Marvel: Father of Superheroes

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*****

Boom!

A compressed burst of fire suddenly exploded outward. Using the momentum from the blast, Ghost Rider propelled himself mid-air and dropped downward. When he saw Mike flying toward him again, he suddenly opened his mouth—

Whoosh!

A torrent of Hellfire erupted from his jaws.

Engulfed by the flames, Mike frowned deeply as the searing pain reached not just his body, but his very soul.

Since the start of the fight, he had shattered Ghost Rider multiple times. But the Hellfire continued to gnaw at his spirit. Now, even his soul was beginning to feel scorched.

The sensation wasn't intense yet—but if it suddenly intensified, it could become dangerous.

So, as he burst out from the inferno, he landed a powerful kick to Ghost Rider's chest, slamming him straight out of the sky. Like a streak of fire, Ghost Rider crashed toward the river below. At the same time, a card appeared between Mike's fingers.

Name: Purification.

The card dissolved into glowing particles. Instantly, the burning sensation within his soul vanished.

Boom!

Ghost Rider smashed into the river, sending a massive splash of water into the air, like a sudden torrential downpour.

Mike looked down to see Ghost Rider embedded in the riverbed, buried deep in a thick layer of mud.

Hellfire, of course, wasn't affected by water or even a vacuum. Even submerged, it continued to burn, constantly repairing Ghost Rider's body.

Mike sighed inwardly.

No matter how many times this thing was smashed, its body would just reconstruct itself. It was incredibly troublesome.

If he had to guess, this whole encounter was probably the handiwork of that old bastard Mephisto.

Without a way to finish the fight for good, this battle was ultimately meaningless.

Mike muttered silently to himself.

Just then, he saw Ghost Rider rise from the riverbed—dragging along what looked like… an iron chain?

Mike raised an eyebrow.

No wonder something had felt missing about him.

Ghost Rider's skeletal fingers ran across the links, and Hellfire ignited along the chain. Like a blazing serpent, it surged out from the water, extending through the air and slithering toward Mike.

Mike dodged swiftly, but the burning chain relentlessly pursued him, seeming to extend infinitely, illuminating the entire sky and sealing off his escape.

Ghost Rider yanked hard. The chain began retracting rapidly.

But Mike instantly teleported out of harm's way. Reappearing above the river, he grabbed the chain stretching from underwater and yanked it with force—ripping Ghost Rider out and hurling him high into the air.

Ghost Rider whipped the chain in return, twisting it mid-air until it wrapped tightly around Mike's arm.

"Ha! Got you!" Ghost Rider sneered.

But Mike only smirked as he stared up at him.

He was the one who'd really caught something.

With a firm grip, Mike yanked the chain downward.

Ghost Rider plummeted.

Mike clenched his right fist and aimed it at the falling figure.

Ghost Rider: "…"

Just then, a deafening roar echoed as a flaming motorcycle shot up from the water like a missile, slamming into Mike and sending him flying.

The flames on Ghost Rider's skull flared intensely. He whipped the chain, entangling Mike mid-air. As he fell, he landed perfectly on the Hellcycle, racing forward to catch up with Mike.

Then, gripping Mike's face in both hands, he unleashed a wave of Hellfire directly at him. Within the pitch-black sockets of his skull, two spiraling fire vortexes appeared.

"Look into my eyes!"

Ghost Rider's deep voice growled.

Mike sneered coldly. His eyes, once blue, turned crimson in an instant—two scorching beams blasted out, directly vaporizing Ghost Rider's head.

What's there to look at in a pair of holes?

Ghost Rider's body wobbled mid-air. Before his skull could re-form, Mike delivered a powerful kick, sending him flying once more.

The Hellcycle sped after its master.

Mike's eyes flashed again, and his heat vision returned—slicing the Hellcycle clean in half and halting it in place.

Though it was still burning and would eventually regenerate, it would need some time.

At that moment, another card appeared between Mike's fingers.

Name: Portal.

The card dissolved into sparkles, and a portal opened up directly behind Ghost Rider.

Just as his head reformed, he stumbled through the portal.

On the other side, it was broad daylight. As the searing sun hit him, he collapsed in pain, the undying flames on his body instantly snuffed out. The lost flesh on his bones rapidly regenerated.

With a thought, Mike closed the portal.

"Hope he enjoys the desert," he muttered.

Glancing at the half-sunken Hellcycle, which had returned to its original state and was slowly sinking back into the river, Mike shook his head helplessly.

Then, he pulled out another card—and vanished.

Ghost Rider could only manifest at night. During the day, he reverted to a normal human.

Throwing him to the other side of the planet was the fastest way to end this fight—for now.

As for him dying in the desert…

Something like that doesn't die so easily.

The next moment, Mike returned to the hotel room.

"Mike!"

"Daddy!"

Seeing him appear, the worried Raven and Gwen called out in delight.

Raven looked him over, and upon confirming he was uninjured, let out a sigh of relief.

"Dad, did you beat that flaming skeleton?" Gwen asked excitedly.

"How do you know about that?" Mike looked at her in surprise. Technically, he had teleported them back to the hotel before Ghost Rider even appeared.

"Coulson called us," Raven explained.

Mike nodded in realization, then turned to Gwen. "Of course I beat him!"

"Awesome!" Gwen's eyes lit up, but then she sighed. "Too bad I didn't get to see you fight."

Mike chuckled, patted her head gently, and then pulled out his phone to call Coulson.

The phone had barely rung before Coulson picked up.

"Mike, are you okay?"

Mike responded with a short "Yeah."

"That's a relief," Coulson exhaled. Then he asked, "What was that thing?"

"A man who made a deal with a demon and gained supernatural powers," Mike replied calmly.

"A deal with a demon?" Coulson's expression darkened, wondering if he was listening to a myth come to life.

"Did you kill him?" he asked again.

Mike shook his head. "No, I threw him to the other side of the planet. He can only transform into that burning skeleton at night—that's when he has access to those powers."

Coulson made a mental note of that, paused briefly, then said, "Seems like he came for you."

That thing had charged straight at Mike the moment it appeared.

"Heh."

"You got some history with him?" Coulson asked curiously.

(End of Chapter)