Chapter 937: In the Depths of Misty Rain (Complete)

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Looking at Batman's face, Zatanna shook her head, reminiscing about the recklessness of their youth, which now seemed like a distant memory. Back then, they were both too young and naive, and everything had just happened.

At that time, not long after the Wayne couple's tragic death, young Bruce was in a terrible emotional state. Alfred, in an effort to help him overcome his grief, had invited a renowned magician, Mr. Zatara, who happened to be Zatanna's father, to Wayne Manor to perform magic.

However, young Bruce had no interest in the performance. He had dashed out of the hall and ran into Zatanna by chance. In his emotionally charged state, he confided in her about his sorrow, and Zatanna, feeling deeply sympathetic, had formed a bond with him.

During the period before Bruce left to study his skills, they were in a romantic relationship. But eventually, Zatanna had disappeared without a word. Her father had gone missing, and she needed to search for him. She didn't want to involve Bruce in the mysticism world, so she chose not to reveal the truth, leading to their separation, and they hadn't seen each other since.

Now, as they met again, they realized how much they had both matured. They were no longer the youths they once were, but Zatanna, as someone who had been closest to Bruce, could still read his expressions and actions.

She approached Batman and gazed into his eyes, saying, "Do you know where the curse is, don't you? Why won't you tell us?"

Batman pursed his lips for a moment, then turned to Constantine and said, "Do you remember the last time I heard the word 'curse'? It was from whom?"

"Who?" Zatanna inquired.

"Schiller."

Batman sighed and continued, "You should have noticed that many Gotham citizens have gone mad. Schiller claims it's a curse, and he says he can dispel this curse, but the method involves using an even more potent curse."

"A more potent curse?" Zatanna's expression turned colder, and Constantine's face darkened as well. He said, "It can't be that Schiller already has... but how..."

Constantine's thought process didn't immediately connect to the Curse Spirit because both he and Zatanna were well-versed in mysticism. In their world, Curse Spirit wasn't considered a curse.

In mysticism, curses were strictly defined as sustained, mediated negative magic. It had to be both sustained and mediated, and most importantly, it had to be magic.

Curse Spirit, on the other hand, was Constantine's twin elder brother, killed in their mother's womb. It had dwelled within Constantine, and in the mystic world, it was considered a "spirit," not a curse.

Soul, spirit, and curse - these were three entirely different concepts in the mystic world. Curse Spirit could mimic the effects of a curse, not by casting a curse but due to its unique nature.

Constantine himself possessed a special soul, and his twin brother, the Curse Spirit, had an identical soul. The fact that the Curse Spirit was killed and then came back to life under extraordinary circumstances made it a unique case. It was like a medical condition never seen before, and its danger lay in the fact that doctors had no experience in treating it.

Schiller was not well-versed in mysticism, so he didn't know that Curse Spirit was not a curse. Batman, though not fully knowledgeable about mysticism, also believed Schiller was referring to a curse.

Regardless, Curse Spirit did not fit the conventional definition of a curse in the mystic world. Even if Constantine knew that Schiller had taken his elder brother's soul, he wouldn't have made that connection.

"I think that's a possibility," Constantine said with a serious expression. "Generally, curses don't have a physical form, but they require a medium. These sorcerers target the medium. Once they control it through some method, they can use the curse."

Batman froze for a moment, and images from his recent encounter with Schiller flashed in his mind. When Schiller's umbrella had touched his body, it had felt alive.

"Umbrella..." Batman muttered softly.

Constantine, a bit puzzled, approached him and asked, "What? Did you just say something?"

"I said 'Umbrella'... The medium is likely the Umbrella," Batman repeated. Hearing this, Zatanna immediately said, "Who is this Schiller? But regardless of who he is, he cannot wield such a dangerous curse recklessly. This is extremely perilous!"

"Let's go find this person named Schiller. We'll make him hand over the medium, and then we'll take it and destroy it. We cannot allow this dangerous curse to harm the world!" Zatanna insisted.

However, Constantine, who had initially supported Zatanna's plan, now hesitated. He said, "Little Zat, sometimes the line between good and evil, right and wrong, isn't so clear-cut. I believe violence isn't the only solution to deal with problems."

"I understand your desire to deal with the curse, but you must present a well-thought-out plan. Otherwise, I won't allow you to act recklessly in Gotham," Batman added.

Zatanna stood still, glancing between Constantine and Batman, as if something had suddenly come to mind. She looked both suspicious and shocked, like a storm brewing in her eyes.

At that moment, Constantine stepped forward and put his arm around Zatanna's shoulder, saying, "Little Zat, you're still too young. Some things can't be resolved by brute force alone, and magic isn't all-powerful. We need to consider the method..."

"Oh my god, not this again!" Zatanna rolled her eyes, throwing her hands up. "I know you don't like using magic to solve problems and prefer taking the long way around. But in this urgent situation, are you seriously going to lecture me with all these grand reasons?"

"No, Little Zat, hear me out. Actually, on this matter... um... have you considered that your plan of confronting him directly might encounter a slight resistance?" Constantine pressed his two fingers together and then looked at Zatanna. "Have you thought that the person who possesses the curse medium might not be very willing to cooperate with us?"

Zatanna looked puzzled. "Not willing to cooperate? Of course, he wouldn't be willing; otherwise, he wouldn't have taken such a dangerous object and started causing chaos. But his unwillingness doesn't give him a valid reason to roam freely with it. If everyone could carry a bomb and walk into important places without consequences, what would be the point of police and security?"

Hearing Zatanna's argument, Batman instinctively furrowed his brow and asked, "Has he used that thing for criminal purposes?"

After uttering that question, Batman paused, clearing his throat lightly, seemingly reflecting on why he had said something so nonsensical.

"The problem is, he may become a criminal," Zatanna tapped the ground of the helicopter with her hand. "And we can't gamble on whether he will stay quiet and not use that thing to destroy the world."

"If he truly wants to destroy the world, he wouldn't need that thing..." Constantine whispered in a hushed tone, catching Zatanna's eye contact. He promptly silenced himself, but Batman spoke up.

"If there is indeed a highly dangerous curse, as you both describe, within Gotham, then I must find it. But..."

"What's the 'but'?" Zatanna said, a hint of frustration in her voice. "What's wrong with you two? Why haven't you realized the current situation?"

"Leaving aside who has this thing, that group of Dark Sorcerers won't hesitate like we are. If they find out about this, they'll go crazy trying to locate that person and snatch the curse medium from him before we do!"

"We must get hold of it before them and destroy it, no matter whose hands it's in. Can he really be our adversary, no matter who possesses it?"

Unexpectedly, as Zatanna posed this question, both Constantine and Batman fell silent.

Constantine pressed the tips of his two hands' fingers together, moving them gently. "Well, this issue is worth discussing."

"If the holder of the curse medium is truly Schiller, we definitely cannot allow him to keep it," Batman said, his eyes shadowed beneath his brow. "I suspect he may not even know how dangerous it is because, like me, he knows very little about the mystic world."

Constantine pondered for a moment, then nodded. "You're right. Schiller may be aware of the influence of the mystic world on Gotham, but he might not know what exactly it is, where it is, or even realize he possesses the Curse of Extreme Evil."

"Many items in the mystic world have this nature. Ordinary people who come into contact with them often fail to grasp their danger."

"Have you ever noticed that many horror stories involve cursed dolls or haunted objects?" Constantine added.

"In any case, if the curse medium is indeed Schiller's umbrella," Constantine concluded, "then you shouldn't expect me to ask Schiller for his umbrella. He won't give it to me. But..."

Constantine shifted his gaze to Batman, placing his hand on Batman's shoulder. "Perhaps you haven't realized your importance in Schiller's eyes. He's willing to invest so much time in your research paper; he might..."

"No possibility," Batman said expressionlessly. "Haven't you noticed? No one in this world can value that umbrella more than I can. No matter who tries to ask him for it, the outcome will be the same."

Constantine briefly recalled his encounters with Schiller and the rumors he had heard from various unnamed sources, including a Cryogenic Scientist, an unknown restaurant owner, and the son of an unknown Godfather. Then he nodded, agreeing with Batman's assessment.

"Since we can't get it directly, let's find a way to trick him into giving up the umbrella. I'm confident I can dispel the curse without destroying the umbrella itself. All we need is to trick him into letting us hold it for two or three hours, and we'll handle the rest."

Batman's tone suddenly became more alert as he asked Constantine, "...How do we trick him?"

Constantine glanced at Zatanna and said, "Well, let's not forget about the genius sorcerer right in front of us."

"Allow me to reintroduce Zatanna Zatara, a magician, sorcerer, and most importantly, a telepath with mastery over memory manipulation."

Batman immediately turned his head to look at Zatanna, and she, understanding Constantine's plan, said, "Well, it's true that a direct confrontation may drain our strength. If we engage in a tug-of-war, those Dark Sorcerers might take advantage of the situation."

"I do possess the ability to intrude directly into someone's memories, and, like certain mysterious entities, I can find weaknesses in memories and create an opportunity to make the person compromise... Yes, that's it!," Zatanna said with renewed enthusiasm.

She walked to the side of the helicopter and then turned back to Constantine. "Alright, your wise and reasoned arguments do have some merit. Let's go find a safe place and use my telepathic abilities to hypnotize this person named Schiller into putting down the Umbrella."

Constantine flashed a forced smile, saying, "Miss, you are truly a genius. It's a perfect plan. So, shall we..."

As he approached the helicopter's door, he heard a sharp click, and the door locked. Batman stared straight ahead, his expression unchanging, as he stated, "Not you, it's us."

Constantine froze in place.

Soon, the winds picked up in Gotham, and at the edge of the cloud cover, light struggled through the gaps in the dark clouds, casting a fleeting glow on the ground. The fine raindrops struck the helicopter's rotor blades, creating mist that resembled both fog and clouds.

The helicopter gradually diminished to a black dot as it flew towards the skyline. There stood a towering high tower in the depths of the misty rain, its existence both concealed and revealed.

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Next Chapter>>Chapter 938: Exploring Schiller's Past (Part 1)