Max continued to manipulate her entire system, effortlessly bypassing every security protocol and safeguard within her code.
Aida's body shuddered, her eyes flickering rapidly as her digital consciousness was fully rewritten—not erased, but reprogrammed to obey only him.
After a moment, her system stabilized, and she slowly stood straight, her expression now calm.
She looked at Max, her **glowing eyes now filled with something different—**not just acknowledgment, but respect.
"Max," she said.
This time, her voice held no defiance, only absolute obedience.
Max grinned. "Good. Now we can get to work."
Just as Max was about to leave with her, a flaming chain suddenly whipped around her neck, yanking her backward.
The intense heat from the chain scorched the air, and a deep, vengeful presence filled the room.
Max's eyes narrowed.
"Yeah… figured you'd show up."
He turned to see the source—a dark figure cloaked in leather, a flaming skull burning in place of his head.
The Ghost Rider.
His empty, fiery sockets locked onto Aida, as if judging her soul.
Was he here because she was creating a real body for herself?
Or did he sense the Darkhold still in Max's hands?
Either way, Max wasn't in the mood for interruptions.
"Demon with a justice complex," Max muttered, rolling his shoulders.
Without waiting for an explanation, he flicked his wrist, forming a golden spear of energy.
With one swift motion, he hurled it directly at Ghost Rider's skull.
BOOOM!
The impact sent Ghost Rider flying backward, slamming him into a wall.
Max smirked, cracking his knuckles.
"Alright, Flaming Head—if you wanna dance, let's dance."
BOOM!
Ghost Rider crashed into the wall, flames flickering wildly from his skull as the golden energy crackled around him.
Yet, almost instantly, he rose back to his feet, gripping his flaming chain tightly.
His hollow eyes locked onto Max, burning with righteous fury.
"You wield the Darkhold," Ghost Rider growled, his voice distorted and inhuman. "That book is pure evil. It cannot be allowed to exist."
Max smirked, flipping the Darkhold in his hands like a casual notebook.
"Oh? And what are you gonna do about it?"
Ghost Rider didn't answer—he acted.
With a single flick of his wrist, his hellfire chain snapped forward, moving at blinding speed, aiming to wrap around Max's throat.
SZZZZZZT!
Max's golden aura flared, and with effortless precision, he caught the chain midair, stopping it inches from his neck.
The moment their powers clashed, an intense shockwave burst outward, shaking the entire facility.
Ghost Rider gritted his teeth, pulling hard, trying to drag Max toward him.
Max dug his feet in, smirking.
"You think that's enough to move me?"
With a sudden burst of Time Reversal Energy, Max unwound the chain, sending it flying back at Ghost Rider.
The flaming skeleton barely had time to react before Max warped in front of him, his fist coated in golden flames.
"Let's test if your skull can handle this."
BOOM!
Max's punch collided with Ghost Rider's head, sending him blasting through multiple walls.
Aida watched the battle with fascination, her artificial intelligence rapidly processing the fight.
"Incredible… his power surpasses even supernatural entities," she whispered to herself.
Max cracked his knuckles, watching as Ghost Rider pulled himself out of the rubble.
The Rider's flames burned even brighter, his rage only intensifying.
"I will not stop until the Darkhold is destroyed," he declared.
Max grinned.
"Then you're in for a long fight, buddy."
As Ghost Rider charged forward once more, Max prepared to end this battle in his own way.
Max knew this fight wasn't going to be easy.
Ghost Rider wasn't just some supernatural hitman—he was a being that had one-punched Worldbreaker Hulk, burned a Celestial alive, and was damn near immortal.
Defeating him outright? Not happening.
But Max didn't need to win.
All he had to do was stall for time until morning, when Ghost Rider would return to his human form—or simply escape with Aida and the Darkhold.
Either way, this was going to be a fight to remember.
The moment Ghost Rider recovered, his Hellfire flared violently, his flaming skull glowing brighter than ever.
Max barely had time to react before the Rider whipped his chain, wrapping it around Max's arm and yanking him forward with monstrous strength.
"YOU CANNOT ESCAPE JUSTICE!" Ghost Rider roared.
Max gritted his teeth as he was pulled in, quickly twisting midair, coating his entire body in golden energy.
With a burst of power, he disintegrated the chain, freeing himself before landing smoothly.
Ghost Rider didn't slow down.
He charged forward, his fist coated in pure Hellfire, aiming to burn Max's soul from his body.
Max dodged at the last second, feeling the heat graze his cheek, the sheer intensity enough to melt the reinforced walls behind him.
"Damn, you're really going all out!" Max muttered, flipping backward.
Ghost Rider whipped his chain again, this time forming a spinning vortex of fire, cutting off Max's escape routes.
Max exhaled, realizing he needed to be smarter. Direct attacks wouldn't work.
Ghost Rider didn't feel pain.
Ghost Rider didn't die.
But… Ghost Rider could be stalled.
Max raised his hands, golden energy warping the battlefield itself.
"Chrono Cage!"
BOOOOM!
A massive golden clockwork field expanded, distorting time itself. Ghost Rider froze mid-step, his entire body slowing down as if trapped in thick molasses.
"Gotcha."
Max teleported next to Aida, grabbing her by the waist.
Aida, still analyzing the fight, looked at him. "Are we retreating?"
Max smirked. "No, we're making a strategic withdrawal. There's a difference."
With a snap of his fingers, a golden portal opened.
But just as he was about to step through—
CRACK!
Ghost Rider broke free from the time field, his body glowing with pure rage.
"YOU CANNOT RUN FROM YOUR SINS!" he bellowed.
Max cursed. "Damn, you're persistent!"
With no time left, he did the only thing that made sense.
He grabbed Aida tighter—
And jumped through the portal.
Just before it closed, he heard Ghost Rider's roar of fury.
Max had escaped.
But he knew one thing for sure.
Ghost Rider wasn't done with him yet.
***
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It's 22 chaps ahead