VCM The raging wind tore through the flaming skull, shredding it into nothingness.
Ghost Rider let out a guttural roar as the impact sent him flying.
When the dust settled, the fiery vortex dissipated, leaving only smoldering embers in the air.
About ten meters away, Ghost Rider struggled to his feet, clearly shaken.
His tattered leather jacket was reduced to charred scraps, his skeletal frame exposed in places.
Several of his ribs had been severed, but he barely acknowledged the damage. What truly mattered was the dimming of his hellfire.
The once-blazing inferno that engulfed him had diminished drastically, and embers flickered weakly from his form.
His chest, which was usually an empty cavity, now revealed a burning heart, pulsing erratically—a sign that he was losing control over his semi-elemental state.
Realizing his vulnerability, Ghost Rider instinctively clutched his chest, his flaming eyes flickering with newfound caution as he glared at his opponent.
"Want to go another round?" Ethan taunted, his voice cold.
He spun another ball of compressed wind and plasma in his palm, the silver-blue energy crackling ominously.
Ghost Rider took an involuntary step back.
For the first time in a long while, he felt something unfamiliar creeping into his being—hesitation.
If one of those energy attacks had been enough to weaken him this much, another could very well finish the job.
He wasn't about to risk that.
Coming to a decision, he snapped his fingers.
Immediately, his demonic motorcycle roared to life, rolling up beside him as though it had a will of its own.
"This isn't over," he growled, attempting to mask his retreat with bravado.
Watching as Ghost Rider mounted his motorcycle and sped off into the night, Melinda May scoffed and raised her firearm.
Without hesitation, she fired several rounds at his retreating form.
Ethan gave her an incredulous look. "Seriously? You know bullets don't work on him. Are you just venting?"
Melinda remained silent for a moment before finally speaking. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," Ethan replied, the energy sphere in his hand dissipating into harmless wind currents.
He exhaled, shaking his head slightly. 'I was hoping to keep him, but let's be real—even if I tried to chase him down, he'd find a way to slip away. Besides, he'd be more useful with his freedom at night, got a lot of bastard to hunt, after all.'
Turning his attention to the battlefield, he walked over to where Ghost Rider had fallen moments ago.
The ground was still scorched, and amongst the remnants of the fight, a few charred bone fragments lay scattered, faintly burning with hellfire.
"Hellfire," Ethan muttered, watching the eerie flames dance across the cracked ground.
After a moment's thought, he motioned to Yuriko, who had been waiting near the car. "Get a container. I want to collect some of this."
Yuriko nodded, retrieving a small metal box from the vehicle. With careful precision, she scooped up the smoldering bone fragments and sealed them away.
Meanwhile, Melinda was busy with her own task. She pulled up her communication device and attempted to contact Nick Fury.
The screen flickered briefly before stabilizing, and soon, Fury's familiar one-eyed gaze filled the screen.
"Melinda," Fury greeted, his tone brisk as always. "You're ahead of schedule. Have you made contact with Coulson yet?"
Melinda shook her head. "Not yet, Director. We ran into some unexpected trouble. A magic-wielding demon decided to crash the party."
Fury's expression darkened immediately. "What? A demon?"
He leaned forward, his usual composure cracking slightly. "Are you saying you encountered supernatural interference?"
"I'm sending you the video data now," Melinda said, tapping a few commands into the communication panel.
As she transmitted the footage, she crossed her arms and waited.
There was a long pause on the other end. F
ury remained silent, his expression unreadable as he reviewed the battle.
Then, after several moments, he exhaled sharply and muttered, "Ghost Rider."
"So you do know something," Melinda remarked, arching an eyebrow. She had long since accepted that Fury always had more information than he let on. This was just another confirmation.
"Pass the communication panel over," Fury ordered.
Ethan took the device, and the moment he did, Fury's voice crackled through the black screen. "Kid, you still in one piece?"
"Relax, I'll be fine after a good night's sleep," Ethan replied lazily.
"That's good. Now, how much do you know about Ghost Rider?" Fury asked, getting straight to the point.
"A demon from hell, mostly operates in Texas and New Mexico. He's usually active at night, though he can use his abilities during the day if needed. Likes to serve justice his way, dealing with criminals through his own brand of vigilante punishment. A magical entity, nearly impossible to kill, and wields some seriously powerful magic," Ethan rattled off without hesitation.
Fury was silent for a beat. Then, with mild irritation, he muttered, "Damn it, how do you know more than I do?"
Even with all his resources, all Fury knew was that some supernatural force was haunting the western states, and neither the government nor law enforcement could do a damn thing about it.
Ethan smirked. "Simple. My parents were sorcerers."
Fury raised a brow. "Sorcerers, huh? That explains a lot." He recalled Ethan's unusual profile and finally connected the dots.
"You ever work with those people from the mystical side of things?" Fury probed further.
Like Professor X, he had some knowledge of magic but not nearly enough to be comfortable with it.
"That's right. I even have a master," Ethan admitted without hesitation. There was no point in hiding it. If anything, saying it outright made it clear—he had powerful backing.
In other words, don't even think about messing with me.
"Does Xavier know about this?" Fury asked.
"He's already aware," Ethan confirmed.
"Good. If he's not worried, then I won't be either." Fury knew that if Professor X hadn't raised concerns, there was no immediate threat—at least, not from Ethan.
Fury shifted gears. "Any idea why Ghost Rider came after you?"
Ethan scoffed. "How the hell should I know? And it's not just me—Melinda and Yuriko were in his sights too."
"Fair point," Fury admitted, his expression darkening.
Ghost Rider had always been a wildcard, a force of supernatural justice running rampant in the West.
His judgment system was… unconventional, to say the least. But at the very least, he targeted people whose morals were beyond saving.
That's why, despite his blatant disregard for law enforcement and government authority, Fury had chosen to turn a blind eye.
But now, things were different.
He had attacked S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.
Sure, Fury's agents had done some morally gray things in the name of the greater good, but that didn't mean they deserved to be judged like common criminals.
If Ghost Rider thought he could just go around sentencing Fury's people to death, he had another thing coming.
Fury's expression hardened. "Ethan, how do you feel about meeting Ghost Rider again?" His voice was suddenly friendly, almost too friendly.
Ethan narrowed his eyes. "Weren't we supposed to rendezvous with Coulson?"
"That can wait," Fury said with a smirk.
"Thor's hammer isn't going anywhere. It's not like it'll suddenly fly off just because we're a little late."
Ethan tilted his head. "You know where to find him?"
"Don't worry about that," Melinda suddenly cut in. "When I shot at him earlier, I wasn't just wasting bullets. I attached a special tracker. If we're lucky and it didn't get burned off by the flames, it should still be on his bike."
Of course, Melinda May—S.H.I.E.L.D.'s 'Cavalry'—would never waste ammo just to vent her frustration.
"In terms of backup, if you need it, I can send additional agents," Fury offered. "Now, any other questions?"
Ethan smirked. "Oh, I'm definitely interested."
Beyond just wanting payback, he had his own reasons for hunting Ghost Rider. The Sorcerer Supreme had given him a task, and the key to completing it just so happened to involve the flaming skull-headed vigilante.
And if Fury was offering support? Even better.
That's like hitting two birds with one stone.
'I can't believe I would use that idiom in real life, I usually just read about it,' Ethan thought randomly while picking his nose with a bored expression.