mtl008 Chapter 4605 The Day of Brightest Day (64)
Chapter 4605 The Day of Brightest Day (64)
Chapter 4605 The Day of Brightest Light (Sixty-Four)
"The Justice League. Yes, they saved the world. I heard they even put a protective shield around Earth, which is quite a feat. But if it were that easy to deal with demons and angels, humanity wouldn't keep repeating the same mistakes."
Constantine, a cigarette dangling from his lips, spoke in a somewhat indistinct tone. He rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt, spread a map of the East Coast on the table, rested his hands on the edge of the table, and frowned slightly as he stared at the map.
Schiller nodded slightly, agreeing with Constantine's assessment. Even Marvel's Earth Magic Defense Network wasn't entirely immune to all demons. Mephisto, a veteran dimensional lord, could be said to have coexisted with human civilization. As long as you couldn't kill all his followers on Earth, he could continue to exert influence. The Earth Magic Defense Network merely served as a warning, preventing him from going too far.
As for the DC main universe, it's mostly used to guard against mysterious entities in the physical universe. Even setting aside the angels who manage the universe, it can't completely prevent them from being completely blocked, not even by the demons of Hell.
Although neither angels nor demons would easily meddle in the main universe, Constantine clearly didn't think so. The situation in his universe was terrible; angels and demons were relentlessly invading the human world, creating countless half-angels and half-demons, turning the human world into a battlefield for their battles. His distrust of these beings was perfectly understandable.
“Don’t you want to stay at the Justice League base?” Schiller asked.
“It’s not safe enough here,” Constantine said, “especially in the realm of the occult. I don’t know how Batman could tolerate it, but it’s clearly not the place for my job.”
“Actually, Batman can’t tolerate it either,” Schiller said. “He has partial control over sorcerers on Earth. But there’s one exception, whom he not only can’t control, but who also messed him up badly in the previous multiverse exercise.”
Constantine sighed. Of course he knew who that person was. Since arriving in the Battle Realm, he had gained a completely new understanding of just how unreliable his counterparts in other universes could be.
Schiller knew that, logically, the main universe should have formed the Justice League Dark long ago. But unfortunately, Constantine in the main universe had really gone too far, and in his quest to get revenge on Batman for forcing him to work, he had inadvertently caused DC to lose. Even if Batman wanted to recruit him, he would have to consider the feelings of others.
However, the core figure of the Justice League Dark is Constantine. Although the others possess considerable magical abilities, the key to the Justice League Dark lies in its "darkness." Without Constantine's unorthodox methods, it would be impossible to navigate the various mysterious entities with ease, and the organization's growth would be minimal. Furthermore, after Batman acquired the power of the Seven Lamps, he shifted his focus to researching the emotional spectrum, thus putting this matter on hold.
“What kind of place do you want?” Schiller asked.
"What kind of place can you procure?" Constantine glanced at him and retorted, "You're not a local either, are you? Do we even have a choice?"
“I have a house in Gotham,” Schiller said. “It was prepared for me by the Batman of the main universe. It’s a mansion on the banks of the Gotham River, with two floors and a basement.”
“Okay,” Constantine said. “Let’s go over there first, and then I’ll set up the ceremony and ask about the situation.”
Arthur sensed something was off as the two left the Justice League base. However, when he learned they were going to Gotham, Arthur simply said, "After Batman left, the Robins are in charge there. I heard there's some conflict between them. If you're going there..."
“I have no interest in the Batman family drama,” Schiller said bluntly. “Whatever their conflicts are, it’s none of my business. Let’s go, John.”
The two drove into Gotham. The city was quiet, as peaceful and serene as ever. Constantine gently sniffed and frowned slightly.
"What's wrong?" Schiller turned to look at him.
“It’s nothing.” Constantine shook his head slightly. “No matter how many times, I still can’t get used to the strong sense of sin here. You know, the Gotham in my universe is practically a paradise. Every time I finish a tough case, I go there for a vacation on the beach.”
“Unbelievable,” Schiller commented.
“Angels and demons don’t like it there. The stench of evil there is too pungent, mixed with inedible iron filings and shards of glass—what people usually call madness—it’s a culinary wasteland for them. Exorcists like us can only find a semblance of peace there.”
"Have you met Batman from your universe?"
Constantine shook his head and said, "Unless he comes to me, I won't make contact with him. Just as he's unfamiliar with the work of exorcists, I'm not capable of getting involved in the things he has to deal with. I have enough trouble already."
As they spoke, they arrived at the Gotham River. This house was actually given to Arrogance by Batman from the main universe, but since they were both Schillers, the house's alarm system wouldn't be triggered, so it could be considered their base in the main universe.
After entering, Constantine looked around the house and said, "This doesn't seem like a place for you."
“Yes,” Schiller said, picking up a sculpture by the door. “I’d only find it annoying because it gets dusty.”
Then he led Constantine to the basement door: "You go in and set up the ceremony first, I'll go buy some necessities. Is there anything you need?"
"Cigarettes and whiskey, thank you."
When Schiller returned from his shopping, Constantine had already set up the ceremony. He had placed many strange objects on the ground, the only one Schiller recognized was a Bible.
Schiller handed him the whiskey, and Constantine produced a glass from who-knows-where, poured himself a finger's width of whiskey, tilted his head back, and downed it in one gulp, gasping for breath from the spiciness.
He grinned, put down his glass, walked towards the ceremony, knelt on the ground, placed his hand on the Bible, and began to recite prayers.
Gradually, a soft white light filled the entire room, and a phantom image resembling a door appeared overhead, looking just like the legendary Stairway to Heaven.
Soon, the intense heat spread, and Schiller saw many crimson flames before his eyes, with faint sounds of praise coming from within.
“Seraphim, I offer you my prayers. May I be informed of the current situation in the Sanctuary?”
“Those who stood before him have not yet returned; one has been absent for a long time, and another has not come and gone as usual. The Garden of Eden is still as peaceful as ever, except that God has not tended to his garden for a long time.”
"Thank you. Has any saint visited recently?"
"It has been a long time since then. The holy spring flows as it always has."
"I understand. Thank you. Praise be to our eternal Lord and Father, may His hymns resound throughout the world."
Schiller didn't hear clearly; it was only part of the conversation. He could sense some higher level of communication taking place between them. After the light went out, Constantine said, "This is probably indeed related to Heaven."
"How did you figure that out?" Schiller frowned. The exchange just now sounded like gibberish to him.
“An archangel has gone missing,” Constantine explained, “and he’s only recently become absent. This matter is probably related to him.”
Constantine didn't need to say that. Bruce was definitely absent; his name was on the Origin Wall, how was he supposed to clock in at Heaven?
“Anything else?” Schiller asked. “Are there visitors to Heaven?”
Constantine shook his head and said, "No. There certainly wasn't any decent visitor. Even if it were a superhero, the Seraphim would have told me."
"That's exactly what I was going to ask you, which angel is a seraphim?"
“Seraphim,” Constantine said, extinguishing the candle, “which one exactly depends on who’s available. Usually, it’s Raphael’s men who handle the calls. They’re in charge of healing, and they’re the easiest to talk to. We’re lucky.”
Schiller pondered. He still believed in Constantine's professional abilities. Despite the impressive capabilities of Constantines in other universes, it was still true: Constantine's intellect far surpassed his magical powers. Most Constantines weren't actually that strong physically; the Constantine in the cinematic universe was already quite formidable.
He only needed to perform a simple ceremony to make a phone call to Heaven's headquarters—something not everyone can do. Moreover, the person who answered the call was a Seraphim. Seraphim are the highest-ranking angels, which is equivalent to a VIP line. Furthermore, the angel who answered the call treated Constantine exceptionally well, even gently. Schiller felt that other Constantines didn't receive this kind of treatment.
Perhaps this is also related to the situation in his universe. Every piece on the battlefield of angels and demons is crucial, and this Constantine is unusually not as rotten as other Constantines; his biggest vice is simply smoking. It's not unreasonable that the angels treat him well.
Since Constantine said there are no visitors to Heaven, then Anatoly didn't go to Heaven to find Lucifer. So what was he rushing off to do?
By this time, Constantine had already begun altering the ritual. He contacted the demons of Hell again; it seemed Azazel answered the phone. The answer he received was that Hell had been peaceful recently. Lucifer had not returned, nor had any other visitors.
"It's almost certain the problem lies in Heaven." Constantine rubbed the cigarette in his hand.
"What's the use of this? Can it help us find out which archangel it is?"
"No. Unlike the demons in hell, angels mostly don't have unique numbers, so we can't use the process of elimination to determine who's missing. However, we're not here to catch the mastermind. Didn't you say we only need to protect the people who can solve the problem?"
“That’s right.” Schiller nodded.
“That makes things easier.” Constantine pulled something from his pocket and said, “I call this necklace ‘Serpent’s Wrath.’ Actually, it’s made from a shard of Satan’s cup, and angels usually avoid it.”
Schiller took the necklace. At the bottom of the necklace was a diamond-shaped pendant, with a silver metal frame. Inside the metal frame was transparent glass, and in the very center was a crystal that emitted a faint glow.
"So, this is the cup Satan used to drink from?" Schiller asked, somewhat puzzled. "Why would he break his own cup, and how did the shards end up here with you?"
"Just lucky."