"If Gabriel dares to provoke you in your own bar, it proves he's not afraid of being discovered by you." Inside the palace of Hell's Satan, Constantine leaned against the throne towards Lucifer and said, "Or rather, he's betting you won't be able to find him."
Lucifer slightly furrowed his brows, "You also know that if I really want to know where he is, there's no need for Azazel to investigate."
"Of course, the Omniscient and Omnipotent Lucifer does not need to investigate to know anything, but if you fly directly over to catch him, it would only flatter his ego." Constantine coldly hummed, "You are the Primordial Light, God's most cherished son, you are unlike the other angels, especially distinct from Gabriel."
"One could say, you aren't even of the same species. Among all the angels, God only values you. Even stepping back, only Michael can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with you. If you personally deal with Gabriel—a small follower always trailing behind you two, he could wake up laughing from a dream."
Lucifer pursed his lips and didn't respond. Constantine straightforwardly pointed out, "He's certain that your biggest weakness is your pride; Even if he sends mortals to harass you, practically dancing on your head, you wouldn't stoop to run to him and lash out."
"You've never respected any angel, be it Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, or Uriel, you never took them into consideration. This was true even before your fall because you know that while God is other people's deity, he's just your father."
"Enough." Lucifer interrupted Constantine, but there was little anger in his tone; he just sighed and said, "Don't mention those old things, anyway, I won't let Gabriel have it his way."
He stood up from his throne, walked down the steps, his voice echoing through the empty hall.
"War between Heaven and Hell has no meaning, all I seek beyond love is freedom, but I'm only left spiraled by millennia of war. If the first war of fallen angels was the price I paid for my choice, then what is this second war for? Surely not to take revenge against God?"
"Don't you hate God?"
"Not exactly. I just can't comprehend the way he loves me, so I chose to avoid the topic, for peace's sake."
"You have this privilege because you understand his love for you, knowing that no matter what, he will always choose you. Hence, you can afford to be reckless, unconcerned, so much so that you won't even offer him the emotional act of hatred."
Constantine's Adam's apple moved, and he spoke in a lower voice, "You're favored, so you'll never understand those forgotten in the corners, how desperate they can be in seeking means of existence. Just like how I fell into Hell, but never looked back."
"So, you think I should tolerate Gabriel?"
"Of course not, though I would tell you, if you completely ignore him, he would suffer greatly. But still, I hope you could shatter his unrealistic fantasies; it's better for Heaven, Hell, and the Human World."
Lucifer turned his head and asked Constantine, "Then what should I do according to you?"
"Simply finding him and beating him up, or even sealing him away won't suffice. He'd only provoke you over and over again in his desperate quest for validation. With more attention he draws, the crazier he will become. Even if God reproaches him, he would only rejoice, finally feeling significant."
"But you cannot do nothing either; otherwise, he would sooner or later cause chaos in Heaven, Hell, and the Human World. As for how to make him abandon this completely ... I can only suggest you ask Shiller."
Lucifer's expression tightened, his look could be described as, 'Isn't your Yan-country map too cut-off?'
"You know very well Shiller's expertise in crumbling someone's defense, but he'll make you pay a price."
Lucifer stood in the same spot, gritting his teeth. After a while, he turned around and left the palace. Constantine sighed deeply and said.
"You'd rather go to Shiller than lower yourself to deal with Gabriel; I can only say, any bad luck you face, you brought upon yourself, Arrogant."
After Lucifer left, Azazel took Constantine back to his palace. Satan said nothing, and Azazel didn't torture Constantine anymore—he just dumped him in a random room in the palace.
Constantine laid on the bed for a while, just as he was about to doze off, he heard a string of shouts ringing in his ears.
"Wake up! You need to wake up! John Constantine, wake up now!"
As Constantine opened his eyes, he saw a beautiful dark-skinned girl shaking him vigorously. He thought he was dreaming, mumbled a few words under his breath, and planned to roll over and go back to sleep.
"Wake up quickly, I'm Luna, Midnight's sister. Something big has happened!"
Constantine suddenly snapped wide awake, looking at the girl in front of him, he said, "Midnight? Midnight Daddy? What happened to him?"
"It's my birthday today. He just came to see me and said that Constantine eventually fell into his hands. But I just saw you in the palace a few days ago ... Are you really John Constantine?"
"Of course, I am Constantine."
"Strange, then who's the one my brother was talking about?" The dark-skinned girl wore a puzzled expression, but still sighed, shook her head, and decided to leave.
But Constantine caught her wrist and stared at her, saying, "Are you sure your brother saw me in the human world?"
"Yes, he said that a member of the Blood Clan was chasing you. You were hurt and run ended up in Midnight Daddy's bar. He saved you."
Constantine's eyes widened slightly, and he said in a seemingly dazed state, "It's darkest under the light... Gabriel, you really outdid yourself."
He sighed again and said, "But you stopped Shiller from taking my heart. Gabriel, you're too clever for your own good, I'm afraid you're really going to be in big trouble now."
On the other hand, in Midnight Daddy's bar, Midnight, who had received the news from his sister, hurried back to his own bar. In the guest room on the second floor, apart from a pool of blood, there was nothing else. Constantine had already vanished without a trace.
Midnight gritted his teeth and cursed. Of course, Lucifer and Azazel would not misidentify Constantine. So, it's likely that the Constantine in the real world is the fake one. Realising that he had been tricked, Midnight went to the center of the room and started reciting a spell over the pool of blood.
Just then, there was a knock on the door. "Come in," a voice rang out. Midnight turned his head to look and saw a man wearing a dark red, plaid suit standing at the door. A very muscular young man stood behind him.
"Hello, I'm looking for Constantine. I followed him here."
Midnight was instantly filled with rage. But just as he was about to lash out, he met the man's desolate grey eyes. His years of experience dealing with all kinds of people and his intuition made him swallow the aggressive words that were on the tip of his tongue.
"You're too late, he's run off."
"Was it Constantine that ran?"
Midnight instantly narrowed his eyes, turned his head to look at this unexpected guest, and then heard him say, "You can use magic. See who controlled his body. I will find him, and his body will be mine, his soul will be yours."
Midnight glanced at the state of the room and knew he had no other options. If the one who made a fool out of him leaked the information, his reputation would suffer greatly. He had to get him back as soon as possible.
With that in mind, Midnight didn't hesitate any longer. He began to chant his spell faster and faster. A burst of light rose from the blood. His pupils contracted sharply, and he cried out a name in shock.
"Gabriel??!!"
Shiller's eyebrows furrowed deeply.