Chapter 225: The Demon Appears
The Escape and the Face-Off
FBI agents were swallowed one after another by the lava. Screams echoed behind the survivors, yet no one dared to look back.
Luke opened his watch.
"Ava, get them out."
"Understood, Young Master."
The empty air above them shimmered and transformed. A silver-white metal sphere appeared over the forest—a Zamaron spaceship that Luke had repaired and repurposed as a personal transport.
The metal sphere quickly flew toward the group, extending three metal arms below it.
Zatanna was shocked. "What is that? A spaceship?"
Luke said gravely, "Don't resist. It will take you out of the forest."
The metal arms grabbed Emily, Zatanna, and August, carrying the three toward the sky.
On the other side, Stan Darloff, dragging Maeve and Jack Harvey, also vanished. Everyone was gone, leaving only three people. Looking at the towering wall of fire behind him, Luke suddenly smiled. His clothes rippled and transformed, forming black battle armor.
He leaped, landing alongside Adam on a nearby boulder.
The gray-robed figure noticed the sudden appearance of the boy. Thinking of something, he gave a strange laugh.
"Luke Shaw! Young Master Shaw of Coast City! What, are you here to surrender to me?"
Luke shook his head. "Mr. White, stop daydreaming. Trash like you isn't worthy of my submission."
The gray-robed figure was startled, asking with suspicion,
"You know my name."
"Andrew Thayne White. Born in a small village in Canada, currently 63 years old. Served as a pastor in a village church in your youth, later expelled by the church, joined the magic club in Empire City, and a few years later, began engaging in cult activities..." Luke shrugged and continued, "It wasn't hard to find your information. The difficult part is finding the evidence that you conspired with President Joel Nash."
"Mr. White, how about giving me a hint? I'm genuinely curious how you, a cult leader, managed to connect with the President of the United States, who is one of the most powerful people in the world."
The gray-robed figure sneered, "Do you think I'll tell you?"
"Of course not!"
"So I'm planning to beat you half to death and then extract what I want."
The gray-robed figure burst into laughter.
"Just you..."
"Luke Shaw, people call you Young Master Shaw, but do you truly believe you're a master? In my eyes, you're just a slightly smarter ant. I can crush you with a single finger."
"Is that so?"
Luke raised his hand, and the Phantom One armor dropped from the sky. Man and armor merged into one, and his voice deepened. "Mr. White, trust me, it won't be long before you're kneeling and calling me Young Master."
Flames shot from the Phantom armor's feet, propelling him forward at high speed.
The gray-robed figure dismissively waved his hand. A whip of fire appeared from nowhere and slammed heavily into the armor's surface but was blocked by a protective energy shield.
Luke grabbed the fire whip and yanked hard.
Bang!
The whip snapped. An energy blast shot from his palm and struck the gray-robed figure's chest, forcing him back two steps.
"That's interesting!"
The gray-robed figure examined the Phantom armor with interest, nodding and clicking his tongue as he looked.
"High-tech armor. Clearly not from Earth. No wonder you kept it hidden and only brought it out after the FBI dogs were dead. You were protecting it from them all along."
Luke hovered in mid-air, saying indifferently, "There's a saying in the East: You can never be too careful. You should know better than me what the Federal Bureau of Investigation is really like."
"I know very well, which is why I'm puzzled."
The interest in the gray-robed figure's eyes deepened. "There's one thing I don't understand. As a gang leader, why would you join forces with the FBI? We shouldn't have any conflicting interests!"
"You're right, there's no bad blood. I personally don't want to deal with cult members like you. Unfortunately, Jack Harvey offered a prize I couldn't refuse. I took the money, so I must eliminate the disaster. I have no choice but to take you down."
With that, he lunged forward. His iron fist, encased in blue electrical energy, slammed heavily forward.
The gray-robed figure punched back.
Bang!
Fist met fist. The kinetic impact was transferred down the armor to Luke's legs, then rebounded with even greater force. The gray-robed figure's arm went numb, and he staggered backward.
Luke took advantage of the opening, driving a heavy punch into his opponent's face, sending him flying.
The massive body landed on the ground, then sprang back up effortlessly. Touching his slightly throbbing cheek, the gray-robed figure's expression immediately became strange.
"Kid, you actually managed to hurt me!"
Luke felt the force transferred through his arm and couldn't help but gaze at the creature's powerful body. Everything from its thick limbs to the muscles covered in black-red scales was visually striking.
He grew increasingly satisfied as he looked, muttering to himself,
"It's not as good as a Kryptonian, but it's probably on the same level as Wonder Woman or Aquaman."
Thinking this, he turned back and said,
"Adam, what do you think of this body?"
The ever-stoic Adam nodded expressionlessly. "Excellent, Young Master. I like it very much."
"Good, if you like it, it's yours."
Luke opened his right hand, and green flames erupted, instantly engulfing the gray-robed figure's body. Within the burning green fire, a translucent figure appeared—the soul of Andrew White.
The figure was encased in the green flames, letting out silent screams.
Luke pointed down. "Now, kneel and call me Young Master."
The gray-robed figure struggled fiercely but couldn't escape the burning green fire. In despair, he dropped to his knees and uttered the words "Young Master."
"Pathetic fool. You thought you had great power, but you were just strong on the outside and weak within. A demon's body, a human soul. You truly thought you were a genius."
Luke shook his head. He curled his fingers into a fist, and the flames roared, reducing Andrew White's soul to ash.
With the destruction of his soul, only the formidable body remained.
Luke didn't approach but cautiously took a step back.
"Lord Ghast, will you come out yourself, or must I invite you?"
As his voice faded, the "gray-robed figure" suddenly opened its eyes. The pupils turned into two unsettlingly mesmerizing vortices. Its appearance remained the same, but the aura it emitted had completely changed, as if a child had suddenly grown into a giant.
"Human powerhouse, you can actually see me!"
"Was it hard to see through you?"
"Of course it was hard! I am Ghast, a ruler of the cosmos from the ancient era..." The figure spread its hands as if to embrace the world. "My power is beyond the comprehension of you ants."
Luke scoffed, "So what? You were still locked in a can."
The figure immediately fell silent. Its lip curled back, revealing fangs.
"You have angered me, you have angered the Great Ghast. Fate will punish you."
"Then bring it on. I'm curious to see how much power you have left after being sealed!"
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