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

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Constantine, sprawled on the cliff's edge, stood there in a daze. However, at this moment, Zatanna quickly rushed towards him.

When Batman had contemplated leaping off the cliff earlier, she had wanted to stop him, but her actions were a step too slow, and she couldn't prevent him.

Zatanna reached the edge of the cliff and pulled the bewildered Constantine back. While she was dragging Constantine back, she suddenly noticed a faint glow emanating from him.

With a hint of surprise, Zatanna exclaimed, "What's happening? Why are you glowing? Oh, my God! Your wounds are healing!"

Accompanying that faint glow, which covered Constantine's entire body, the scars that ran deep into his soul and covered his body were gradually vanishing. This included wounds that appeared to be cuts, burns, or patches where flesh had been sewn back together—all were steadily healing.

However, Constantine seemed to have gone mad; his whole body was trembling, and he shouted, "No! No! You can't leave me! You can't go... You can't go... You are a part of my soul!"

"Lobo... Tanzania... Astra!" Constantine gripped his own arm, convulsing as if having a seizure, trembling and screaming. Zatanna couldn't understand what was happening to him; all she could do was try to restrain him and ask, "Who is Astra? What are you yelling about?"

"A little girl... I killed her, and she was dragged down to hell... just like today. I couldn't capture her..." Constantine's words became somewhat confused. He continued, "And Lobo... the Traveler, he had his heart torn out by a demon because of me, leaving this mark..."

Constantine then covered his chest with his hands, but when he removed them, there was nothing there anymore, and he let out another agonized scream.

Zatanna couldn't comprehend why Constantine had suddenly gone insane. She could only plead, "Don't do this, John! John! Look at me, calm down. This is a good thing..."

"The disappearance of these scars means that the devils won't bother you anymore. All the sins you've committed, all the marks left by magic, they're all gone. You can return to a peaceful life. Haven't you always advised me like this?"

"No..." Constantine trembled and said, "You don't understand. You don't understand... they are the reason I keep going. These scars are the reason I keep going..."

Zatanna shook her head vigorously, saying, "You're out of your mind. I know you're upset about what happened to them, but we can find a way to save them, and you've been to hell before!"

"As long as you're willing to pay the price, devils are willing to release prisoners. But right now, you have to calm down and think about where to start to get them back... Constantine!" Zatanna grabbed Constantine's shoulders, looking into his eyes and said, "Reversal magic is my innate ability, and I don't have to pay a price for it. I don't understand dealing with devils. Only you can do that. So, now, only you can save Bruce and Schiller! Can you calm down?!"

As she spoke, Zatanna was now shouting, but Constantine remained unmoved. He stood up as if he had seen some hallucination, waving his arms continuously and shouting, "Get away! Get away! Don't come near me!!!"

Zatanna had to tightly hold onto him, but after the scars disappeared, Constantine's soul became even more powerful, and Zatanna couldn't stop him at all.

Constantine staggered to the edge of the cliff and nearly fell off. Zatanna had no choice but to extend her hand, pointing at Constantine and saying, "Cease your movement!"

A beam of light flew towards Constantine, immediately immobilizing him. However, within seconds, Constantine showed signs of breaking free. Zatanna cursed under her breath and quickly cast another spell.

She held onto Constantine's soul and glanced down at hell below the cliff. After hesitating for a moment, she summoned a ring of fire as a portal and, with Constantine, left the area.

Constantine continued to struggle and scream throughout their journey, forcing Zatanna to reinforce the binding spell at intervals. By the time they returned to the Batcave via the Spirit Realm, Zatanna was exhausted and out of breath.

After resting for a while, Zatanna looked at Constantine, who was almost breaking free from the restraints again. She lifted his soul and forcibly returned it to his body before returning to her own body.

But as soon as Constantine woke up, he sprang up from the sofa like a dying fish and began to scream. Zatanna once again pressed him down and asked, "What are you yelling about?!!!"

Zatanna pressed Constantine's shoulders, and his struggles caused his shirt to become slightly disheveled. Peering through the collar, Zatanna exclaimed, "Oh my God! Your scars have disappeared too!"

Constantine appeared somewhat dazed, and Zatanna cradled his face, carefully examining his appearance. Then, with some confusion, she said, "No, more than just the scars have disappeared. You seem to have grown younger?"

"I remember you saying you were 35 or 36 years old. But before, you looked like you were 45... " Zatanna reached out and lightly touched Constantine's eyelids, then said, "You've really become younger. Now you look like you're just 30 years old."

Zatanna pondered for a moment and then said, "All your debts have been cleared, including the lifespan you once sacrificed. Consequently, the scars on your soul and body have disappeared, and your age has reverted."

Zatanna extended her hand, and a faint light glowed at her fingertips. She gently touched her own forehead, and her eyes blinked with a crystalline gleam. When she looked back at Constantine, she exclaimed in shock, "Jesus! John, you are unbelievably healthy now, and your soul's vitality surpasses any sorcerer I've ever seen..."

Upon hearing the word "sorcerer," Constantine seemed to be triggered. He suddenly jumped up from the ground, causing Zatanna to stumble. With trembling arms, he reached into the pocket of his trench coat and pulled out two crumpled talismans.

He focused his energy and tried to activate the talismans, but they remained unresponsive. Suddenly, he turned his gaze towards Zatanna and said with intense determination, "Spell components... Give me some spell components! I know you have them!"

"Are you planning to use magic?" Zatanna got up from the ground and snatched the two talismans from Constantine's hands. "You used to teach me not to abuse magic, not to rely too much on it. How come you've forgotten that now?"

"John, haven't you figured out the situation yet?" Zatanna held Constantine's shoulders. "You have no more debts! You're a normal person now!"

"Meaning, you won't be harassed by any devils or angels anymore. You can live a peaceful life!"

Zatanna stared into Constantine's eyes, a hint of sadness between her brows, and said, "Although my attitude towards magic isn't as pessimistic as yours, I also know that once you step into it, you can never escape the river you've entered."

"When we were young, we all got our pants wet out of ignorance. Every sorcerer in this world is like that. Once they use magic, they can't avoid being cursed by the nightmares that follow."

"As soon as you take that first step, you're bound to get caught in a never-ending cycle of debt, until your soul plunges into hell."

"But now... But now!" Zatanna was also getting excited. "You've broken free from that cycle, Constantine! You're the luckiest sorcerer in the world; you've been given a fresh start!"

"As long as you never touch magic again, you won't fall into the same trap! You're free!"

Constantine's gaze was somewhat vacant, but he shook his head slowly and looked down at Zatanna. "Give me spell components..."

"No, I won't give them to you," Zatanna took a step back and said, "It's harming you. Even though I like using magic myself, I would never teach others to use it. That would be dragging an innocent person down, including you."

"As for Bruce and Schiller..." Zatanna took a deep breath and continued, "I'll find a way to contact family members and see if they can negotiate with the devils in hell. Both of them have unique souls, and those devils won't easily let go. But if a stalemate is reached, there might be room for negotiation. As for you, John, you should go home."

"Don't go, Little Zat! Don't leave!" Constantine stood in place, watching Zatanna's departing figure and pleaded, "Stay here, keep me company..."

Hearing the trembling tone in Constantine's voice, Zatanna clenched her fists, but her steps came to a halt. She walked back and looked at Constantine, saying, "You're a normal person now, John. You've been given a new lease on life. You should be happy about it."

Constantine shook his head and said, "You don't understand, Little Zat. I had the capability to repay those debts. You should know, there are too many unclaimed items in the Space, and if I put my mind to it, I could satisfy everyone."

"But I don't want to do that, and I'd only end up borrowing more and more. My purpose isn't to borrow power from them, but to face the consequences of not repaying the debts."

"The devils will go to great lengths to collect their debts, including torturing my body, whipping my soul, and subjecting me to endless punishments in nightmares. But that's what I need..."

Constantine wore a sorrowful expression and continued, "I'm not the person you imagine, who can kill friends without guilt. Only real pain in the physical world can help me evade that guilt..."

"But Schiller, my good friend, he saw through this in our interactions. So, he used the most straightforward method to eliminate that pain, so I couldn't escape it. That's my old debt..."

"He anticipated all of this!" Constantine's knuckles turned slightly white as he clenched his fists. "He knew that as long as he jumped, Batman would surely follow!"

"The one who once tried to save me and the one who actually saved me would both fall into hell together. This will be a new debt even harder to repay than all the old ones combined..."

"Old debts can't be escaped, and new debts are hard to repay..."

"Am I saved?" Constantine looked up, staring at Zatanna with a tone of despair. "No, I'll never be saved."

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Next Chapter>>Chapter 962: Constantine's Demise (Part 2)