บท 122: Chapter 121
Dio turned around and raised his shield just in time when he heard it.
The bullet bounced off the shield.
"Kid Flash, we have a shooter to the east, in one of the buildings!"
Dio warned through the communicator to the only one who could currently locate the shooter.
They would probably run away if they were professionals because they knew they had missed their chance to assassinate him.
"I'm on my way!"
Kid Flash replied.
"You shouldn't turn your back on an enemy!"
William said behind him, stood up, grabbed his arm, and pulled it to the left above his head while exposing his neck.
Dio thought quickly and hit William's nose with a backward headbutt while rolling before getting up.
"Sorry, I couldn't resist."
Boston apologized after being expelled from his body.
"It's okay; it was my fault and the guy who shot at me."
"I really want to taste your blood; its scent alone is magnificent."
"Sorry, buddy, my employer hasn't paid me yet."
Constantine shocked everyone by appearing beside William, who attacked him.
"Tie him up!"
Constantine flicked his cigarette fragments at the vampire's body with his middle finger.
A movement that seemed senseless, but the moment the cigarette touched him.
"Zzzakk!"
It was as if William had been struck by lightning.
William's body was thrown against the wall on the other side of the canal and stuck to it with yellow energy twirling across his paralyzed form.
"How the hell did he do that?"
"Weren't you up there?"
Dio asked him, not surprised at the simple magic gesture that easily disarmed William.
"It's easier down here. I'd have to fight vampires and avoid Zatanna's attacks, which she said wouldn't reach me if I stayed up there."
Constantine replied while lighting another cigarette.
"We need to help the others."
Boston reminded them.
"No need; she's already done."
Dio said and looked to the left.
Zatanna floated towards them in the air.
"All clear on the bridge."
Zatanna said that and landed beside him.
Kid Flash also arrived.
"The shooter fled; he passed through a wall and disappeared on the other side."
Kid Flash said.
A vampire sniper—that's new.
"An assassin under our friend's command,"
Dio said and looked at William while surrounded by electricity that still completely paralyzed his body.
"The others are coming,"
Dio warned them.
"Kid, go get the vampire; we'll perform the ritual right here."
Zatanna said.
Kid ran off and returned a second later while placing the still unconscious vampire on the ground.
The five of them waited for the others and looked at their two captive vampires.
"So, who's going to cast the spell?"
Dio asked the two present magicians to start a round of arguments to decide who was most suitable for the task.
...
After everyone had gathered, Zatanna told them to put all of the vampires who had been caught on the ground together.
Zatanna put them to sleep with magic and then started drawing on the ground around them with white chalk.
Dio recognized some of the runes written around the circle inside a pentagram.
There are two circles, one of which the vampires are inside and the other around the runes.
Zatanna called Dio over to watch carefully as a good teacher would.
According to her, this is a ritual to locate blood relatives with some modifications.
Instead of searching for blood, she altered the spell to locate all vampires' connections with their sire.
When did she have time to modify such a ritual?
In the few peaceful hours, she was just hunting vampires in the city with Kid.
"Is it done?"
Andrew Bennett asked.
The drawing on the ground took only ten minutes, but Andrew Bennett was not patient despite being very old.
"Yes, Bennett, it's done."
Dio replied and looked once again at the art drawn on the ground while memorizing everything.
That's simple for him since he has a great memory.
Zatanna probably did this to teach him because her family could easily follow the connection by touching one of them and speaking backward.
Logomancy, the art of performing magic by speaking words backward, is one of the most challenging branches to follow in the mystical arts.
The difficulty is rewarded with a significant shortcut.
The user can perform any magical action without spells or pentagrams by speaking words backward and following the laws of magic.
"I'll activate the spell."
Zatanna stood in front of the circle.
"Etavitca eht lleps"
Beside her, Dio could clearly see her eyes glowing strongly in white.
On the ground, the entire painted pentagram began to glow with the same color.
Then, a white mist came from the mouths of the unconscious vampires in the middle of the circle and into hers.
Then everything vanished, and all went back to normal.
"So?"
Speedy asked.
"I have the location of three different vampires; two of them are here in the city, and the other one is on the other side of the world."
Zatanna replied and turned to everyone.
"Should we split up again?"
Robin asked Batman.
"This time, two groups."
Batman confirmed.
"Be careful with the sniper; due to the lack of heartbeats, body temperature, and the ability to become mist, he's a big problem."
Dio warned everyone.
He would be dead on the ground right now if Dio didn't have super hearing, and most people here don't have that.
"The teams will be divided and take this threat into consideration."
Batman reassured him.
"What's the location?"
Aqualad asked next.
Zatanna told them the places where Mary could be.
Then Batman divided the group into six members, with Boston.
"This can work; with Raven in your group, the vampire sniper won't be a problem."
Dio said after hearing Batma's group.
The vampire may not have a normal human temperature, heartbeat, or breath.
Still, they do have emotions, and Raven is very good at detecting negative emotions directed at her or the group.
"But why do I have to team up with him again? Why not switch?"
Dio said and looked at Constantine beside him while drinking something from a metal flask he pulled out of nowhere.
Batman left him with him to prevent confusion once more, and he joined a group with Zatanna.
Group one: Dio Constantine, Boston, Andrew, John, Starfire, and Kid Flash.
Group two: Robin, Batman, Aqualad, Raven, Speedy, and Zatanna.
"You're not getting rid of me so easily, buddy; we're bound to each other."
Constantine said while winking at Dio.
"Just shut up and open the portal!"
Dio shouted.
"Wait!"
Starfire exclaimed.
"What are we going to do with them?"
Starfire asked while pointing to the vampires in the center of the circle.
Dio had forgotten about them.
"The authorities are on their way; they'll take care of them."
Batman replied.
Dio has no trouble taking out vampires when fighting, but he cannot take out vampires who are tied down and unconscious.
"Not all of them; the hippie might have a lot of information about the cult. If he's taken, we may never see him again."
"We don't have time,"
Batman decided.
He's right, but it still feels like waste.
"Constantine, open the portal now!"
Dio shouted at him again, and he moved promptly.
...
"I know this place,"
Andrew spoke as soon as they arrived at their destination.
One of the two targets is an abandoned mansion on the edge of Gotham City.
It was an old one-story house with a basement; the iron gate at the entrance was rusty and closed with a chain and padlock.
"Mary and I spent a few years living here when Gotham was nothing more than a small town with a hundred people."
Andrew continued with a sad expression on his face.
"Great, now let's kill your ex."
Constantine took the lead and held the iron lock of the door; the lock turned red and melted while dripping through his hand onto the ground.
"Wait."
Dio stopped him, who was about to enter.
"Kid, can you take a look around the house?"
Dio asked him.
"Give me a few seconds."
Kid Flash replied, then sprinted off at high speed.
"Boston, take a look from above, please."
"Sure."
"Can I go with the ghost? I've never flown with one before."
Starfire asked excitedly.
"Of course."
Starfire joined in the air.
"I'm going in."
Andrew said that.
"Andrew, please; he's right; we can't just walk into the enemy's den."
John managed to stop Andrew.
There is no property around this house, which makes it a good place to hide.
However, Mary has given hints since her first act that she doesn't like to hide. There were two reasons she picked this spot.
"Of course, it's a trap for you, Andrew, so let's proceed with caution."
Dio told them.
"For me?"
Andrew asked.
"Of course, buddy, why else would she hide in a place you know?"
Constantine quickly picks up on these things, as that's how he thinks.
"For Mary, you're the only thing standing in the way of her victory and her ideal world."
John agreed with him.
Kid Flash was the first to return from his search.
"All clear, boss."
"I'm not the boss."
Dio still doesn't want to bear the weight of leading a band of heroes.
"All clear in the sky too."
"The ghost is right."
Boston returned with Starfire right behind.
"Okay, here's the plan."
...
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