When Lazarus saw Robert and Diana smiling at him, his expression froze, and the oppressive aura he had been using to suppress Constantine instantly dissipated. Constantine, feeling the weight lift from his body, immediately relaxed.
"I knew I was right!" Constantine thought to himself, his lips curling into a grin. He felt a rush of excitement, realizing this was the first time he had stood face-to-face with a Hell Lord, even if it was only Lazarus's avatar.
Constantine had spent years scraping by in the Hell dimension, and among Earth's extraordinary beings, he was perhaps second only to the Ancient One in terms of recognition. Even more famous than Superman, Robert, and the students of Kamar-Taj. It was no wonder Lazarus recognized him immediately.
However, being well-known in Hell didn't mean Constantine had the strength to confront a Hell Lord head-on. At most, he could outwit lesser demons or Hell monarchs, but a direct encounter with a Hell Lord would spell certain doom unless he had a trump card strong enough to counter their power. Otherwise, escape would be impossible.
Now, without lifting a finger, Constantine had the rare chance to face off with a Hell Lord and even have a little fun at their expense!
With a flash of mischievous intent, Constantine couldn't resist. A spell formed in his hands, and suddenly a flame ignited on Lazarus's body, burning him instantly.
"Hmm?!" Lazarus, still focused on Robert and Diana, never expected the insignificant Constantine to dare attack him. Rage surged through him as he finally understood why so many demons in Hell harbored deep resentment for Constantine—the man had an unparalleled talent for provoking people.
"Sizzle!" The fire on Lazarus's body extinguished as quickly as it appeared, but he didn't even turn to look at Constantine. As infuriating as the man was, Robert and Diana posed a much greater threat.
Lazarus knew Robert's strength all too well. Even when his human form was infused with extra power, he had been no match for Robert, failing to even wound him. If not for Damian's involvement in the battle, Lazarus's human form wouldn't have lasted long against Robert.
Seeing Robert here now also meant something else: Damian was likely dead. Although Lazarus had fallen out with Damian and even seized part of his Hell domain, the fact that Robert had defeated Damian's reincarnated form meant that Robert's power was far more formidable than Lazarus had anticipated.
This realization left Lazarus deeply wary. The bravado he had displayed upon arrival evaporated, and he couldn't even bring himself to retaliate against Constantine's antics.
Robert noticed Constantine's mischievous behavior too, and while it surprised both him and Diana, they managed to maintain their composure. Both had been trained to stay serious in any situation, but even they found it hard not to laugh.
"What do you think would happen if we just walked away right now and left Constantine to deal with him?" Robert whispered to Diana, trying to suppress his laughter.
"He'd probably die a horrible death," Diana whispered back, her eyes twinkling with barely contained amusement.
Meanwhile, Constantine, seeing that Lazarus still wasn't reacting to him, became even more emboldened. He knew full well that his attacks couldn't actually harm Lazarus, but the opportunity to mess with a Hell Lord was too good to pass up.
After all, Lazarus had arrived with such arrogance, suppressing him and even threatening to make Constantine his new human vessel.
With another mischievous grin, Constantine performed another spell. This time, he summoned water from the ground beneath the dried Lazarus Pit. The water mixed with the dirt, forming muddy sludge, which he skillfully directed onto Lazarus, covering him from head to toe in mud.
"Phht!"
"Ahahaha!"
Diana and Robert couldn't hold back any longer and burst into laughter. Seeing Constantine's latest stunt and Lazarus's muddy new look was too much. Meanwhile, Constantine, knowing he'd pushed his luck far enough, quickly dashed behind Robert for protection.
"Enough!" Lazarus growled, momentarily stunned by the absurdity of it all. As soon as he heard Robert and Diana laughing, his fury erupted. His aura flared up again, shaking off the mud with a roar.
"Boom!" However, much to Lazarus's frustration, the muddy water hit an invisible barrier and bounced right back onto him.
"You! I… You!" Lazarus spluttered, pointing a muddy finger at Robert, unable to articulate his fury. He realized that Robert had created a psychic barrier, preventing the mud from splattering on anyone else.
Lazarus, who prided himself on being a more "civilized" Hell Lord, was now on the verge of abandoning all decorum. If not for the fact that most of what he wanted to say would be censored by the universe itself, he would have unleashed a torrent of curses on Robert by now.
"What was that about?" Diana asked, trying to stifle her laughter as she glanced at Robert.
"Ahem, I didn't do it on purpose!" Robert looked slightly embarrassed. In truth, he hadn't intended to join in on Constantine's mockery of Lazarus. He had merely set up the barrier reflexively to avoid getting splattered by the mud.
"Alright, Saiyan! You're quite bold! I'll remember this! We'll meet again…" Lazarus snarled, casting one last glance at Robert and Diana before attempting to withdraw his power. However, halfway through his threat, something went wrong. "Hmm?!"
Lazarus had intended to retract his energy and return it to the Hell dimension, but Robert's psychic barrier was stronger than he had anticipated. He found himself unable to leave or even retrieve his energy.
"Earth isn't a place where you can come and go as you please," Robert said with a calm smile, watching as Lazarus's form flickered between being solid and incorporeal. "You said you liked Earth, didn't you? Well, we're welcoming you in our Earthly way. What, not satisfied?"
"Saiyan! Don't push me too far! Do you think this barrier can really hold me?!" Lazarus roared, his aura flaring again as he raged at Robert. "Release me now, and I'll let this slide. Otherwise…"
"You talk big for someone so ugly. You came here, so it's only right that you leave a little gift behind, right?" Robert taunted with a smirk. "You love stealing death aura so much, don't you? Now it's time to pay some interest!"
"You want to claim interest? Keep dreaming! I may not be able to reclaim this power, but I won't let you have it either!" Lazarus snarled through gritted teeth, making a decision.
Suddenly, a surge of Hell dimension energy flooded into the area. Robert's psychic barrier, unable to withstand the Hell dimension's power, shattered instantly.
"What the hell?" Robert blurted out in surprise, watching as Lazarus's avatar was enveloped by the Hell energy.
With a ferocious roar, the Hell energy morphed into a beast-like form, ready to devour Lazarus's avatar. However, at that very moment, a familiar energy from the Earth dimension emerged—a dimensional power that Robert recognized all too well. It manifested as a claw, which reached out to seize Lazarus's avatar.
"Boom!"
The clash between the dimensional forces was overwhelming. The Lazarus Pit cave collapsed instantly, the destruction only a small fraction of the forces involved. On the dimensional plane, the conflict between the Earth and Hell dimensions was far more intense.
Thankfully, the confrontation was brief. Neither the Hell dimension nor the Earth dimension sought a prolonged clash. But Lazarus's avatar was torn apart in the struggle, the agony it experienced akin to being ripped limb from limb.
In the end, the power of Lazarus's avatar was split between the Earth and Hell dimensions. The Earth dimension, having the home-field advantage, claimed half of it, while the Hell dimension, with its superior strength, secured the other half.
Both dimensions gained something from the encounter. Despite its vastness, the Hell dimension found it difficult to extract energy from its near-immortal Hell Lords, so any extra power was a boon. Meanwhile, the Earth dimension, though limited, was always looking for ways to siphon off power from visiting entities.
"What just happened?" Constantine, still hovering above the ruins of the Lazarus Pit, looked terrified, his face pale as he realized he had narrowly escaped.
"Nothing you need to talk about," Robert replied calmly, glancing at Diana, who looked equally serious.
The abnormality in the Earth dimension was becoming increasingly apparent. The Earth's consciousness seemed to be openly coveting power now, which wasn't a good sign for anyone.
"This wasn't my fault, was it?" Constantine asked nervously, still shaken.
"Relax. If anything, the Earth is grateful to you. Without you, it wouldn't have been able to claim the power of a Hell Lord's avatar," Robert said, trying to reassure Constantine. "You might even get a little reward later."
"No thanks! I don't want any reward for this. Consider it my humble contribution," Constantine replied with a stiff smile, shaking his head vigorously.
Though typically greedy, Constantine knew better than to mess with the Earth dimension. If things went south, he wouldn't have any safe haven to retreat to. The thought of becoming a drifter between dimensions, constantly at risk of being devoured, was too terrifying to contemplate.
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