Chapter 608: Owls' Nursery Rhyme (Part 2) (Patreon)

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In a fleeting moment, the horde of dark monsters was engulfed by the surging energy bursting forth from the umbrella's tip. Aisha, who had been eagerly awaiting a pie to drop from the sky, was left in tears as the pie vanished into thin air.

Dick hurriedly scooped her up and began to console her, while Constantine dispelled the magical circle. He turned to Schiller and inquired, "You can use magic too? You've never mentioned this before."

"Moreover, your magic seems rather peculiar. What was that incantation you just shouted?" Constantine pressed further.

Schiller, seemingly content with a strange sense of accomplishment, replied, "It's nothing, I don't need incantations." He sat back on the sofa, placing the umbrella upright before him and resting his hands on its handle.

"From what I know, magic that doesn't require incantations often possesses great power. Where did you learn this magic? Care to share?" Constantine leaned closer to Schiller.

In truth, Schiller had no knowledge of magic at all. He had merely unleashed the woolen energy stored within the Grey Mist, which he had extracted from Knull. Without employing certain mystical techniques to harness this energy, it could only produce a specific effect.

If Schiller had used this energy to attack the Owls in the real world without utilizing any mysticism, their souls would have been forcibly expelled from their bodies and scattered. If the souls were sufficiently powerful, they could resist or defend against the attack, but it lacked the versatility of traditional magic.

In the Marvel world, demon gods and sorcerers sought to refine and utilize this energy more efficiently through special methods, known as "spells."

Energy was like the bullet, and a spell was like the gun. Schiller lacked a gun and had no knowledge of making one. If he were to throw bullets at someone, it would be difficult to inflict harm and a waste of energy.

However, for dark Owls, which had no physical bodies and were composed solely of insufficiently strong energy, this impact proved fatal.

Any energy attempting to take on a specific form needed structure. Schiller's energy burst disrupted the energy structure of the dark Owls, effectively eradicating them.

As for the incantation, it was almost impossible for anyone wielding an object and intending to use magic not to utter such words.

Although Schiller couldn't control the energy to form an animal shape, he was content. After all, enemies that conveniently met the conditions for his release were a rare sight. If he had cast a spell without eliciting a reaction from the enemy, he would have appeared foolish.

Schiller picked up Aisha, who was still crying in Bruce's arms, and said, "Alright, I stole your meal, but we can find more later."

Aisha sniffled, wiped away imaginary tears with her hand, and struggled to get down from Schiller's embrace. She then raised her head, opened her mouth, and attempted to continue singing.

"No, not right now," Schiller said as he scooped Aisha back up. This time, Aisha protested, flailing her limbs in an attempt to escape his grasp. Nonetheless, Schiller paid her no mind and entrusted her to Alfred, who managed to calm her down.

Alfred took Aisha back to bed, leaving Dick behind. Schiller patted Dick on the head and asked, "Last time, when I was giving you lessons, you mentioned that you were in the school's choir?"

Dick nodded, having witnessed the terrifying monsters within the magic circle earlier. He hesitated before saying, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have sung that song..."

"No worries. To fit in with the choir, you should learn to sing properly," Schiller reassured him. He then turned his head to Constantine and said, "I have a plan..."

After nearly a year had passed, Gotham Cathedral had finally undergone renovations, just as Bruce had promised Father Daniel. Bruce had funded the entire restoration of Gotham Cathedral, including the installation of numerous bat devices to protect the underground wine cellar. The protection was robust, ensuring that no earthquake or natural disaster could harm the wine cellar, except for Batman himself.

Today, the once-deserted Gotham Cathedral came alive. Father Daniel led a group of children into the church, their voices filled with excitement. The lead child, dressed in a jacket and sporting a rebellious demeanor, held his arms crossed and complained, "Dick, are you kidding me? If the other gangs find out I joined some Church choir, I won't be able to fit in anymore!"

"Jason, can't you think about more than just fighting all the time?" Dick shook his head in resignation and said, "You should participate in some social activities. Even if you don't believe in God, taking a day off occasionally to come sing isn't such a big deal, is it?"

Jason snorted and retorted, "You don't understand. The Penguin's gang is keeping us all very busy now. We're in charge of delivering newspapers to three major streets in Living Hell, and some of the younger kids have to sell flowers in the small square near Greene Street."

"Just organizing them takes up my entire day. Where do I have time to sing songs here?"

"It's not just you," Dick said, patting Jason's shoulder. "Look, the kids from the vocational school are here too, and even the newspaper boys' leaders, including their so-called Copperpot, have joined."

Jason glanced back at Copperpot, Tire, and Red Truck, the older kids from the street, who were bringing up the rear and urging the others forward.

He scoffed and said, "Fine, but don't get your hopes up. I have zero musical talent. When I sing later, you better plug your ears."

"It's alright. I know the Nun who will be teaching us how to sing later. I'll make sure she's patient with you," Bruce reassured.

"Nun?" Jason asked, a bit puzzled. "Doesn't Gotham only have one Father? When did we get a Nun?"

"Did you forget? The high school I attended was a church school, and that Nun is from the school," Bruce explained.

"Oh, I see," Jason responded, now understanding. In many East Coast church schools, there were Divine Position members who also served as teachers, different from the Divine Position members in the Church.

Jason seemed unenthusiastic about these Divine Position members, but he reluctantly joined the others on the choir stage. There, he playfully jostled with his companions and laughed.

Father Daniel didn't seem upset either. Gotham Cathedral hadn't been this vibrant and renewed in a long time, reminding him of his younger days. He simply stood by, smiling, without scolding the mischievous children.

The teacher who came forward was an elderly Nun who appeared slightly younger than Daniel. She carried a music stand, positioned herself at the center of the choir stage, and began with a melodious and rhythmic tone, saying, "Alright, children, let's start by learning the lyrics. Come, recite after me, 'Court of Owls... ever watchful of your every move...'"

Clearly, these children had been informed in advance. Although they didn't understand why they were suddenly switching from technical lessons to music, they were still interested. They had never encountered any artistic courses from a young age, so trying something new was filled with novelty.

"'Court of Owls... ever... watchful of your every move...'" they recited in a chaotic manner. Some struggled with difficult words and simply skipped them, while others took the liberty of altering the lyrics, and a few even used foul language.

However, the music teacher Nun had clearly been briefed and didn't seem to mind. She began by demonstrating, singing the song herself.

This Nun teacher had retired from a professional choir and even the challenging original song flowed smoothly from her lips. She added a touch of flair and style, making it both precise and melodious.

As their gaze followed the floor of the church, just beside the wine cellar, they noticed another room where numerous flames flickered. Several people were within a magical circle of the spiritual realm vision. Bruce stroked his chin and said, "Didn't see any of those monsters. Does this song not affect adults?"

"That's quite normal," Constantine explained. "Some mystic meanings only affect specific groups, and they can even get as specific as age, gender, or certain physical characteristics. For instance, Demons prefer dealing with individuals whose eyes are green. It's not as bizarre as it sounds."

The group observed in the underground room for a while, but no monsters appeared, regardless of how the Nun sang.

After teaching for a while, they finally began the children's choir practice. The first session was predictably chaotic. Some couldn't remember the lyrics, others sang off-key, and during the initial three seconds, it was nearly impossible to discern what they were singing.

However, just as they began singing, changes began occurring in the spiritual realm vision. The dark Owls started appearing in the air. Simultaneously, Schiller blinked and arrived at the Gotham Cathedral's rooftop.

The newly renovated Gotham Cathedral rooftop had a platform originally intended to hold a Gothic-style spire. However, Bruce had removed the spire overnight. In a moment, Schiller dissipated into Grey Mist, with the energy he had acquired from Knull spreading across every mist factor.

Grey Mist enveloped all the dark Owls, devouring their energy.

Schiller blinked back again and said, "In theory, it's possible. This energy can be absorbed, but it's not entirely compatible with the energy I use. I can only store it, not utilize it. We need to find another place to store them."

Schiller spoke the truth. This energy from the DC universe conflicted when coexisting with Marvel universe's source energy in Grey Mist. Currently, the quantity of dark energy was manageable, but if both powers were to become equal in strength, it might pose a problem.

Schiller pondered for a moment and then said, "I've already verified a law: the 'Color Passage' theory. Green energy can be stored in green objects, like how Green Lantern energy can be stored in Kryptonite Crystals."

"So, black energy should be storable in black objects. The energy of the dark Owls can be stored in..."

Schiller was contemplating what constituted a black object when Bruce saw him slowly turning his head and directing his gaze towards him.

However, as soon as Schiller's gaze settled on Bruce's face, he paused, as if remembering something. Then he shifted his gaze downward, fixing it on Batman's armor, and asked, "How's your Ark Reactor research going?"

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Next Chapter>>Chapter 609: The Electric Theft Quartet (Part 1)