If Darian were an Angel or a demon, Papa Midnight wouldn't care too much.
He has always maintained absolute neutrality in the struggle between Heaven and Hell, naturally holding enough confidence in his own hands.
You must know, the weak never have the qualifications to talk about neutrality.
But Darian just happens to be a Police officer, and the nature of this is completely different.
After all, he lives on the land of America, and the largest power here is never Heaven or Hell, but the U.S. government.
As long as you live here, you must follow one rule: the law.
Although Papa Midnight possesses abilities that transcend ordinary people, he is essentially still a human.
No matter how big his rules are, could they possibly be bigger than the law?
Papa Midnight suddenly felt annoyed.
If Darian used the name of Heaven or Hell to pressure him, he could easily bring up the principle of absolute neutrality and kick them out directly.
But Darian using the laws of the human world to pressure him, that's a bit tricky.
On a legal level, his Midnight Club is indeed operating illegally, and he doesn't even have a proper business license; if one were to really get serious about it, his trouble would be huge.
Not to mention anything else, just the tax evasion alone would be enough for the IRS to drive an armored vehicle to his door to "warm him up."
In the past, Papa Midnight didn't care about these things at all.
Anyway, his club has magic protection, so there's no need to worry about humans discovering this place.
But who would have thought that a superhuman like Darian would appear within the judicial system?
Angela, who was on the side, reacted extremely quickly and immediately took out her Police badge from her pocket to show it.
"That's right, we are Police officers from the Los Angeles Police Department. My name is Angela Dodson, badge number 7439."
She didn't know if Darian's identity as a Police officer was real or fake, but she was definitely real, which was perfect for helping to cover this up.
After hearing this, Papa Midnight glared fiercely at Constantine.
He felt like he had been set up again; this bastard actually brought two Police officers to raid his place.
Constantine spread his hands, his face full of innocence.
He also didn't expect this to happen suddenly.
A perfectly good supernatural exorcism movie instantly turned into a Police anti-gangster film, and the mysterious and eerie atmosphere that had just been permeating the air vanished completely.
Papa Midnight took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his anger: "What exactly do you want to do?"
Darian smiled and said: "It's very simple, we just want you to cooperate with the investigation obediently."
"But my rule is not to lean towards any side and to maintain absolute neutrality," Papa Midnight was still trying to struggle.
"You maintain neutrality with Heaven and Hell, what does that have to do with us, the Police?"
Darian said righteously: "There is no such thing as neutrality in the legal code. As long as the law is broken, we have the right to take mandatory measures against suspects. If you think there is any problem with our law enforcement behavior, you can call the Los Angeles Police Department's complaint hotline at any time."
Papa Midnight was so angry his face turned black, almost blending into the environment, but he was helpless.
If it were anyone else who dared to threaten him like this, he could easily use Voodoo magic to throw the other party out of the club.
But Darian has the protection of being a Police officer. If he dared to resist, it would be a clear case of assaulting an officer, shooting up to three stars or more, and by then, the entire Midnight Club would probably be surrounded by the Police.
Papa Midnight hesitated for a long time, and finally gritted his teeth and said: "Fine, I'll cooperate. But I'll state in advance that I am not leaning towards either side; this is just fulfilling the responsibility of an ordinary citizen, cooperating with the Police investigation, that's all."
Darian grinned: "Of course, afterwards we can even apply for a Good Citizen Award for you. Now, first tell me, what exactly is the meaning of that pattern?"
This time, Papa Midnight no longer hid anything and said slowly: "That symbol represents the son of the devil, Mammon."
Constantine was shocked upon hearing this: "It's actually the son of Satan!?"
God has the Holy Son Jesus, and naturally, Satan also has a demon child, which is Mammon.
Angela hurriedly asked: "What is the purpose of this Mammon? Why is he targeting my sister?"
Darian replied: "Your sister said that an extremely terrifying demon wants to use her as a medium to break through the barrier and descend to the human world; this must be Mammon."
Constantine's expression immediately became ugly: "If Mammon's true form descends to the human world, then the entire human world will be finished."
As Satan's child, Mammon's strength naturally wouldn't be bad. Although he is far from being as powerful as his father, he is definitely not something that ordinary forces can deal with.
If Mammon comes to the human world, the human world will definitely turn into a second Purgatory.
Hearing their conversation, Papa Midnight rarely took the initiative to interject: "You are overthinking it. Pure-blooded demons cannot descend to the human world in their true form, especially those of Mammon's level; it is even more difficult. It's not something that can be done just by finding a suitable medium."
"There is an insurmountable barrier between Hell and the human world. This is a rule set by God and Satan back in the day. Except for them personally, no one else can directly cross this barrier, not even Mammon."
"Unless he obtains the help of God's power or Satan's power, but that is simply impossible."
Although Satan is the ruler of Hell and synonymous with evil, he is also notoriously known for following the rules.
After he and God set these game rules back then, he really hasn't stepped foot in the human world once.
For behavior like Mammon's that breaks the rules, he would absolutely not tolerate it, not even if it were his own child; it is impossible for him to lend his power to Mammon.
As for God, it is even more impossible.
This is no different from taking a dump on someone's head and then asking them to borrow a tissue.
"I don't think it's that simple; there must be a big conspiracy behind it."
Constantine took a cigarette out of his pocket and casually picked up the lighter on Papa Midnight's desk to light it.
"But since we know the mastermind is Mammon, the next step will be easier to handle."
Darian asked: "What do you plan to do?"
"Since Mammon wants to break the rules, then of course we should report him directly."
Constantine chuckled: "Heaven definitely won't sit idly by. It's perfect to hand it over to them to handle; anyway, they are professionals in this regard. It just so happens that I know an Angel with a high rank. You should have heard of his name too: Archangel Gabriel."
Darian nodded: "Okay, then let's go."
After getting the information they wanted, the three of them hurried out of Papa Midnight's office.
Watching them leave, Papa Midnight finally breathed a sigh of relief, took out a new cigar to light it, but ended up reaching for nothing.
"Fuck, Constantine, you bastard, you actually swiped my lighter!"
Anything can be tolerated, but swiping a lighter cannot be tolerated.
Papa Midnight was furious and roared at the door: "Someone, put up a sign for me outside, and write on it: Constantine and dogs are not allowed inside!"
Walking out of the Midnight Club, the three were preparing to get in the car and leave.
Just as they walked to the roadside, something eerie happened.
They saw the streetlights on the side of the road going out one after another, from far to near. Darkness spread along the street, and in the blink of an eye, it swallowed the light around them, and the originally bright street fell into a thick pitch-black darkness.
In the darkness, the sound of dense flapping wings could be vaguely heard, along with intermittent shrieks and roars, making one's scalp tingle. The air was filled with a strong, pungent smell of sulfur.
"Shit! We've been ambushed!"
Constantine reacted extremely quickly and hurriedly took out a small piece of rotten cloth, lighting it with the lighter he had just swiped.
The flame ignited rapidly, erupting with a dazzling holy light that swept across the surroundings.
The hell monsters hiding in the darkness instantly revealed their forms, letting out shrill screams, and were burned to ashes by the holy light in the blink of an eye.
This was a piece of clothing worn by Moses back in the day, the one who parted the sea.
Unfortunately, this holy light only lasted for less than two seconds before it went out, and the darkness that had just been pushed back immediately pressed in again.
Darian looked disgusted: "You are really not very long-lasting."
Constantine looked at the cloth strip in his hand that was reduced to ashes, looking embarrassed: "I used it once when I was attacked by demons last time, and now only this much is left."
"Forget it, let me do it."
Darian raised his arm casually and directly released a Light Spell.
In an instant, dazzling white light erupted from his palm, spreading in all directions, illuminating the entire pitch-black street as if it were daylight.
All the hell monsters hiding in the shadows had nowhere to hide, and one by one they were forced to reveal their twisted and ugly original forms.
Where the holy light swept, the monsters' bodies began to sizzle and smoke, letting out heart-wrenching screams, melting and dissipating at a speed visible to the naked eye, leaving not even a trace behind.
Just at this moment, a sharp whistling sound suddenly rang out.
A car smashed through the air, heading straight for the three people's heads with a whistling wind.
Darian stood in front of the two, raised one hand, steadily caught the flying car, and threw it back in the direction it came from with a backhand motion.
Bang!!
The car exploded in mid-air, and fragments flew everywhere.
A man in a sharp suit walked slowly out of the explosion's flames, his eyes glowing with a scarlet light, his tone cold: "Constantine, it seems you've found another good helper."
Constantine's expression darkened: "Balthazar, so it was you, you hell bastard, who ambushed us. It seems you are Mammon's lackey."
Unlike mixed-breed demons, Balthazar is a high-ranking demon who ranks among the top in Hell. He has dealt with Constantine several times, and each time it was not very pleasant; the two have long-standing grudges.
Balthazar did not deny it and said coldly: "I am here to stop you from disturbing My Lord Mammon's good work."
"Just by you?"
Constantine sneered.
Although Balthazar is a high-ranking demon, due to the restrictions of the barrier, Balthazar, when possessing a human body, can at most use some minor magic, and his physical fitness is only slightly stronger than an ordinary person.
It's not bragging, but for something of this level, he could hang the opponent up and beat them.
Constantine patted Darian's shoulder, looking relaxed: "Buddy, you don't need to bother this time. Watch how I deal with him, and let him know whose territory this human world really is."
As he spoke, he took out two golden brass knuckles engraved with runes from his trench coat pocket and put them on, walking forward with a swagger, preparing for a physical exorcism, intending to show off in a big way.
And the next moment, the smile on his face froze.
They saw Balthazar's body suddenly expand and grow taller, his suit being stretched until it tore into shreds. A pair of huge black bat wings suddenly spread from behind him, two hideous black sharp horns grew out of his forehead, his skin turned dark gray, and his body was surging with thick black aura.
Balthazar: ( . dish . )
Constantine: ∑ ( ; A )
Why did he transform right from the start?
Constantine didn't say a word, turned around, and shielded Darian in front of him: "Buddy, I suddenly feel that stealing your spotlight isn't very good. I won't fight you for this demon."
The Balthazar in front of them clearly used some means to break through the restrictions of the human barrier, allowing him to exert the power of his original form. The difficulty level skyrocketed instantly, and Constantine didn't want to risk his already dwindling life to fight hard.
"It's the same no matter who comes."
Balthazar let out a low roar.
He flapped his huge black wings, and a violent wind, wrapped in a hot air wave with the smell of sulfur, rushed towards them. His whole body took to the air, swooping down towards the three with a whistling wind.
Sizzle—!
The Pig Talisman appeared in Darian's hand out of thin air, and his eyes suddenly shot out two blinding yellow electric beams, blasting the oncoming Balthazar away. He fell heavily onto the road more than ten meters away, and the hard concrete ground was smashed into a shallow pit.
Balthazar struggled to climb out of the pit, the charred marks on his body caused by the electric light slowly healing.
But before he could recover, Darian had already leaped into mid-air, a dazzling white strip condensed in his hand, and he slashed it down on his head.
Balthazar instinctively raised his arm to block.
The white strip cut into it without any obstruction, severing both bone and flesh, and black blood sprayed out, falling on the ground with a sizzling corrosive sound.
Balthazar's pupils shrank: "What a sharp light tube!"
"Ignorant thing, this is a magic sword."
Darian snorted coldly, turned his wrist, and the magic sword split into countless dense light blades, wrapping Balthazar entirely within them.
The power of the light attribute is naturally restrained against demons. Every attack triggered a critical hit, leaving dense and hideous wounds on Balthazar in the blink of an eye, and there were no signs of healing at all.
"Bastard!"
Balthazar panicked a little.
He had thought that Darian was just another exorcist found by Constantine, at most on the same level as that old chain-smoker.
Who knew that Darian's strength was so terrifying; they were completely not in the same league.
Seeing Darian's offensive getting fiercer, Balthazar suddenly chickened out. The black aura around his body surged violently, rushing towards Darian, attempting to force him back.
At the same time, he flapped his wings and retreated rapidly, wanting to create distance.
Darian couldn't even be bothered to dodge, instantly activating the Protection Spell. Dazzling holy light erupted from his body, illuminating the rushing black aura until it hissed, melting rapidly like boiling water poured on snow.
He passed directly through the black aura that had not yet dissipated. The magic sword held in his right hand began to charge up, his entire forearm wrapped in light, the brightness climbing all the way up.
The moment it was fully charged, Darian slammed the magic sword at the retreating Balthazar.
Swoosh—!
The magic sword turned into a white stream of light, tearing through the air, piercing straight through Balthazar's chest, and pinning him to the ground.
The sword body sank deep into the concrete road surface, and the surrounding cracks extended in a spiderweb pattern in all directions.
***************************
Thoughts on where the plot is heading? Let me know in the comments! If you're enjoying the ride, please leave a quick review and toss a few Power Stones my way. Every bit of support means the world! 🙌