sudden appearance of a fiery figure rushing up to him.
Boom!
As soon as Blackheart began to recover, Johnny, who had been waiting for this opportunity, rushed over and grabbed Blackheart by the neck, and slammed him to the ground. The hellfire on Johnny's body intensified, blazing even brighter.
"Hahaha~ It's no use! Your hellfire has no effect on me!" Despite being strangled by Ghost Rider and being subjected to the power of hellfire, Blackheart laughed wildly as he shouted.
"What about this?!" Upon hearing Blackheart's words, Johnny, who had transformed into Ghost Rider, narrowed his eyes and looked down at Blackheart's blood-red eyes
"Did you forget? I have no soul!" Despite Ghost Rider's actions, Blackheart continued to smile and reminded him of this fact with an unabated smile on his face.
"That was before! Just now, you consumed a large number of souls. Those souls were the ones who let go of their morals and committed heinous crimes!" Hearing Blackheart's words, Johnny's skull moved as he spoke, emphasizing his words.
Lin Rui had previously reminded Johnny that if they were unable to prevent Blackheart from absorbing the evil souls, they should look for an opportunity to use Ghost Rider's Penance Eye to defeat him.
Blackheart, who had consumed countless evil souls, would experience immense pain and eventually succumb to the power of the Penance Eye.
Upon hearing Johnny's words, Blackheart froze for a moment and fear flashed through his red eyes. The black mist then began to pour out of his body as he struggled violently, trying to break free from Johnny's grasp.
However, Johnny was not about to let this opportunity slip away. He held onto Blackheart firmly, not letting him escape in the form of black mist. No matter how much Blackheart struggled, Johnny's skull claws remained firmly clasped on his shoulders, refusing to let him go.
"Look into my eyes! Feel the pain that those souls within your body have been suppressing for a hundred years, along with the crimes they have committed!" As Blackheart struggled, Johnny stared into his eyes and shouted.
Buzz buzz!
As Johnny spoke, a strong mental shockwave surged from his black, empty eye sockets, piercing directly into Blackheart's eyes.
"No!~~…" Blackheart shouted with horror-filled eyes as he involuntarily met Johnny's gaze.
The next moment, Blackheart, who was looking into Johnny's eyes, had lost his voice, and streaks of gray light flashed from time to time in his blood-red eyes. Under the Penance Gaze, Blackheart, who has devoured so many evil souls, is suffering the pain that those souls once inflicted upon their victims.
Shout!
Two seconds later, Johnny released Blackheart's shoulders. At this point, Blackheart's once-red eyes were now covered with a deep layer of gray, a sign that his soul had been purged by hellfire.
Pū!
As soon as Johnny released him, Blackheart collapsed to the ground. Lin Rui and Johnny's plan had been successful, and Blackheart, who had consumed so many evil souls, finally met his end under Ghost Rider's Penance Gaze.
Hoo~
After Blackheart fell, the flames on Johnny's body quickly diminished and eventually disappeared entirely. He returned to his normal form as the sun rose in the sky. Johnny had been pushing the limits of his transformation and was now feeling the aftereffects.
"We did it!" Johnny, now back to normal, looked at Blackheart lying motionless on the ground and turned to Lin Rui, shouting excitedly.
"Yes, we succeeded!" Lin Rui replied with a smile, mirroring Johnny's excitement.
Da Da Da!
At that moment, Bucky and Roxanne, who had previously been hiding outside the ruins, ran in. It was clear that they had been secretly observing the events inside and had returned now that Blackheart was dead.
Boom!
Roxanne rushed over and threw herself into Johnny's arms. In her heart, Johnny was a great savior and the most powerful hero. Johnny, who was embracing Roxanne, was also deeply emotional. He had not expected to be able to save her.
Bucky walked slowly over to Lin Rui's side, he had observed his actions during the confrontation with Blackheart. Compared to Johnny, who ultimately used the Penance Gaze to defeat Blackheart, Bucky felt that the young man next to him was even more powerful. Bucky also sensed that something must have happened while he was unconscious the previous night.
"Let's go." After Johnny and Roxanne had their embrace, Lin Rui, who did not want to continue watching their display of affection, glanced at Blackheart's motionless form on the ground and said.
Lin Rui then turned and was about to leave the ruins of San Venganza, with Bucky and Johnny following after him.
However, just as Lin Rui and the others took a step, he and Johnny suddenly stopped and their eyes flashed with different light.
Bucky and Roxanne looked at them with puzzled expressions as Lin Rui and Johnny looked towards the exit of the ruins ahead. There, a gust of wind was blowing in their direction.
Hoo~
As the wind blew past, Bucky and the others saw a flash in front of their eyes, and an old man with a cane in his hands appeared out of thin air in front of them.
"Congratulations, Johnny, you upheld your end of the bargain." The old man looked at Johnny with a smile after appearing in front of them.
"It's you!" Johnny looked at the old man with cold eyes as he spoke.
This old man was none other than Mephistopheles, who had made a contract with Johnny for him to become Ghost Rider. Now that Johnny had dealt with the rebellious Blackheart, Mephistopheles had appeared to reclaim Ghost Rider's powers. Mephistopheles was concerned that the same fate that befell the previous Ghost Rider would also befall Johnny which means that he would also betray him.
"Now, I am here to retrieve the power that belongs to Ghost Rider. You have fulfilled your contract and it is time to get your soul back. Return to your own life and live with the one you love." Mephistopheles spoke lightly as he looked at Johnny.