- In Marvel: I Start by Marrying Scarlett Witch [Complete]
- MWM Chapter 484
“It seems you’re stronger than I expected,” Mephisto remarked, his expression showing surprise as he watched Leo fully unleash his power.
To be honest, he hadn’t anticipated that after Leo’s outburst, he would begin to feel a slight sense of oppression.
But then Mephisto smiled again and said, “As a gentleman, I prefer not to get my hands dirty. Let me introduce you to a friend who will deal with you instead.”
With a swipe of his staff, a portal of flames immediately opened.
Moments later, a skeleton man, dressed in a leather jacket and riding a hellfire Harley motorcycle, shot out from the portal. He executed a stylish drift before coming to a stop.
“Mephisto, I hope you’ll keep your promise,” the skeleton man said as he dismounted from his bike, unstrapping the hellfire-forged chain from his back. “After this, help me get rid of the demon inside me and let me return to normal. And remember, I only kill those who are guilty.”
Upon seeing this fiery skeleton man, Leo frowned slightly, as he had already recognized him.
“Ghost Rider, Johnny Blaze.”
When Leo had visited Kamar-Taj earlier, although he hadn’t studied their magic, he had read a great deal about Earth’s hidden secrets, including ancient gods, dimensional demons, and devils.
From what he had learned, he had gained a much clearer understanding of the Marvel universe.
The most important revelation was that Earth was far from as simple as it appeared.
As Midgard, the central realm connected by Yggdrasil (the World Tree), Earth was often deemed a weak mortal world by those in Asgard.
Compared to many advanced and powerful alien worlds and the other realms of the Nine Worlds, Earth indeed seemed extraordinarily weak, and its life forms quite fragile.
Just look at Asgard: the average lifespan of an Asgardian is 5,000 years, and their combat abilities are off the charts.
Even in *Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.*, an ordinary Asgardian stone mason easily twisted a sharp military knife into a pretzel, effortlessly defeating elite S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.
The other realms were no different.
There were the Frost Giants, naturally able to wield ice magic; the fire demons from lands filled with lava; the Vanir, who used magic; the Dwarves, master blacksmiths; the Dark Elves, with highly advanced technology; and the bodiless Undead race.
Yet Earth’s humans were physically frail, incapable of defeating even tigers or lions without weapons, and their technology was not comparable to other worlds.
Even their nuclear weapons—the only remarkable achievement—were created under the guidance of the Eternals.
But is that really the whole truth?
Of course not. From what Leo had learned, Earth was actually the true center of the Nine Realms, perhaps even the center of the entire universe, and the most powerful world.
Four billion years ago, Earth had already given birth to some of the universe’s most powerful beings.
According to Kamar-Taj’s records, when Earth was first created, the Creator visited the planet and sowed his life force, leading to the emergence of the first generation of ancient gods.
Among these were the Earth Goddess Gaia, Oshur (the Goddess of Light and one of the Vishanti), Chthon (God of Dark Magic), and Set (the Serpent God).
Oshur, fascinated by the universe beyond Earth, left to explore space, where she encountered the ancient god Hogoth. They traveled the universe together and eventually returned to Earth after countless years.
By the time they returned, Gaia had guided Earth’s mammals to evolve into intelligent humans.
Overjoyed at the appearance of humans, Oshur shed a tear, and that tear later became Agamotto, the first Sorcerer Supreme.
Hogoth, Oshur, and Agamotto formed the Vishanti, the Trinity of Light, who protect Earth from external threats.
Soon after Oshur began her cosmic journey, Earth experienced a great war among the ancient gods. The conflict began when Set discovered that killing and devouring other ancient gods could increase his power.
Many gods began to demonize themselves, killing and devouring others to enhance their strength. Chthon and Set were the most notorious.
To stop the chaos, Gaia called upon the Creator, and together they gave birth to a new god, Atum.
Atum, wielding immense power, destroyed the corrupted gods, eventually transforming into the terrifying God Eater.
Even Chthon and Set fled to other dimensions to escape Atum’s wrath.
The scattered energies of the slain gods returned to Earth, giving rise to the second generation of deities.
So, in reality, Earth was truly powerful. The ancient gods that Earth produced were some of the most powerful entities in the multiverse.
This is why, despite the countless planets in the universe, powerful dimensional demons are often drawn to Earth.
In fact, Mephisto, the Lord of Hell, was originally a second-generation god before seizing control of the Hell dimension.
Ghost Rider, Johnny Blaze, was created by Mephisto as a powerful enforcer on Earth through a clever trick.
If Johnny fully unleashed his power, few on Earth could stand against him.
The inspiration for Ghost Rider, or rather his entire template, comes from God himself.
According to legend, after several failed attempts to purge humanity of its sinful nature through floods, God created a special spirit known as the Spirit of Vengeance.
He sent these spirits to Earth to merge with humans, becoming righteous judges who punish human sin. They were called the “Midnight Sons.”
The Midnight Sons once fought a powerful second-generation god who sought to devour human souls and dominate the Earth. This god was an elemental demon named Zarathos.
Zarathos was so powerful that the Midnight Sons had to sacrifice themselves and use the power of the Spirits of Vengeance to seal him away.
However, Zarathos eventually broke free and absorbed the power of the Spirits of Vengeance. But having been sealed for so long, he needed time to regain his full strength.
Unfortunately for him, during his recovery, he crossed paths with Mephisto, who was not yet the Lord of Hell.
Knowing he couldn’t defeat Zarathos directly and fearing that Zarathos would claim the Hell dimension, Mephisto used cunning and deception, tricking Zarathos’ followers and orchestrating his death. Mephisto then crafted Zarathos’ soul into the most powerful Spirit of Vengeance.
The Spirit of Vengeance within Johnny Blaze is, in fact, Zarathos himself.
Thus, Johnny, the Ghost Rider, possesses the combined power of the demon Zarathos, the Hell Lord Mephisto, and God.
When fully unleashed, he’s nearly impossible for ordinary people to handle.
“As long as you kill this man,” Mephisto pointed his staff at Leo, “I’ll release you from your contract and let you become human again. You can rest assured—he’s killed many people and is drenched in sin.”
(End of chapter)