A massive castle rose from the ground, occupying a corner of Hell's Kitchen. Subsequently, the area was enveloped and isolated by a layer of black energy. Atop the castle, Gorgon looked with satisfaction at Daredevil, who had just donned a suit of pure black. He chuckled and asked, "Are you sure this won't cause hostility among your friends?"
"That is precisely why I must be the one to speak with them. Even if they cannot understand me, they won't attack immediately. At the very least, it will buy enough time for Elektra to be resurrected."
Clad in his black suit, looking more like a demon than ever before, Daredevil spoke coldly. Gorgon couldn't help but feel a sense of poetic irony; as long as one was human, they had weaknesses, and heroes were especially prone to them. Whether it was the promise of leading the Hand toward the light or the resurrection of Elektra, Gorgon held too many bargaining chips that Daredevil found irresistible.
How could he possibly lose now?
As Gorgon pondered this, he saw the Defenders, including Luke Cage and Iron Fist, rushing forward. He felt a surge of secret glee. The Shadowland plan had isolated a significant portion of Manhattan. Unless Wolverine and Spider-Man also lived in Hell's Kitchen, they wouldn't be able to interfere. The remaining Defenders were no match for the Hand.
Furthermore, Daredevil would proactively buy them time.
The first to arrive was Jessica Jones, who was somewhat familiar with Matt. As a detective, she found the current turn of events incomprehensible. Looking at the Hand ninjas surrounding Matt, she asked in disbelief, "What exactly is going on here?"
"I am attempting to persuade the Hand to reform, and the way to do that is by leading them."
Luke Cage felt as if Matt had been kicked in the head by a mule. "Reform? Look at what's happening to Hell's Kitchen. You dare call this 'reforming'?"
Matt also looked curiously at Gorgon; he was entirely unaware of the barrier's manifestation and required an explanation. Gorgon immediately bowed, showing deference. "This is merely a necessary measure for the rising of the castle. Otherwise, all of New York might have suffered an earthquake rather than just a slight tremor. Rest assured, once twenty-four hours have passed, this barrier will naturally dissipate."
Matt then turned to his friends, his expression conveying the message: You see?
The others simply found the situation utterly bizarre.
After looking around for a moment, Matt noticed that only these three had arrived. He asked, "Where are the others?"
"Cloak and Dagger don't live in New York, nor does Negative. And as for Frank... no one can get a hold of him."
"Go back for now. What the Hand is doing is not evil. I know what I'm doing."
As Matt spoke, he urged his friends to leave. Luke intended to say more, but Jessica Jones pulled him back. Once the three had departed and were out of earshot, they looked at one another. Luke Cage sighed and said, "Twenty-four hours. Who knows what will happen by then? For all we know, even the Avengers won't be able to get in during that time."
"That's why I told you not to be impulsive. It's obvious Matt has been deceived by those Hand fanatics. No matter what they say, it isn't the truth."
Jessica Jones looked up at the massive castle and then scanned the surrounding area. "Regardless, even if this thing popped up overnight, it still has to have a sewer system, right?"
The three shared a look, understanding exactly what their next move would be.
In the distance, a man in a formal suit ran over cautiously. Taking a deep breath, he began to grab onto the stones at the base of the castle, slowly pulling himself up.
"Whew. You can't do this, Marc. These people need help. And look, we can't really be trapped here for twenty-four hours. Oh my god, why is this so hard to climb?"
As the man scaled the wall, he talked to himself. Soon, the voice of his other self echoed in his mind.
Khonshu did not demand that we punish the people inside this broken house.
"But I promised to help!"
You promised; I didn't. Don't go promising things to people so easily next time, Steven.
"Oh my god, I honestly can't believe you would say that—!!!"
Two ninjas heard a noise and looked down simultaneously. they saw a man in a white suit fall from the side of the castle wall, hitting the ground with a heavy thud.
"Was he trying to climb up from the bottom? And then he fell to his death?"
"That's just too stupid."
The two turned back to continue their patrol, but a figure suddenly shot into the sky and then plummeted toward them. Hearing the sound, the two turned around only to see a crescent moon hurtling toward them.
"Change of plan! To hell with Khonshu! I'm going to teach the bastard who built this place a lesson!"
Moon Knight—whether it was Marc Spector, Steven Grant, or perhaps the personality of Jake Lockley—had, in short, joined the fray. Because the Fist of Khonshu had caught a familiar scent.
Hell's Kitchen, inside a certain apartment.
Kingpin sat on the floor, chanting something toward a scroll placed on the ground. He wasn't certain if the scroll was truly effective or if it could actually summon the person he needed.
However, since "that man" had said it would work, it was worth a try.
"Spirit of Vengeance, hear my words, and... fulfill the contract!"
The Prowler, standing to the side, remained silent for a moment before asking uncertainty, "Is that it? It's over?"
"Of course. This is a summons from his master. It's not about me, so he cannot refuse."
Kingpin stood up and took two steps back. The scroll suddenly burst into flames, and surging hellfire formed a teleportation circle. The Ghost Rider, in his skeletal, flaming state, appeared in the center of the circle and looked at Kingpin.
"I don't know who you are, and I don't know why you've dragged me here from Las Vegas. I was just about to have a few drinks." Ghost Rider looked at Kingpin, then shifted his gaze to the Prowler behind him. "Mephisto's ritual scroll might protect you from judgment for now, villain, but it won't protect your lackey. I can smell the stench of sin on both of you."
"Then you should also be able to smell something even more repulsive. I summoned you because I—and your superhero friends—are facing a powerful enemy. Your master calls him the oldest demon in the world: The Beast."
Johnny Blaze heard these words, and his flaming skull turned. His fiery eye sockets looked out the window at the massive castle.
"The Beast..."
-----------------------------------------------
I handpick only the finest and most captivating novels for you. Don't forget to check out my other novels!
p@treon HongMengZi