Multiverse's Ghost Rider

"Nothing much. Just here to send you back to Hell," Jon said calmly to the Clockwork Monster.

"Hmph, arrogant fool!" the monster snapped coldly. With a swift motion of its hand, a massive sword materialized in its grip—entirely disproportionate to its slender frame. It swung the blade toward Jon with terrifying speed.

Jon countered immediately, summoning his hellforged chains. He had expected an easy fight, but was surprised by the monster's swordsmanship—second only to Kokushibo, the strongest he'd ever faced.

His coat was sliced in several places. Narrowing his eyes, Jon muttered, "I thought you were just a sideshow. Seems I underestimated how dangerous monsters in this world can be."

With that, he hurled two blasts of Hellfire at the Clockwork Monster. The flames made contact, and the creature let out an ear-piercing scream of agony.

"Aaaaaagh! You're a... damn witch!" it howled through clenched metal teeth.

Jon kicked it squarely in the chest and snapped, "Do I look like a woman to you? But from what you just said, sounds like you really hate witches."

"Of course I do! This hideous form of mine—it's all thanks to that cursed witch! Everyone in the castle, even our beloved prince, was cursed by her!" the monster growled with hatred.

Castle? Prince? Curse?

Jon's eyes glinted. He pieced the clues together: the black fairy tale setting, the cursed inhabitants, the grotesque transformations.

"You came from that castle, didn't you?" he said, pointing toward the distant spires. "And your prince... he was cursed into becoming a bloodthirsty beast?"

The Clockwork Monster froze, stunned. It had never mentioned anything about the prince.

"How... how do you know that?!" it stammered.

The witch's curse had wiped the memories of everyone in the outside world. The castle's residents—including the prince—were trapped inside, unable to take a single step beyond its walls. Even for the monster to leave, it had paid a steep price.

"You're right," it finally confessed. "Our prince has become a ravenous, man-eating beast. Only our new mistress can soothe his rage. The rest of us? Turned into furniture and ornaments by that wretched witch. I was once his personal guard... and now? A clock! If not for our mistress's handiwork, I would've spent eternity nailed to a wall!"

Jon recognized it now: this was Beauty and the Beast, twisted into something nightmarish. A black fairy tale where whimsy was replaced by horror.

"So why did you kidnap the child from the village?" Jon asked.

The Clockwork Monster broke into laughter. "Kidnap? Ha! Did that lowly wretch, Pierce, send you? I never took his child. He gave the boy to us—in exchange for a basket of bread."

Jon's expression darkened.

"That night, I barged into their home. They were terrified, of course. But I didn't harm them. I made a deal. One basket of bread, for the boy."

"Pierce wept, hesitated... then handed over his son. He clutched that bread like treasure, chewing hungrily through his tears. Typical filthy peasant. And now he dares send someone to kill me? Outrageous!"

Jon's voice dropped, colder than the surrounding snow.

"Mock him all you want. But your sins are far worse. And I can feel it—that castle reeks of deeper evil. Soon, many more will be joining you in Hell."

He ignited his chains with Hellfire.

The Clockwork Monster's screams echoed through the trees as it burned.

[Ding! Your legendary mission has been updated: Judge a thousand sinful souls across all worlds. Current progress: 89/1000.]

[Ding! New Mission Loaded. Mission 1: Investigate the Castle in the Forest. Reward: 1000 Penalty Points. Failure: No further missions will be issued in this world. (Progress: 0/1)]

With the quest updated, Jon absorbed the monster's memories. And from them, he uncovered a truth darker than any fairy tale.

His gaze fell on the distant castle. He clenched his fists, but turned away. He had something else to deal with first.

In the Clockwork Monster's memories, Jon had discovered the cause behind the forest's decay.

He followed the trail into the heart of the woods, where a dying swamp spread out before him. Even the best hunter in the village, Gaston, would never dare tread this deep.

"This must be the source of the forest's decay," Jon murmured.

Suddenly, a whirlpool churned in the swamp. From its center rose a towering humanoid figure, twice the size of any man. It was draped in black, viscous slime that obscured its features, though its outline clearly suggested a female form.

"Not bad. Decent figure," Jon muttered with a smirk, drawing his chains.

The creature had long since lost its sanity. It attacked immediately, screeching in pain. The slime peeled from its body and morphed into a swarm of twisted, black monsters.

Each beast bore expressions of agony, surging toward Jon.

He whipped his chains forward. Each strike turned them to piles of oozing muck—but they quickly reformed.

With a sigh, Jon wreathed his chains in Hellfire and lashed again.

This time, the flames devoured the monsters completely, reducing them to cinders.

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