As Mephisto pondered his next move without reaching a conclusion, Robert's presence reappeared in the real world, intensifying Mephisto 's suspicions of being tricked.
"Maybe I should just let it go?" Even after reacquiring a lock on Robert, Mephisto was somewhat reluctant to pursue him further. After all, his original intention wasn't to chase after Robert; it was just a transit point in the Joker's more critical mission.
"Mephisto ? Mephisto ?" Just as Mephisto was about to give up, he heard his name being called again, and this time it wasn't Robert calling.
"Mephisto ? Mephisto ?" Before Mephisto could identify the caller, the voice echoed again. Recognizing the voice, he realized it was from a human he had dealt with before.
"Constantine? You dare to provoke me?" Anger flashed in Mephisto 's eyes as he thought, "Hmph! If it were someone else, I might have doubted it was a trap, but you, I know all too well! Can I not handle you if I can handle others?"
"Your soul is also quite interesting, and most importantly, the deeds you've done fall within the scope of the Judgemental Eye! I will make you experience true pain, then cast you into the hell dimension you dread most, to remain there forever!"
Possibly because he felt that Robert was tricking him and he couldn't retaliate for the previous harassment, Mephisto 's anger shifted towards Constantine. Silently changing course, he guided the Joker towards Constantine's location.
At this moment, Constantine looked slightly bewildered as he stared at his magic book, his eyes flickering with hesitation. He muttered, "Really no response? Did I get too excited last time and make a mistake? Or has Mephisto returned to the hell dimension?"
Indeed, this was another instance where Constantine uttered Mephisto 's name, stemming from the previous occasions when Robert mentioned Mephisto without any response.
Constantine, somewhat disbelieving that Mephisto was truly absent from Earth, had scoured through vast amounts of information. He even ignored Robert's departure and found records concerning the lord of the hell dimension.
The records stated that if a hell lord indeed descended with power on Earth, merely invoking the true name of the hell lord would mark one, casting a shadow over their spirit, a sign of being targeted and a one-way ticket to hell.
After some hesitation, Constantine prepared a magical puppet to call Mephisto 's name, closely observing any changes. Finding no power enveloping the puppet, he couldn't resist his inner thrill-seeker.
Following this, Constantine called Mephisto 's name again, unknowingly recognized by Mephisto . At this point, Constantine was unaware that Mephisto had shifted his focus from Robert to him. If he knew, he would have already been seeking help.
The reason Mephisto targeted both Robert and Constantine without detection was that he wasn't using any so-called hell dimension power; he was merely a consciousness with no actual energy, barely managing to construct an apparition.
The location of Robert and Constantine was traced through the vague calls in the cosmos, as the methods of a hell lord are manifold, far beyond what a mere magic book can record!
"Since Mephisto is gone, what's with the hellfire?" When Constantine realized Mephisto wasn't targeting him, he breathed a sigh of relief but then became puzzled. The occurrence of hellfire wasn't isolated; it was not just a few mishaps, as the Joker wouldn't have returned to Gotham so discontented otherwise.
"Could it be that another, possibly even a top-tier, demon lord has descended? But to my knowledge, among the demon lords, none possess the hellfire. Could it be one I don't know about?" After some thought, Constantine sensed that the situation might be no less severe than if Mephisto himself had descended. He quickly adjusted his mindset, started tracking the demon lord, and prepared ample contingencies.
As for who would handle the demon lord when the time came, Constantine wasn't particularly worried, since Robert had recently expressed his intent to use the lives of powerful beings as a bargaining chip with the dimension behind healing magic. Robert certainly wouldn't pass up a chance to battle a demon lord.
Thus, Constantine only needed to ensure he could locate the demon lord and stall for time until Robert arrived at the battlefield without dying.
As for injuries, Constantine wasn't overly concerned, confident that with Robert's bug-level healing abilities, as long as he was still breathing, Robert would surely save him. After all, having provided Robert with a top-tier demon lord as an opponent, it was only reasonable for Robert to reciprocate.
Thoughts raced through Constantine's mind, mixed with a hint of excitement as he prepared himself. Meanwhile, Mephisto , having been called upon several times, felt his anger stir, leading the Joker towards Constantine's magic base.
Compared to a subspace, Constantine's magic base could hardly escape Mephisto 's perception
. As time passed, the Joker's fiery car approached ever closer to Constantine's location.
"That should be enough!" Just as Constantine was setting his traps, he heard a guardian's voice tinged with panic.
"A burning car is heading our way, and the flames look similar to the hellfire you mentioned!" The guardian, who possessed teleportation portals, observed the surroundings from the shadows—a precaution to avoid being caught unawares. This time, seeing a car ablaze rushing towards them without slowing, he promptly alerted Constantine.
"What?! How could this be? I was just thinking about how to deal with him, and now he shows up at my doorstep? Is this what they call a double rush?" Constantine exclaimed in shock, his mind a whirl of chaotic thoughts, which he quickly suppressed. He hurriedly contacted Robert through tracking magic.
Even though he had just prepared his contingencies, the direct approach of his target gave Constantine a bad feeling, prompting him to contact Robert without hesitation.
Had he been able to reach Clark, Constantine would have also called on Superman for an extra sense of security.
"Help! I'm going to die!" As soon as Robert answered the magical call, Constantine shouted urgently.
"???" Robert was baffled, having just left the magic base not long ago. Could things have gone south that quickly?
"Hellfire, it must be a powerful demon lord. Hurry over, I can't hold on!" Constantine yelled while deploying his last resorts, shielding the entire magic base to prevent the Joker's car from breaking in.
With a loud "bang," just as Constantine's defenses were set, the walls of the magic base trembled. Despite using his last resorts, Constantine barely held against the charge of the Joker's car.
"Hellfire? Demon lord?" Robert raised an eyebrow. He was unfamiliar with hellfire but knew enough about demon lords.
Currently, without activating his Giant Ape Power: Rage Transformation, Robert's combat level was also at the level of a demon lord. Once transformed, even top-tier demon lords were no match for him, a significant improvement from his last battle against Valentine.
In fact, once Robert activated his Giant Ape Power: Rage, his strength approached that of a hell lord, albeit at the lower threshold.
The power span of a hell lord was indeed vast, at least covering the levels from the chief gods of Earth's pantheon to the level of a god-king, a heavenly father. Fortunately, once Robert activated his Giant Ape Power: Rage, his strength was comparable to Diana's...
"Have the guardian teleport me there!" After hearing Constantine's plea, Robert instructed Kara briefly, then vanished on the spot, instantly transforming into the likeness of Son Goku, donning his martial arts uniform.
With a "hum," Robert soon appeared in the magic base via the teleportation portal. The slight delay allowed the hellfire to spread over Constantine's last resorts, destroying them and breaching the walls of the magic base.
As Robert materialized in the magic base, he saw Claire rushing forward, her formidable power erupting in an attempt to block the Joker's car. However, after a brief confrontation, Claire was sent flying backwards.
"Get out!" Robert frowned at the Joker's car, his ki and psychic energy surging. With a powerful punch, rather than forming a ki blast, his energies intertwined and struck the Joker's car.
With a "whoosh," visibly, the flames on the Joker's car dimmed momentarily before the vehicle was sent flying back.
Robert chose not to convert his energy into a ki blast for a simple reason: he was concerned that doing so might demolish the magic base, and then Constantine would likely lament incessantly...
"Huh? Who is this person?" As the Joker, along with his car, was propelled out, he wasn't the least bit flustered but instead looked curiously at Robert, thinking, "Could it be that this guy is the target Mephisto led me to?"
Indeed, the Joker knew he had been deliberately guided here by Mephisto . Although initially subtle, Mephisto 's subsequent angry changes in direction, due to Robert and Constantine, undoubtedly revealed flaws to the Joker.
Despite recognizing these flaws, the Joker didn't expose Mephisto 's scheme. After all, his previous brawl with Batman in Gotham hadn't been satisfying. Why not take this opportunity to relax? Of course, if he could disrupt Mephisto 's plans in the process, all the better...
"What is this thing? Why does it look so scary?" Robert caught a glimpse of the Joker and couldn't help but frown. There had been no lack of interaction between the Joker and Robert during the Icarus Mask incident, where Batman specifically asked Robert to visit Gotham to help him confront the Joker.
Unfortunately, Batman's request for external assistance led the Joker to abandon the Icarus Mask and set a trap using Batman's suspicious nature, causing Batman and Robert to clash. From start to finish, Robert only heard the Joker
's voice and never saw what he actually looked like.
Of course, the Joker had seen Robert in battle footage but only in the guise of Vegeta and Robert's Giant Ape Power: Rage transformation, not recognizing Robert in his current Son Goku attire. Thus, this was the first official face-to-face encounter between Robert and the Joker...
In such a world, disguises are indeed useful, especially since wearing one makes it difficult for others to link two individuals with different appearances...
"Huh? Is it him?!" Just as Robert prepared to chase after the Joker, Mephisto , outside the magic base, sensed Robert's presence. His gaze sharpened, recognizing Robert as the scoundrel who had been incessantly calling his name.
"Damn it! It wasn't a trick after all! I've been duped!" Seeing Robert, Mephisto realized his previous suspicions were mistaken, which stirred his anger. He nearly unleashed his true power, ready to teach Robert a proper lesson...
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