"I will provide you with ample magic energy, at least temporarily relieving your pain, I assure you. As soon as this task concludes, I’ll imdiately work on resolving your lung cancer issue, and you’ll soon be free from the tornt of illness."
"No need to trouble yourself, give the address."
The Primary Universe Batman tossed him a communicator. Constantine sat back in his chair, not even glancing at him, holding a cigarette in his mouth, looking at the communicator and saying, "Leave now, I’d like so peace."
The Primary Universe Batman turned and left. Constantine then looked towards a corner of the room, suddenly letting out a laugh and said, "You really are prescient. But I’m curious, managing such a massive Hell, how do you have so much free ti?"
"There isn’t just one of , aren’t you also skilled at the trick of duplication?" The figure sitting in the corner said, "Although I can’t enter Earth, I can co and go as I please in the cosmos. Have you considered my proposal?"
"Do you think I’d travel all this way just to sell my soul to another Satan?" Constantine leaned back, staring up at the ceiling, taking a deep drag on his cigarette.
"I’m not the Satan of your universe, he’s too crude and discourteous, like a kidnapper. I’m very attentive to my followers, whatever you desire, I can help you achieve. As for your soul, that’s an issue for after you’re dead."
"When will I die? Tomorrow? The day after?"
"Don’t worry, our universe’s contract system is already well-developed. I wouldn’t sign you up today and let you die tomorrow. We can specify the lifespan you desire in the contract, as long as it’s not too outrageous, we can clearly write it in black and white."
"For example?"
"Two or three hundred years, I can still decide that. If your performance is good, living for a thousand years isn’t out of the question."
Constantine looked back at him, seemingly trying to find any signs of deceit on his face, but saw nothing.
"I’ve already shown my sincerity." The figure stood up, looking at Constantine and said, "The Eye of Agomoto is a fad divine artifact in the cosmos, usually, only the Supre Magician can use it. Now, not only do you possess it, but you’re also able to freely use it to alleviate your suffering. I’ve fulfilled everything I promised, isn’t that enough?"
The figure took another step closer, placing both hands on the back of Constantine’s chair, leaning close to his ear and said, "Indeed, this is a devil’s sugar-coated cannonball, but the Satan of your universe isn’t even willing to give you the slightest sweet deal, he just wants to see you in constant pain, how heartless."
Constantine abruptly turned his head, yet the figure promptly vanished with a *whoosh*, leaving only a vague shadow in the corner of the room.
"Call if you change your mind."
Constantine took a deep breath, then started coughing violently again. But this ti, he didn’t cough up blood, nor did he vomit. In his vision, the Eye of Agomoto emitted a faint white light, this power continuously healing his body, although it couldn’t cure him completely, it brought him an unprecedented ease.
"You hate him." That devil-like voice sounded again, "To keep him from succeeding, you’re willing to die in a foreign land, even follow Batman’s orders. Batman promises he can cure you, but is he willing to help you get revenge? He doesn’t even want you to keep smoking. If you tell him you want revenge on Satan, he would only think you’re a madman spouting nonsense. He would tell you to cherish your second life, to behave yourself, to live peacefully."
"Are you really willing to accept that, John Constantine? Think about when you first saw them, in that old wardrobe, that charred face suddenly appeared, the eyeball dropped to the ground, bloody mucus climbed up your ankles, you cried out in terror, but no one could understand you, they just thought you went mad. Didn’t you pierce your ankle with a ballpoint pen? It hurt, didn’t it?"
"How many people are like you? Being manipulated by demons and angels, becoming a madman in the eyes of others, that misunderstood solitude and unspeakable fear is the most painful punishnt in the world. How many more like you must be abandoned before those lofty beings will relent?"
"Will you wait? Live for a few decades with your brand new lungs, and see if the struggle between Heaven and Hell ends within your limited lifespan. Donate money to churches, weep in confessionals, grovel at the feet of God and Satan, pleading for them to end this. Does this really work?"
Constantine’s fingers started turning pale, the pen in his hand almost bent out of shape from his grip.
"You’ve tried, haven’t you? Curling up alone under the blanket, pleading with God to save you; lying silently crying on the hospital bed, begging Satan to spare you; or simply closing your eyes, pretending this is all a nightmare. Did it change anything?"
"Stop deceiving yourself, your plea will never bring you rcy, never, not a speck will be given. If you don’t act, they will eventually have their way."
"Are you important? Perhaps, your soul is delicious, allowing Satan a hearty al, but that’s all there is to it. Do you think not letting Satan succeed would cause him much grief? No, he will soon have a new target, not even a mont of regret, as he chases new delicacies."
"God says humans are the continuation of the original sin, devils say humans are untamable beasts, but isn’t this more like talking about themselves? So savage, ugly, greedy... You have the opportunity to end all this, seize destiny with your own hands, make them truly realize their mistakes. I’ll help you."
Constantine slowly closed his eyes, not sure if it was the daily exhaustion or the montary relaxation that sent him into a daze.
When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in a Hell full of flas, the black soil beneath his feet constantly collapsing into an ignorant void, then he realized he was that void, everything devoured, chewed, then destroyed, leaving only Satan’s wretched screams echoing in his ears.
A mont later, he found himself in Heaven, Heaven ignited in a raging fire, all the angels screaming. God reached out to him, but that hand was quickly consud by flas. God roared at him, "Constantine! You are guilty!"
"I am not!" Constantine heard his own childish voice, calling out with a cry, "You never answered my prayers! Never, not once!"
"When that monster crawled out of the wardrobe, when burnt corpses appeared in my desk, when they reached out to drag into the well, when they watched from the darkness, I called for you countless tis! But you never answered! Never, not once!"
Constantine gasped for breath, realizing he had turned back into an adult. He stepped on soft, fluffy clouds, limping forward, turning his head to see a nail in his hand.
"You didn’t fail to hear my call, you just didn’t want to interfere because of that ridiculous wager. Why doesn’t indifference count as an original sin? What right do you have to judge ?"
With all his strength, he lifted the nail, stabbing it towards the fiery figure before him, roaring with wide eyes, "You have no right! Go to hell!!!"
"The Devil has tempted you! My child! You will regret it! You will definitely regret it!!!"
Constantine staggered back a few steps, looking at him with bloodshot eyes, and said, "You won’t live to see that day."
The figure in front of him suddenly disappeared, turning into a handful of ashes, and then the ashes scattered across the whole world. Constantine reached out, and the mont he touched a speck of ash, he jerked his hand back as if he’d been electrocuted.
Constantine suddenly opened his eyes and felt a little wetness on his face. He reached out to touch it gently and found that he was crying.
He closed his eyes again, leaned back slowly, and relaxed his shoulders and neck, letting his head fall back as he stared straight at the ceiling. After a mont, a na escaped his lips:
"...phisto."
"At your service."
At the sa ti, Strange suddenly opened his eyes next door. He sat up, exhaled, and asked in his mind, "How’s it going? Is it done?"
"Almost," Shiller’s voice reappeared. He said, "Rather than hatred, it’s fear. He thought he had forgotten those fearful monts that left deep shadows, but everything is buried in his subconscious, never really gone. When they surge back again, he’ll desperately want any power that can save him."
"You’re more devilish than the Devil," Strange shook his head and said.
"Wrong, in this regard, I’m more professional than the Devil. phisto should have expected this day when he was impersonating ."
"Then aren’t you just handing him a good follower?"
"Constantine’s partners don’t usually end well, I’m also looking forward to seeing phisto fight Satan."
"He made a pact with you, not the real phisto."
"Not necessarily, you know? In his universe, real nas carry power," Shiller said with a hint of amusent in his tone, then changed the subject, "I heard so interesting news from him, do you want to know?"
"What is it?"
"The Main Universe Doctor Strange is looking for the Cosmic Elders."
"The Cosmic Elders?" Strange was slightly taken aback, "It’s been a long ti since I’ve heard that na. Why is the Main Universe Doctor Strange looking for them?"
"I heard he’s searching for a powerful Divine Artifact, what do you think it could be?"
"A powerful Divine Artifact? What powerful Divine Artifact would the Cosmic Elders have?" Strange looked puzzled, "Those guys are just long-lived, not strong, even if they had a Divine Artifact, they couldn’t keep it, right?"
"What you should contemplate is not the situation in our universe, but the Pri Universe. After all, Doctor Strange is from the Pri Universe, and most other universes are similar to the Pri Universe, it’s easy for them to assu our universe is the sa. In the Pri Universe, what powerful Divine Artifacts do the Cosmic Elders hold?"
Strange’s expression gradually turned grim, he said, "Infinity Stones."
"Infinity Stones? Those that can be embedded in Thanos’s gauntlet..."
"That’s right, those Infinity Stones that can snap fingers once gathered in most universes."
"Where are our universe’s Infinity Stones?"
"You’re asking ? Didn’t you put them away?"
"What would I want with those?"
"They’re valuable and shiny."
"Just average."
Both fell silent. Strange thought for a mont and said, "If he’s truly looking for Infinity Stones, then he can’t possibly find them with the Cosmic Elders, those people are too weak, even if they have them, they’d be taken away. Which Infinity Stone do you think he’s looking for?"
"The Main Universe Doctor Strange surely snuck out, if he doesn’t want to concede, then he certainly wants to reclaim the mage’s previous losses. To achieve this, he must have significant achievents; he’s not planning a decapitation strike, is he?"
"It isn’t impossible," Strange rubbed his temples, appearing quite troubled, he said, "I don’t know much about the Infinity Stones either, but if it’s to make up for losses, the Space and Ti Stones are the most useful, one can break through Apocalypse Star’s shield, the other can reverse the past. The Main Universe Doctor Strange is likely aiming for this."
"The Primary Universe Batman has already sent Constantine to follow him, he’s likely to beco the breakthrough point."
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