BXBX NOVEL Chapter 90: Ch.89 Tricking Even Himself
Chapter 90: Ch.89 Tricking Even Himself
Constantine, with his thick skin, seemed unaffected by his previous failed tricks. He acted as if nothing had happened: "Why don\'t you tell us first what you want from us?"
Su Ming gave a cold smile: "Take a guess."
Constantine turned his head, feigning a cocky attitude: "You\'re the ones who came to me, and now you want me to guess? Is that how you do business?"
This was exactly how business should be done. Both sides wanted something, and whoever spoke first would be at a disadvantage. If it were anyone else, Su Ming would have been more straightforward, but with Constantine, that wouldn\'t work.
He had to keep Constantine uncomfortable at all times to ensure he didn\'t have the energy to pull any tricks.
"Now isn\'t the time for business. The whole world is in danger," Su Ming said, glancing at Barry, who was still greeting the other mages. "Barry, look at Constantine. He\'s only thinking about saving himself. Isn\'t that selfish?"
Barry\'s eyes darted around. Even though he couldn\'t see Su Ming\'s expression, he decided to go along with him completely. Compared to these shady magicians, he felt more at ease with Deathstroke. At least everything Deathstroke did could be explained scientifically.
"Yeah, that\'s true."
"Alright, then use your Speed Force to erase their magic circle and drag them all with us to fight on the frontlines."
Su Ming and Barry began playing off each other like a comedy duo.
Constantine frowned: "Hey, wait a minute, that would be hurting others without helping yourself. Against Barbatos, we\'d be useless on the battlefield. It would be suicide."
"I know, but don\'t you feel hypocritical lecturing me about hurting others when it\'s you, Constantine?" Su Ming responded calmly, crossing his arms over his chest. "Either you tell me what you want us to do, or we all go down with the ship like the Titanic."
Constantine took a few deep drags of his cigarette. He felt more frustrated than ever. This guy had just put his helmet back on, making him immune to magic due to the Nth Metal\'s resistance. Hypnosis spells wouldn\'t work now.
If he tried using large-scale magic, the speedster wouldn\'t just stand there and watch him chant. A casual shove from Barry could cause dangerous backlash.
Countless thoughts ran through his mind, but he ultimately let out a sigh: "Fine, I shouldn\'t have let you in from the start. We want to resist Barbatos too, but using our method. This magic circle is just a defensive one. To make it do anything else, we need more power."
Su Ming merely nodded. Accusing them of selfishness was just a setup. Mages were not short-sighted, especially when someone like Madame Xanadu could foresee the future to some extent.
"So you want a power amplifier. Is it the Cosmic Tuning Fork or the Mobius Chair?"
The most famous power amplifiers in the DC universe were those two. The Cosmic Tuning Fork was created by the Anti-Monitor, capable of controlling the flow of energy across the Multiverse, but it had already been stolen by the Dark Knights.
The Mobius Chair, made of X-Metal by the Anti-Monitor, was currently missing. Sitting on it granted abilities like teleportation, telepathy, omniscience, and more, all highly unscientific powers.
The Mother Box from Apokolips could also be considered an energy coordinator, but it was more like a supercomputer and probably didn\'t fit the magical style here.
Constantine\'s eyebrows twisted into a comical shape, his expression as if someone had violated his privacy: "No way, no way. Even if you could get those, Barbatos would likely descend upon us in the next second, and we wouldn\'t be able to hold him off."
Su Ming had only been making suggestions; there was no way to obtain those items. But since Constantine was still beating around the bush, he decided to keep dragging things out.
"I understand your plan now. You\'re hiding in the Limbo, using the Light Magic Circle to anchor the universe and playing tug-of-war with Barbatos."
"Exactly. He plans to plunge Earth-0 into darkness, triggering a chain reaction that will pull in all the bright universes. So while we still have a chance, we\'re strengthening Earth-0\'s position in the Bloodlands to buy more time." Constantine walked over to the magic circle, placed his hand on it, chanted a short phrase, and infused a bit of his power into it. Then he quickly stood up, as if giving more magic would cost him dearly. "Even if the new magic circle is completed, it will only delay the inevitable for a little longer, but that\'s all we can do. We need your Bat Gold."
"You could\'ve said that sooner. Your habit of trying to trick people is really incurable. Was it Madame Xanadu\'s prophecy magic that \'saw\' the Bat Gold in my possession?"
Su Ming continued his analysis with his arms crossed. Constantine didn\'t deny it, but a gypsy-dressed female mage in the crowd smiled and nodded at Su Ming, confirming his words.
"You can have the Bat Gold, but in return, you have to give us magical items to deal with Doomsday and Cyborg."
"A monster and a cyborg... Deal." Constantine\'s eyes darted around as he calculated, then he nodded in agreement.
Su Ming pulled out the Bat Gold, its crystal glowing faintly red, still covered in blood and fragments of internal organs. Without hesitation, he tossed it to Constantine. In his hands, it was just a brick. It was better to leave magical metals to professionals.
He had already acquired Hawkman\'s war hammer, making the Bat Gold useless to him. Barry wouldn\'t use it to stab people, so he might as well let the mages use it. This was not only buying time for the world but also for himself. Even if they hadn\'t organized themselves, Su Ming would have had a similar plan.
Barry looked at the bloody mineral, staining Constantine\'s hands, and gave a sheepish smile: "But with just a small piece, what can you do?"
Constantine tossed his cigarette butt and stomped it out. Blood had smeared onto his beard: "That\'s what you outsiders think. For magicians, the existence of a substance is more important than its quantity."
Su Ming seemed to remember something suddenly and extended his hand: "Then break off a piece and give me the rest."
"Cough, cough... but sometimes, quantity is important too."
Constantine immediately changed his tune, silently shedding tears inside. Why did he have to show off? Could it be that, as Deathstroke said, his habit of tricking people was terminal, so much so that he even tricked himself?
Despite his frustration, his hands moved quickly. He placed the dirty metal cluster on the ground, bit his finger, and drew a small magic circle. This circle was far more complex than the previous one, incredibly intricate.
When one finger ran out of blood, he bit the next, then the next... After he\'d bitten all ten fingers and couldn\'t squeeze out any more blood, he was about to take off his shoe when Su Ming simply cut his arm, releasing enough blood to complete the circle. He had to press on Constantine\'s upper arm to stop the bleeding, carefully finishing the circle without letting the blood gush everywhere.
Constantine gave Su Ming a bitter look, while Su Ming casually cleaned his Sword of Ares. This divine weapon\'s anti-magic properties were decent. It might not work against the Nightmare Batmen, but it sliced through Constantine\'s protective spells like paper.
Constantine sighed, resigned to his fate. He placed his hands on the small magic circle, muttering incomprehensible words.
The Bat Gold, once a metal cluster, began to glow bright red, slowly melting until it turned into shimmering light and merged with the giant magic circle.
Su Ming couldn\'t see what had changed, but many of the surrounding magicians nodded or smiled, indicating it had worked.
"Alright, Barbatos is using the nightmares of countless ordinary people to generate energy and pull the world into darkness. With the Bat Gold from the Bat Tribe, we can hold out for at least three days. The rest is up to you." Constantine wrapped his wounds and sat on the floor, fumbling in his chest pocket for a cigarette.
"If we survive this, the giant magic circle won\'t be destroyed. It will remain here in the House of Mystery. Since this place is yours, that means you\'ll gain influence and power because a magical miracle will reside here." Su Ming immediately saw through Constantine\'s plan. He was still trying to pocket the benefits for himself.
Constantine hesitated, then put on a shameless smile: "Well, it\'s a win-win situation for both of us."