"Are you okay?"
Gwen cautiously approached, using her spider-sense to check Luke's condition.
"I feel better than ever!"
Luke spread his arms and looked up at the blazing sun. Flames surged from his body, engulfing him completely like a descending fire god!
Gwen and Peter quickly backed away, their faces filled with panic.
Fine? He looked like he was about to burn to death!
Suddenly, Luke's entire head seemed to be incinerated by extreme heat, leaving behind only a horrifying skull.
"Oh my god! Your head… it's gone?!"
Peter's mouth fell open as he stumbled backward.
Gwen was equally shocked. Just as she thought Luke was finished, the skull began moving like a living person.
Luke summoned a mirror and examined his new form.
His jaw opened and closed. "I have to admit, seeing through a skull is pretty interesting. Not only can I smell things, I can also see everything around me."
"It's just… the appearance is a bit ugly."
The Ghost Rider itself wasn't ugly. With the right effects, it even looked cool.
But Luke was already handsome to begin with, so unlike Johnny, his transformed appearance didn't feel cooler than his original one.
Luke upgraded the Ghost Rider to its current highest level.
Using the dog talisman and the horse talisman, he reverted to his original appearance.
A thin layer of Hellfire still wrapped around his body, capable of burning anything at his will without affecting untargeted objects.
Compared to Johnny, he could transform freely at any time, even under the sun.
He could ignore environmental limitations, activating Hellfire and the Penance Stare whenever he wished, even in water or in space.
Moreover, due to the enhancement from his golden finger, even without absorbing all the Spirits of Vengeance, his Ghost Rider abilities far surpassed Johnny's.
An immortal body, Penance Stare, Hellfire, Flame Demonization, psychic power, super strength… among them, what Luke valued most were the Penance Stare and Hellfire.
Abilities that directly target the soul were always worth having.
"Stop spacing out. I know I'm handsome, but you don't need to keep staring at me."
Luke snapped his fingers, pulling Gwen back to her senses.
"Didn't we say we were going to Malaysia? Let's go."
Gwen blinked. "Right now?"
"Didn't you say the situation was serious? If we don't go now, when will we?"
Gwen opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but hesitated. Today was the first day of classes at her new school. Taking leave like this would probably…
"Let's go!"
Luke jumped straight off the skyscraper.
"Wait, I haven't asked for leave!"
"Then skip class!"
"..."
Gwen sighed helplessly and followed him down.
Peter Parker hurried after them, his expression conflicted.
As a good student, even though he was often late, skipping class was a first.
But recalling the scene Gwen had described, Peter gritted his teeth and jumped as well.
Luke had already reached Bumblebee. He placed his hand on the hood, and Hellfire spread like a living thing, engulfing the entire vehicle.
"What kind of fire is this? By Cybertron, I'm on fire!"
"Oh! I feel full of energy!"
Bumblebee watched as the Hellfire covered his entire body. The originally sleek sports car transformed into a demonic war machine covered in spikes, thick and ferocious.
Its frame became sharply defined, like bulging muscles, and its size expanded by about one and a half times, changing from a sports car into a rugged off-road beast.
Gwen was completely stunned.
Peter Parker rubbed his eyes, his face full of envy. "That's so cool! This is what a real man's car looks like!"
"Bumblebee, how do you feel?"
Although Hellfire could selectively harm targets according to Luke's will, Cybertronian Autobots were different from ordinary machines.
To some extent, they possessed souls.
"How should I describe it? I feel several times stronger than before! These flames are like an extra energy source, increasing my endurance and giving me some… special abilities?"
Bumblebee couldn't quite explain it. Cybertron relied on technology, and he didn't truly understand magic.
"As long as you're fine. Get in."
Luke motioned for Gwen and Peter to get inside. He slammed the accelerator, the four tires ignited with flames, and the car transformed into a blazing whirlwind, accelerating to several times the speed of sound as it tore down the street.
Enhanced by Hellfire, Bumblebee could climb mountains and cross water, adapting perfectly to any terrain or environment.
Even the vast ocean could not stop the Hellfire-enhanced Bumblebee.
Bumblebee roared excitedly the entire way. "Faster, faster! I am the strongest Autobot! Punching Optimus Prime, kicking Megatron! Hahaha!"
Luke silently took out his phone and started recording.
He's getting carried away!
Bumblebee is really getting carried away!
"Wait, Boss, what are you doing?"
"Recording a video."
"..."
Bumblebee fell silent for a rare few seconds, then hurriedly changed his tone. "No, no, the magic flames must have twisted my soul. Those words weren't mine!"
"You don't need to explain it to me."
Just as Bumblebee let out a sigh of relief, Luke added, "Go explain it to Optimus Prime and Ironhide later."
"Oh no!!!"
...
Not long after Luke and the others left, several sorcerers from Kamar-Taj, dressed in brown-yellow robes, entered City Public High School.
"It's here. This is where the demonic aura was strongest, and where it last appeared."
Karl Mordo looked at the artifact in his hand, his brows tightly furrowed.
"City Public High School? Let me think… it feels like I forgot something…"
Kaecilius looked around, concentrating hard.
Mordo waved his hand. "Now is not the time to be distracted. Spread out and search for clues. Everyone here must be questioned thoroughly. The demon is very likely possessing one of them."
"Yes, Senior Brother!"
The sorcerers took out their respective artifacts and prepared to disperse.
"Wait!"
Kaecilius grabbed Mordo, suddenly recalling something, his face turning pale. "Oh no, Mr Rowling studies at City Public High School!"
Mordo's expression darkened, and the other sorcerers also looked over.
All of them had experienced the previous battle with Luke. If the Sorcerer Supreme hadn't broken the rules and used the Time Stone to revive them, they wouldn't even be standing here now.
A tall, thin sorcerer spoke cautiously, "Senior Brother, this is Lord Luke's territory. How about… we withdraw?"
Mordo snorted. "What nonsense are you talking about? We are tracking a demon. If it escapes, will you take responsibility?"
"Even if Luke finds out, we've done nothing wrong!"
Another sorcerer glanced around and said tactfully, "Senior Brother, I think… since Lord Luke was here, given his methods, the demon is probably already dead."
Mordo glanced down at the artifact, nodded with a straight face, and said, "That makes sense. Let's go."
With that, he turned and left without hesitation.
Kaecilius and the other sorcerers felt as if they had been granted a reprieve. They quickly followed after Mordo, fleeing as if a prehistoric beast lurked behind them.
As professionals, didn't they know whether a demon was present or not?
It absolutely, definitely had nothing to do with being afraid of Luke.
...
A few hours later,
Borneo, Malaysia.
The Hellfire-enhanced Bumblebee tore through the jungle, carving a blazing path through the primeval forest.
With the thunderous roar of its engine, Bumblebee arrived at a scorched and desolate area.
"We're too late. Someone has already been here, and the Symbiote has been taken."
Gwen carefully sensed the surroundings. Aside from the wreckage of a broken spacecraft, there were no signs of life.
Peter Parker scratched his head. "So what do we do now? Call the local police for help?"
"No need."
Luke snapped his fingers.
From the surrounding darkness, groups of shadowy figures emerged, forming into the Ninja Corps as they knelt on one knee.
"Gather all information related to the Symbiotes and locate them."
The ninjas nodded silently and dispersed into the shadows in all directions.
"These are… shadows?" Gwen instinctively glanced down at her own shadow, half-expecting something to crawl out.
"This is my Shadow Legion. Now we just need to wait for the information."
Peter Parker was filled with envy. He had already lost count of how many times he had felt this way.
They were both enhanced individuals, so why could he only swing around on webs?
Comparison really did hurt.
Compared to Luke, his abilities felt far too limited.
____
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