Constantine didn't hesitate as the Devourer crashed to the ground. Drawing upon the last reserves of his Incinerator Ring's power, he raised the silver-blessed dagger and unleashed everything he had left.
Pure white energy erupted from the blade in the form of countless sword beams that carved through the air like falling stars. His phantom duplicates moved in perfect synchronization, each one contributing to the overwhelming barrage of divine force that completely engulfed the massive demon.
The sound of impact was like breaking glass magnified a thousandfold as each energy blade struck the Devourer's hide. Shallow cuts began appearing across the creature's body – not deep enough to be immediately fatal, but proof that Constantine's enhanced attacks were finally penetrating its supernatural defenses.
But Constantine could feel his ring's power draining rapidly. More than half the divine energy had already been expended, and maintaining this level of assault would leave him defenseless within minutes.
"Got to end this now," Constantine muttered through gritted teeth, making a desperate tactical decision.
He drove his silver dagger deep into the earth, and his phantom duplicates followed suit. Divine energy flowed from each embedded blade, creating lines of power that connected across the battlefield until they formed a complex mystical array visible from above.
"Let's see how you handle some proper heavenly fire!" Constantine shouted as the magic circle activated.
Brilliant white flames erupted from the array's center, engulfing the Devourer in divine conflagration. This wasn't ordinary fire – it was the purifying flame of heaven itself, specifically attuned to burn away demonic essence without harming natural matter.
The Devourer's roar of agony shook windows blocks away as the holy fire seared its corrupted flesh. The creature's massive fists shattered the restraining rock formations, while the mouth on its belly spewed black hellfire in a futile attempt to counter the divine flames.
Constantine could see the fire was causing real damage, but not quickly enough. The Devourer's pain was driving it into a berserker rage that would soon overcome even his mystical restraints.
"Time for the heavy artillery," Constantine decided, changing his hand seals to shift the array's function.
The white flames disappeared, replaced by chains of crystallized divine energy that erupted from the circle to bind the Devourer in an unbreakable embrace. The demon found itself completely immobilized, transformed into a perfect target for what Constantine had planned next.
"This one's for every person you've devoured," Constantine declared, executing the final sequence of hand gestures.
The magic circle blazed with light as a massive angelic figure materialized above the battlefield. The phantom warrior stood fifty feet tall, its wings spread wide and a spear of pure holy fire gripped in both hands. This was the Wrath of Michael – the Church's most devastating exorcism technique, capable of banishing even archduke-level demons back to Hell.
The angel drew back its spear and hurled it downward with divine fury. The weapon struck with the force of a falling star, creating a massive explosion that reduced the surrounding landscape to a smoking crater while completely vaporizing Constantine's phantom duplicates.
When the dust finally settled, Constantine found himself coughing and bleeding at the edge of a thirty-foot-wide pit. In the center lay the Devourer, grievously wounded but still clinging to life with the tenacity that made its species so feared throughout Hell's hierarchy.
"Stubborn bastard," Constantine wheezed, noting how his ring's power had dropped to nearly nothing. "Let's try a different approach."
Drawing upon reserves of mystical knowledge rather than divine energy, Constantine began opening a portal to Hell itself. The reddish-brown gateway materialized with ominous crackling sounds, providing a direct route back to the Devourer's home dimension.
"Time to go home," Constantine said, attempting to force the demon through the portal with his remaining magical strength.
But the Devourer wasn't finished fighting. With lightning speed, its enormous tongue lashed out from the mouth on its belly, striking Constantine's silver dagger with enough force to shatter the blessed weapon and dissipate his protective armor entirely.
"Bloody hell!" Constantine gasped, realizing he was now essentially defenseless against a dying but still dangerous opponent.
He summoned massive stone hands from the earth, using them to physically push the Devourer toward the Hell portal. The demon's massive bulk moved slowly but steadily toward the gateway, even as its tongue prepared for another attack.
Just as the Devourer's body began crossing the portal threshold, its tongue struck again – this time piercing clean through Constantine's abdomen. Blood erupted from the wound as the exorcist screamed in agony, but he managed to complete the banishment ritual even as his strength failed.
The Hell portal snapped shut like a closing door, severing the Devourer's tongue and trapping the creature back in its home dimension. Constantine collapsed in a spreading pool of his own blood, the pain overwhelming his consciousness.
Then came a soft mechanical sound from his coat pocket, followed by a distinctive chime.
Time reversed itself around the grievous wound. Blood flowed backward into Constantine's body, torn tissue knitted itself together, and his shattered ribs reformed as if the injury had never occurred. Within seconds, he was physically whole again, though the phantom pain from his ordeal remained vivid and nauseating.
"Thank God for paranoid preparation," Constantine laughed weakly, pulling the now-blackened and smoking pocket watch from his coat. The temporal protection device had sacrificed itself to save his life, but it had been worth every penny of its astronomical cost.
He struggled to his feet and examined the severed demon tongue, recognizing it as valuable magical material despite his exhaustion.
"At least I didn't come away empty-handed," Constantine muttered, wrapping the tongue in protective cloth. "This thing's worth a fortune on the supernatural materials market."
But his relief was tempered by darker implications. If random cultists could summon demons as powerful as Devourers, what might organized groups with real resources be capable of calling forth?
Meanwhile, back at Wayne Manor...
Bruce had spent hours methodically searching every corner of Gotham without finding so much as a trace of demonic activity. The absence of supernatural threats should have been reassuring, but instead it left him feeling unsettled.
"Any luck?" Alfred asked as Bruce returned to the manor, still wearing his enhanced tactical gear.
"Nothing. I've checked every location that could conceal a summoning circle, scanned for unusual energy readings, and even had the AI run facial recognition on anyone exhibiting strange behavior patterns. Gotham appears completely clean."
The phone's sharp ring interrupted their discussion. Alfred activated the speaker function, and Constantine's pain-filled voice filled the room.
"It's Constantine," the exorcist announced between obvious waves of discomfort. "Just thought you should know I almost died tonight."
"What happened?" Bruce demanded, recognizing the signs of someone fighting off serious trauma.
Constantine's account of his battle with the Devourer left both Bruce and Alfred deeply concerned. If a professional exorcist with enhanced divine weapons had barely survived an encounter with a single demon, what hope did ordinary humans have against organized supernatural threats?
"The quality and power level of summoned demons is escalating rapidly," Constantine concluded. "Either these cultists are getting extremely lucky with their rituals, or someone with serious knowledge is coordinating their activities."
Bruce felt cold certainty settle in his stomach. "You think we're looking at purposeful escalation rather than random incidents."
"I think someone is testing Earth's supernatural defenses," Constantine replied grimly. "Sending out increasingly powerful demons to see what kind of resistance they encounter. And based on tonight's performance, I'd say we're failing the test."
The implications were staggering. If this represented just the preliminary phase of some larger demonic invasion, Earth's defenders were woefully unprepared for what was coming.
"Rest and recover," Bruce instructed. "I'm going to Metropolis to brief Superman on the situation. We're going to need all the help we can get."
After ending the call, Bruce immediately contacted his pilot and prepared for departure. Whatever organization was behind the demon summoning had just escalated beyond anything Constantine could handle alone. It was time to start building a more comprehensive response.
In Metropolis...
Clark had just finished explaining the demonic threat to Lois, ensuring she understood both the dangers and the protective measures Marcus had provided. The necklace would keep her safe from direct supernatural attack, but vigilance remained essential.
"So demons are real, they're being summoned by organized groups, and they see humans as food," Lois summarized with journalistic precision. "Just when I thought aliens were the strangest thing I'd have to write about."
"Stay alert, but don't let fear control your life," Clark advised. "I'll be monitoring the city constantly, and if anything supernatural appears, I'll know about it immediately."
As Clark began his evening patrol of Metropolis, the sound of helicopter rotors drew his attention skyward. The aircraft bore Wayne Enterprises markings, and Clark's enhanced vision identified Bruce Wayne as its sole passenger.
"Might as well say hello," Clark decided. "If Bruce is here, it's probably related to the demon situation."
The two men who had fought alongside each other against Kryptonian invaders were about to discover that their partnership would be needed again sooner than either had anticipated.