Chapter 114 — The Japanese Dead End

A rider in black leather, flames streaming from his head in a punk spectacle, came before the four God-Eaters.

"Ghost Rider, Carter Slade."

The corners of Wang Xu's lips curled into a faint, amused arc.

Compared to the old Ghost Rider, he preferred Johnny—the hotheaded one who rode a motorcycle.

Still, even the horseback Ghost Rider had been strikingly handsome in his youth, carrying a touch of the Western cowboy about him.

That was, of course, only when he was not in his flaming-skull form.

"This hippie is our opponent?"

The sullen Wolverine, Logan, lit himself a cigarette to ease his irritation.

Hank Pym was in such a state that he could barely move—his task, for all intents and purposes, was already complete.

He had failed to display the newfound power he had just acquired.

"Pym... what happened to you?"

The flaming skull seemed to know the first Ant-Man. Ignoring the God-Eaters, he instead questioned the captive Hank Pym.

Hank Pym, transformed into a ten-meter giant, did not possess a giant's strength. He spoke as though in slow motion, sluggish and dull: "These... people... ambushed... me..."

As the first Ant-Man spoke, the speed of his thoughts was not slowed in the least.

The more he spoke, the more frantic he grew inside.

Wang Xu...

This absurdly young four-silver-star admiral—his strength was simply unfathomable.

He had no idea how he had been defeated just now.

The man had not even launched an attack on him; he had merely pointed at the air.

In the blink of an eye, the effects of the Pym Particle suit had been completely reversed!

That proved something terrifying...

Wang Xu had already grasped the essence of the particles and could control them at will.

The Pym Particles he had treasured as a priceless trove were, in the other man's eyes, perhaps nothing more than a negligible, defective product...

Having read Hank Pym's mind, Wang Xu turned around.

His gaze settled on the man, and he said in earnest: "You sell yourself too short. Pym Particles are a fascinating new line of thinking. After analyzing them, my strength rose by a full 3.6 percent."

"Research into Pym Particles will also be of great help for the future development of the Giant World and the Ghoul World."

"It may be a defective product, but 'negligible' is not the right word for it."

Wang Zhiyao had barely finished speaking when the Ghost Rider opposite produced an iron chain wreathed in deep-blue flames from somewhere and bound Hank Pym tightly.

"An indestructible law attribute... a magic chain?"

A contemplative look surfaced in Wang Xu's eyes. His mental domain instantly permeated the fiery chain, and in a mere moment he had learned the little trick.

"So that's how it is." A look of dawning understanding rose in his eyes.

The so-called "indestructible" was not absolute; like the Ghost Rider's own constitution, it could merely regenerate endlessly from damage.

The soul-fire clinging to it could scorch an enemy's body and soul alike.

Clearly, since the Ghost Rider had come as the first Ant-Man's rescuer, the flames on the chain did not harm Hank Pym.

The magic's power instead made him ignore the pull of gravity, turning him into a floating giant inflatable doll.

Bound by the chains, the Ant-Man's enormous body seemed weightless as he was dragged along in headlong flight.

The four God-Eaters broke into a sprint, wanting to chase their opponent down—but two legs could never outrun four, and the other's mount was a spectral flame horse, no ordinary beast.

"It's not that I can't let you go. This Earth will sooner or later be completely under my control anyway."

"Unless you can cross into other planes, today's little flight will mean nothing."

"To dare snatch someone from my grasp—you'll have to leave something behind..."

Wang Xu halted the pursuit by Captain America, the Winter Soldier, Wolverine, and the others.

He snapped his fingers.

A clump of pitch-black, viscous "mist" seeped out of the Ghost Rider's body.

The roaring flames that had been burning went out at once, and half of his skull-face reverted to the countenance of a handsome young man.

"My power... has been plundered?"

Ghost Rider Carter Slade felt the resistance coming through the spirit-fire chain in his hand grow much greater.

"I've only taken half the demonic power in your body."

Wang Xu beckoned casually, and that clump of viscous black magic transformed into a hexagram magic circle.

Black light coiled and flickered without cease.

Before long, a man dressed like an old aristocrat of the Middle Ages appeared before everyone.

Mephisto.

He possessed superhuman strength, the ability to freely alter his own form, project illusions, manipulate memories, and defenses of extraordinary might.

He could also go without sleep, food, or breath, and was immune to ordinary disease.

He was a demon lord from Hell, the creator of the Ghost Rider!

"Who summons me?"

Mephisto's bearing was majestic, his tone grave.

In truth, he was quite pleased with this summoning ritual.

The half-magic of a powerful demon was more delicious than an ordinary human soul.

But at that moment, the summoner's disdainful voice sounded in his ear: "So this is a demon lord? Frankly, I'm rather disappointed. Analyzing your body, your magic core, and the structure of your soul only raised my strength by 1.7 percent."

Wang Xu pointed at Mephisto with relish: "Kill him!"

The God-Machine Envoys immediately carried out the order and surged forward as one.

Charging at the very front was Captain America himself, Steve Rogers.

His "Eyes of Good and Evil" saw the dense, unyielding black-and-crimson aura clinging to the other man.

It meant the foe had committed boundless sins, had slaughtered millions of innocent lives!

"Ha!"

Wolverine Logan grinned savagely and extended his metal-and-flesh claws, arriving first despite starting last.

"Damned mortals! This will be the most mistaken decision of your lives!"

Mephisto's delight turned to fury in an instant, killing intent filling him to the brim.

The longer he stayed in the human world, the more his power would wane.

But right now, he was at the height of his strength!

...

After issuing his orders, Wang Xu's mind began to wander far away.

Wolverine, the Winter Soldier, Captain America, plus Carter providing support from a distance—four first-generation God-Eaters beating on Mephisto was more than enough; there was no possibility of the enemy turning the tables.

His will descended upon the East.

Japan. Hokkaido.

The recently constructed "Aragami Research Company" stood at the very center of a prime district.

In this period, Japan's livelihood was in decline, its classes rigidly stratified, its social contradictions fierce.

To divert domestic pressure, the Japanese military and government launched a war of aggression, joining with Germany and Italy to form the evil Axis powers.

Now, owing to the interference of reincarnators such as Tenten, Rock Lee, and Mage Ancient One, the Japanese army had been forced into an early withdrawal from the great nation across the sea.

With no means left to divert domestic class conflict, Japan's decline came faster than Wang Xu had anticipated.

He "heard" the deliberations of the Diet, the arguments of its members and ministers.

"Attack America. Airstrike Pearl Harbor."

"I object! That is playing with fire and burning ourselves!"

"We have no other choice. We must do it!"

"Koizumi is right! Since China has become a tough bone to gnaw, we must start with America, the soft persimmon!"

"Fortune favors the bold—only thus can the Yamato race truly revive!"

Hearing this, a mocking look surfaced on Wang Xu's face, and his gaze shifted to Reincarnator No. 001, Orochimaru.

Over this period, the other reincarnators had all achieved more or less something of their own.

Gaara had successfully infiltrated Hydra and become the right-hand man of Johann Schmidt—the Red Skull.