Chapter 62

A flame-burning motorcycle roared across the West Wilderness, leaving a trail of fire in its wake. Johnny, the Ghost Rider, approached the ruins of an abandoned village, his chariot crashing through the door. In the small square at the village's center stood the Witch Heart Demon, flanked by Roshan. Johnny dismounted and gradually transformed back into his human form.

Reaching out, he seized Roshan by the neck. The Witch Heart Demon glared at him. "If you dare transform, I will kill her! Now, give me the Saint Van Gonzal contract!"

Johnny, aware of the gravity of the situation, tightened the chains around his body and retrieved a scroll made of a black wooden shaft and white contract paper from his arms.

He didn't immediately hand it over. "Witch Heart Demon, let Roshan go. Otherwise, I won't give you the scroll."

The Witch Heart Demon narrowed his gaze, his hand filling with a dark aura that crept into Roshan's body. The cyan light began to suffuse her shoulders and head, rendering her lifeless. "If I let her go, you'll become a knight. I'll be in trouble too, so give me the contract. Once I verify it's genuine, I will release her. I need to summon the undead, and if I don't let her go, you will interfere, won't you?"

"But I can't trust you!" Johnny shot back.

The Witch Heart Demon smirked but said nothing more. The cyan aura surged, filling more of Roshan's body, yet he hesitated to take her life.

"You must believe me—unless you don't care about her life!" The Witch Heart Demon pressed.

Roshan shut her eyes, willing herself to endure the pain. She wanted to live but didn't want Johnny to risk his life for her.

Seeing her distress, Johnny couldn't bear it any longer. He knew better than to easily give up the scroll, so instead, he threw it high above Roshan's head, sending it sailing into the air.

The Witch Heart Demon instinctively released his grip on Roshan and lunged for the scroll. As he did, the blue-black aura enveloping him burst forth, attempting to ensnare Roshan. But just then, a mirrored space barrier appeared between them, preventing the aura from reaching her.

In the next instant, Roshan flew through the air, landing on the roof of a nearby abandoned house, caught safely in the arms of a female Kama Taj mage who had just arrived through a portal.

As Abel and other Kama Taj mages emerged from the portals scattered throughout the ruins, the Witch Heart Demon realized he was ambushed. He unfurled the Saint Van Gonzal contract, only to find it blank. Enraged, he watched the scroll in his hand burst into flames, reducing it to ashes.

"Johnny! You dare deceive me! I will kill you, eliminate all these mages, and then personally extract your woman's soul, torturing it along with yours for a thousand years!"

"Then you have to leave here alive!" Johnny retorted, instantly transforming into his Ghost Rider form. Without hesitation, he wrapped the chain around his hand and charged toward the Witch Heart Demon.

With a deafening crash, the two collided, producing a shockwave that reverberated throughout the ruins. Their physical prowess was formidable, rivaling even the Hulk in strength.

Flames erupted from the Ghost Rider, engulfing the Witch Heart Demon. Despite the hellfire's potency, the demon endured the burns as they healed almost instantly.

As a powerful entity in Hell, second only to Mephisto, the Witch Heart Demon could withstand the flames, but he wasn't entirely unscathed. The blue-black aura surrounding him coalesced into sharp claws, striking the Ghost Rider and sending him crashing through a wall.

The Witch Heart Demon underwent a grotesque transformation, his face twisting into a nightmarish visage filled with fangs and sharp teeth. His body shifted from pale to blue and black, adorned with jagged spikes. Tentacle-like strands of hair writhed behind him, resembling the tendrils of a beast.

With a low growl, the Witch Heart Demon surveyed the mages surrounding him and fixated on the Ancient One and Abel, who stood atop a nearby building. "You think you can stand against me, Supreme One? Your power is just a pale imitation of Hell's might!"

"Heart Demon, this world is human territory. As a prince of Hell, you must return to your domain. The Earth is not yours to torment," the Ancient One declared.

"When I turn this land into my realm, I will return to Hell as its ruler, and then both realms will bow to me!" he roared.

With a swift motion, the tentacles of hair lunged toward the Ancient One. But she conjured a complex array of filigree magic, blocking the tentacles just in time. Around her, the Kama Taj mages joined forces, combining their magic to cast six massive arrays that enveloped the Witch Heart Demon, creating a cube that trapped him within.

Fire filaments shot out from the arrays, wrapping around the demon, sealing him completely.

Seeing his predicament, the Witch Heart Demon let out a sinister laugh. "Do you really think I didn't notice your little trap? I'm not alone here!"

With those words, the sound of turbulent water filled the air, and the moonlight faded, plunging the ruins into shadows.

From the edges of the village, immense waves rose into the sky, forming a colossal, menacing face of a devil that crashed down toward them!