The audience in the cinema let out a gasp. The critics sitting in the front row whispered to each other, and Shiller, sitting on the other side, could hear what they were saying.
"No way? I was just about to say, the setup for these two protagonists is so cliché, but there's actually a twist?!"
"Wait, I'm a bit confused now. Wasn't it supposed to be a mock docuntary horror film? How did the protagonist suddenly turn into a flaming skull?!"
"That demon nad phisto hasn't even appeared yet, how did the protagonist turn into a demon first? That look does not seem like a good person, right?"
"I'm more interested in his brother's expression, he's not even surprised, clearly aware of his brother's condition, so what's up with these two brothers?"
"This is really interesting, so it's not demons persecuting ordinary people but a dogfight?"
The atmosphere in the cinema heated up, and the audience below murmured, all discussing what this flaming skull was about and what kind of past the two brothers had.
At that mont, the scene shifted again to a highway. In the darkness of the night, only a faint glimr was visible at the end of the road. But just then, the sound of hooves approached from afar, and the cara's owner rolled down the car window.
Outside the window appeared a skeleton horse engulfed in roaring flas, with a man on its back, also with a flaming skull.
Opening the car door, walking around the front of the engine, standing in front of the herd of horses burning with hellfire, one could more deeply feel its sinister grandeur and majesty.
"Long ti no see, Carter."
Shiller knocked on the small cabin's door. An old man with white semi-long hair, high arched brows, and a well-defined face opened the door. Shiller stepped in and shook his hand, saying, "Hello, Naog Sokhup, Honorary Researcher at All Souls College, Oxford University, renowned Mr. Carter Slade."
"All Souls College... Hmph." The elderly man called Slade made a snort from his nose. He walked one unsteady step at a ti on the ground near the cabin, picked up a shovel from the side, and headed towards a nearby graveyard, "What are you here for?"
"Of course, there's sothing to discuss. Can we talk?"
"Don't think I don't know what you're here for. Whether you represent devils or angels, I've already said, I'm done with it!" Slade turned back and raised his shovel as he spoke.
"You might have misunderstood. I'm not here to ask you to beco a Ghost Rider again. Of course, you might have to play the role once, but the purpose isn't about exorcising demons or anything."
Slade seed unprepared for his straightforwardness, turned his head, and continued toward the graveyard. Shiller followed behind him, saying, "I made a mock docuntary, primarily about dealing with phisto. Your successor, the next Ghost Rider, is one of the main characters. We need a role to explain the origin of the Ghost Rider, and also to look cool. The remuneration isn't low. Are you interested?"
Slade squinted at Shiller; clearly, Shiller's words contained too many terms he couldn't comprehend. Shiller had to patiently explain. After a while, Slade nodded and said, "So you an you want to make a movie to promote the Ghost Rider? Are you crazy? Do you want to be hunted down by the church?"
"I just got back from the Vatican," Shiller said, "Take a look at this."
Shiller handed him the phone, and the mont Slade saw the elderly bishop in the footage, his eyes squinted tightly.
"Pat... that damn old mole is actually still alive." Slade's tone was indignant, but soon he returned the phone to Shiller, saying, "Whatever you're up to, I'm not interested."
"Really? What about clearing your na, having the church acknowledge your achievents, and letting the public understand the justice and strength of the Ghost Rider, isn't that interesting to you either?"
Slade's hand paused. Shiller stepped forward and continued, "I know, when you were a Ghost Rider, Heaven and Hell were at loggerheads. Even though you weren't serving phisto, the church saw you as synonymous with evil and constantly hunted you down, forcing you to hide here."
"You felt unfairness and anger because clearly, you were also judging evil and enforcing justice, yet they stubbornly saw you as a devil's lackey. This troubled you for decades until you beca disillusioned."
"But now, tis have changed. The Magical Defense Network is very well established now, and neither angels nor demons can disrupt Earth as they used to. People aren't as conservative, no longer seeing everyone who looks different as devil's thralls."
"It's ti to overturn this prejudice and let people see what you've done to protect Earth," Shiller said with a smile, "I believe all the audience will love you."
The mont the Ghost Rider, riding a flaming steed and wearing a cowboy hat, appeared, the cinema's atmosphere was instantly ignited, everyone scread, and each person exclaid, "So cool!"
The flas extinguished, an old man appeared, and together they returned to the Tomb Guardian's cabin. In the dim light, Slade started narrating the history of the Ghost Rider.
"In those tis when humanity had almost no ans to resist the devils, filled with vengeful rage, we stole strength from Hell to judge those corrupted sinners..."
Accompanied by the old man's deep and raspy voice, the tragedies of those unknown dark ages began to gradually unfold before everyone's eyes.
In the Primitive era, devils ran rampant, feudal dynasties were as fragile as grass, and during the Middle Ages, the forces of good and evil clashed. In an age when the Magical Defense Network was not yet perfected, the human race tried almost everything in their power to resist those beings so powerful they could barely be imagined. So sought to analyze, so used leverage against leverage, so prayed devoutly. Countless people sacrificed their lives for this, bearing infamy, but never stopped.
"Sorry, but I find Carter's recounting of history highly valuable, and I have to include them in my records, hoping they will be preserved. I have to continue talking about the asylum now..."
Under Johnny's gaze, the patient's body began to burn. He made no cries of agony, instead looking at Johnny with mocking eyes, as the flas within Johnny's Skull Head started to gradually extinguish.
"Damn! The powers of Hell are not responding to !" Johnny's arm trembled a little, he only held on for two seconds before he covered his eyes and collapsed, as if he had exhausted all his strength.
Dan climbed up from the ground, pushed aside the staggering patient, helped Johnny up from the floor, and turned to look at the door. There, charred traces spread out, forming an array made of Hell Ash, sealing off their exit.
He called upon the Spirit of Revenge within him, but the response was constantly unstable. So powerful force was assaulting this place, preventing their powers from being fully released. He shouted toward the door, "Doctor! Find a way to open the door!"
Outside the door, Shiller was trying. He first twisted the doorknob twice, then pushed the door, and when it showed no reaction, he looked down at the gap beneath the door and saw Hell Ash scattered on the floor.
Shiller took a cross from his coat pocket, emitting a faint glow in the pitch-black corridor. As he tossed the cross through the door gap, he said, "Danny! Use this!"
Danny turned his head to see the cross that had been thrown in, spinning twice on the ground, with the floating Hell Ash bouncing away, and the surrounding black ash dared not approach.
He dragged Johnny to the door, and when he reached out to pick up the cross, he finally sensed the presence of the Spirit of Revenge. But he did not choose to summon the Spirit of Revenge and transform into the Ghost Rider, instead, he gripped the cross tightly and began to dismantle the array on the door.
He scraped hard on the door with the cross, and the Hell Ash instantly vanished. With a "bang," Shiller pushed the door open.
"What do we do next, Doctor? Should we exorcise him?"
"You hold the cross, slowly approach him, force him into the corner of the room, then grab him, and I'll exorcise him."
Danny nodded, crouched his body, and with the cross in hand, slowly approached the patient. The other seed finally forced to a brink, revealing his true face, opening his mouth as a gust of wind laden with the sll of intense burning blew towards them. The faint Holy Light on the cross wavered under the assault of evil.
Danny had to use his arm to shield the cross. The other's eyes began to bleed, mouth agape unnaturally wide, more and more black ash flew out, incessantly sticking to Danny's skin, seemingly trying to swallow him by this ans.
At this ti, Shiller took out a small bag of red earth. Following Danny, as they closed in on the patient, he sprinkled the bloody earth onto the patient's face.
The patient seed to be burned; smoke began rising all over, letting out intense screams. Danny seized this opportunity to pounce, pinning him firmly to the ground.
Shiller took out another cross, recited a prayer, and then pressed the cross forcefully onto the patient's forehead.
More smoke billowed out, black ash surged from the patient's seven orifices, and after falling to the ground, it was quickly purified by the Holy Light. His complexion gradually returned to normal, and after closing his eyes, he appeared to fall asleep.
Shiller let out a long breath, and Danny stood up. The anomalies in the room gradually faded, and together they moved the patient onto the bed, reassured the nurse waiting outside the door, and then went to check on Johnny's condition.
Johnny's condition was not well; he seed not rely exhausted but rather his internal power had suffered so interference resulting in damage, looking sowhat in pain.
"The source is right here," Johnny said, "The source of the evil power is in this asylum, we must find it."
"Can you sense where it is?" Danny helped him to sit down by the window.
Johnny shook his head and said, "I only know that the power from Hell must have a carrier, it could be so evil object, or it could be a person. Maybe there's so secret in this asylum that we do not know. I think we have to investigate."
As soon as he finished speaking, the light of the building outside the window extinguished, followed by chaotic sounds from upstairs and downstairs, evidently coming from the doctors and nurses on duty who were checking the situation.
The nurse on duty hurriedly ran down shouting, "The power is out, connect the equipnt to the backup power supply! Quick!"
"Damn it." A man wearing a reflective vest and a safety helt stood beneath the sun, looking at the exposed cable, said, "Looks like sothing gnawed through it, do you have moles or rabbits around here?"
"Never heard of it, how long will it take to fix?"
"It'll be tough to get it done tonight." The construction worker shook his head and said, "Good thing you're just an asylum, if you were a big hospital, it would be big trouble. Hang in there for one more night, it'll be fixed by morning for sure."
Johnny and Danny, standing under the shade of a tree not far away, looked at the man talking to the construction worker. And when the cara cut to his face, the theater erupted in another bout of screams.
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