The dim sky in Hell made it timeless, but the human world had sunrises and sunsets.
Mike's return was exactly at dawn.
In Saint Venganza, after a day and a night of tidying up, the cemetery in front of the church had been restored to its original state.
The undead summoned by Satan had also been reburied.
A new day dawned, and when Johnny and the others pushed open the church doors and walked out, they saw Mike sitting on the ground, healing his injuries.
Next to him was a demon.
"You filthy fellow, you actually dare to come here again!" Johnny hadn't forgotten that his deceased father had been summoned by Satan earlier.
With new and old grudges, as soon as he saw Crowley, he couldn't help but transform into his Ghost Rider form, ready for battle.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, don't be impulsive, I'm not a bad guy…" Crowley had, of course, heard the legend of the Ghost Rider's hatred of evil.
To prove he was a good person, he even conjured a ball of holy light in his hand.
"How is this possible? As a demon, you actually have no aura of sin…" Johnny was confused, and returning to his human form, he looked to Carter, his guide, for help.
"This is the first time I've seen such a situation…" Carter shrugged and said optimistically, "But it looks like he's with Mike, not our enemy."
At this point, everyone's attention also turned to Mike, who was clearly not in very good shape.
Marcus and William, among others, went directly to Mike's side.
…
"I really can't imagine anyone who could make Mike suffer a loss. Did he really go to Hell to find trouble with Satan before?" Father James, confirming Mike was not in danger, asked the doubt in his heart.
One must know that the strength Mike had shown previously was even greater than that of the number one Great Archangel.
"This is something you don't know! Mike just completed a feat…" Crowley, who was wearing a demon's skin but was actually the Guardian Raphael, felt a strong sense of familiarity seeing Father James and the probationary angel Bruce.
So, revealing his true nature, he familiarly shared with the two, "Not long ago, Mike not only single-handedly broke into Hell but also defeated eight Archdemons under Satan."
"Finally, he even clashed with Satan at his peak, not falling behind…"
In Crowley's narration, Mike was described as incredibly brutal, 'killing gods and Buddhas alike'.
Johnny and the others listened with immense longing.
Even the three demons, Wind Demon, Earth Demon, and Water Demon, who had just been subdued by Mike, looked at him with even more admiration.
That was Satan, the Lord of Hell!
One could imagine how strong someone who could fight the Lord of Hell without falling behind must be.
"Stop, I need a quiet environment to recover now." Mike stopped the endlessly chattering Crowley.
Although it felt good to be praised by others, it became just that after hearing it too much.
It could even be a little awkward…
"Right, right, right, I almost forgot, Mike got a little injured in his fight with Satan and needs to rest well…" Crowley pulled Father James and the probationary angel Bruce, motioning, "Come, let's go somewhere where we won't disturb Mike, and I'll tell you about Satan's lack of martial ethics and his use of a war of attrition."
As the Guardian Angel of the human world, Raphael had no other hobbies than loving gossip and making friends.
For an entire morning, this guy, despite his Great Demon appearance, managed to become good friends with Ghost Rider Johnny.
By the time Mike finished healing, Crowley, drinking beer, was already arm-in-arm with Johnny.
"What are your plans next?" Mike, sitting among the crowd and opening a bottle of beer, looked at Johnny.
"I plan to stay here for now, keeping an eye on Wind Demon and the others as they build Saint Venganza. When the time is right, I'll go find Satan and avenge the desecration of my father." Johnny, who acknowledged Mike's strength, stated his plan.
Moreover, he had just inquired about a lot of information about Hell from Crowley.
"It's good that you can settle down, but I still need to remind you. Unless absolutely necessary, don't cause disturbances in large cities like New York in the future. On one hand, it creates a bad impression, and on the other hand, it makes things very difficult for me…" As Mike's warning words came out, Johnny, this still-immature Ghost Rider, his face gradually turned ugly.
The atmosphere on the scene also became heavy.
"Also, regarding the Contract of San Venganza, when you collect enough evil energy, you can come to me. I can help you resolve the hidden dangers within it for free." Not looking at the Ghost Rider's ugly face, Mike stated the purpose of his visit in one breath.
"Um, why don't Johnny just hand the Contract of San Venganza directly to you?" Carter, the previous generation Ghost Rider, after witnessing Mike's true strength, once again entertained the idea of a permanent solution.
After all, strictly speaking, the Contract of San Venganza, besides being able to collect evil energy, was actually useless.
In the hands of ordinary people, it would only become a hot potato.
"That's not necessary. Guarding the Contract of San Venganza is the mission of the Ghost Rider, and I believe Johnny can do it very well." Mike rejected Carter's suggestion.
Anyway, the only person Johnny could find to resolve the Contract of San Venganza was Mike.
This kind of indebted situation, once or twice, sooner or later Johnny would be completely under his thumb.
With one more free laborer, Mike had nothing to lose.
"I will come to you when there is enough evil energy in the contract, and I will also consider the first suggestion you gave." Although he was uncomfortable, Johnny, as a good person, after weighing the pros and cons, still gave his answer.
With this, he was completely in Mike's hands.
There was no other way; who told him he needed help from others?
Beside him, the old Ghost Rider Carter, who was ready to retire, shook his head looking at Johnny, but ultimately said nothing more.
"Very good, my mission this time is successfully completed. Then we shall part ways here, and I will come to see you when I have time." Mike stood up, opened a spatial gate, and called Marcus and the others, preparing to leave.
Before leaving, he didn't forget to point at the three Earth Demons.
"Wait!" Roxanne called out to Mike as he stepped into the spatial gate.
The girl looked at Johnny beside her with complex eyes, then walked in front of Mike and said, "Can you take me with you? If you find it inconvenient, you can drop me off at the nearest market."
Clearly, Johnny's blunt behavior earlier had already disappointed Roxanne.
Just like now, Johnny looked at his girlfriend's back, and after several struggles, still couldn't say anything to make her stay.
Watching a pair of lovers about to part ways.
"Sorry, no matter where you go, we're not going the same way. Perhaps you can go to Johnny for help; he has a very cool motorcycle." Mike jokingly refused the girl's request, then subtly gave Johnny a look.
The opportunity had been given; whether he could seize it was up to Johnny himself.
Roxanne also realized that the mysterious and powerful man in front of her was intentionally trying to set her up with Johnny, so she awkwardly stepped back.
And as Mike stepped into the spatial gate, this mission was completely over.
In King's Building, after Mike saw off Father James and the probationary angel Bruce, he looked at the uninvited guest, Crowley, at the very back, rubbing his temples and saying, "How did you follow me here? Don't tell me that as Crowley, you need me to send you home."
"No, no, no, I have something else to ask of you." Taking advantage of Mike's inattention, Crowley, who had shamelessly hitched a ride through the spatial gate, squeezed out a somewhat flattering smile.
"Goodbye, don't let the door hit you on the way out!" Mike turned and walked to the second floor.
Without exception, anything involving a troublesome guy like Crowley was bound to be bad news.