Chapter 960: Schiller's Razor (Part II) (Patreon)

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"Alright, let me see what I should do first," Constantine sat in the dimly lit basement, surrounded by a chaotic pile of spell materials, rubbing his chin. "Should I summon All Things Green first and have him change the blue cabbage back, or should I find Schiller and rescue him?"

At this moment, Constantine recalled Schiller's earlier reaction and sighed, "Seems like I should have read more books. I didn't realize allergic reactions could be this severe. I thought it would be nothing more than a few complaints."

"But, well, just like how I dislike sweet wine, if it's just a glass, I can ignore it. But if you throw me into a pool of sweet wine, I might go insane... Anyway, let's deal with the blue cabbage issue first. Otherwise, who knows how that petty Schiller will seek revenge."

With that, he stood up and began to sift through the spell materials, planning to set up a summoning circle to call All Things Green and release their previous contract, allowing him to change the blue cabbage back.

However, at that moment, there was a loud crash as the basement door was kicked open. Constantine jumped, took a few steps back, and saw that it was Batman who had entered. He let out a sigh of relief, patting his chest, saying, "Oh, it's you. You startled me. I thought some devil had come for me again."

"But seriously, can you open the door a bit more gently next time? Thankfully, I didn't set any traps on it this time. Otherwise, you might have been launched into the Pacific Ocean," Constantine shook his head, walking back to the center of the room. However, he felt that something was amiss in the atmosphere.

He looked at Batman standing in the darkness, his highly attuned senses picking up a terrifying darkness behind Batman.

He took a couple of silent steps back, leaning against the wall, and looked at Batman, saying, "What's wrong, Bruce? You... you seem upset."

"Find Schiller's location," Batman's voice was low and hoarse, he repeated, "Find Schiller's location as quickly as possible."

Constantine became nervous, but he pointed at the pile of spell materials on the floor, saying, "Oh, yes, I'm working on it. I was about to summon All Things Green to deal with the blue cabbage issue."

"I meant finding Schiller's location," Batman repeated, and Constantine frowned, saying, "Even if you want to rescue him from the hands of the Agents, you need to deal with his allergen first. Otherwise, even if he returns to the Manor, he'll still be miserable, won't he?"

"I got myself into this mess with the blue cabbage, and I'll take responsibility for cleaning up this rotten mess. Later, I'll have to strike another deal with All Things Green to cover the bill. Let me see, who should I use this time?"

Constantine attempted to refocus on the pile of materials on the floor. However, the next moment, he heard a rushing sound in his ear. He turned his head and saw a glint of light as a bat-shaped dart embedded itself in the crack of the wall behind him, less than two centimeters from his ear.

"Batman! What are you doing?!" Constantine exclaimed. "You almost cut off my ear!!!"

"Okay, I know you're angry. I shouldn't have created so much blue cabbage, causing Schiller to have an allergic reaction. But I didn't know his allergies were this severe. It was just an accident, and there's still a chance to make amends. You don't need to kill me, do you?"

"Hurry up and find Schiller's location," Batman repeated once more. Then he said, "Schiller is severely injured, and only you can quickly locate him. Hurry."

Hearing the tremor in Batman's voice, Constantine furrowed his brow and gradually became more serious. He approached Batman and asked, "Are you saying that Schiller got hurt? Did those Agents dare to harm him?"

Seeing Batman's expression, Constantine didn't ask further questions. He immediately began preparing the spell materials, arranging them into a circle. Then he handed Batman a bottle of spices and said, "You see, sorcerers' quickest way to locate someone is through the Spirit Realm."

"In the Spirit Realm, we can directly pinpoint a person's soul, ignoring obstacles in the real world and traveling there quickly. However, only a soul can walk in the Spirit Realm, and an ordinary soul cannot interfere with the real world."

Constantine gestured toward the circle he had created on the ground, then brought out a few more ingredients. "But if you attach some additional power to your soul, you can temporarily manifest in the real world. With your soul's strength, you only need a tiny bit of magical energy to knock down those ordinary Agents."

"Alright, get ready." Constantine stepped into the circle, and Batman followed suit. Constantine crouched down, placing his five fingers on the ground, preparing to release energy into the materials. However, after a few seconds, he made a puzzled sound. "Huh?"

He withdrew his hand, took a deep breath, lit a cigarette, and said, "You made me so nervous earlier that my magical energy isn't flowing smoothly. No worries, let's try again."

With that, Constantine crouched on the ground again, fingers touching the ground. But after a few seconds, there was still no response. Constantine tried a different hand, a different posture, and replaced all the spell materials, but it was all in vain.

He stood there, puzzled, and said, "What's going on? Why can't I use my magic?"

He looked at his hands with disbelief, exerted force with his arms, but there was no sign of any magical glow. He closed his eyes and meditated on various demon patterns, but there was still no response.

At this moment, he was even more panicked than Batman. He immediately looked at Batman and said, "Something's wrong with the Mysticism world. We need to find Zatanna. She should know what's happening."

Without waiting for Batman to respond, he rushed out of the door but quickly returned, saying, "Where did you hide Zatanna? Take me to her!"

But soon, he realized, "If you want to save Schiller, then Little Zat is the only answer. Even if Spirit Realm and magical energy can't be used, she can still perform divination and should be able to locate Schiller."

The two of them left the basement and went upstairs, taking the Batcopter back to the Batcave. Zatanna was sitting idly playing cards when they returned. Seeing them in a hurry, she looked at them with a puzzled expression and asked, "What's wrong with you two? Why do you look so worried?"

"Little Zat, quickly, check if your magic still works," Constantine said anxiously. Zatanna was confused by his question, but she reached out and pointed at Constantine, saying, "Elevor tiaga!"

Constantine was instantly suspended in the air. Zatanna shrugged and said, "Isn't this fine? Why are you acting crazy, Constantine?"

Constantine fell to the ground from his mid-air suspension, but he didn't bother to straighten his clothes. Instead, he immediately took out a talisman from his pocket.

He gave it a vigorous shake, and the talisman made a faint "snap" sound, but there was no response, and it didn't ignite. He tried shaking it again and again, but the talisman remained unresponsive. Finally, he shook it so hard that the paper talisman shattered into pieces. Constantine looked at the paper scraps on the ground in disbelief.

At that moment, Zatanna also realized that something was wrong. She walked up with a puzzled expression, looked at Constantine, and asked, "What's wrong with you? Has your magic failed?"

Without paying attention to Constantine's confusion, Batman stepped forward and said to Zatanna, "Take me to find Schiller. Something might have happened to him."

"Schiller is in trouble?" Zatanna immediately became alert and asked, "What happened? Did those Dark Sorcerers go after him?"

"No, it's the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Agents. They took Schiller and injured him. Schiller may be seriously hurt, and if we don't find him immediately, his life may be in danger."

Zatanna furrowed her brow and said, "Alright, there are two ways to use magic to locate someone. Either we go through the Spirit Realm, or we use divination."

"The advantage of going through the Spirit Realm is speed. We can directly trace the soul's aura and ignore all obstacles in the real world, reaching our target quickly. However, it requires additional magical energy to interfere with the real world. On the other hand, divination allows us to track directly in the real world. It's slower but doesn't require extra energy."

"Spirit Realm," Batman immediately decided. "I'll compensate you for any extra energy you use. Let's go now."

Hearing Batman's tone, Zatanna turned to look at him and then into his eyes. She said, "Bruce, what's going on with you? Do you remember our first meeting? You're becoming more like the way you were back then."

"Your soul is feeling sadness and anxiety, and it's on the verge of breaking. You can't continue like this. Relax... take it easy..." Zatanna extended her hand and waved it in front of Batman's eyes, creating a magical aura that slightly eased his tension, preventing his mind from snapping.

Unlike Constantine, Zatanna didn't use spell materials to enter the Spirit Realm. Instead, she had the other two sit in chairs, and after her body lit up with a glow, their souls left their bodies as they had done before, entering the misty Spirit Realm.

Zatanna led the way, and they flew for a while. Batman felt like they passed through buildings, the ground, and eventually reached the underground, then back to the surface.

Their souls moved through the streets, and just as they stopped, the most shocking sight for Batman appeared in his field of vision.

At the end of a narrow alley was a red telephone booth, just like every other old telephone booth in Gotham, its red paint peeling off, and its glass covered in thick dust.

Constantine stared in disbelief as Schiller's body disappeared into the fiery abyss of Hell. Batman had made a daring leap to save Schiller, but it was too late. The once brilliant scholar and Constantine's friend had willingly sacrificed himself to settle all of Constantine's debts. It was a profound and shocking moment.

As Batman descended into the abyss after Schiller, Constantine felt a sharp pain in his heart. It was as if a blade had pierced his very soul. He had never expected Schiller to go to such lengths to free him from his debts.

Zatanna, who had been watching the entire scene, felt a mix of emotions. She had known Schiller only briefly, but his sacrifice had left a lasting impression on her. She turned to Constantine and said softly, "I'm so sorry, John. I didn't realize how deep your debts ran."

Constantine didn't respond. He simply stared into the abyss, where Batman and Schiller had disappeared. His mind was a whirlwind of emotions, and he couldn't find the words to express them.

Meanwhile, in the fiery depths of Hell, Batman reached out and grabbed Schiller just in time. The flames of Hell roared around them, threatening to consume them both. But Batman was determined to save Schiller.

Using all his strength, Batman began to ascend, pulling Schiller along with him. The journey was treacherous, and the flames of Hell seemed to fight back, but Batman's resolve was unwavering. He had faced countless challenges and dangers in his life, and this was no different.

Back on the edge of Hell's abyss, Constantine finally snapped out of his shock. He realized that Batman and Schiller were still fighting for their lives down there. He couldn't let them down now.

With a determined look on his face, Constantine took a step forward and prepared to jump into the abyss after them. But before he could do so, Zatanna grabbed his arm and said, "Wait, John. We need a plan. Jumping in blindly won't help."

Constantine nodded, realizing that she was right. He needed to use his knowledge of magic and Hell to come up with a strategy. He turned to Zatanna and said, "You're right, Zee. We need to find a way to navigate Hell and rescue them."

Zatanna nodded in agreement. "I can help with that. I have some knowledge of Hell's geography and its denizens. But we'll need to be careful. Hell is a dangerous place, even for experienced sorcerers like us."

Constantine smiled grimly. "Dangerous is my middle name, Zee. Let's do this."

The two of them began to chant incantations and perform complex magical rituals to create a portal to Hell. It was a risky endeavor, as opening a gateway to Hell could invite all sorts of malevolent entities. But they had no choice. They had to save Batman and Schiller.

As the portal to Hell began to form, Constantine and Zatanna felt the oppressive and malevolent energy emanating from the other side. It was a place of nightmares and horrors, but they had to go through it to rescue their friends.

With determination in their hearts, Constantine and Zatanna stepped through the portal and into the fiery depths of Hell. Their journey had just begun, and the challenges they would face in this infernal realm were beyond imagination.

But they were prepared to do whatever it took to save their friends and confront the demons of their pasts. Hell may have been a place of torment, but it was also a place where heroes were born.

And in the heart of Hell, Batman continued to fight against the flames and the demons that sought to drag him and Schiller down. He knew that the battle was far from over, and the true test of their resolve had just begun.

[Read at www.patreon.com/shanefreak, and thanks for the invaluable support!]

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Next Chapter>>Chapter 961: The Final Moments of Constantine (Part 1)