Chapter Sixty-Seven: The Lich King Is on Trial!

At the very moment Roald heard the sound, a surge of powerful, blood-red flames erupted behind him, shooting skyward in an instant. The infernal fire burst from the Ghost Rider, seeming almost tangible as it poured forth, and the chains coiled around his body began to writhe of their own accord.

A maddened roar echoed through the void. Shrouded in blood-red fire, the Ghost Rider yanked the front of his motorcycle into the air, then smashed it down with thunderous force.

The next instant, a tremendous explosion resounded. Crimson waves of flame rapidly spread around Roald, swallowing up all the space and vision nearby.

As the chains recoiled around the Ghost Rider, he spoke again:

“You… are guilty!”

His voice was hoarse and guttural, mingling with the heavy rumble of the engine.

Roald turned to see a flaming skull glaring at him.

It was unmistakable.

Ghost Rider.

Johnny Blaze.

His mother had been determined to spare her eldest son from the curse, using blood and a myriad of spells to keep the Norbert curse from manifesting in him. But tragically, Mephisto and Bastos Kyle rendered her sacrifice meaningless.

Later, in a desperate bid to save his foster father, Johnny called upon Mephisto—the devil who had masqueraded as Satan and deceived Norbert Kyle so many years before.

Mephisto promised to cure Crash’s cancer in exchange for Johnny’s pledged soul, but as always, it was a lie.

His very origin, in a sense, was a tragedy.

The spirit of vengeance within Johnny reminded Roald of the “Beast” demon within Erika from the Hand.

The two powers were distinct in origin and nature, yet in some ways, they were alike.

Through the blazing flames encasing Johnny, Roald could vaguely sense a powerful, volatile soul. It was as if he beheld a blood-red demon from hell, jaws forever open to devour all things. The Ghost Rider’s white skull, ablaze with hellfire, was stark and terrifying, the eye sockets deep as death’s own gaze.

It was as though some judgment upon sin were being carried out.

Roald knew a thing or two about the Ghost Rider, especially the Eye of Judgment.

No matter what sins the target had committed—no matter how trivial—the Eye would judge them.

But it wasn’t absolute. In theory, the Eye of Judgment was invincible, except under a few circumstances.

Roald had found a few loopholes.

One: the enemy has no eyes.

Two: the enemy has more than one pair of eyes.

Three: the enemy’s mind is unstable, which can distort or weaken the effect.

Four: the enemy’s soul is stronger than what the Ghost Rider can judge.

Five: the enemy has no soul, leaving nothing for hellfire to burn.

Six: if too many souls require judgment at once, the Eye of Judgment might be overwhelmed, or the Ghost Rider’s body may not withstand the toll.

Roald wondered how many of these applied to himself.

Or, more precisely, how the Ghost Rider intended to judge him.

His sins and soul were the perfect beacon, guiding the Ghost Rider straight to him atop the building.

Meanwhile, Kel’Thuzad continued excavating dragon bones underground; the recent awakening of Sindragosa by Frostmourne had drained vast soul magic, and Roald’s mental transmission to witness the catastrophe had also sapped his will.

In a sense, Roald was at his most vulnerable now—perhaps that’s why the Ghost Rider attacked.

Yet Roald’s soul was immense: two Manhattan disasters, a demon “Beast” trapped in Frostmourne, and a collection of powerful effect cards.

But from another angle… the Ghost Rider had miscalculated.

“Roald…”

“You are guilty!”

The Ghost Rider’s raspy voice rang out again, hellfire quivering violently across his form, flames flickering within his eye sockets as he stared Roald down.

“Yes, I admit it freely!” Roald stepped forward, slowly drawing Frostmourne, raising its tip in challenge.

“But you cannot judge my sins.”

Johnny’s flames shuddered violently, trailing long plumes as he let out a guttural roar. The next moment, the world was swallowed in fire.

“No—!”

The sudden eruption of flame sent the Ghost Rider to his knees in agony.

There were too many guilty souls in Manhattan, despair woven into every moment. In this state, Johnny seemed to see a cloud of darkness spanning the sky.

The stench of death blanketed the city. Corrupted souls, the ugliness of sin, spiritual decay—every soul had joined the descent. They longed for paradise, yet blindly walked the road to hell.

Johnny remembered the look on his foster father’s face at his death.

He remembered his family and friends.

He remembered Mephisto.

In the reflection of the vengeance flame, the city was already lost to darkness. People were nothing more than carcasses in the sewers, rotting flesh on the butcher’s block, spent specimens on a lab table, refuse that could never be reclaimed.

Johnny collapsed, clutching his head in both hands, flames flickering wildly across his body.

Tears of molten fire dripped down, each drop gouging a crater in the ground. He could no longer discern how many souls drifted in the city’s ashes.

But he knew the culprit behind it all.

There were good and evil in this world.

And evil… must be punished.

A sacred voice seemed to echo through the void, as if God himself were holding mass.

A mightier flame, from nowhere, wrapped itself around Johnny’s anguished form.

He reached out, propping himself up, tearing the chains from his body. He felt omnipotent, and with a sweep of his hand, flames erupted along the entire length of his chain.

Gradually, the fire surrounding him changed hue, his aura becoming fiercer still.

The anger in Johnny’s heart had reached its peak. The spirit of vengeance consumed him utterly. He began to twirl the blazing chain, sparks flying, the fire in his eye sockets burning ever more fiercely.

First, he gazed with burning eyes at the ruins of Manhattan, then turned to fix Roald with a deathly glare.

His low, hoarse voice sounded once more.

“I will judge you, and all of yours. I will judge every evil soul involved in this!”

“Everyone will be judged!”

In a flash, furious flames exploded outward!

Johnny became a streak of scarlet fire, hurtling toward Roald with blinding speed.

[Vengeance Target Locked]

[Roald White Dragon, of another dimension.]

[Your sins are grave, your soul is rotten, you are beyond forgiveness...]

[You… must be judged!]