Chapter 943: The Mystery of Schiller's Past (Part 1) (Patreon)

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"Ah, ah, ah... Ugh! Mmm!"

Just as Constantine shouted loudly, Batman swiftly pulled him aside and covered his mouth.

Schiller, standing by the door, turned his head. His hands were bound by long restraints, and although his hands were immobilized, the restraints could move freely, almost like flexible whips, lashing out towards Constantine.

After the initial shock, Constantine didn't hesitate. He rolled over and swiftly moved past the nearby hospital bed, then forcefully pushed over a nearby cabinet.

The cabinet didn't hit Schiller, but as it fell, documents spilled out, obstructing Schiller's view. In just those few seconds, Constantine grabbed Batman and they rushed out of the room.

"The escape route is in that room; we have to go through there to get out," Batman followed Constantine and said, "It's the emergency exit. Where else do you want to go?"

"Emergency exit?!" Constantine raised his voice, "Didn't you see? I just came from there!... No, he's catching up. Let's head downstairs!"

With that, Constantine gripped the staircase's handrail and used it to stop his momentum before quickly descending the stairs.

The safety indicator lights in the staircase illuminated the narrow space, and at that moment, Batman noticed that most of Constantine's right side was stained with fresh blood.

Perhaps due to the nature of this memory space, Batman didn't smell the blood, but he heard Constantine's slightly labored breathing. Clearly, his condition wasn't great.

Batman's expression grew more serious, but he hastened his steps. As they ran through the corridor, he surveyed the surroundings. He noticed that on this floor, almost all the rooms were dark, except for one toolroom at the end of the corridor.

Just as Constantine was about to rush into the toolroom, Batman stopped him. He listened carefully to the sounds, then peered through the window on the door but saw no one or any traps. Only then did they enter.

Batman quickly found the switch and turned off the light, and both of them stood still, listening to the sound of footsteps growing closer and then fading away. After the sound disappeared, Constantine let out a sigh of relief but also swayed from exhaustion, leaning against the wall.

Batman looked out through the window on the door again and noticed that Schiller's figure had disappeared. He turned the light back on and then saw a large gash on Constantine's body, running from his chest to his waist, oozing a significant amount of blood.

"You might be wondering why the Soul state can also be injured," Constantine said as he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a cigarette. After taking a drag, he gathered his composure and continued, "It's not as simple as playing a game here. You can get injured and bleed just as easily, or even worse."

"So, what exactly happened to you?" Batman inquired.

Taking another drag of his cigarette, Constantine raised his head slightly, looking at the thin wisps of smoke that morphed and dissipated in the light. The bright light reminded him of the glowing orb that had sucked him in earlier when he crossed the tunnel.

When Constantine landed, he wasn't as fortunate as Batman, who landed on a soft bed. He fell on a somewhat cold surface, clutching his waist and letting out a painful cry.

"Oh, for heaven's sake, I'm not the right age for this kind of thing," Constantine wheezed as he sat up on the ground. He reached one arm across his shoulder to massage his sore shoulder blade from the fall, and he slapped his neck with the other hand, as if he had twisted it during the landing.

Watching the overhead lights gradually disappear, Constantine realized that his fall wasn't unjustified, as the glowing orb was at least two meters above the ground.

He thought to himself, "Well, this is Schiller for you. He hates anyone equally at any given time, never missing a chance to embarrass someone, even if it's unintentional."

Constantine stood up from the ground, revealing a wry smile. He didn't come here for Schiller's Umbrella, even if it had the power to break curses; he had no interest in it. But despite his initial purpose not being the Umbrella, he came here to steal something.

Back then, Schiller had used the Umbrella's curse-breaking ability to extract the Curse Spirit from Constantine's body, which was then absorbed into the Umbrella's handle.

However, Constantine knew that the Curse Spirit was a type of "spirit" that required a human Soul to provide it with the energy to act. It couldn't stay inside an object indefinitely. That was why in many horror stories about cursed items, those cursed objects always clung to their owners, unwilling to leave.

Constantine didn't know that Schiller could go to another world, make a deal with Mephisto, and acquire a bunch of Hydra Souls to feed the Curse Spirit, keeping it satiated for half a year without hunger.

Constantine believed that Schiller was certainly using his own Soul energy to feed the Curse Spirit.

In the world of Mysticism, both "Soul" and "spirit" were not considered evil; they were more like natural beings, driven by their instinct to seek sustenance. However, the strength of an ordinary person's Soul was often insufficient to sustain a powerful spirit's possession, leading to gradual weakening and eventual death.

But Constantine knew that Schiller was extraordinary, and he was convinced that Schiller's Soul energy was more than enough to satiate the Curse Spirit. That's why he had allowed Schiller to take possession of such a powerful spiritual entity in the first place.

Initially, when the Curse Spirit clung to Constantine, it wasn't out of hatred; it was simply starving and unable to find nourishment because Constantine's Soul was riddled with holes, making it inaccessible.

The reason Constantine had been in such a dire situation was that the Curse Spirit and he were twin souls. Their Souls were identical, and within Constantine's own Soul, he couldn't locate the Curse Spirit's presence, thus making it impossible to banish. As a result, they tormented each other.

However, after Schiller had resolved this situation using the Umbrella, Constantine had other plans in mind. He couldn't pass up the opportunity to possess such a potent curse. But if he were to reclaim the Curse Spirit, he'd still need a way to nourish it.

So, he had thought of a clever solution. Since Schiller had taken the entity away, he must have been aware of its power. Perhaps, for the sake of that power, Schiller would be willing to expend his own Soul energy to feed it.

Once the Curse Spirit was sated, it would cease troubling its host in the short term. During this period, Constantine could find a way to retrieve it, thus gaining a powerful spiritual entity without any side effects.

In the Mysticism world, many people captured spirits or souls as their pets and assistants. However, most of the spirits or souls that could be captured were relatively weak and could, at most, serve as scouts, being of little help in other aspects. But the Curse Spirit was different.

Constantine knew just how unique his Soul was, and having a Soul identical to his own, even though he was no longer a normal human, could be used to deceive demons thirsty for his Soul.

In simple terms, he wanted to use the Curse Spirit as bait. Maybe when he couldn't fulfill his end of the bargain, he could use it as a scapegoat. In any case, it had many uses and benefits, with relatively little cost. Why wouldn't Constantine seize this opportunity?

Of course, he also knew that delving into Schiller's Soul was dangerous. However, compared to the other two, he possessed an additional piece of information: it seemed that Schiller was currently occupied with All Things Green.

As a genius rarely seen in the Mysticism world for a century, Constantine had access to higher-level forces, from Heaven to Hell. Everyone, without exception, loved Constantine.

In this regard, even though Zatanna was of noble birth, she still fell short of him. Zatanna had a wide network of contacts and was well-informed in the mortal world, but Constantine was truly the connoisseur of the Spirit Realm.

He knew the level of existence that All Things Green represented. So when his companions were pursuing him, he sensed that something was amiss. If All Things Green wanted to deal with him, did it really need to resort to vines and plants, such archaic methods?

Furthermore, considering that All Things Green had appeared at Gotham University, Constantine speculated that it was likely targeting the students there. Schiller, who was fiercely protective, confronted All Things Green directly, leading to a conflict.

Zatanna didn't understand Schiller's motivations, and Batman was ignorant of Mysticism. Constantine, who understood both sides fairly well, instantly knew that his opportunity had arrived.

All Things Green was not easy to deal with. If Schiller intended to confront it head-on, he would likely need to tap into the other personality traits within the high tower.

Constantine knew that a human Soul had bandwidth limits; it couldn't simultaneously channel immense energy towards multiple targets. Therefore, if he ventured into Schiller's Soul right now, it should be relatively safe.

When this plan was initially devised, it made logical sense. Constantine believed that even if he didn't find the Curse Spirit within Schiller's Soul or couldn't successfully bring it back, escaping would still be an option.

After all, if Schiller were preoccupied with facing off against All Things Green, he wouldn't be able to pursue Constantine across the entire Spirit Realm. At that point, he could simply hide in Hell for a few days.

The plan was well-conceived, but as it was put into action, a tiny problem emerged.

Constantine, just after landing on the ground, bent at the waist to survey the nearby surroundings. What he discovered was that this place seemed to be an abandoned warehouse, with a large area, a high ceiling, and almost no lighting—a desolate and eerie emptiness.

Constantine intended to walk towards the faintly lit doorway, but after taking just a couple of steps, there was a loud "thud," and he stumbled.

As Constantine got up from the ground, he rubbed his arm, still feeling the pain from the fall. His landing had been painful enough to elicit a cry of pain.

Turning his head towards the one who had tripped him up, Constantine froze in the next second. In the dim light, he saw that the one who had tripped him was a corpse.

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