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89.32% Days as a Spiritual Mentor in American Comics / Chapter 3831: Chapter 2949: When Night Falls (31)

章節 3831: Chapter 2949: When Night Falls (31)

A small glass bottle was placed to the right of the plate, containing Zatanna's soul. It was obvious that even confined in the bottle, Miss Magician was still brimming with astonishing vitality, she looked at Constantine with a very worried expression.

Clearly, Zatanna had woken up earlier than Constantine. She had witnessed everything Shiller had done.

She couldn't say that the two demons fighting on Constantine's body had started on a bad note, because that's just how demons are; magicians should be used to it by now. However, if it hadn't been for their fierce and combative nature, the food on the plate wouldn't have exuded such an obvious evil aura, and she would have almost nowhere to hide in the bottle.

Zatanna was always full of sympathy, even after being turned into a vampire. Despite struggling to protect herself, she still found the time to worry about Constantine's situation.

This time, that damn jerk was probably not going to get away unscathed, but even at this point, Zatanna couldn't say this was completely a good thing. She knew Constantine well, if he had never gotten involved in vampire affairs, neither Zatanna's nor Zan's soul would have ended up here.

She felt he couldn't bluff his way out this time, Zatanna thought, because his opponent was not Batman, but was much more troublesome than Batman.

Yet Constantine seemed still unfazed, his hands hung naturally by his side, completely indifferent to the ropes tied around him, and he even clicked his tongue and asked, "Got a cigarette?"

"Do you need a cigarette to talk?"

"What would you like me to say?" Constantine sniffed, the plate's grapes released a tantalizing spice aroma, mixed with that odd meat smell and the evil aura a magician could sense. This was a challenge for Constantine's olfactory system.

He was the kind of person who settles a meal with a sandwich, having never smelled such complex food aromas before.

"I won't demand you disclose all your information like Batman because I know you'll never tell me everything. You can choose what you can say, consider it a compensation for this meal," said Shiller.

Shiller's demeanor was incredibly genial, so much so that Constantine could hardly see a trace of the monster who had just slammed him against the wall and slit his throat like a truck.

The three-piece suit he wore was worth at least ten thousand US Dollars, the Swordfish Brooch perhaps made of platinum, and the blood on it had been wiped clean. The silk of the tie reflected a covert light, knotted perfectly in a Windsor, just like his Adam's apple.

Constantine chuckled softly, "It's not just about thanking you for the meal, it's not like I often get to sit at the same table with a big shot like you."

Those were serious words, and had his eye contact not been so direct, it might have sounded like a decent compliment. But, considering this man was John Constantine, it sounded more like a flirtation.

Shiller sighed gently, "I'm not fond of threatening people with something, but your companion is still in the bottle and considering his situation, you might want to fish your brain out of the pool of crappy yellow ideas."

Constantine stiffened slightly, he turned to look at the glass bottle where Miss Magician sat cross-legged, her elbow propping up her chin as if she was waiting to see how he would screw up.

"Looks like he doesn't need my help," Constantine said, "He's used to not being able to count on me."

"Is that so? I think this bottle would make a fine spice container, and roasted goat's hooves go well with a bit of pepper."

"Stop! Okay, you win," Constantine's head shake resembled that of a dog hastily trying to shake off water from its ears.

"I don't know who the King of Vampires is," Constantine said, "I'm not lying to you, because knowing exactly who it is wouldn't benefit me. If Batman found out, he might read my mind, so I simply choose not to know."

"But I know something about this vampire revival, what's your view on the theory of lineage?"

"No particular opinion."

"Well, I don't think you're that boring of a person. I can give you an example, a rooster with red feathers and a hen with blue feathers had a chick with both red and blue feathers."

"So this flock thinks, if I find a hen with orange feathers to mate with the chick that has the two-colored feathers, wouldn't they then produce a chick with red, blue, and orange feathers? By this logic, eventually, they'd breed a Phoenix."

"The King of Vampires is that Phoenix."

Shiller was predictably silent.

"I know it sounds very stupid to anyone with a normal sense of science, but vampires are a very special breed, and this method has certain operability for them," Constantine recalled, and after a while, began to speak, "The Blood Clan mainly splits into two factions, the Dracula faction originates from Cain and is inherently able to use shadow magic because of their bloodline."

"Bloody Queen Mary is another kind of vampire, more a contractor of blood magic than a vampire. They drink blood not to fill their bellies, but to gain immense power."

"These two vampire factions have always been at odds with each other; this is also where the human race derived the legends of the Secret Party and Demon Party."

"Because Dracula's faction consists of bloodline vampires, they do not need to feed daily—feeding once every month or two suffices. Shadow Magic does not possess strong offensive capabilities; transforming into a bat is perhaps their most renowned ability. Due to their ancient heritage, they have their own societal rules, resembling what the legends refer to as the Secret Party."

"On the other hand, the faction that Queen Mary contracted with is that of Lilith, this crazy woman. To gain more power, she frenziedly feeds on blood, and her descendants have inherited this madness. They can capture dozens of humans in a single night for a blood feast."

"As they are inherently insane and have not been around for long, all members are young yet possess great power, hence they act recklessly, completely unhinged, resembling what humans know as the Demon Party from the legends."

"The conflict between the two parties has consumed a significant number of vampires, effectively curbing the rampant growth of the Demon Party, thus preventing major upheavals in human society."

"But just like it's written in human vampire romance novels, a young man from the Secret Party fell in love with a girl from the Demon Party. The marriage was strongly opposed by both their families, but their story didn't end as tragically as Romeo and Juliet's. The couple fled to a small city in the East, settled down there, and even had a child."

"Later, the couple died in an accident, leaving the child behind. As he grew up, he discovered not only could he use Shadow Magic, but he also mastered some of the powers of Blood Magic."

Upon hearing this, Shiller slightly furrowed his brow.

"That brings us to the principle of magic..." Constantine deliberately drew out his words, then moved his arms saying, "These bindings are a bit uncomfortable, could you untie them first?"

Shiller walked over and untied the ropes binding him, but at the same time, he said, "I think you don't have to worry too much. This is your home, and I'm merely a guest."

"You'd better truly realize that," Constantine said, rubbing his neck where there were two distinct bruises. When he touched them, he gasped in pain.

"Ordinary people always envy magicians, thinking magic can do anything, but in reality, it's not so simple. Without the power owner's consent, you can't use any magic."

"There have been ordinary scientists who tried to use modern technology to produce enough energy to emulate the effects of magic, but the truth is, while you can power a cleaning robot with this energy to clean, you'll never be able to perform cleaning magic, because you don't have the magic permit for it."

"This permit can come in many forms. For example, the elves of Malt World have various strange bloodlines, some of which were personally created by God, serving as their permits."

"Originally, the human race also had a creation bloodline from God, but since Adam and Eve were expelled from Eden, it's as if God revoked the magic permit of all their descendants. To regain the permit for Holy Magic, one needs to hold a significant position in the Church or be devout enough."

"Contracting with demons is like obtaining a permit from them, though the cost is quite high. However, it's not too bad since giving out a permit is easy, but taking it back is difficult."

"For example, I have magic permits from almost all the Demon Kings of Hell, so although I'm notorious in Hell and almost no one wants to lend me power, I can still live off my reserves as a magician."

"Usually, this permit cannot be given or transferred by force; you may be able to steal powers or magical tools, but not the permit, as only the source of the power can grant it."

"From this perspective, having a child from the two vampire parties who holds both types of magic permits is quite astonishing. Many have made contracts with demons, but I've never heard that marrying each other allows the offspring to inherit both parents' permits automatically—it's just not possible, otherwise, if Little Zha and I were to marry and have children, our child would be invincible, right?"

Whithin the bottle, Zatanna knocked on the glass, signaling Constantine to mind his manners. Constantine casually smiled at her and said, "Whether the child is powerful doesn't really matter."

"Cough, I'm a bit hungry." Constantine picked up some cutlery, sliced off a tiny bit of meat, picked up the glass bottle, and stuffed it through the bottle's mouth.

Zatanna initially showed distaste, but Constantine said, "This is good for restoring your soul energy, eat it."

Zatanna reluctantly took a bite and showed a surprised expression. Her voice came from inside the bottle, "I know you're using me to test poison, but thanks anyway."

"You should thank the chef." Constantine put down the bottle and began to eat heartily, continuing as he ate.

"Unfortunately, one day this child with two types of magic was discovered by Bloody Queen Mary, who captured him and demanded to know how he possessed these powers. Being very young, he didn't hide anything and told the truth."

"Mary immediately realized this could be a chance for vampires to rise because if vampires could pass down their own magic permits through union, then no magician on Earth would be their match."

"So, before the Dracula faction could react, Mary began her Blood Clan reproduction plan..."

"If I'm not wrong, this plan didn't go smoothly, right?" Shiller asked.

Constantine chuckled darkly and said, "On the contrary, at the beginning, the plan went too smoothly, which gave Mary an illusion, prompting her to do even more foolish things."


next chapter

章節 3832: Chapter 2950: When Night Falls (32)

"What did Mary do?" Shiller asked.

Constantine revealed a slightly sinister cold smile, "At first, she captured vampires from the Dracula faction, mated with her subordinates, and gave birth to children. To her surprise, almost all the children were like that child, mastering either Shadow Magic or Blood Magic while also possessing the other type."

"However, mastering the other type of magic varied; some could only perform one or two spells, while some could use both types of magic nearly perfectly, and the difference lay in their bloodline."

Constantine gently tapped his plate with a fork and said, "Mary believed the problem might be with the vampires of the Shadow Sect since they get their licenses through their bloodline…"

"I had encountered Dracula before, and indeed as I've mentioned, the more ancient the vampire, the purer the bloodline; thereby, the more potent the magic they could wield. If Cain and Lilith are the first generation, his creation as the second generation by Cain, then currently, the most powerful Shadow Sect vampire Mary might have captured is the third generation. She set her sights on this, and indeed she succeeded."

"One of the third generation unfortunately fell into Mary's trap, was captured by her, and imprisoned. Initially, Mary wanted to find a suitable breeding partner for him, but after much consideration, no one seemed fit, so she decided to take on the task herself."

Shiller's movement of cutting his food paused slightly before he resumed as usual, "Does Mary believe her bloodline is the most noble?"

"Mary's faction doesn't pay much heed to bloodline, but Blood Magic is quite special; all their powers come from the blood, and undoubtedly, as the first generation Contractor, Mary's blood power is the most potent."

"Did she succeed?"

"Yes, she became pregnant and gave birth to a child with a third-generation Shadow Sect vampire, and the child, just as she envisioned, perfectly inherited both Shadow Magic and Blood Magic, becoming the strongest among the Blood Clan."

"But her ambitions probably didn't stop there, did they?"

"Certainly not." Constantine laughed, clearly reveling in the twist the story was about to take.

"Actually, vampires are quite special; although no longer human, they are transformed from humans. Their souls have almost the same properties as humans, meaning, vampires can also contract with demons."

Shiller's expression showed realization; he seemed to grasp what Mary was attempting to do, the metaphor of feathers very apt.

"Mary's child… well, let's call him the Prince, made a fatal mistake. He thought, possessing both types of magic, he could compete with the cunning demons, even negotiate with them, securing their magic licenses and then passing them on through bloodline inheritance."

"Who did he contract with?"

"The Skull Lord, also known as Duke Skeleton, a sovereign of a faction in Hell and the source of the Power of Undead, which differs from the Power of Death as it revives the dead."

"Essentially, vampires are walking corpses who have already died once, so this power suits them well, thus the Prince chose Duke Skeleton."

"Unfortunately for him, he succeeded; as a vampire, he contracted with Duke Skeleton and gained the license for Necromancy, and his younger sister, whom I call the Second Princess, likewise secured a contract with the Master of Hell Shadow Demon."

"Did they marry?"

"Yes, they gave birth to a child who, theoretically, should have licenses for Shadow Magic, Blood Magic, Necromancy, and Shadow Magic..."

Constantine's tone deepened, yet he couldn't mask the schadenfreude, "But unfortunately, it was not an heir, but a monster."

"A monster?"

"Precisely, a monster capable of wielding four potent magics, who killed its own biological parents on the day of its birth, severely wounded Queen Mary, and put her into a slumber for over 300 years, ultimately it was Dracula who sealed this monster."

"Not killed?"

"It couldn't be killed, just like I can't be killed."

Shiller understood Constantine's meaning about selling one's soul to multiple parties, though the newborn's soul probably wasn't as coveted as Constantine's, the so-called 'unable to be killed' might simply mean those wanting to kill her weren't strong enough.

"What's even more interesting is that, once recovered, Queen Mary didn't think she had done anything wrong; she believed her logic was correct, just that there might have been some issues in execution, so once she regained some of her power, she commenced a new plan."

Constantine, recollecting, said, "The second plan is relatively recent, and I won't lie, I was also involved. I just wanted to know if inheriting magic licenses through bloodline was feasible. If so, Little Zha and I..."

The glass bottle suddenly overturned, and Constantine hurriedly steadied it, consoling, "No no no, just kidding, I definitely don't want to leave any descendants to inherit my curse."

"In any case, Mary began researching why an offspring with four types of magic turned into a monster. It was at this time she approached me; back then I was young, and for a Divine Artifact she had, I agreed to help her with the research."

"Through my research, vampires that are born and those that are turned have an essential difference. The former allows their bloodline power to stack, meaning a child's bloodline power is the sum of its parents'."

"That's why Mary and the third generation could have two very powerful children. At that time, each child possessed double the bloodline power, and by the time it reached the children of the Great Prince and the Second Princess, they should have had four times the power."

"However, a vampire's physical body and soul cannot bear such immense power, which will cause mutation in the fetus within the womb, ultimately resulting in a birth not of a pureblood vampire but of a monster."

"That is to say, relying on bloodline inheritance for magic permits is viable, but the purity of a vampire's bloodline is limited; too pure will lead to mutations. According to my research, if the Great Prince had not married the Second Princess but instead married a Blood Clan member with a more diluted bloodline, their child might have been able to inherit four magic permits while maintaining normal sanity."

"After hearing my advice, Mary was tempted again. Before her severe injury and subsequent dormancy, she had instructed her subordinates to pair up and make contracts with demons, and after she woke up, she carefully selected a few pairs of parents for them to unite."

"However, some of these vampires were not Mary's direct descendants, but members of the Shadow Sect. Mary could not fully control them, and the children born from them soon rebelled, frustratingly powerful, causing Mary to lose many subordinates."

"Mary still wasn't satisfied; she wanted a descendant that she could perfectly control, so she decided to replicate the Great Prince's path, again seeking out the third generation, and bore a baby."

"To prevent a recurrence of the previous tragedy, she found another baby and gave him the Initial Embrace, bestowing him with half of Mary's bloodline, ensuring that when they combined in the future, Mary's bloodline would dominate, and the child born would be a Vampire King controlled by Mary."

Shiller calculated the timeline in his mind; Mary had just started this plan when Constantine was young, and if the baby was born around that time, he should now be in his twenties, at most just over thirty.

But this range was still not narrow enough; people appearing in comics were basically in their twenties or thirties, though if Mary had delayed too long, that child could possibly be just in his teens now.

Then he realized that the so-called King of Vampires now was not what Mary ultimately wanted; what Mary wanted was the next generation of the Vampire King, so the current King of Vampires is false, the real King of Vampires has not yet been born.

But what Constantine had mentioned couldn't directly explain the reason for the vampire's large-scale resurrection. Even if this fake Vampire King, the new Great Prince, harbored grand ambitions to conquer Earth, Mary, who had been in hiding all these years, could surely wait a little longer, couldn't she?

"Mary is dead," Constantine shook his head and said.

"How did she die?" Shiller asked.

"She was assassinated, but this is actually no secret. Currently, on Earth, only two beings could have killed Mary: one is Dracula, who has not appeared for nearly two hundred years, and the other is the new Great Prince."

"But isn't the Great Prince fully controlled by Mary?"

"Indeed he couldn't deal with Mary, but the monster that severely wounded Mary three hundred years ago is still alive. Previously, I investigated the seals and found that the creature had been released long ago, and it was likely this monster that killed Mary."

"Where is this monster now?"

"Doomsday Army base."

Shiller was not at all surprised by this answer; remember, Constantine had asked the Arkham Knight to investigate the vampire residence of the Doomsday Army. According to Constantine's plan, a rule you absolutely cannot trust, it would be odd if there wasn't a trap involved.

"A monster mastering four powerful spells capable of directly killing the Bloody Queen Mary is now at the Doomsday Army's base," Constantine said, "So you would rather delay here with me than go and inform your friends?"

"When did I say they were my friends?" Shiller smiled and said, "Another spirit of mine has entered Zan's body, and if everything goes as expected, he should be with Batman, locked up together. There's no safer place in the world than that."

"I thought you had a close relationship with that armored kid," Constantine probed, "You seemed to know him."

"You know him too, he's Jason Todd."

Constantine's eyes widened as he exclaimed, "Are you kidding me? He's Batman's foster son? Does Batman have all the hot boys in this world?!"

"Probably the entire cosmos, you should know we come from other universes, right?"

"Of course, I just don't know about your universe..."

"To be precise, it is our universes," Shiller said with a smile, "we each come from different universes."

Constantine's eyes flickered, and Shiller threw out the bait, "Because of a mysterious platform, we were gathered together to venture into the infinite Multiverse, participating in many games."

"There's such a platform?"

Shiller nodded, somewhat mockingly, "And you weren't invited, but the Batman and Dick of this universe were."


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