The Mysterious Magic Circle

This group of theirs was simply too conspicuous. Before long, several priests slowly emerged from the temple.

These priests were dressed strangely, as though they had stepped out of an ancient mural from the last century. Their garments were simple and worn, bearing the heavy marks of time.

"What brings you all here?" A weathered priest with a face deeply lined by hardship spoke first. His voice was somewhat hoarse, yet it carried an indescribable solemnity.

Wes calmly took out an exquisite quill pen.

The Old Priest immediately accepted it with trembling hands. Excited light shone in his eyes as he asked in a slightly quavering voice, "Is this that pen?"

Wes nodded calmly.

"The day has finally come." The Old Priest was overcome with emotion, his weathered face full of relief and anticipation. "Please, follow me."

Wes and the others followed the Old Priest into the mysterious church.

No one could trace when this church had been built. The painted murals on its walls were vivid and lifelike, as though silently recounting the thrilling events that had happened long ago.

The first painting depicted a hideous devil and a group of terrified humans. They seemed to be entering into some unknown and mysterious pact.

The second painting showed a peaceful, harmonious village. The villagers' lives looked warm and beautiful, every face in the painting filled with happy, contented smiles.

The third painting showed a solemn church, where countless villagers prayed devoutly, their focused expressions seeming to pour out the deepest desires of their hearts to the gods.

The fourth painting showed the devil's reappearance. It ruthlessly drew away the souls of three thousand villagers and sealed them within a mysterious contract. Yet, for some unknown reason, that vital contract had mysteriously vanished.

The Old Priest stretched out his branch-like hands and gently caressed the mural. "The day has finally come," he murmured.

"This was that village?" In response to Wes's question, the Old Priest nodded heavily in confirmation.

"They have finally returned home." The priests began quietly reciting unknown scriptures. Their voices echoed through the church, filling it with an air of mystery.

"Do you know how to deal with this contract?" Coulson asked, his face full of confusion.

The priests all shook their heads, their faces filled with bewilderment.

"What do we do now? The devil is about to catch up to us!" someone shouted in panic.

"The devil?" The priests instantly became flustered upon hearing that word. Their gazes met, filled with fear and intense unease.

"Quiet!" the Old Priest barked. He looked at Wes expectantly, as though waiting for him to make a decision.

Wes helplessly slapped his forehead and sighed. "I knew it." He then turned and asked, "Coulson, when will the things I asked for arrive?"

Coulson quickly checked his watch. "Any second now!"

As soon as he finished speaking, deafening mechanical roars came from outside the church.

Wes hurried outside to take a look. Well, damn—excavators, bulldozers, and all sorts of heavy equipment were already in place. It was quite a spectacular sight.

"What are you waiting for? Start immediately. Have them build according to the blueprints. Not a single detail can be off," Wes ordered loudly.

With the church as its center, a huge and complex magic circle slowly began to take shape.

It had to be said that the people Nick Fury had sent were truly capable.

From beginning to end, they did not ask a single question. No matter how strange or incomprehensible Wes's demands were, they carried them out in silence and with absolute precision.

With the priests tirelessly helping paint the Runes, Wes's work became much easier.

Thanks to everyone's efforts, the enormous magic circle was finally completed before nightfall.

Wes then released the agents from his control, and everyone else withdrew in an orderly fashion.

Only Coulson and the Old Priest insisted on staying behind.

"How much do you get paid to work this hard?" Wes asked teasingly.

Coulson shrugged and answered calmly, "A few hundred thousand dollars a year, bonuses included."

"Suit yourself, but don't expect me to protect you." After leaving those words behind, Wes turned away to carry out the final inspection.

The sun slowly set, and the lingering glow at the horizon gradually faded. When the last trace of sunlight vanished completely, darkness enveloped the land.

Hellstorm flew in from the distant horizon like a ghost.

There was not a single sign of injury on his body. On the contrary, the aura he radiated was even sharper and more terrifying than before.

It turned out that he had mercilessly devoured the traitorous Water Demon, recovering from his injuries in the process.

Hellstorm slowly descended from the sky. The instant his feet touched the ground, Johnny twisted the throttle without hesitation, and the engine let out a deafening roar.

Thick black smoke billowed from Johnny's body, followed by roaring flames. His hair was burned away in an instant, then his skin, until his entire body transformed into a terrifying skeletal rider.

Riding his blazing motorcycle, he charged at Hellstorm without a care for his own safety.

"Wow!"

Coulson's mouth hung wide open as he watched an ordinary motorcycle instantly transform into a flaming war machine.

"If you want one, you can make a contract with Mephisto. I'm sure he'd be more than happy to help you," Wes teased.

Coulson shook his head repeatedly, rejection written all over his face.

Facing the speeding motorcycle, Hellstorm casually stopped it with one hand.

Even with Johnny cranking the throttle to the limit and using every ounce of strength he had, Hellstorm did not budge in the slightest, standing as steady as a mountain.

With a howl, Carter charged at Hellstorm from another direction on horseback.

Midway there, Carter instantly transformed into Ghost Rider as well. Light flashed in the moment of transformation, accompanied by raging flames.

Unlike Johnny, Carter did not choose to charge head-on.

Instead, he rapidly circled Hellstorm, seemingly searching for an opening.

The Shotgun in his hand fired continuously.

The bullets struck Hellstorm in the chest one after another, their powerful impact knocking him back several steps.

Johnny seized the chance to flip off his motorcycle and swing the long iron chain in his hand.

The flaming chain wrapped tightly around Hellstorm again and again.

But Hellstorm was far stronger than Johnny. With a slight exertion of force, the chain became Hellstorm's weapon instead.

Hellstorm grabbed the chain and violently swung his arm. Johnny was flung away like a weightless object.

Hellstorm simply used Johnny as a flail, repeatedly smashing him into the ground. The tremendous impacts even snapped a massive tree in half.

At last, Johnny slammed into Carter, knocking both Carter and his horse to the ground in a miserable heap.

"Idiot, don't you know how to let go?!"

Carter's furious rebuke finally snapped the dazed Johnny back to his senses, and he hurriedly threw away the chain.

Hellstorm showed no mercy whatsoever.

With a wave of both hands, he fired two black balls of energy that struck the two Ghost Riders.

The two riders were blasted into the air by the tremendous force.

Before they could hit the ground, Hellstorm lunged forward and seized them by the throats.

At that moment, the flames around the two Ghost Riders also began to fade. The situation was extremely dire.

"I told you long ago, lapdogs can never hurt their master," Hellstorm mocked smugly.

Carter and Johnny struggled desperately, but before Hellstorm's overwhelming strength, it was utterly useless.

Just as the two were about to revert to human form—

A powerful spell struck Hellstorm with perfect accuracy.

Hellstorm immediately let out a painful howl. The agony forced him to loosen his fingers.

Only then did Carter and Johnny escape.

Immediately afterward, blazing flames ignited around them once more.

"Wizard!" Hellstorm gritted his teeth and glared viciously at Wes.

"How does the Cruciatus Curse feel?" Wes asked with a calm smile.

"You're courting death!"

Hellstorm flew into a rage and charged toward Wes at incredible speed, moving so fast that he left only a blurred trail of afterimages in the air.