"Let's investigate Chapter 17 of Hell's Corinthians," Constantine said, favoring the existing lead.
As the group lingered in the diner, Constantine's friend, Father Hennessy—self-proclaimed, not church-sanctioned—stumbled from the morgue. Despite lacking official status, he could see hidden truths, earning the title "Father" through his faith, despite his alcoholism.
From Isabelle's corpse, he'd glimpsed something terrifying, driving him to drown his fear in liquor. Staggering into a convenience store, he grabbed cheap booze, guzzling desperately. But some force interfered, spilling the alcohol on the floor, never reaching his mouth. He kept trying.
"Curious soul, faithful to Heaven yet drowning in drink?" Balza, watching nearby, toyed with a coin, muttering.
Like Isabelle and Constantine, those who squandered life were Hell-bound. Though the Ancient One sent Isabelle's soul to Heaven, Hell was her original destination—a deal between Heaven's Father and Hell's lords. Heaven strengthened faith; Hell claimed souls. A win-win.
Under a hallucinatory haze, Hennessy consumed copious alcohol, his panicked gasps mimicking drowning. Balza had subtly nudged him—demons excelled at manipulation, like his boss, who tricked mortals into flawed contracts. Demons offered courage in desperate moments.
Hennessy, nearing death, his alcohol-soaked brain failing, grabbed a screwdriver in his final lucid moment, carving wounds into his hand, screaming with each cut.
Balza found it amusing, relishing human desperation. He only needed to wait for Hennessy's death to claim the body.
"Call an ambulance!" a frantic shout rang out, irking Balza, interrupting his enjoyment.
As he moved to silence the noisy—blind?—man, a deafening roar exploded nearby: "Face me, Hell's scum!"
Before Balza could turn, a gleaming heavy blade swung at his neck. "Didn't you want me to face you?" he thought as his head fell, rolling to meet Luke Cage's gaze.
"How the hell am I supposed to face you?" his severed head demanded. Demons didn't need lungs to speak, unlike humans.
"Like this!" Luke's foot crushed Balza's body, bones cracking audibly.
"You son of a—" Balza's curse cut off as Luke's blade swung at his head.
"What the hell do you want to know? I'll talk!" Balza felt annihilation looming. Caught off guard, he couldn't resist—his body, holding most of his power, was pinned under Luke's foot. Summoning insects was impossible.
"Luke, finish him! Ambulance is ten minutes out," Matt said, pressing Hennessy's chest, mimicking drowning rescue. Blind, he relied on the labored breathing he heard.
"Matt, use a health potion! I'm busy!" Luke switched to the flat of his blade, smacking Balza's head like a baseball, shouting to Matt.
Matt, still adjusting to his new role, hadn't thought of potions. "I might get sued for false reports, but good thing I'm a lawyer," he quipped, grabbing a potion, less frantic now with a way to save Hennessy.
Luke approached Balza's head, dragging the headless body. "I hate you fancy, upper-class types. Most of you are no good!" he grumbled.
Matt, in his neat suit, felt targeted. "Not you, Matt!" Luke clarified.
"I know, Luke," Matt replied, wishing Luke would shut up. He prayed the ambulance bill wouldn't bankrupt him—freedom's cost in this country.
"Now, what do you have to say?" Luke stood, one foot on Balza's head, the other on his body.
Humiliated, Balza swallowed his pride. The threat of total erasure lingered—unlike death, which sent demons back to Hell, annihilation was final.
"Mammon's about to descend on this world!" Balza blurted, spilling his most valuable intel.
"Oh!" Luke responded dismissively, slicing Balza's body apart.
"Matt, what's Mammon?" Luke asked. Balza, feeling a chunk of his power vanish, wanted to die cleanly. He hated illiterates.
(Chapter End)
--------------------------
📖 Enjoying the story? By joining my Patreon, you'll gain early access to new chapters and exclusive content available only to supporters.
🌐 Find me here: pat*eon*com/DaoistRoeoNQ
I, Tomoya Aki, Will Not Be a Simp (45 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: Summoning Furina and the Genshin Gang to Reality (33 Chapter)
Honkai Impact 3rd: Stranded in Another World, Surrounded by Valkyries (33 Chapter)
Demon Slayer: I Refused the Path of Betrayal and Chose to Rewrite Fate (66 Chapter)
I Only Wanted to Fix Machines, Not Help Conan Solve Murders (63 Chapter)
One Piece: I Brought Piltover's Tech to the Pirate Era (75 Chapter)
From Diablo to Marvel: The Barbarian Who Crushes All Heroes (96 Chapter)
Resident Evil: Ethan's Epilogue Is a Road Trip With a Dead Girl (65 Chapter)
Date A Live: Kurumi Rebuild (65 Chapter)
Harry Potter: The Lion of the Serpent House (76 Chapter)
I Just Wanted a Quiet Life... So Why Am I an Uma Musume Trainer?! (145 Chapter)
The Irregular at Magic High School: Everyone Loves My Brother?! (130 Chapter)
Runeterra: Prince of Demacia (17 Chapter)
Love is War: What If Kaguya Ha (10 Chapter)
Blue Archive: One Last Memory (36 Chapter)
SLAM DUNK: REBORN AS SENDOH (31 Chapter)
THE WITCHER'S NIGHTMARE WAGON (45 Chapter)
Hogwarts: Alchemy Crafter (30 Chapter)
I Just Wanted to Play Music (38 Chapter)
Naruto : "Do you call this medical treatment?" (16 Chapter)
After the Accident, Surrounded by Heroines in Classroom of the Elite (30 Chapter)
If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it.