292. "Accept Our Power"

Constantine's words seemed to flip a switch, and the atmosphere around the Rock of Eternity suddenly became eerily silent. The two exchanged glances, their mutual understanding making it clear they both knew what the other was thinking.

Alex loosened the black umbrella strapped to his back, while Constantine pulled out a brand-new deck of cards from his coat. They stood back to back, cautiously watching their surroundings.

Re-examining the now-ruined Rock of Eternity, new details they hadn't noticed before started to appear in their view. Since they had teleported directly in using magic, bypassing the entrance, they hadn't fully taken in the entire scene.

On the shattered walls, the once-magic-filled runes had now weathered away. All the magical artifacts had decayed, and twisted vines clung to the rocky walls, draining the last bit of life from the place.

Even the bodies near the entrance and in the main hall lay strewn across the ground in disarray, some still smoldering with residual energy, as if trying to obscure something.

"Damn creepy…" Constantine muttered under his breath. He had never encountered something like this before. The demons were clearly nearby, yet he couldn't sense a single trace of them. While the chaotic magical residue was partly to blame, for someone like Constantine, this was almost unthinkable.

If the demons had been using possession to hide themselves, that would be one thing. But there was nothing here that could qualify as a suitable "host" for possession. The parademon corpses, being bio-weapons, were completely unsuitable for demonic possession...

Wait.

Constantine's eye twitched, and he slowly turned his head.

At the same time, Alex also moved, sharply turning his gaze toward the pile of corpses.

"You see it too?" Constantine asked, peeking over.

"Yeah, just a coincidence. I happen to know a bit about necromancy," Alex replied as ghostly green flames flickered in his pupils, glowing eerily in the dim light, adding an unsettling aura to the scene.

The source of necromancy, of course, came from the Shadow King. This much was clear from the time the Shadow King controlled fragments of the X-Men's souls. After devouring the Shadow King, Alex had gained significant insights into soul-based magic.

"At first, I thought those demons were hiding in the magical artifacts here, but we overlooked the fact that there are other human corpses—or rather, skeletons."

Alex's expression turned cold. This wasn't the first time he'd seen the remains of heroes being desecrated, but no matter how many times he encountered it, the rage still burned inside him.

Sure enough, as Alex and Constantine focused their gaze, a murky black mist began to emerge from the pile of corpses. It carried an eerie, twisted energy, unlike anything from normal demons. It was as though something else was mixed within the dark mist.

Perhaps the Seven Deadly Sins knew they had been discovered, for they no longer tried to hide. Slowly, they began to appear, cloaking themselves over their chosen vessels, and gradually revealing their true forms.

The sound of bones grinding together echoed through the air—a sharp, clear noise of joints rubbing against each other. Soon, five human-like skeletons slowly stood up.

Without Shazam's divine power, they had reverted to their mortal forms—their original appearance.

Judging by their height, Alex could easily tell that these skeletons belonged to children. Furthermore, their remains were incomplete. All five skeletons were missing limbs, and one of them was even missing a skull.

Glancing down at the nearby parademon corpses, Alex didn't need to guess where those missing parts had gone.

"Fresh bodies..."

The black mist spread out, transforming into a thick fog that attempted to obscure their vision. Within the fog, seven grotesque, twisted figures writhed and squirmed.

They emitted a sound like rusted razors scraping against the ground, making both Alex and Constantine instinctively wince.

"Alright, as I promised, I've helped you find them. Now it's your turn to take the stage," Constantine said, taking a few steps back and casually pocketing his deck of cards. He gave Alex a knowing smirk before finding a nearby step to sit on, as if he were just another spectator waiting for the show to begin.

"Really, Constantine? Could you at least help all the way?" Alex couldn't help but say.

In response, all he heard was the sound of a lighter sparking.

"Alright then." With a sigh, Alex looked a bit resigned. However, he hadn't actually expected Constantine to help. These creatures were his prey.

The Seven Deadly Sins continued emitting their raspy voices, seemingly sensing the demonic power emanating from Alex, which excited them greatly.

After countless years of dormancy, their power had nearly faded. On the fallen Earth, they had devoured countless souls, barely managing to reform their bodies and find a way out of this world.

But just as they were celebrating, they were shocked to find an irresistible force pulling them back. And not only that, the power they had painstakingly gathered was completely consumed in the process of breaking through the dimensional barrier.

Now, the Seven Deadly Sins couldn't even form their physical bodies, struggling to control the few corpses they possessed. But upon seeing Alex, a black mage brimming with demonic power, how could they not be thrilled?

As demons of primal sin, their power had a terrifyingly suppressive effect on lower-level demons.

Because of this, Alex was shocked to find that his own magic seemed to be shrinking back in fear, retreating deeper within his body.

"...Accept us... We will grant you immense power."

The terrifying demonic force instantly began to suppress Alex, while the eerie black mist enveloped his entire body. The faint flames of his spirit flickered weakly, revealing the ghastly white bones walking within the black fog.

Outside the mist, though Constantine appeared relaxed, his heart was pounding in his chest. The hand in his pocket trembled slightly, ready at any moment to throw out one of his spell-inscribed cards.

Alex's expression remained solemn. He could feel something in the chaotic darkness beyond just the skeletons—something his necromancy could not detect, something that had been suppressing him all along.

"...Black mage... We are your true destiny."

The raspy voices echoed in Alex's ears, clouding his mind. His thoughts grew murky, thick like a swamp.

One by one, the heads of the Seven Deadly Sins began circling Alex, grinning as they watched the mage whose defenses they had breached.

The darkness filled Alex's pupils, and changes began to manifest on his body.

"...Accept me."

Pride opened its wide mouth and was the first to rush into Alex's right eye.

In an instant, a surge of darkness erupted. Alex's skin turned purple, and two horns sprouted from the top of his head.

"We... will give you..."

Seeing this, the other demons of sin quickly followed, rushing toward Alex's exposed soul.

"...We will... I..."

But then, the Seven Deadly Sins realized something was wrong.

"...Stop! Stop!!"

The black mist suddenly surged, moving rapidly like a gathering storm, completely different from its previous sluggish flow.

In the eerie hall, the black mist howled, and ghostly wails like cries of agony filled the air. The faint spirit flames trembled, casting twisted shadows that danced eerily on the walls, sending chills down the spine.

The air was thick with horrifying screams and wails, echoing through the deathly silence of the Rock of Eternity. The cold wind swept through, and in the midst of these terrifying sounds, the deep passageways felt like the very entrance to hell.

Constantine stood up, horrified, his gaze flickering with uncertainty as he looked into the black mist.

In his line of sight, a giant shadow was thrashing wildly within the fog.

It was a grotesque creature with two massive bat wings, sharp horns on its head, four arms, and countless writhing tentacles, all illuminated by the ghostly green firelight.

.....

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293. Becoming a Demon!

294. The Fading Star.

295. Soul Corruption.

296. A Gesture of Respect.

297. The Delusions in the Dark.