352. “Equivalent Exchange”!!!
352. “Equivalent Exchange”!!!
The moment Constantine pulled the trigger, everything changed irreversibly.
Within an extremely short span of time, the entire Baxter Building began to vanish. From the direction the Ultimate Eraser pointed, everything was obliterated from the ground up. Stone and steel crumbled into fragments, then into dust, and finally continued to disintegrate, as though destined to be reduced to nothingness.
Starting from the underground lab and stretching up to the surface, the entire building seemed to be wiped away by an invisible eraser.
There was no sound, no earth-shattering visuals. Just a breeze passed, and Constantine, Barbara, and the others saw the starry night sky above.
They were deep underground, after all.
"What in the world is…!"
Barbara's legs gave out, and she collapsed onto the ground.
She had never witnessed such an eerie scene and couldn't even fathom the existence of such terrifying power in the world.
The moment Constantine used the Ultimate Eraser, Barbara felt a sense of nothingness, as though she were being observed by a higher-dimensional being. The pressure left her unable to breathe.
It wasn't just a gaze—it felt like her entire being was laid bare, as though every moment from her birth to her death was on display for someone to examine.
Unlike her, though, neither Constantine nor Raven seemed to feel anything.
Constantine was fully focused on controlling the Ultimate Eraser, while Raven was straining to suppress Trigon's impending manifestation.
The power of the Ultimate Eraser shook everyone around, especially Star-Lord and Madame Masque on the surface, who were in a standoff when they noticed that the Baxter Building had been replaced by a void in an instant.
What was worse, the power of the Ultimate Eraser was far from dissipating. Instead, it shot into the sky, forming a colossal rift, stretching like a pupil opening.
The rift ran from east to west, seeming to span the entire Earth, beyond their field of vision, splitting the sky in two.
Everyone paused, from Shazam to Pietro, gazing silently at the sky, hoping to etch the scene in their minds.
No one knew what had happened or what to do next. Faced with such power, nothing else mattered—they could only watch in silence.
Underground, Raven coughed up blood, unable to hold back Trigon's power any longer.
"I… I can't hold it back…"
The next moment, a burst of dark magic surged from the shattered crystal, sending Barbara flying into the wall, where she fell unconscious.
The black mist, infused with a towering demonic energy, escaped and immediately shot upward, drawn by an invisible force, like a rocket streaming into the rift in the sky. Meanwhile, on Earth in the Apokolips War universe.
That same sky-splitting chasm appeared before everyone. Even the Doomsday demons paused, trembling in fear at the sight of the ominous spectacle.
"What did you do?!" Darkseid didn't know what power had caused all this, but he felt an undeniable threat as the rift formed.
A threat to his life.
Alex hadn't yet answered when, suddenly, a dark energy surged from the rift, streaking down like a meteor with a long tail of power.
Darkseid's gaze sharpened as he studied the energy. He could sense that the pure demonic force was no weaker than his own Omega Energy. Clearly, it was on his level.
In an instant, the dark mist reached him, slamming into Alex with tremendous speed.
"Gah…"
Alex's eyes turned blood-red, and then, another set of eyes opened on his forehead.
As the pure demonic power poured into his body through every pore, Alex's form began to change dramatically.
"How is this possible? You're just a human sorcerer—how could you handle this level of power?" Darkseid frowned as a sudden sense of unease crept over him.
"I'm not just a sorcerer, you know. I'm a Lord of Dimensions, and as a lord, making deals with demons is part of the job, isn't it?"
Alex opened his mouth, and lava and sparks spilled out. His body rapidly expanded, transforming into a towering demon over two meters tall, without a trace of his human appearance left.
"…and now, my payment has arrived!"
With those words, Alex spread his wings, disappearing from sight in a flash.
Without any elaborate moves, Alex launched a full-force punch at Darkseid's raised arm, sending him flying with the sheer force of impact.
After about five seconds, an explosion resounded from the distant plain, creating a massive crater in the ground where Darkseid had landed.
"This power… is truly something."
Seeing Darkseid blasted away by his punch, Alex felt a thrill of excitement, though he knew that merely sending him flying didn't necessarily mean he'd done any real damage.
Darkseid's divine body was no joke. With only a fraction of Trigon's power, it might be possible to arm-wrestle Superman, but it wasn't enough to threaten Darkseid. However, Alex hadn't planned on using that power against Darkseid.
"Miss Minutes, it's your turn now. Constantine has opened the window to the Wasteland; now it's time to link the two universes."
(Don't worry, my lord; I won't let you down.)
Miss Minutes's voice echoed in Alex's mind, and then the timepad began to operate under her control.
If the Wasteland Universe and Apokolips War Universe were two worlds destined to collide and be destroyed, then now, the timelines of these two universes were like two high-speed trains on parallel tracks.
The trains moved closer and closer. Without intervention, they would ultimately collide, bringing about mutual destruction. Now, Constantine's use of the Ultimate Eraser had removed the barriers of time and space, effectively opening a window between the two trains.
As the trains ran alongside each other, the timelines reached a balance, allowing those on one train to clearly see the people on the other.
In fact, under the right conditions, they could even pass 'things' through those windows.
But this exchange was incredibly dangerous, with even the slightest misstep leading to catastrophic consequences. Only Trigon's high-dimensional demonic power could safely bridge the rift between the universes.
Now, Alex's task was to turn those windows into doors, installing a 'vacuum staircase' with the timepad. This way, it wouldn't only be high-dimensional demonic power crossing the universes.
"Constantine, get ready."
While it sounded simple, executing it was immensely difficult. Alex was exploiting a loophole, using Trigon's power as fuel to make it barely possible.
"Hah, you're insane, but I like it."
In the other universe, Constantine finally smiled, glancing at the massive chasm in the sky. He paused, then suddenly spoke to himself.
"Did you call in a lot of favors for this?"
As soon as Constantine finished speaking, a familiar female voice came from behind him.
"More than you could imagine."
As if he'd been expecting this, Constantine slowly turned around. He immediately felt a pang in his heart when he saw the faint, nearly transparent figure, his smile growing even more bittersweet, and all he could say was: "It's been a long time, Z."
The woman was none other than Constantine's long-deceased love, Zatanna.
Not only had Trigon's demonic power crossed through the rift, but with the aid of supreme forces, Zatanna had also brought with her the powers of Heaven to join Constantine.
After her sacrifice during the Justice League's mission on Apokolips, Zatanna's soul had gone to Heaven.
"It's been a long time, John," Zatanna smiled. "Hard to believe you'd go this far for the world."
"It's not for the world," Constantine shook his head, his tone resolute. "It's for you. Only you."
At his words, Zatanna looked at him with emotion, though she quickly sighed.
"I owe you an apology, John. I forced you to run when I died…"
Constantine frowned as long-suppressed memories surged back, and everything became clear.
"A compulsion spell?"
If not for the spell's power, Constantine knew he would never have fled alone—he would have at least tried to save Zatanna.
Deep in thought, Constantine quickly pieced it all together.
"...Was it Batman?"
Zatanna didn't deny it. "He thought we needed a backup plan, just in case. But I never expected it would put two universes in jeopardy."
"Yeah, who could've known?" Constantine shrugged. "So now, let's fix this mistake."
They exchanged a knowing smile.
'Ahem, excuse me, hello? Maybe consider the situation before you get all mushy.'
"Oh, sorry, sorry! Coming, hahaha."
With an annoying sidekick fed up, and his loved one at his side, Constantine felt that nothing could be more perfect. He took Zatanna's hand.
"Remember the law of magic? Equivalent exchange."
"I think I taught you that. You used to be such a reckless jerk~"
Zatanna smiled, gazing at Constantine's face.
"Well then, together?"
"Together."
The two began to chant long, complex forbidden incantations. Instantly, Heaven's light illuminated the land, enveloping Trigon's form.
"What are you doing?!"
Trigon, newly freed and not yet in physical form, suddenly sensed something was wrong. He looked furiously toward Constantine and roared.
'It's just a transaction.'
At that moment, Alex's voice echoed over.
'We're using you in exchange for every human on Earth in the other universe.'
.....
📢30 advanced chapters on p@treaon📢
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353. Inter-Universal Migration.
354. The Great God Descends!!
355. The Open Plot - Driving the Tiger to Devour the Wolf.
356. The War on the Brink.
357. Batman Narrowed His Eyes.