Constantine turned calmly. With a flick of his left hand, the gust of wind surged like a real river. The airflow rushed toward the two Bat-darts, now spinning and sparking with arcs.
At the same time, he raised his right hand over his shoulder. With a backward motion, he held the cigarette between his fingers with refined ease, puffing it gently and squinting toward the sky.
The wind ruffled his golden hair and lifted the hem of his trench coat. Above him, massive dark clouds rolled overhead, boundless and oppressive, dwarfing him like a tiny ant beneath the sky. Thunder flickered within the clouds, growing ever more restless.
"Small trick."
The corner of Constantine's lips twitched slightly. Calm and composed, he showed no surprise at what was about to happen.
He had undergone thousands of simulated battles. On average, he faced 60 simulated encounters per day, each involving a different type of power—mind, speed, flame, frost, rock, physical combat, magic. A variety of strange and formidable abilities.
Constantine's combat experience had been honed in those lifelike simulations. He could face any opponent with calm precision.
To him, this fight was child's play.
In that moment, Constantine released the pressure magic holding Bruce down. Blue Achalas runes flashed on his windbreaker, interwoven with Greek script, and the Ω symbol on his back glowed with a soft blue light, forming a protective magic circle.
A blue magical shield enveloped him instantly.
And at that moment...
The thunderclouds above released their fury. A thick bolt of lightning crashed toward the Bat-darts, slamming down with tremendous force.
The gust of wind Constantine summoned was instantly dispersed. The blinding silver-white lightning struck the Bat-darts midair.
Boom!
The lightning's extreme heat caused the surrounding air to expand violently. The shockwaves burst out, creating explosive gusts.
The instant the Bat-darts made contact with the lightning, they were obliterated in a fiery explosion.
The tremendous impact slammed into Constantine's shield head-on, creating massive ripples across the barrier. From such a close range, the air explosion forced Constantine to recoil.
His knees bent slightly, spine leaning forward, body tilted to the right, arms raised in defense.
The soles of his shoes carved out two long trenches in the ground. His trench coat dragged behind him. He was pushed back 13 meters before his stance stabilized. The coat fluttered briefly in the backdraft.
As he retreated, the magical shield shimmered with continuous ripples, which gradually faded and vanished as Constantine came to a halt.
He stood straight again, calm and unfazed, expression unchanged. The shield had blocked most of the shockwaves and sound. Only a portion of his magical energy had been consumed.
But Bruce, not far away, was not as lucky.
He had already been rendered immobile by Constantine's gravity magic. Now, he took the brunt of the lightning's force from close range. His body was launched and hurled nearly 30 meters away. He couldn't even stand. His eardrums buzzed violently, everything around him drowned in static. Temporarily deaf, the soundwaves had overwhelmed him. His eyes were bloodshot and bulging, on the brink of unconsciousness.
"Barry…"
Bruce gritted his teeth, groaning. His iron will forced his pain-wracked body to stay conscious. Though deafened and reeling from the pain, his eyes—flooded with blood—searched for Barry through the red veil of his vision.
Unexpectedly, Barry's gaze was fixed on him. The two locked eyes.
Bruce was stunned for a moment. The corners of his mouth twitched upward weakly. His blood-filled eyes conveyed an unyielding resolve.
Never give in.
Barry looked at Bruce, pain etched in his expression.
They could do nothing but stare at each other, powerless to help.
Seeing Bruce like this, Barry felt like his heart had been torn apart. Tears welled in his eyes. He clenched his teeth in anguish and rage.
Barry whimpered, his sorrow turning to fury at the one responsible for all of this.
The man who brought Bruce to the brink of death.
Give me speed!
The Speed Force!
Let me save Bruce!
Barry screamed in his heart, begging for power—for speed.
He needed to become The Flash.
At that moment...
The lightning triggered by the Bat-darts became completely violent.
Dark clouds churned above. Thunder exploded.
Constantine suddenly felt a jolt down his spine. His skin prickled. Every nerve screamed danger.
Barry's lightning rod had built up too much charge.
Arcs surged in every direction. Dust rose from the ground, weightless. Grass blades stood upright, as if trying to leap into the air.
The whole scene resembled Barry's ascension. The clouds overhead swirled endlessly, forming a shallow funnel, spiraling downward toward Barry.
A terrifying, doomsday thunderstorm brewed, ready to tear the sky apart.
Constantine took a deep breath. The world seemed to howl for this moment. Thunder arcs lit the clouds. Electric serpents danced in violent fury.
Startled, Constantine quickly cast another magic circle. His feet lifted from the ground as he flew backward, retreating swiftly, unwilling to remain near the blast zone.
The next instant, the unexpected occurred.
The sky wept thunder.
From the swirling clouds above, a torrent of lightning condensed into a monstrous bolt. Like the eruption of a dying star, it tore through the sky with the roar of a celestial dragon, plunging toward the earth.
It struck with the force of creation itself.
Air exploded under the force. Shockwaves tore outward. Trees were uprooted. Grass flattened violently beneath the blast.
The silver-white lightning connected heaven and earth in a single, blinding beam.
Barry was swallowed whole. His body floated in the current. He screamed in agony. His skin, muscles, and bones cracked and shattered, his form lost to the storm.
When the bolt struck, Bruce's eyes were seared by the flash. The intense silver light stabbed his eyes like needles. Even with his eyelids shut, everything was a blinding white.
Then the shockwave hit. Grass, trees, and debris swept up his battered body.
Still, he gritted his teeth... and lost consciousness mid-air.
He crashed into a heap of shattered trees. Whether he lived or died, no one could say.
The lightning strike was instantaneous, and just as quickly, it vanished.
The world fell into silence.
Barry floated in the sky, now charred black, his entire body reduced to burnt remains, falling slowly.
Constantine stood in the distance atop a massive, half-uprooted tree. His spine was straight. His trench coat fluttered behind him. He looked up slightly, eyes squinting as Barry's scorched body fell.
Just before it hit the ground, the corpse suddenly twisted mid-air.
With fists clenched, one knee dropped to the earth in a kneel. Lightning crackled.
From beneath Barry's feet, yellow arcs erupted and surged. Dust rose, suspended in the weightless current.
The yellow lightning danced across Barry's skin and hair like a furious lion. With each strike, the ground trembled. The air filled with a suffocating, electrified fury.
Barry raised his head. His hair surged skyward. His face twisted in rage. His eyes blazed with red lightning threads. Yellow arcs flashed violently as his fury exploded.
"John, you dared to hurt Bruce!!!
I'll kill you!!"
Boom!
(To be continued.)
***
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