Capítulo 113: A new hero?
I was in complete agreement with John's authoritative opinion. The demon that Benjamin had made a deal with was one of the lords, had the prefix "archi" and was at the top of the sixth level of power. True, its projection is probably somewhere on the third level, which corresponds to the level of Grandi, but because of demonic magic and the ability to twist the physical laws on the procreative organ, the monster before us is many, many times more dangerous than an enraged Revenant.
I quickly cast an illusion over his face, making him look more like the face of a psychopathic clown-hero, as the previous one had fallen off after Zee's spell. Two rough scars from ear to ear, the sharpened features of a slightly pale face, eyes of a brighter hue, and hair of a deep green color. Huh, now I definitely won't be confused with Jay Arkham even if they wanted to, but for the future to think about more stable charms.
"CHORP! - After a brief pause (you bet, it's not every day an archdemon comes into the real world), the sorceress jumped aside and sent something resembling a firefly at the monster, pushing it away a little. - I made no deals with you. You have no power over me!
"It's nothing. You'll bow to my power anyway. You'll crawl on my altar like all the other people do," he raised his hand palm up and gold coins spilled out, bouncing off the floor. - Assholes pay millions to see your little tricks, but I can give you something far more than that.
"Millions? It seems I've taken a wrong turn in life," the wizard said thoughtfully.
"Mr. Jay, I think it's time to go," Harley whispered quietly.
While I was watching Mammon and Zee's negotiations with fascination, a crowd of undead rose from their seats and approached dangerously close, clearly intending to snack on the living flesh.
"Hey, redskin freak. She said you don't have any power over her, so back off! - I decided to intervene, and to make my point, I fired my revolver right into the disgusting face.
~Bah~
"Ugh, not impressive," the demon calmly spat out the bullet, which had been slightly mangled by his sharp teeth. And it was sanctified!
"Ha ha ha, how about this then? - I activate a flash charged with light, singling out my allies as friendly targets.
"Ho, do you really think your weak magic can harm me? One of the lords of the underworld? - The red-skinned monster looked at me carefully with his creepy yellow eyes, as if there was no light spell.
"Naturally, no. But she can give some time to more competent magicians," Konstantin responded, stepping forward and displaying a bronze cross in front of him. - Lux banishes vos ad profundum inferni!
A wide stream of light hit the Lord of Hell directly, throwing him back on the altar and causing the nearest dead to scream and recoil, covering their empty eye sockets.
"Retreat, it won't hold him for long! - The sorcerer was the first to rush for the exit, preparing another enchantment.
"Shit," the sorceress only had time to take a couple steps before the heel of her shoe broke.
Luckily, one gorgeous hero in a stylish purple suit was nearby. Quickly shortening the distance, I pick up the sexy magician in my arms and run after John while my beloved, smiling a cute maniacal smile, shoots off the heads of capable zombies, not letting them get closer.
"How did you even get that way? - I asked my bride-to-be, kicking away the dead man who had gotten in the way, King Leonid-style.
"Benjamin first tried to cloud my mind with magic roses, and when that didn't work, he forcefully gave me some kind of love potion. Thank you for coming to get me.
"Heh, you're welcome, Zee. You're not going anywhere from us now," I clenched my luscious ass.
"Eh, I realized that a long time ago, but I thought I'd talk to you after the tour," the beauty hugged me tighter as I started to run down the stairs.
Following the sorcerer, we soon burst into the arcade and stood on the threshold, staring at the shocked customers. Anyone here would have been aghast if they'd met Gotham's famous criminal couple, who'd stolen a bride in a white dress.
That's the only reason John didn't scare them off. Doesn't he care about human life?
"It's the Joker and Harley Quinn..." came a whisper through the room that couldn't be drowned out by the sounds of the casino.
"You will not escape! - and a moment later a furious archdemon appeared in the doorway, followed by a crowd of dead men with their master at their head.
"They summoned a demon! - The visitors quickly oriented themselves, taking out their smartphones and turning on the video recording, and only a couple of people rushed to the exit, which turned out to be locked by some kind of spells, judging by the pentagrams that flashed at the blows.
What a bunch of lunatics! Ha ha ha, when else will we get a chance to watch an epic battle against Lord Hell!?!
"You take care of the demon, and I'll deal with the dead," the sorcerer said, slashing his palm with an ornate dagger.
Fucking hell of a division of labor, I must say. Although there were a lot of dead people, and it would be difficult for two people to contain them all, and John, as it turned out, had a great trump card up his sleeve.
The first drops of scarlet liquid fell to the floor, forming a magic circle, the light in the hall flickered strangely, and soon from all the dark corners of the room came the creepy creatures that looked incredibly mage-like.
The same beige coat, white shirt, red tie and dark pants, even golden hair was available, except that the creatures were about thirty centimeters tall and had the appearance of some red-eyed toothy gray-skinned gremlins.
"Kill, death, destruction..." they squeaked, rushing to attack the dead. They did very little damage and died in packs, but they were incredibly numerous.
"Your pathetic tricks will not save you from the wrath of the lord of the underworld! - the demon prophesied.
"TOLS ENICHAM SKCONK NOMMAM!
~Tresk~
The slot machine came off the floor and flew at full speed into the fat carcass, throwing it back into the corridor and demolishing a couple of undead servants in the process.
"TOLS ENICHAM SKCONK NOMMAM!
I felt the dark-haired beauty in my arms tense up as she put herself into the spell. I felt the dark-haired beauty in my arms tense up as she invested in the spell, and yellow clots burst out of her body.
"What are we going to do now? I don't think it's hurting him much," John came up to us, smoking another cigarette. - Listen, do you really make that much money from your performances? - He turned to the illusionist.
"Of course not.
"Hmmm, I don't want to accuse anyone of lying, but the aspect of Mammon is greed, he should know such things.
"Well... my concerts bring in quite a bit of money, but most of it goes to pay the artists, technicians, workers, plus there are animals and not the cheapest props... John, why do you even bother with money?
"I tried my hand at being an illusionist once, but I had to pay out of my own pocket to perform on stage. The money I made then was just enough to rent a room in a crappy motel for a couple of nights and eat shawarma," he said grudgingly.
"John, why don't you shut up and help with the dead? Your pocket army isn't doing a good job," I intervened, shooting the dead coming out of the corridor, who had almost killed all the mini-Constantines. And if just shooting was more or less normal, then reloading a revolver with the girl in my arms was a pain.
"You're good too, you've made a few hundred million from who knows where and now you're telling me to keep quiet.
"Oh yeah, I love it when someone fights over money. It's such a treat to my ears," Mammon tossed the last broken machine away from him. - I may not be able to claim your souls, but I'll enjoy the discord I've sown here.
"What a freak! - the man put a cross to his head. - Purificatio. I'm a mage, and I can summon a small demon at any time to get me a pile of gold.
"Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha! One day envy will bring you to me anyway. And believe me, I will not be as merciful as Melholm," the monster growled, standing up to his full height. - As for you, Zatanna Zatara, you would be a fine trophy for my collection, but my time in this world is running out, and it is time to close the deal.
The demon's body disintegrated into ash with red flashes, and a moment later it gathered behind the casino owner's back, grabbing him around the waist with a huge paw and lifting the shrieking bastard to his eye level. Hmm, I get the feeling we've just been toyed with up to this point.
"Your hour has come, Benjamin Raymond," the monster from Hell announced solemnly.
"No, not yet! I still have time," Benjamin tried his best to break free, but the horned beast's grip was firm.
"There is time, but you have no bargaining power," the demon was clearly enjoying another's despair, slowly taking the youth from his slave.
"Have mercy, I built this casino in your honor! - The man begged, his face wrinkled and wrinkled, his hair a noble white color.
"Don't think I don't appreciate it, but we made a bet and you lost. The winner gets to keep the--
~Bah~
Mammon recoiled and released Benjamin from his clutches, catching a shotgun blast with his face.
"Ow. It's not pleasant," he shook his horned head.
"What?" Harley looked around perplexed, noticing that everyone was looking at her with a bit of judgment, including the many visitors. - We're heroes, aren't we? Aren't we the ones who have a priority right to violence?
"Ha-ha-ha, what an interesting interpretation, in the spirit of Bats. But I'm more surprised at how you got a shotgun," I step forward, reloading my revolver once more. When this is over, I'm going to have a rather long and laborious job to restore my ammo supply.
"Now you will experience the wrath of the lord of the underworld! - The demon pointed his open palm at us, in the center of which a red-black mist began to accumulate.
"RAC THEAVIBES ANOMMAM! - The sorceress still in my arms spoke in a curt voice, and a second later a vintage show car flew into the monster, smashing it into the nearest wall.
"Zatanna, please save me! - A very old casino owner literally crawled up to us on his hands and knees. - Don't let him take my soul," he folded his hands in prayer.
"Aren't you fucking nuts? - I intervened, shoving the old man's foot away from my not-so-cheap pants. - You're asking for help from someone you planned to sell into eternal slavery to a demon.
"I'm sorry," tears rolled from the older man's eyes. - I always thought there would be a way out. I thought I could escape at the last moment.
"Escape from Mammon? You obviously overestimated your strength," the dark-haired beauty said, looking at Raymond disparagingly. - As long as you have a human soul, he will surely come after you. Even if we manage to destroy his projection now, he'll be back by midnight, when the line between the worlds has thinned, to claim his trophy.
"Then... Then destroy my soul! Or turn me into something without a soul while there's still time!
I looked at the man in front of me with great surprise. He's, like, a witch doctor, so what the hell is soul destruction? It's indestructible! But Zee was clearly of the opposite opinion.
"You don't know what you're talking about. It'll throw off your development, turning you into nothing. Besides, you'll probably be able to escape from the demon in a couple billion years, when our universe will be destroyed along with the associated dimensions. Though, most likely, you'll suffer for a hundred or two centuries at most, until Mammon is killed by one of the competitors for the title of lord.
"No, I understand! It's better to be nothing than to live in eternal torment!
"You hardly deserve such generosity.
"Folks, I don't want to distract anyone, but it looks like our red-skinned friend who loves piercings is not happy about the interference in his affairs," John said, quickly drawing another ritual circle with his blood on the floor.
"Well, that's too much," Mammon's clawed hand, which had increased in size and was rapidly growing a new pseudo-flesh to replace the damaged one, emerged from the broken wall with the remains of the machine.
"I beg you! Save me! - The old man was sprawled on the floor, realizing there was nowhere to retreat.
"Okay... XIF EHT LEEH," the sorceress deftly climbed down from my arms, taking on a stern look. - Are you ready to give up your postmortem, hand over your soul to me, and become literally nothing?
"Yes!"
My body felt bone-chilling cold, like someone had opened a freezer, but that feeling receded instantly when a satisfied Harley promptly took the vacant seat in my arms. It was as if nothing much was going on here. There was no big deal, just some archdemon, zombies, gremlins, mages, someone selling souls to someone: just routine.
"Well, the choice has been made," the sorceress closed her eyes and her hair took on a life of its own.
When one of the lords of Hell got to us, having broken the car and part of the wall that had been thrown at him, there was a huge piece of gold on the floor instead of the old man. Honestly, I didn't know what the hell it was, but judging by the conversation and the blood-red runes that I could see with my renewed vision, Zee had used some very sophisticated demonology, stripping the casino owner of all his shells and transmuting his flesh into noble metal. If I understood anything about the laws of the universe, it wasn't the most pleasant procedure, but it was very quick... Well, I guess it was better than a hundred thousand years of torture.
"What did you do to him? - The monster scratched the scar on his belly and calmly approached what was left of Raymond, finally convincing me that he'd been having fun this whole time.
"Turned it into a solid object.
"And is there any reasonable explanation for you robbing me of my rightful trophy? - he asked curtly.
"I'm sure to the lord of the underworld, another human soul would be just a bug to torture.
"Yeah, torture's good. I love torture.
"I don't doubt it. Now, in this state, Raymond became more than a pathetic soul. He became a monument to greed. I'M A MONUMENT TO GREED."
The obelisk was enveloped in golden light, raised above the floor, and in a moment it was encased in a stylish transparent egg with a sturdy base decorated with a red ligature of mysterious symbols.
"Wow, such a treasure is unlikely to be resisted by any mere mortal," Konstantin said relaxedly, smoking another cigarette.
I get the feeling he's not smoking tobacco, if he's so phlegmatic about everything. I'm good, too, though I remembered the last time I was in the Netherworld, back when we'd just broken into the wedding hall, but I'm still feeling a little euphoric even now.
"Hmm... Indeed. One look at that unattainable glitter, and one's thoughts would be all about him. A golden beetle creeping into the minds of millions," Mammon touched the transparent shell. - Good work wizards, I approve. But only because you managed to amuse me a little. Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha, I'll see you again!
His silhouette began to diminish rapidly, covered in dark flashes until there was no trace left of the powerful demon.
"The police have a lot of work to do," the sorcerer took another puff. - I don't envy them.
"Death and destruction? - The man was tugged by his coat by a small gremlin-Constantine.
"Oh, look, one survived," the mage picked him up by the scruff of his neck, and after a careful inspection, placed him on his shoulder. - By the way, how did you like the practical training on communicating with the archdemon with a group of support in the form of the dead? - He asked suddenly, picking up the whiskey bottle on the edge of the poker table and taking a sip.
"It wasn't bad, just a lot of shooting and not enough magic," I replied.
"Well, it just happened," he said with a guilty expression. - Well, now that the lessons are over, I shouldn't stay too long. See you later.
Before I fully realized his words, he jumped a bit and seemed to be sucked into a Toby-style funnel from the Naruto anime.
"Hey!" my exasperated exclamation went into the void.
Well as in nothing, the room was still full of people still filming everything on their smartphones.
What a female dog, as I knew he would try to jump out of training, but I didn't think it would happen so soon.
And the sorcerer was right, technically the treaty was closed. He'd given us half of Tyndall's hound, and he'd given us the three magic classes he'd promised, one back in Shadow Peak when we were going to attack the zealots, and the other two right now, just one of them devoted entirely to practice... He was a sly asshole, no wonder even demons didn't want to mess with him.
~Bam~
The doors to the hall swung open abruptly, launching the security guards.
"Police, everybody stay where you are!"
"Zee, are you with us?"
I asked the sorceress, who was still concentrating on the obelisk in the middle of the room.
"No, I have to finish the barrier, and the police have some explaining to do. Don't worry about me; it's not the first time something like this has happened. Then come see me in my room at the Bellagio Hotel," said she, briefly distracted from her work.
"Joker, put Harley on the floor and put your hands up," a pair of armed patrolmen approached us.
"We've saved people here, and you're pointing guns at us," I said, preparing a spell.
"You'll be telling stories in the dock. You do what I say or I'll shoot you on sight. This isn't Gotham."
"Hey, he's telling the truth! - suddenly came a voice from the crowd of visitors.
"Yeah, I even have footage of him helping shoot off natural zombies."
"That's right!"
"He's a hero!"
The guards of order moved a little, having caught cognitive dissonance.
~Poof~
Suddenly, the surrounding space was covered with a dense purple smoke, and under the cover of it I rushed out with Harley in my arms. I was a hero, so I had to get used to getting out of the place where Justice was being restored, so that I wouldn't be sentenced to community service.
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