Constantine and Kento descended through the trapdoor, their footsteps echoing softly in the dimly lit chamber below. The air was thick with the metallic scent of blood. As they walked in, they saw a gruesome sight: dozens of Nightkin, newly turned, suspended from hooks, their lifeless bodies dripping blood onto several interwoven magic circles drawn on the floor.
Kento's eyes scanned the room, taking in the horrific scene. "These Nightkin are freshly turned," he said, his voice tight with controlled anger. "She's using them for a ritual."
At the center of the chamber, Morgana sat before an altar, her eyes closed and her lips moving in a rhythmic chant. She held a dagger in one hand, the blade glistening with fresh blood. "I offer their blood to you, Hecate," she intoned, her voice reverberating with dark power. "In exchange for these souls, grant me power over my enemies."
Constantine's brow furrowed in confusion. "What is she doing?" he whispered, his grip tightening on Murasame.
Kento quickly explained, his voice low but urgent. "Sorcerers like Morgana channel power through Covenants with higher beings or deities, which they call Patrons. Each sorcerer is contracted to one. Morgana's Patron, Hecate, is a big deal. She's the goddess of magic, witchcraft, and necromancy."
Morgana's chant grew louder, the magic circles on the floor beginning to glow with a sinister red light. The room pulsed with energy, and the very air seemed to vibrate with malevolent intent.
"We have to stop her before she completes the ritual," Kento urged, his eyes locking onto Constantine's.
Constantine nodded, his expression hardening. "Let's end this."
They moved swiftly; their steps nearly silent as they closed the distance to Morgana. But before they could reach her, the ground beneath them began to tremble. The blood from the circles surged upward, forming a barrier around Morgana and the altar.
Kento cursed under his breath, his mind racing. "She's using the blood as a shield. We need to disrupt the ritual."
Constantine's eyes blazed with intensity as he prepared to strike. "Leave that to me," he said, his voice filled with rage.
With a flash of lightning, Constantine teleported past the blood barrier, appearing behind Morgana. He swung Murasame with all his might, aiming to sever her connection to the ritual – and her neck. Morgana, sensing the attack, turned just in time to block with her dagger, their weapons clashing with a resounding clang. She was amplified by Hecate and was fast enough to react to Constantine's attacks now.
Kento followed suit, using his illusion powers to create multiple images of himself, all converging on the barrier. The illusions attacked simultaneously, their strikes creating a diversion, while Kento himself waited for the opportune moment, then unleashed a concentrated blast of aether, shattering the barrier.
Freed from the confines of the shield, Kento joined Constantine, the two of them pressing their attack on Morgana. She fought back with a ferocity born of desperation, her Patron's power surging through her veins. The blood from the sacrifices pooled around her forming into armor, and around her various shield and weapons hovered: Hecate was giving her control over it like a vampire's blood magic.
"This is bad," Kento muttered. But it was about to get worse; upon seeing the blood, Constantine started laughing. Constantine, unhinged and manic, attacked with lightning-infused super speed, his strikes relentless and brutal. He swung Murasame with deadly precision, each strike aimed to incapacitate or kill. His eyes glowed with an eerie red light as he moved, a blur of red and black.
Kento, on the other hand, was a picture of controlled fury. He combined his combat skills with his illusion powers, creating a dizzying array of false images that attacked Morgana from all angles. She couldn't tell which one was real, and every time she struck, she hit nothing but air. Kento used this to his advantage, landing precise blows that weakened her defenses.
Morgana, cornered and desperate, summoned the blood pool, forming tendrils that lashed out at them like whips. Constantine sliced through them with Murasame, while Kento dodged and weaved, his illusions causing the tendrils to miss their mark.
"She's powerful," Constantine growled, his eyes wild with rage. "But not powerful enough."
"We need to keep the pressure on," Kento replied, his voice calm but firm. "Don't let her complete the ritual."
They continued their assault, each attack pushing Morgana closer to defeat. The magic circles on the floor began to flicker and fade, the ritual's power waning. But Morgana was far from finished, her connection to Hecate giving her strength beyond mortal limits.
Constantine and Kento knew they had to end this soon, before Morgana could regain her full power. With a final surge of aether, they prepared for the decisive blow, ready to take down the sorceress once and for all.
Morgana's eyes glowed with a sinister light as she chanted the final words of her ritual. The blood barrier around her pulsed with dark energy, and suddenly, it expanded into a massive orb of blood that erupted into a heated beam aimed directly at Constantine. The beam moved with terrifying speed and force, but just before it hit him, it stopped abruptly.
Morgana's confusion and desperation were palpable. "What...?" she whispered, her eyes darting to the altar.
A voice echoed through the chamber, ancient and powerful, reverberating with authority. "I will not allow one of my kin to be harmed." It was the voice of Hecate herself, emanating from the altar. The air crackled with divine energy as Hecate violently stripped Morgana of her powers. The blood orb dissipated, and the dark energy surrounding Morgana vanished.
Constantine seized the moment. Dropping Murasame, he lunged at Morgana with manic glee, his eyes wild with fury. He beat her to a pulp, each punch fueled by the rage and pain he's had to endure so far. Morgana, now powerless, could do nothing to defend herself.
Constantine was upon her. His eyes, glowing an eerie, manic red, bore into her soul, filling her with a terror she had never known. Each punch landed with brutal force, and the pain was overwhelming. She could feel her bones breaking, her skin tearing. Blood spattered across Constantine's black suit, staining it a dark, ominous red. His face was a mask of fury and madness, and Morgana knew he wouldn't stop until she was dead. All she could hear was his laughter.
"Please..." she gasped, but her words were drowned out by his relentless assault.
From her position on the cold, hard ground, everything was a blur of red and black. Constantine's eyes were like burning coals, and the room seemed to spin around her. Her vision darkened, the pain in her body reaching a crescendo. The world faded into nothingness, and her last thought was a desperate plea for it all to end.
"Constantine, stop!" Kento shouted, rushing forward. "We need to interrogate her!"
But Constantine was beyond reason. He blasted Kento back with a surge of lightning, abruptly increasing his velocity through a soft push, sending him crashing into the wall – a trick Kento himself helped him develop. Constantine's face twisted into a savage grin as he prepared for the killing blow.
Kento landed gracefully on the wall, his mind racing. In a split second, he decided to use his powers to put an end to this madness. He crafted an intricate illusion, one that enveloped both Constantine and Morgana, putting them into a deep sleep.
The chamber fell silent, the only sound being Kento's heavy breathing and thundering heartbeat. He looked at the two unconscious forms with visible discomfort.
He pulled out his communicator and called Shift. "Shift, I need an extraction. Now."
"On my way," came Shift's swift reply.
As he waited for Shift, Kento's thoughts drifted back to the fight. Seeing Constantine so unhinged had deeply unsettled him. He knew that whatever happened next, they had to find a way to bring Constantine back from the brink in moments like these. He was becoming a capable fighter but, unless he was able to get his bloodlust under control, he'd be more of a liability than an asset.
It was time for Kento to intervene personally.