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Ch. 315 Knight Spirit of Vengeance Johnny Blaze
🕑 Added 2024-03-06 16:00:06 +0000 UTCBefore absorbing the energy from the Holy Cross, Russell had already informed Diana about the cooperation between him and Doom.
Although Diana didn't stop him, she asked him to visit her before heading to Hell.
As for why Diana wanted him to find her, Russell immediately guessed the answer.
While Diana hadn't been to Hell, she had slain many demons trying to invade the mortal world in the DC universe.
When it came to dealing with demons, Diana had extremely rich experience.
She asked Russell to share her experience with him.
Soon, Russell arrived at Diana's study.
Although Diana was currently the head of the Justice League, there weren't many matters that required her immediate attention, at least not at this moment.
There were plenty of people in the Justice League capable of handling routine matters.
Upon entering the study, Russell sat down beside Diana, picked her up from the couch where she had been reading, and placed her on his lap.
Diana didn't resist; she set aside her book and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"When do you plan to depart for Hell?" Diana asked softly.
"It will be a few more days. Right now, we're still missing a magical array material," Russell replied. He then explained to Diana about their intention to use the Knight Spirit of Vengeance as the core of a magical array to open a dimensional gate back from Hell to the mortal world.
After hearing his explanation, Diana furrowed her brows slightly.
"Although I don't understand much about the Knight Spirit of Vengeance, if he can control Hell's unique Hellfire, taking him to Hell might not be a good idea."
Diana said slowly.
Russell didn't need Diana to point that out; he knew it wasn't an ideal plan.
Even in the mortal world, the Knight Spirit of Vengeance would have some limitations on using Hellfire. However, taking him to the source of Hellfire in Hell would be like bringing him to a stadium where he could fully unleash his powers. In Hell, the Knight Spirit of Vengeance would not only have access to more Hellfire but also deal much greater damage with it.
"This is something we can't avoid," Russell said. "If we don't have the Knight Spirit of Vengeance as the core of the magical array, it will be challenging to open a dimensional gate back from Hell."
"So, even if there's some trouble involved, we must take this risk."
Russell explained while his right hand caressed Diana's back.
Although Diana was well aware of Russell's strength and knew about his goal to ascend to the level of a Skyfathers in the future, she still felt that Russell and Doom were being too reckless.
Hell was not a tourist destination. Even a true Skyfathers might fall in Hell if they weren't careful.
Seeing Diana's slightly furrowed brow, Russell continued, "Don't worry; I'm not the kind of person who would risk my life recklessly."
"Using the Knight Spirit of Vengeance to open the dimensional gate is just one of the methods for returning."
"If anything unexpected happens, I have other ways to come back."
Upon hearing this, Diana immediately thought of something and asked Russell, "Are those other methods using the Space Stone, by any chance?"
"Yes, it's the Space Stone!" Russell didn't forget that he possessed this universal treasure.
"The Space Stone indeed has the ability to open and close spatial doors at will, but Hell is not the same as the real world. There's no guarantee that the Space Stone can open a dimensional gate back to the real world from Hell."
Diana voiced her concerns.
"If used conventionally, the Space Stone might indeed fail to open a dimensional gate back to the mortal world."
"But if I treat the Space Stone as a disposable item, I'm absolutely confident that I can open a dimensional gate back."
That's right!
Treating the Space Stone as a disposable item was Russell's last resort for ensuring his safe return. While the Space Stone was indeed precious, it paled in comparison to his life. Furthermore, even if this universe lost the Space Stone, he could find a way to obtain another one from another universe.
For now, the Space Stone, with its ability to freely open portals to anywhere and its near-infinite energy, wasn't of significant help to him. Even without the Space Stone, he could still use teleportation magic. As for the infinite energy, his need for it had significantly decreased since awakening the Divine Sun Power. Apart from certain specific situations, he could rely on his own Divine Sun Power for most things.
"I actually think you don't need to rush so much to ascend to the level of a Skyfathers," Diana said. "You've made astonishing progress in just a few years. More importantly, there are no enemies that can threaten us right now. You can slow down and naturally progress to Skyfathers at your own pace."
While Diana understood Russell well, she still couldn't fathom why he was constantly seeking to enhance his power at this point. To be a bit arrogant, on Earth at this moment, the only one who could threaten Russell's life was the Sorcerer Supreme, Ancient One.
So, Diana never quite understood where Russell's sense of crisis was coming from.
Russell expected Diana to have this kind of doubt.
Diana wasn't him, and she didn't know how many hidden powerhouses this universe concealed. Even without reaching Skyfathers, in the Marvel universe, one couldn't claim absolute safety. Although he knew Diana had such doubts, Russell didn't plan to explain these things to her. He could bear these burdens alone; there was no need to involve Diana.
"I'm not the kind of person who pursues power at all costs. You don't need to worry that I'll follow the path of a dark god," Russell said with a smile.
"I know you're not, but you don't need to put so much pressure on yourself."
Diana knew she couldn't convince Russell, so she dropped the topic.
After chatting for over ten minutes in the study about trivial matters between lovers, Russell opened a portal to return to his bedroom.
Subsequently, holding Diana, he arrived in his bedroom.
He didn't know how long it would take him to return from Hell this time, so while there was still time, he intended to have a meaningful conversation with Diana about the origins of life and the mysteries of the universe.
...
After nightfall, Russell opened a portal and left the headquarters of the Justice League, arriving at the observation deck of the Empire State Building.
As soon as he emerged from the portal, he saw Doctor Doom, Doom, waiting there.
"You're late," Doom looked at him and said slowly.
"You're early," Russell replied.
Under the night breeze, they both looked at the night view of New York without saying a word.
After a few minutes passed like this, Russell finally asked Doom, "How do you plan to lure out the Knight Spirit of Vengeance?"
Upon hearing his question, Doom first smiled and then said slowly, "How did you know I intended to lure out the Knight Spirit of Vengeance?"
"Isn't it quite easy to guess?"
"If you had a way to track down the Knight Spirit of Vengeance, he wouldn't have escaped from you last time."
"Besides, the Knight Spirit of Vengeance has an instinct to cleanse earthly sins. In the hearts of the Latverians, you might be seen as a good person."
"But in the eyes of the Knight Spirit of Vengeance, you're undoubtedly a villain."
Russell said calmly.
If it were so easy to locate the Knight Spirit of Vengeance, organizations with a thirst for superhuman powers would have already sought him out. While these organizations might not have the ability to capture the Knight Spirit of Vengeance, no one would think they couldn't until they tasted failure firsthand.
"If we had met earlier, perhaps we could have been good friends," Doom said seriously.
"Unfortunately, there are no 'ifs' in this world," Russell replied with a smile.
"Now that you've guessed it, I won't hide it from you."
"Yes, I do plan to lure out the Knight Spirit of Vengeance."
"However, I won't be the bait myself."
"The Knight Spirit of Vengeance we're looking for is not one of those who are dominated by spirit of vengeance, as the legends say."
"Although I don't know how he managed it, his human soul has taken the upper hand."
Doom explained briefly.
"How do you plan to lure him out, using demons from Hell?" Russell asked.
"Yes, we will be using demons from Hell," Doom confirmed.
"But not in this place."
"I have no intention of making an enemy out of Ancient One right now."
After saying this, Doom's hands formed intricate magical gestures.
Soon, a ghostly green magical portal appeared before them.
"Let's go!"
Once the magical portal was formed, Doom stepped into it.
Russell didn't hesitate and followed Doom into the portal.
After passing through the portal, they arrived in a desert.
Looking at the distant city, Russell immediately recognized their location.
The city in the distance was none other than the famous Las Vegas, known as the Sin City.
This meant that they were currently in the Nevada desert.
Upon arriving in the desert, Doom wasted no time and began to arrange a magical array on the sandy ground.
In less than three minutes, Doom had set up a magical array for summoning demons from Hell.
After confirming that the magic array in front of them was functioning correctly, Doom said to Russell, "If I were to use myself as bait, the Knight Spirit of Vengeance, whose human soul has the upper hand, would never come."
"But if we use demons from Hell as bait, it's a different story."
After hearing Doom's explanation, Russell asked, "What is the name of the Knight Spirit of Vengeance you're planning to capture?"
In the Marvel Universe, the most famous Knight Spirit of Vengeance was Johnny Blaze.
Although Johnny was the most well-known Knight Spirit of Vengeance, he wasn't the only one in the Marvel Universe. Besides Johnny, there were also Danny Ketch, Alejandra Jones, and Robbie Reyes, who had all taken on the mantle of the Knight Spirit of Vengeance. Even the Punisher, who had been taken down by Russell a long time ago, had become a Knight Spirit of Vengeance in a different universe during some point in history.
Apart from these, there were also the original Spirit of Vengeance, the ones who stopped the Living Spirit of Vengeance, Zarathos, and the second wave of spirit of vengeance, who descended from Heaven in the form of a rain of fire to cleanse the world of sin.
Although there wasn't much detailed information about the original spirit of vengeance and the second wave of spirit of vengeance, they did indeed exist.
"The Knight Spirit of Vengeance we're trying to capture is a human named Johnny Blaze, a stunt motorcycle rider."
"He made a deal with Mephisto to cure his adoptive father's cancer and became Mephisto's Rider."
Doom explained briefly.
While he didn't say much, it was more than enough for Russell.
Johnny Blaze wasn't a stranger to him.
After all, Johnny was the most famous Knight Spirit of Vengeance in the Marvel Universe.
Upon hearing Doom mention Johnny's name, a wealth of information about Johnny immediately surfaced in Russell's mind.
Doom didn't know what Russell was currently thinking, but after confirming that the magic array was working correctly, he started to activate it.
As magical energy surged into it, the magic array on the sandy ground began to emit a strange blood-red light.
In addition to the blood-like glow, the magic array also gave off a smell of sulfur.
Doom was already experienced in summoning demons.
In less than a minute, a ghostly blood-red gate appeared on the magic array.
As soon as the gate formed, a thick arm reached out from it, as if a monstrous creature buried beneath the earth was trying to break through the surface.
Neither Russell nor Doom stopped the demon that was trying to enter the mortal world.
"It looks like the one you summoned this time has quite a size!"
Just a single arm was thicker than both Russell and Doom's waists.
"Still, it won't be bigger than those two pets of yours."
Doom replied with a smile.
Before them stood a demon from Hell, but neither of them seemed nervous at all, as if they were just observing animals in a zoo.
"Let's give him a hand; the sooner he comes out, the sooner he can be free."
Russell said to Doom.
Doom nodded and began assisting the demon in opening the blood-red gate.
With Doom's help, the demon that had been pounding on the door finally entered the mortal world.
It was a demon standing at a towering ten meters in height.
It had two pairs of bat-like wings and curved horns.
As for its sharp fangs, claws, and the iconic triangular tail, it had them all.
"What kind is this?" Russell didn't know much about demons, so he couldn't immediately identify the species of the demon before him.
"It looks somewhat like a regular Greater Demon, but it has an extra pair of bat wings. It might be a mutated Greater Demon of some kind," Doom said, evaluating the towering demon in front of them.
"Shall I go, or do you want to?" Russell asked Doom.
"You can go!" Doom replied without hesitation.
"Alright!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Russell walked toward the towering demon of ten meters.
Simultaneously, a golden rope-like object, composed of golden rays of light, appeared in his hand.
