Multiverse: Deathstroke

Chapter 361: Ch.360 Pursuit

Upon hearing Stranglehold's words, Diana realized that what she thought was the scent of the forest was different from usual.

Sometimes, after a rain, the forest had a musty odor, possibly from decaying leaves or fungi proliferating.

However, if Stranglehold's helmet visor had already given an analysis, then this was not that kind of issue.

Diana immediately drew her sword and shield, slashing at the door. The brass doorknob spun off, and the door shattered.

A fireball flew toward the doorway, and Diana smacked it away with her shield.

In the firelight, they both saw something indescribable sprawled in front of a full-length mirror in the dark.

It vaguely had a human form, but the entire body was twisted and deformed, with its bones and muscles stretched out like thin strands of noodles.

It was shattered, melted, and time and scavenging insects had turned it into a gray mass of filth.

Su Ming shook his head, while Diana's expression darkened even more.

This was the result of magic.

This was a male wizard who enjoyed using a disguise spell on himself before going out, to make himself look younger or more handsome. However, something went wrong with the magic.

It had turned him into a pile of demonic excrement.

Diana's grim expression came from her concern for her friend Zatanna. If Zatanna continued using her backward-speaking magic, it was inevitable that she wouldn't always get lucky. A similar fate could befall her.

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"So it seems your first choice is no longer an option. Who's your second choice?"

Su Ming asked calmly. It was best to leave this problem to the Justice League. These elderly wizards typically had no family, so the responsibility of taking care of the remains would fall on the heroes.

Diana sighed, stepping over the corpse to search the room for clues, but found nothing.

"He was a good person—he was really good at transforming things into all kinds of ice cream. I had wanted to bring you here..."

"Wizards are still human. He merely reached his end. Relying on magic ultimately leads to being ruled by it." Su Ming shrugged. Magic, like the Speed Force, was easy to get addicted to, but it always brought unintended consequences.

"We don't have time to hold a funeral for him." Diana pulled a tablecloth from the dining table, covered the body, then pulled her hood back up as she headed out. "Follow me; let's find the second person."

Su Ming followed her into the air. "Is your list ranked based on how good their ice cream was?"

Diana glared at him fiercely. Did he think she was only concerned about ice cream?

With the urgency of the situation, they both flew at high speed. But no matter how fast they went, they couldn't outpace fate.

One by one, the sorcerers on Diana's list of magic consultants had met untimely deaths. It was obvious that it had happened days earlier, as the bodies were already highly decomposed.

But the cause of death was still discernible—various inexplicable deaths that could only have been caused by magic.

Wonder Woman pulled out a phone with a red metallic case. She hesitated, wondering whether she should dial a number. After a long moment, she turned her gaze to Stranglehold.

"I really don't want to call Constantine, but right now I don't know who else could give me an answer."

Su Ming extended his hand, gently pressing the power button on her phone. "Then don't call him. Just because you don't have a way doesn't mean I don't."

"I didn't know you were familiar with mages outside of Justice League Dark. Shazam, maybe? He's been busy fighting Black Adam lately, and it's been ages since he came to the Hall of Justice."

Diana tilted her head, trying to think. She couldn't imagine this mercenary from another world having connections with sorcerers of her Earth.

It made sense logically, but for someone like Su Ming, logic didn't apply.

"This is Los Angeles, and with just a hundred dollars, you can get the best exorcism services on the West Coast." Su Ming took Diana into the air, heading toward the city—he needed to find a payphone.

"Um... that sounds like Constantine. I didn't know he had a business on the West Coast, too."

"It may sound like him, but the person I'm looking for is far more reliable than Constantine. At least I won't have to worry about her sacrificing us to a demon without our knowledge, forcing us to fight our way out of hell or something like that."

Su Ming explained cheerfully while flying. He was about to find another talented magician for hire.

Arabelle Quinn, the world's most beautiful demon worshiper.

If Constantine's magic came in part from his bloodline—his demonic heritage—then Arabelle was different altogether.

She had casually watched three random, nonsensical magic lessons on YouTube, which were actually a scam that Constantine set up to make some cash.

There was a time when Constantine heard making money online was easy. With the help of a driver friend, he recorded some pay-per-view lessons and put them on the internet.

It was all a rip-off, of course. The summoning magic he taught only summoned small hellish imps to annoy people, guaranteeing they'd eventually hire him for exorcism.

At the time, Constantine was so excited by the "promising profit" that he dreamed about it and woke up laughing.

But Arabelle focused on something different. She copied Constantine's attire from the videos, bought a yellow trench coat, white shirt, and black tie to look exactly like him.

She cut her long hair short, lit a cigarette, and transformed herself into a female version of Constantine, performing those bogus summoning rituals.

The demons in hell thought she was Constantine and scrambled over each other to answer the summons, all eager for a chance at revenge. It was chaos down there.

The victor, curious why Constantine had turned into a pretty girl, was Lucifer Morningstar, a Prince of Hell.

Lucifer arrived on Earth, listened to Arabelle's story, and found it hilarious. He wanted to see Constantine's reaction to a female version of himself.

So, the mischievous Lucifer made a pact with Arabelle, granting her powerful dark magic that allowed her to channel hellish energy.

With just one spell, the demons that Constantine would have had to trick or deceive could be blasted into roast duck by her.

Of course, Lucifer had conditions—she had to run an exorcism business like Constantine.

Businesses require business cards.

Constantine's card read "Master of Dark Arts," while hers said "Licensed Demonologist and Divorce Specialist."

She didn't have many exorcism cases. Los Angeles had plenty of magicians willing to do the work for free, so the people who sought her help were mostly those desperate to get rid of their spouse they saw as a demon.

If Su Ming needed a magical consultant, a more powerful one was obviously better, and Arabelle was a super-beauty.

From age four to eighteen, she had consecutively won the title of "Miss Colorado" for fourteen years. Every time she competed, she won.

It wasn't until she became a powerful sorceress that she left her hometown for Los Angeles, opening her agency there.

Of course, she also knew that magic had its costs. As a user of demonic power, she was well aware of that.

Like Constantine, she indulged in alcohol and cigarettes and lived in poverty—all just a form of paying the price.

But she wouldn't sacrifice her friends, because hell handled her magical debts. All she had to do was wait to die and give Lucifer her soul.

However, not long after their pact, Lucifer abandoned Hell to open a nightclub in Los Angeles. What use did he have for souls anymore?

As a "historical leftover" problem, their pact remained in effect, but she could keep her soul until she felt like giving it—if she ever did.

Now Su Ming had thought of her—a stronger, female version of Hellblazer. Using Lucifer's disappearance as an excuse, he was sure he could convince her to help.

Other mages had all lost their abilities due to the uncertain source of magic power. Users of demonic power, on the other hand, at least had a clear source.

Just like when seeking out Constantine, all he needed was a public phone booth. Just flip through the phone book and find her ad in the yellow pages.