Chapter 79 79: Astartes and Raven Warbands Deploy
"Is that really even human?"
Outside the cemetery, atop a barren hill where they had stopped after dismounting from the horse, Roxanne and Johnny stared at the clouds of dust rising from the graveyard and the shockwaves sweeping toward them, unable to describe what they were feeling.
Their understanding of the world had been completely shattered.
Even from this distance, the powerful winds generated merely by the aftermath of the battle forced them to shield themselves with their arms.
It felt as though they were standing inside a storm, their bodies nearly unable to remain steady.
One could only imagine how terrifying Matthew and Mephisto truly were to create such destruction.
The two of them could not help but feel lingering fear.
If they had escaped even a little slower, they probably would have died there on the spot.
"Who exactly is that kid?"
Old Carter leaned against his old companion, letting the horse help shield him from the fierce winds, his face full of confusion.
During his tenure as Ghost Rider, he had worked for Mephisto in Hell, but he was also quite familiar with the affairs of Earth.
Humanity had indeed produced many powerful individuals.
But there had never really been someone like Matthew.
Most were either exceptionally gifted mutants or sorcerers from Kamar-Taj.
Back in the 1990s, Carter had once sensed the appearance of an even stronger human.
It had apparently been a woman.
But after that, she had left Earth and never appeared again.
Matthew was the only other case.
Even if Mephisto was only using an energy projection, it was still not something ordinary people could resist.
After all, as a Hell Lord, Mephisto possessed countless methods and tricks. If he wanted someone dead, it was usually effortless.
But Matthew was different.
That young man possessed power capable of directly opposing Mephisto, and it was something highly unusual.
Especially that ability to transform sheer will and conviction into tangible power—
Carter had never seen anything like it before.
And from Carter's perspective, someone who could reach such heights definitely had some extraordinary background.
After all, there was no way an ordinary person could possess that kind of strength at such a young age.
While Carter was deep in thought, his expression suddenly changed.
He spun around sharply and raised a shotgun toward the side.
Blackheart had appeared before them at some point without anyone noticing.
The fierce wind whipped around him, causing his clothes to flap loudly.
"Can you still transform one more time, old man?"
Blackheart glanced disdainfully at the shotgun aimed at him before turning his gaze toward Johnny, who stood in front of Roxanne while forcing himself to remain calm.
"Or are you relying on this half-baked rookie?"
"Blackheart, I thought you'd be smarter than this." The old cowboy showed no concern toward Blackheart's threat and instead replied coldly.
"Those two are busy fighting. They won't have time to care about me for a while."
Blackheart glanced toward the distant cemetery.
There, two figures wrapped in terrifying darkness, flames, and red-black lightning were clashing in both the air and across the ground.
That entire area looked like the end of the world itself—
A place no mortal should step into.
It was obvious just how intense the battle between that human and his father had become.
And that was precisely the opportunity Blackheart needed.
If he could obtain that item during this limited window of time, he still believed he could turn everything around.
So he stared viciously at the old cowboy.
"Hand over the Contract."
"Otherwise, not only you, but these two will die as well, old man."
Blackheart was not bluffing.
If Carter refused to hand it over—
He truly intended to kill them.
However, with all his attention focused on the old cowboy, Blackheart failed to notice the strange expressions appearing on Johnny and Roxanne's faces.
Old Carter slowly lowered the shotgun.
Blackheart thought his threat had worked. Just as he revealed a smug smile and prepared to speak, he saw the old cowboy raise a finger and point behind him.
"Maybe you should take a look behind you before you continue?"
"Old man, what are you trying to do?"
The strange action and inexplicable words irritated Blackheart. He assumed the old man was merely stalling for time.
But then a voice shattered that thought completely.
"Handsome devil from Hell, I think you should listen to the old gentleman's advice."
It was a woman's voice, carrying a faint trace of amusement.
Blackheart's body stiffened. He spun around abruptly—
Only to discover that a group of people had somehow appeared behind him without him noticing.
More than a dozen of them.
Men and women alike.
The men were handsome, the women beautiful, each possessing outstanding physiques, appearances, and temperaments.
The men wore fitted armor while holding helmets in their hands. The women wore crimson coats. Whether armor or coat, all were engraved with magical runes radiating mystical power.
They formed a half-circle around Blackheart.
At the front stood an enormous man nearly 195 centimeters tall. Beside him were two women—one with dark skin and braided hair at her temples, the other with short wine-red hair and delicate features.
Every single one of them radiated an aura that made Blackheart's heart tremble.
An overwhelming pressure surged toward him.
Johnny and Roxanne, who had already become numb from shock tonight, still could not help but feel stunned once again.
"Who the hell are you people now?!"
Blackheart's composure finally cracked.
He felt like he was going insane.
He had come to Earth only to obtain that contract.
Yet accidents kept appearing one after another.
First Matthew.
Then Mephisto.
And now an entire group of people had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
"That is none of your concern, demon. Now surrender peacefully."
The newcomers were naturally Reacher, Neagley, Natasha, and members of the two warbands.
Reacher stared at Blackheart coldly as he pronounced judgment upon him.
"You insects…" Blackheart completely lost control.
After suffering humiliation again and again tonight, now even a mere human dared look down upon him from such a superior position.
The rage he had suppressed for so long finally exploded.
With a furious roar, the ground beneath his feet shattered as he charged toward Reacher at lightning speed.
His right hand thrust forward like a blade.
Blackheart had decided to rip out this human's heart and see what it was made of to make him so arrogant.
Yet when his hand came within less than ten centimeters of Reacher's armored chest—
It stopped.
Blackheart looked up in disbelief.
Reacher's right hand, covered in special black leather gloves, had already seized him by the throat like an iron clamp.
No matter how hard Blackheart struggled, he could not break free.
Reacher casually exerted force and lifted Blackheart off the ground until they were face to face.
"You should not have disobeyed my words, son of the Devil."
After speaking indifferently, Reacher suddenly swung his arm.
Blackheart was hurled away like a cannonball, flying over a hundred meters before crashing into a taller hill in the distance.
A violent explosion erupted as dust filled the sky.
"I mean, why did you have to throw him? Does it make you look cool?" Neagley glanced toward the distant hill before turning back and complaining helplessly to Reacher.
She genuinely did not understand.
"That thing isn't as weak as you think." Reacher raised his right hand for Neagley to see.
She looked over and realized his glove had somehow become covered in frost.
"What's that?"
"His ability. Any flesh or soul it touches begins to wither. The armor and combat suits the Boss designed can resist it effectively. Go. He's yours."
Reacher turned to the others.
"Yes, Warband Leader!!"
The members of the Astartes and Raven warbands immediately rushed toward Blackheart's direction with excited expressions.
Black armor and crimson coats streaked forward like red-and-black lightning.