Hellboy's expression had turned strange upon seeing Excalibur, which made Rorschach suspicious.
Moreover, Hellboy had spent a lot of time just observing it.
"I have a feeling that if I pull out the Stone Sword, something bad will happen," Hellboy said, his head lowered, his voice muffled.
Yet, he still walked step by step toward the stone holding the sword.
His human half felt unease, but his demonic blood felt an undeniable urge.
Caught in this conflict, Hellboy hesitated, looking at the sword, still not reaching out his hand.
"I reckon something bad will happen if you don't pull it out!"
A single-handed hammer glowing with red light appeared in Rorschach's hand.
The head of the hammer looked like a nut, covered densely with spikes.
This hammer was named the "Nutcracker." It was payment from Bulcatho to make Rorschach quiet down for a while.
Although it was just a weak legendary weapon casually forged by Bulcatho, this hammer dealt extra damage on critical hits. Other than that, it had no special properties.
It was just hard and heavy.
But for a Barbarian recruit like Rorschach, it was a rare treasure.
"You aren't plotting some demonic scheme, are you?"
Rorschach's tone was very rude, and he even assumed an offensive stance.
regarding Hellboy, Rorschach leaned towards those who wanted to kill him.
Demons represented endless trouble, so Rorschach wasn't willing to leave the choice of whether Hellboy did evil entirely up to the half-demon.
"Quiet! I'm trying it now!"
Hellboy threw his chocolate bar on the ground and grabbed the hilt of Excalibur.
Rorschach's urging made Hellboy cast aside his concerns; after all, he was a creature of action more than thought.
Then, his entire body began to erupt with hellfire.
"Kill! Kill the enemies! Crush their bones! Create a true Hell in London!"
At that moment, the sounds of soldiers—monsters modified with both vampire and demon traits—came from outside St. Paul's Cathedral.
They had reached the ground. Using their ill-fitting landing gear, they began to create hell in the city.
Residents hiding in their homes could not escape this catastrophe. For these monsters, tracking human scents was trivially easy. It was practically instinct.
Rorschach heard the screams. His sense of justice wouldn't allow him to watch these bastards run rampant.
But the changes occurring in Hellboy right in front of him felt like a massive threat!
It was a dilemma. Rorschach couldn't be sure that if he left Hellboy now, he wouldn't return to find a monster he couldn't defeat.
Rorschach's guard against this half-demon had never faded.
"What is that?"
Constantine's voice came from upstairs. He had just finished his sorcery ritual and hadn't yet jumped down to Arthur's resting place when he heard the inhuman roars of the soldiers.
Hearing Constantine's voice, Rorschach relaxed slightly.
Although Constantine was a bastard, his stance against demons was always firm.
This didn't stop Rorschach from wanting to beat up the guy with the mixed aura and issuing a warning:
"Last Battalion! You've been investigating the Stone Sword and Nimue recently, but the biggest threat right now is actually these ghosts of the Third Reich!"
Daimio's voice rang out as well. He stopped thinking about why he had fired earlier and simply reloaded his pistol.
Facing a visible monster, there was nothing to think about.
The only good demon was a dead demon.
"Don't tell me we have to face Rasputin next!"
Constantine's voice sounded like a strangled rooster.
In the occult world's understanding, Rasputin, the powerful sorcerer, was practically bound to the Third Reich.
Although rumors said he was dead, Constantine didn't believe a mage with power rivaling Nimue's would die so trivially.
Poisoned, shot, falling into an icy river, and finally cremated.
Such damage wouldn't even hurt Constantine if he was prepared, let alone Rasputin, the Mad Monk. Constantine could perform a "water and fire invulnerability" trick in a fire easily.
Rasputin couldn't have died under those circumstances; that was the consensus of the mystic community.
Thinking of that powerful entity, Constantine felt fear. After all, no mage had ever claimed to have deciphered the source of Rasputin's power. The magic that Mad Monk used remained a secret to this day.
"Isn't that guy dead long ago?" Daimio asked, then opened fire on the monster rushing into the cathedral.
He didn't intend to let those things get close.
However, the special bullets in his gun had no effect. Striking the monster's body was like throwing stones into water—ripples, but no real change.
"Living humans!"
The monster soldier had lost its reason, completely controlled by its demonic aspect.
Since this demonic modification was a rushed product, flaws were perfectly normal.
"What exactly is this thing? Demon or vampire?"
Constantine pulled a newly acquired shroud from his pocket and wrapped it around his fist.
He hated mindless monsters because it meant he couldn't use his silver tongue to create surprises.
The monster soldier charged with beast-like movements, knocking aside Daimio, who had moved to intercept, with a single swipe.
Then, it turned its target to Constantine.
The piece of shroud had some effect; at least the monster hesitated slightly. It looked like someone spotting a speck of filth on a freshly bought cupcake.
"Hah!"
A woman's muffled war cry echoed as Jessica descended from the sky.
Flying straight there, Jessica had spotted this monster from a distance. If it hadn't been so far away, the creature wouldn't have had the chance to enter St. Paul's.
Fortunately, she wasn't too late.
The moment Jessica landed, her hand axe cleaved the disgusting monster in two.
Indistinguishable organs spilled onto the floor along with the corpse, emitting a dark brown glow.
"Hello, Helmet Person. When did you go to Thailand?"
Constantine subconsciously commented upon seeing Jessica in the distinct Star-Lord helmet. The last time he saw that style was on Luke.
Then, his attention was drawn to the dark brown glow.
"Mephisto?"
Constantine spoke the name with suspicion.
The aura on that puddle of blood reminded him of his old friend.
Constantine had dealt with Mephisto, both his avatars and his true body, more than once. But the aura in this light seemed to have changed.
Just as Constantine was doubting, Mephisto's avatar appeared directly in the church.
The war had begun. Mephisto had collected quite a few souls in a short time. He was now significantly stronger than when he was beaten up by Luke and Jessica.
So, he answered Constantine's call.
"We meet again, Constantine! I really am lucky!"
Mephisto had teleported by following Constantine's call.
Because he heard the call, and because he had now crossed the threshold of an Archdemon, he planned to exact revenge on Constantine, who had tricked him several times.
Demons were mostly petty. The exceptions were simply petty on a perverted level.
Because this Mephisto's power came from the human world, he didn't trigger the barrier set by Agamotto.
It had to be said, this avatar had accomplished what the main body in Hell could not. Using Hell's power in the human world was extremely difficult.
Only this avatar, existing in the human world with power not converted through Hell, could use it without rejection. Though the power was hard-won.
Strictly speaking, this Hell Lord's avatar had obtained a temporary residence permit for the human world.
If he could survive the human guardians, he could establish his own territory here. Once he grasped a portion of Hell's authority, he could discard the name Mephisto and become a new Hell Lord!
And the human world would be eroded by Hell.
"You're here too!"
Mephisto looked at Jessica and let out a furious roar, sending a shockwave rippling out.
However, lacking War Cry skills, Mephisto only stirred up a strong wind.
The petty demon hadn't forgotten the mixed doubles beating he received from Luke and Jessica. It was precisely because of that battle that his aura had changed.
It also caused him to completely lose the chance to devour his main body in Hell. Since his origin had changed, no matter how strong he became, he couldn't fully absorb the main body's power.
Because of Jessica and Luke, he was forced onto a much harder path.
"I think if you got a job as a janitor, you'd create a legend," Constantine quip. Even facing a Demon Lord he couldn't beat, he wouldn't act cowardly.
This wasn't his first rodeo with a Hell Lord. "Merely" Mephisto—the guy had suffered losses at Constantine's hands more times than he could count.
"Xia!"
Rorschach could no longer focus on Hellboy. The immense pressure from Mephisto made it impossible to sit idly by.
The power formed by souls filled with resentment caused the Wings of Justice to emerge from Rorschach's back!
Driven by justice, Rorschach used Leap, appearing instantly in front of Mephisto. The Nutcracker hammer thrust toward the Archdemon's forehead like a plunger.
"Die! Demon!"
Rorschach roared as he descended.
His Leap was far superior to Jessica's. In this moment, the flames of his rage began to swell.
"Damn bastard!"
Facing Rorschach's Leap, Mephisto roared and thrust his right hand directly to meet it.
Fury collided with dark power, creating a massive boom.
Riding the shockwave, Constantine rolled away, crashing directly into Daimio's arms.
Daimio had just regained his senses only to find Constantine in his embrace.
In that instant, remembering Constantine's bisexuality, he performed a combination move of transformation and bristling out of sheer fright.
"Roar~"
Daimio, now in Were-Jaguar form, let out a roar before being smashed to the ground by Rorschach.
Mephisto had caught the Leap, and Rorschach even took some damage in the collision.
Blood sprayed from Rorschach's mouth, but he struggled to his feet.
Daimio, used as a cushion, had it worse; he was beaten back into human form.
Mephisto, on the defensive, wasn't unscathed either. His extended right hand had turned into a limp mass of rotten flesh, barely held together by dark energy.
Rorschach was now strong enough to fight him head-on. With the Archangel's Wings of Justice, Rorschach was not an opponent to be ignored.
Even Nimue would have to put in some effort to defeat the current Rorschach. Mephisto, possessing only Archdemon-level strength, had to be careful not to be turned into meat paste.
"Ahhh!"
From the pit underground, Hellboy let out a massive roar!
The moment he gripped the hilt of Excalibur, the blood of Arthur within him showed him the consequences of drawing the sword.
He would become the true World Destroyer, the conduit between Hell and Earth!
All of England would become a paradise for Hell, and he, as the King of Demons and Britain, would lead his subjects to expand his territory.
But by then, his subjects would only be demons!
Hellboy wanted to let go more than once to avoid that terrible outcome.
But every time he tried to release his grip, the demon blood caused him to fail.
Hellboy was the Son of Hell; his father was the amalgamation of all Hell Lords!
And now, a Hell Lord's avatar was right beside him. Even if that avatar had lost some of its source, Mephisto's avatar still possessed immense power.
The brief clash between Mephisto and Rorschach caused the demonic blood to erupt completely!
Two狰狞 (hideous) horns on Hellboy's head grew to completion in the blink of an eye. Between the horns, a crown of flame burned furiously.
Hellfire patterns appeared on his stone right arm. This time, Hellboy finally pulled out the Stone Sword!
Due to the immense pressure caused by Mephisto, the demonic part of his bloodline finally gained the upper hand!
In just a moment of trance, Hellboy completely drew Excalibur.
"Hah!"
Rorschach let out another war cry and initiated a Charge toward Hellboy!
Jessica was forced to face Mephisto alone to stop him from interfering in the battle between Rorschach and Hellboy.
Jessica didn't know that no one was suffering more than Mephisto right now.
The moment the Stone Sword was drawn, the Gates of Hell opened upon the British soil!
And he, as Mephisto's avatar, possessed power that did not belong to the main body. This would inevitably attract the main body's attention.
Mephisto's avatar was the person who most wanted to stop Hellboy right now, but he was still recovering from his injury.
He didn't have health potions like Rorschach to launch continuous attacks, and in his injured state, he couldn't quickly defeat Jessica.
Even worse, Constantine, wearing a wretched grin, wrapped that shroud over Mephisto's eyes!
"Stop! Only I can make Hellboy let go of that sword!" Mephisto's avatar shouted loudly.
But because of his notorious reputation, no one believed him.
Daimio struggled up from the ground, took one look at the situation, and under the pressure, pulled out the special gun originally meant to kill Hellboy. He aimed it at Mephisto's avatar!
From his position, he couldn't see Hellboy, who hadn't yet returned to the surface. Feeling his consciousness fading again, he pulled the trigger with unwavering resolve!
"Nice shot, Daimio!"
Constantine roared, watching Mephisto's avatar's chest explode completely.
Then, he took out a bullet he had been saving and shoved it directly into Mephisto's chest wound!
The avatar was defeated once again!
Rorschach's Nutcracker hammer smashed onto the hellfire-wreathed Excalibur, emitting a deafening boom!
At that moment, the earth cracked open!
Countless giant demons crawled out from the fissures, launching attacks on everything in sight.
The giant demons were merely the first step of Hell connecting to the human world. Next, countless lesser demons would crawl out along the cracks, spreading across the world like locusts!
Neither the Last Battalion nor the British defense forces seemed capable of facing these elite-level demons.
The Werewolf Captain of the Last Battalion began to move. He no longer needed to think about plans.
He only wanted to die in battle, and for that, he was even willing to hold back his strength.
These giant demons were the perfect targets; demons could end his desolate life!
At this moment, Alucard finally appeared in everyone's field of vision. His face was grim.
For monsters, Alucard had no tolerance.
For demons, Alucard was filled with nothing but murderous intent!
Maxwell, who had originally intended for the Paladins to fight the River of Blood, was forced by this massive change to order his knights to mobilize immediately.
The glory and power of the Church were what he pursued, but compared to killing a vampire, fighting the demons of Hell was the most critical matter!
-------------------------------
I've already uploaded 20 chapters of this story on Patreon!
If you enjoy it, come check out the latest chapters in advance.
Here's the link:
[pat*eon*com/DaoistRoeoNQ]
Thank you so much for your support!!!