During his brief career as an exorcist, Constantine had faced many critical moments, always managing to turn danger into safety with an endless string of "accidents." Today was different; he felt he was truly going to die here.
Flames spread through the forest, growing wider and wider, the air temperature rose sharply, and everything within sight was engulfed in roaring fire.
Constantine choked on the smoke, coughing heavily, his head felt heavy, and he began to experience dizziness.
"Am I really going to die here?"
"No, I can't die. I have to find the black mech; only it can save me."
Constantine dodged the demon's attacks while searching for Luke's traces.
Unfortunately, the fire was too intense, making it impossible to find his bearings. In desperation, he slipped and fell backward onto the ground. Capton seized the opportunity, stepping on his chest, his ugly, fanged mouth thrusting close, the greed in his eyes almost palpable.
Roar! Roar! Roar! Roar!
"You slippery little rat, I've finally caught you."
"The great Capton will eat you, melt your flesh and blood into my body, and offer your soul to the endless Lord of the Abyss."
"Tremble!"
"Fear!"
"Cunning and vile Constantine, your fallen soul will forever wander in purgatory."
Bang!
An energy cannon blasted the High Demon's head, scattering gore everywhere, drenching Constantine's face and clothes in a layer of greenish-brown goo.
The next second, the goo began to squirm, crawling back to its original position along Constantine's throat, tongue, and skin. The scene was like hundreds of thousands of slimy worms burrowing into him, an indescribable level of disgust.
Even Luke felt a spasm in his stomach just watching, let alone the person experiencing it.
Constantine's eyes widened, and he lay blankly on the ground. The foul-smelling goo crawled from his tongue to his teeth, over his lips, and slithered down his greasy skin. When it reached between his legs, it paused, seemingly observing the size of *that* thing.
His mind froze at that moment, and his body began to tremble uncontrollably. Constantine opened his mouth wide, letting out a hysterical scream.
Luke shook his head with a tsk, "Poor fellow, I hope you don't have nightmares tonight."
Constantine went mad, frantically drawing on his magic regardless of the blood he was spitting up. Black light emanated from his fingertips, rapidly transforming into a powerful sealing array.
He was going to send those damned hellish bastards to the endless abyss!
Just then, the ground began to shake. A crack appeared beneath the High Demon's feet, and dark red magma surged forth, then transformed into a red and green magic array that enveloped its body.
Capton seemed to sense something, looking at Constantine in terror.
"Damn you, Zha Kang, you tricked me again! You tricked me again!"
It roared unwillingly, struggling with all its might, but it was powerless, slowly being dragged into the magma.
A few seconds later, the magma disappeared, the crack closed, and the ground returned to its original state.
The demon was gone, seemingly pulled back to hell by some force.
Luke pondered, he wasn't stupid, how could he not see the problem within. He leaped down from the rock, walked up to Constantine, and said in a calm tone,
"The demon has left. Now it's time to talk about our business."
Constantine snorted in anger, disdainfully saying,
"I never speak to things that can't be seen."
Luke raised his hand, and an energy bolt grazed his scalp, blasting a half-meter deep crater in the ground.
"Do you still want to talk now?"
Constantine: "..."
His dirty face twitched uncontrollably, his expression a mix of shock and anger. He glanced at the round hole on the ground and immediately broke into an incredibly fawning smile,
"Hero, no, boss, what do you want to talk about?"
"Of course, it's about us."
"I helped you, and I saved you, yet you chose to betray me, making me fight with an unkillable demon for so long, almost losing my life. Constantine, how do you think I'm feeling right now?"
Constantine immediately felt awkward. Betraying a teammate certainly wasn't a respectable thing to do, and being confronted about it afterward was even more embarrassing. Fortunately, he had similar experiences.
"Boss, please listen to my explanation. I truly didn't mean to. The aftermath of your battle was too strong; I couldn't help at all. Even if I forced myself to act, I would only be a burden to you. It was better to just hide and cheer you on, wouldn't you agree?"
"That makes sense, but..."
Changing his tone, Luke suddenly smiled, "I have a flaw; I repay kindness and avenge grievances. No matter how you explain it, it doesn't cover up the fact that you betrayed me. You owe me a favor, you owe me a life, and you owe me an explanation. Tell me, how will you repay me?"
Constantine showed an expression uglier than crying,
"Boss, what... what do you want?"
"Of course, I want compensation. Energy consumption, emotional distress, and the tragic experience of being harmed while acting heroically. All of these require compensation."
Constantine was extremely distressed. The other party was clearly playing him, yet he could do nothing but fawn,
"How about this, I'll be your magic consultant for free. From now on, whenever you encounter any magic-related problems, you can come to me. I guarantee I'll complete the task."
"I don't need a magic consultant. Even if I did, I wouldn't choose you. Your reputation is too bad."
"Then what do you want? I have no money, no people. Besides magic, I only have this life. You can't possibly want my life."
"You got it. What I want is your life. Give me your life, and we'll be even."
Constantine quickly forced a smile,
"Boss, don't joke. My life isn't worth a penny."
"A penny is still money."
Luke opened his palm, blue light diffused, and powerful energy fluctuations spread, distorting the surrounding air.
Constantine, being aimed at by the cannon, felt an even stronger sense of danger than before. If he dragged it out any longer, he would truly be killed.
He realized that the humanoid mech was not a superhero at all, but a ruthless, cold-blooded bastard. To get rid of him, he had to shed some blood. With that thought, he gritted his teeth,
"There's one more thing: a book of black magic. I stole... no, borrowed it from an abandoned ancient castle. I'll give you the book, and we can forget about today's events."
"Where's the book?"
"In Imperial City, at the hotel where I'm staying."
"Very good!"
Luke grabbed his clothes, rose into the air, and flew towards Imperial City.
Ten minutes later, in an unremarkable hotel room on the western outskirts of Imperial City, Luke threw the trembling Constantine onto the ground,
"If you dare to lie, I'll blast you and the entire hotel into ruins."
Constantine gave Luke an incredibly resentful look, then slowly walked to the cabinet and took out an ancient book made of parchment from his suitcase,
"This is the book!"
Luke didn't take it but instructed,
"Open it. Turn page by page!"
"Coward!"
Constantine cursed inwardly and, as Luke instructed, turned the pages of the parchment book one by one, ensuring he hadn't tampered with it.
After confirming that the parchment book contained no hidden magic, Luke took it in his hands, turned to the page recording the demon summoning array, and compared the illustration with the magic array that had appeared under the hell demon's feet.
"Ava, what do you think?"
"The lines on the right have been modified; everything else is identical."
"It seems the book is real."
Luke put away the book, turned, and left.
Constantine let out a long breath, ignoring the dust on his body, and fell backward onto the bed. Recalling his previous humiliating experience, he cursed fiercely,
"Damn humanoid mech, just you wait. Without my restrictions, the book's owner will find you sooner or later. Then we'll see how you beg me."
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