Constantine's Near-Death Experience
In his short career as an exorcist, Constantine had faced many life-threatening situations, always managing to escape due to a string of bizarre "accidents." Today was different; he genuinely felt he was going to die right here.
Fire was spreading throughout the forest, growing wider and wider. The air temperature was skyrocketing, and the entire area was engulfed in raging flames.
Constantine coughed from the smoke, his head spinning, and symptoms of dizziness setting in.
"Am I really going to die here?"
"No! Can't die! Find that black armor. Only it can save me!"
Constantine dodged the demon's attacks while desperately searching for Luke's location.
Unfortunately, the fire was too intense; he couldn't find his bearings. In his panic, he slipped and fell backward onto the ground. Kaptun seized the chance, stomped its foot on his chest, and thrust its hideous, fang-filled maw right up close. The avarice in its eye was almost solid.
Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!
You slippery little mouse! I've finally got you!
The great Kaptun will eat you, fuse your flesh into my body, and present your soul to the endless Abyss Lord!
Tremble!
Fear!
Cunning and vile Constantine, your corrupted soul will forever wander in the purgatory!
BAM!
An energy blast disintegrated the Higher Demon's head. Flesh splattered everywhere, drenching Constantine's face and clothes in a layer of greenish-brown goo.
The next second, the viscous goo began to writhe. It crawled back to its original location, moving across Constantine's throat, tongue, and skin. The sight was indescribably nauseating, like hundreds of thousands of sticky worms squirming all over him.
Luke felt his stomach churn just watching it, let alone being the victim.
Constantine lay rigid on the ground, eyes wide with horror. The foul-smelling goo crawled up his tongue, over his teeth, past his lips, and down his greasy skin. It paused between his legs, seemingly inspecting the size of his... thing.
His mind froze at that moment. His body shook uncontrollably. Constantine screamed a hysterical, agonizing cry.
Luke clicked his tongue and shook his head.
"Poor guy. Hope you don't have nightmares tonight."
Constantine had snapped. He violently drew on his remaining magical power, ignoring the blood bubbling from his mouth. Black light erupted from his fingertips, quickly coalescing into a powerful sealing array.
He was going to send the damn Hellspawn back to the Endless Abyss!
Just then, the ground began to shake. A fissure opened beneath the Higher Demon's feet, and deep-red magma surged out. It then transformed into a red and green magical array that engulfed the demon's body.
Kaptun seemed to realize what was happening, his eye filling with terror.
That bloody Scumbag-Con! You lied to me again! You lied to me!
It roared in defiance, struggling with all its might, but it was useless. It was slowly dragged down into the magma.
A few seconds later, the magma vanished, the fissure closed, and the ground returned to normal.
The demon was gone, apparently dragged back to Hell by some powerful force.
Luke looked thoughtful. He wasn't stupid; he could clearly see the manipulation involved. He jumped down from the rock and walked up to Constantine. His voice was flat.
"The demon is gone. Now, it's time to talk about our business."
Constantine scoffed contemptuously.
"I never talk to things that hide their face."
Luke raised his hand. An energy blast scorched past Constantine's scalp, exploding into a half-meter-deep crater in the dirt.
"Still don't want to talk?"
Constantine: "..."
His dirty face twitched with a mixture of shock and anger. He glanced at the circular pit on the ground, then instantly plastered on an utterly fawning smile.
"Hero... no, Boss. What did you want to discuss?"
"Naturally, the matter between us."
"I helped you and then saved you, yet you chose to set me up, forcing me to fight an unkillable demon for so long that I nearly lost my life. Constantine, how do you think I'm feeling right now?"
Constantine grew instantly awkward. Selling out a teammate is definitely not something to brag about, and being confronted afterward was even worse. Fortunately, he had experience with this sort of thing.
"Boss, please let me explain. I truly didn't mean to. The residual energy from your fighting was too strong. I couldn't help, and if I had forced myself to intervene, I would have only held you back. It was better to stay hidden and cheer you on, wouldn't you agree?"
"That makes sense, however..."
Changing his tone, Luke suddenly smiled. "I have one flaw: I always repay a favor and always settle a score. No matter how you explain it, it doesn't change the fact that you screwed me over. You owe me a favor, you owe me a life, and you owe me an explanation. How will you repay me?"
Constantine's expression was worse than a grimace.
"Boss, w-what do you want?"
"Compensation, of course. Energy depletion, emotional trauma, and the tragic experience of acting righteously only to be betrayed—all of this needs compensation."
Constantine was miserable. The guy was clearly toying with him, yet he had no recourse. He could only try to placate Luke.
"How about this: I'll be your free magical consultant. Anytime you run into a magical problem, you can come to me. I guarantee results."
"I don't need a magical consultant. Even if I did, I wouldn't hire you. Your reputation is terrible."
"Then what do you want? I have no money and no connections. Besides my magic, all I have is my life. You can't possibly want my life."
"Correct. What I want is your life. Give me your life, and we'll call it even."
Constantine quickly forced a smile.
"Boss, don't joke. My life isn't worth a penny."
"A penny is still money."
Luke's tone was serious, and his actions backed it up. He spread his fingers, aiming them at Constantine's head. Blue light filled his palm, and a powerful energy field radiated outward, causing the surrounding air to distort.
A suffocating sense of danger washed over Constantine. His pupils constricted, and his body suddenly went rigid. He had a premonition that if he stalled any longer, he would actually be killed.
This humanoid machine is no superhero! It's a ruthless, cold-blooded bastard!
"Boss, I suddenly remembered! I have one more thing! A book of black magic spells! I stole... no, borrowed it from an abandoned castle. I'll give you the book, and we'll forget everything that happened today!"
"Where is the book?"
"In Metropolis, at my hotel."
"Excellent!"
Luke grabbed his coat, soared into the air, and flew toward Metropolis.
Ten minutes later, in an unremarkable hotel room in the western suburbs of Metropolis, Luke dumped a trembling Constantine onto the floor.
"If you lie to me, I will blow you and this entire hotel into ruins."
Constantine shot Luke a look of profound bitterness. He trudged over to a closet, retrieved a piece of luggage, and pulled out an ancient book bound in parchment.
"This is the book!"
Luke didn't take it. Instead, he commanded,
"Open it. Turn the pages one by one!"
Coward!
Constantine cursed internally. Following Luke's instructions, he flipped through the parchment book page by page, proving he hadn't rigged it with anything.
Satisfied that the book contained no hidden magic, Luke took it. He flipped to the page detailing the demon summoning array and compared the illustration to the magic circle that had appeared under the demon's foot.
"Ava, how does it look?"
"The lines on the right side were modified. The rest is identical."
"Looks like the book is genuine."
Luke stowed the book, turned, and left.
Constantine let out a massive sigh of relief. Ignoring the dirt and dust, he flopped onto the bed. Thinking of the humiliation he had just suffered, he viciously cursed.
"That damned humanoid machine! Just you wait! Without my limitations, the book's owner will eventually find you! We'll see how you beg me then!"
🗒️NOTE:
Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MistaQuartz
Explore up to 20 chapters in advance!