Marvel: Death Knight

Johnny's Spirit of Vengeance, Zarathos, shared a strange connection with Mephisto. Whenever the two came within a certain proximity, they could sense each other's presence.

Though Mephisto's current location remained elusive, Johnny was confident he was still in New York.

Draped in a tattered trench coat, Johnny stepped into a roadside burger joint. He reached into his thin wallet, sighed, and said, "A burger, please. Add egg and bacon."

Before long, the distant sound of rapid gunfire erupted outside.

"BANG! BANG! BANG!"

Panic ensued on the street as stray bullets shattered the diner's glass window. Shards rained down on Johnny as he turned to see masked robbers exchanging gunfire with officers. Civilians fled the chaos, but some weren't quick enough. One man screamed in pain, clutching his arm as blood pooled on the sidewalk.

The police, caught off guard by the robbers' ferocity, were pinned behind their vehicles. Their efforts to counterattack were futile against the relentless hail of bullets. Johnny watched as innocents fell in the crossfire.

"Hey, buddy! Get outta here; it's dangerous!" The burger shop owner crouched beside Johnny, patting his shoulder before ducking for cover.

Johnny stood slowly, trembling. Flames flickered to life in his palms as his face began morphing into a skull engulfed in fire. The Spirit of Vengeance demanded release.

From seemingly nowhere, Johnny summoned a long, burning chain. The metal links glowed with intense heat as flames danced along its length.

"Go! Drive! We've got the money!" one robber yelled, clutching a duffel bag stuffed with cash. His accomplice, manning a machine gun, didn't respond. Instead, he turned to see his partner dissolve into a smoldering pile of ash. Instinctively, he ducked but felt the searing heat as his hair curled from proximity to the blaze.

A figure emerged from the smoke—a flaming skull atop a human body. The man held a blazing chain in one hand, his tattered trench coat miraculously untouched by the fire.

"What the hell is that?" the lead robber screamed, smacking the driver. "Step on it! Get us outta here!"

Bullets rained on the Ghost Rider but had no effect. The driver's attempt to flee was cut short when the fiery chain struck, reducing him to ash. Johnny ripped the car door off its hinges and dragged the leader out.

"Look into my eyes," the Ghost Rider rasped. The robber had no choice. He saw the weight of his sins and the infernal flames that awaited his soul in the abyss. Moments later, he crumbled into ash.

The police froze, staring in stunned silence at the Ghost Rider and the ash piles that had once been robbers. None dared to move.

Johnny turned, ready to pursue the remaining robbers and condemn their souls to eternal damnation. But before he could, a shadow swung into view.

A thin web shot from the newcomer's hand, wrapping around Johnny's arm and tethering him to a nearby lamppost.

"Hey! Stop right there!" Spider-Man landed deftly on the ground. "I get it, these guys are bad, but can we let the cops handle them instead?"

Johnny didn't reply. His hollow, fiery gaze locked onto Spider-Man. The Spirit of Vengeance saw only an obstacle to his justice—a soul to be judged and consumed.

"You wanna fight me?" Spider-Man quipped, dodging the incoming chain with agility. "Good timing! I've been training all week. Let's see what you've got."

Webs flew as Spider-Man danced around the Ghost Rider, wrapping him in layer upon layer of white silk.

"How's that? Pretty sturdy stuff, right?" Spider-Man turned, binding the remaining robbers as well. He climbed atop a police car and called to the officers, "All tied up! Go ahead and take them in."

Before he could celebrate, flames erupted from Johnny's body, incinerating the webs in an instant. Spider-Man barely dodged the fiery chain, which looped around his waist and yanked him toward the Ghost Rider.

Johnny's burning hands gripped Spider-Man's shoulders. "Look into my eyes."

"Uh… okay?" Spider-Man blinked, staring at the flaming skull. Minutes passed, and… nothing happened.

"What're we doing here?" Spider-Man asked, confused.

Johnny froze. The Penance Stare had failed.

Spider-Man leapt away, wary of the Rider's hellfire. Though agile, he felt overwhelmed. This wasn't like the petty criminals he usually faced. For the first time, Peter Parker hesitated.

"He's just a kid," Nick Fury muttered, watching the scene unfold on a S.H.I.E.L.D. monitor. "I'm starting to wonder if recruiting Parker for the Avengers was a mistake." He sighed, grabbing his comm. "Barton, Romanoff, assist Spider-Man. And capture the Ghost Rider if possible."

"Understood, sir," Clint Barton replied from a nearby rooftop. Alongside Natasha Romanoff, he prepared to intervene.

Fury turned to Agent Hill. "Keep the press back. The last thing we need is this plastered across every headline tomorrow."

"Garus, get over here!" Pietro Maximoff called from the couch, where he was lounging in Garus's apartment. "There's some guy with a flaming skull fighting Spider-Man in New York. Check it out!"

Garus approached the TV, frowning at the footage. Ghost Rider? How had Peter Parker ended up battling Johnny Blaze?

"Think he's a mutant?" Pietro asked, intrigued. "Want me to bring him in?"

"He's not a mutant." Garus's expression darkened. He knew S.H.I.E.L.D. or the military would soon intervene. If Johnny was captured, Garus's mission would be compromised.

He needed to act. Fast.

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