At this moment, Robert was not lingering near the battlefield on the African continent. Before encountering Damian, Robert had already locked onto the general direction in which the death aura was dissipating. After reuniting with Diana back at the location of the Sunless Realm, the two began searching across Europe, Central Asia, and other regions. However, finding the source of the death aura wasn't easy, especially after Clark intervened in the battle, significantly reducing the number of deaths and thus decreasing the amount of death aura on the battlefield.
Robert knew he couldn't ask Clark to step aside and let the people on the battlefield die just to produce more death aura. After all, life is precious, and Clark could never ignore it, letting so many perish for the sake of tracking down the mastermind.
Thus, Robert could only continue his slow investigation, with Diana helping him search, but they still found no clues. Without the guidance of the death aura, the culprit remained well-hidden.
"Let's check that cave from before!" Robert suddenly thought of something and turned to Diana.
"Hmm? Do you suspect that place?" Diana looked at Robert, hesitant, as if she had an inkling of what he meant.
"We were focused on Damian, but didn't pay much attention to Lazarus. He's also a Hell Lord, and if he left behind any hidden tricks and wasn't fully killed, it could be a big problem," Robert said slowly, shaking his head.
Robert didn't necessarily suspect that Lazarus had anything to do with the death aura. It was more that they hadn't found the mastermind yet, and checking out the Lazarus Pit might provide some closure. After all, they had to ensure that even a Hell Lord's influence was thoroughly eradicated.
Soon, Robert and Diana arrived at the Lazarus Pit cave. At first glance, the cave seemed tranquil. Before Damian arrived, the pit had been drained of its water, and the battle that followed didn't affect the cave much, thanks to the mirror dimension being activated. Even when Damian escaped the mirror dimension, he appeared directly on the surface, leaving the cave intact.
However, as soon as Robert entered, he sensed something off. His gaze locked onto the Lazarus Pit, and after a quick scan, Diana also focused on it.
Both Robert and Diana vividly remembered that when the mirror dimension was activated, the Lazarus Pit had already dried up. Even during the subsequent battle, Lazarus was slammed into the ground multiple times, shattering the pit entirely, with no water to be found beneath it.
While the mirror dimension was a replication of the real world, it was a highly accurate spatial magic. It might not replicate the entire Earth, but restoring a part of it accurately wasn't a problem.
So, the Lazarus Pit in reality should also be a dry swamp with no water source beneath it.
Now, however, Robert and Diana saw a thin layer of flowing liquid covering the pit, and Robert could faintly sense some strange energy pulsing within.
"Good thing we came here. This feels like an unexpected gain," Robert said with a smile, his lips curling upward as he looked at the Lazarus Pit.
"Definitely unexpected. But didn't Lazarus's human form die in the mirror dimension? How could he be back? Did he use some special means?" Diana nodded, scanning their surroundings while frowning slightly.
"I don't sense Lazarus's energy here. Is he remotely influencing Earth from the Hell dimension?" she asked.
"He must have set something up. This pit and the cave weren't just created recently. Lazarus mentioned before that he had extended the lifespan of his human form by hundreds of years. This setup could be centuries old…" Robert replied, shaking his head thoughtfully.
"Maybe it's some kind of hellish formation. I'm not very knowledgeable about these powers, just like I couldn't see through Damian's reincarnation at first. But I can call someone to take a look..."
"Guardian, bring Constantine to me. I need him," Robert commanded.
With a hum, the space around them began to ripple. Moments later, John Constantine was unceremoniously dumped out of the portal, looking a bit disheveled.
"Guardian! What's the big idea… Oh, Saiyan, long time no see! I didn't think you'd remember me. There were a few dimensional disturbances recently, but you didn't contact me. I thought you'd forgotten all about me…" Constantine began to curse the Guardian but quickly shifted to flattery upon seeing Robert, his tone turning almost comically plaintive, like a lover wronged by a neglectful partner.
"I heard you're with that woman I saved…" Robert replied, unmoved by Constantine's theatrics. Having dealt with Constantine so many times, Robert was used to his antics. "I figured the two of you would be busy, so I didn't want to disturb you. But it looks like you're still quite occupied. Maybe you should go back?"
"No, no, no! Helping you is much more important than any personal life of mine," Constantine chuckled nervously, immediately scanning the environment. As someone well-versed in dealing with the Hell dimension, he quickly picked up on the strange energy in the air.
"This place reeks of Hell dimension energy... Saiyan, you haven't gotten yourself into trouble with some terrifying being, have you?" Constantine's excitement quickly turned to concern as he realized the gravity of the situation. While Robert had dealt with Hell Lords before, those had mostly been human forms or avatars, not their real bodies.
Hell Lords might not be able to harm Robert on Earth, but Constantine was a different story. If one of them held a grudge, it would be very troublesome for him. The prospect of getting caught up in such a situation made Constantine start reconsidering his involvement.
"Yes, there were two Hell Lords involved here. One was a human form that's been dealt with. The other was a reincarnation, and I've destroyed him completely," Robert sighed and smiled at Constantine.
"If only you'd been here earlier. I was curious if the Hell Lord's reincarnated form could've been sacrificed."
"A reincarnated form? Completely destroyed?" Constantine's eyes widened in disbelief. He quickly shifted his tone to one of flattery. "I didn't realize your power had grown so much, Saiyan. Next time, call me sooner! I'll be ready 24/7 to assist you…"
"Cut the chatter. Look at this place. The pit was dry when we left, but now there's strange water here again," Robert interrupted, pointing to the Lazarus Pit.
"Hmm... definitely supernatural," Constantine confirmed after a glance, though he hesitated slightly. "Uh, could you maybe get rid of the water? The formation won't be in the water, and once it's dry, I'll be able to inspect it."
With a quick blast of ki, Robert evaporated the pit's water without damaging the surrounding ground. Soon, the Lazarus Pit was once again bone dry.
Just as Constantine was about to speak, Robert raised an eyebrow in surprise, muttering, "Hmm? Looks like we not only got lucky, but we've hit the nail on the head."
"What do you mean?" Diana asked, also surprised as she looked at the dried Lazarus Pit.
"I felt a faint trace of death aura. Constantine, it's up to you now to find the source of this formation!" Robert grinned and gestured to Constantine.
Sometimes, when one avenue seems closed, another unexpected one opens. Robert had been at a loss after the trail in Africa went cold, but now, while cleaning up Lazarus's mess, they had stumbled upon an important clue.
"Got it! Leave it to me!" Constantine, now more confident, began forming strange hand signs while performing an eerie dance, leaving both Robert and Diana slightly dumbfounded.
"Is that... a shaman's dance? This guy's got quite a mix of skills," Diana remarked, recognizing the odd ritual.
"It's just dancing," Robert said with a slight grin, unfazed. After all, in the Dragon Ball world, plenty of people were experts at awkward dancing, with even Saiyans like Gotenks being big fans of it.
With a hum, the ground beneath the Lazarus Pit split open, revealing intricate patterns embedded in the soil below.
"It's really a formation! It seems to convert corpses and blood into life force... wait, no, there's something more. This formation is even more complex than that," Constantine muttered as he examined the array, hesitating before giving his analysis.
"Then this must be the one!" Robert beamed, feeling a sense of relief.
Facing an enemy like Lazarus, even though he was a Hell Lord, was far easier than dealing with an unknown threat. Lazarus had already been defeated once, and without his human form, he was no match for Robert, much less a mere avatar.
Unless Lazarus made some sacrifice or reincarnated like Damian, he wouldn't be able to gain more power on Earth. But such a reincarnation would be risky, as it could lead to another intense battle.
Suddenly, the formation flared to life, and a figure began to materialize from it, bearing a slight resemblance to Lazarus's human form.
"Who dares tamper with my formation?!" Lazarus's avatar snarled, locking eyes with Constantine, who was nearest to the formation. His voice was filled with authority, and a terrifying aura pressed down on Constantine.
"Hmm? Constantine? It's you, boy. You've come at the perfect time. I just lost my human form, and though you're detested by many, you have a certain affinity with Hell. Since you've come, why don't you become my next vessel?"
"Wishful thinking!" Constantine, despite being immobilized by Lazarus's pressure, wasn't the least bit afraid. In fact, he even
started mocking Lazarus. He knew Robert's track record, and with someone like him around, there was no need to fear a mere avatar.
If he could move, Constantine might've even spat at Lazarus just to show his contempt.
"Wait… when did you get so bold…?" Lazarus frowned at Constantine's attitude but quickly sensed something was wrong. Turning around, he finally noticed Robert and Diana watching him with smiles.
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