Reading settings
Chapter 288: Insecticons
Earth, Kamar-Taj.
A giant magic formation activated. A terrifying magic formation that had taken ages to inscribe was now being fully energized by Mordo, Wong, and the others under Tony's command.
A strange radiance began to permeate every corner of the Earth. The searing magical patterns etched into space were observed by many, naturally causing a huge stir.
Many people expressed that they understood the world less and less, as one bizarre event followed another.
Constantine stood before a blood-colored magic formation with a sullen look on his face, continuously drawing blood from several humanoid creatures with peculiar appearances.
"This should be enough, right? If this keeps up, many of them will turn into dried corpses," Mordo said, taking a moment from overseeing the magic formation's operation.
Constantine sighed and said, "It's not that simple. This is much more troublesome than searching for Hell's Border. At least the nexus between Hell's Border and the real world is on Earth, but this time, it's in Outer Space. It's too difficult to locate such a small dimension."
At the center of the magic formation, over a dozen of Azazel's descendants left on Earth had deathly pale faces as their blood was being drained frenziedly.
Among them was Nightcrawler, who had just been rescued. He was also part of the group, and the one having the most blood drawn.
In Constantine's words, Nightcrawler had inherited Azazel's spatial ability and was the descendant whose bloodline was closest to Azazel himself. Using his blood as the core for the blood magic would yield the best results.
Although Nightcrawler's mother, Raven, was furious when he was brought to Kamar-Taj and wanted to come along, she was rebuffed by Mordo with a single sentence: "Mortals are forbidden from setting foot in the Sacred Land."
This time, the people of Kamar-Taj had recaptured Constantine specifically for his magic, to accomplish something Azazel had always wanted to do but never succeeded in.
To pinpoint an Alternate Dimension from Earth.
Of course, Azazel's method was insane, directly using the descendants he had sired on Earth over thousands of years as a sacrifice to locate it through a ritual of sacrifice.
But with Constantine's magic, things were much simpler; at least no one would be killed.
"Tony and his Mechanical Legion have already been teleported. Can I go now?" Constantine said dejectedly, stroking his scruffy chin.
This was too tragic. He was just about to have a heart-to-heart with Zatanna when he was forcefully dragged back here. That guy Tony actually had the gall to make him locate a dimension in Outer Space!
And after locating it, he had crudely mobilized all of Earth's magic formations to bombard that dimension, directly forcing it into manifestation!
Wasn't he afraid of blowing up that already fragile Pocket Dimension?!
Mordo shot Con a cold glance and sneered, "This isn't the first or second time you've stolen a magical Secret Art from Kamar-Taj. If it were up to me, I'd have locked you in the Magic Prison long ago. You should be grateful for the Sorcerer Supreme's magnanimity! You're sighing and groaning just because you were asked to help once? Give back the Secret Arts first!"
"I've already learned all that magic, how can I return it? Knowledge is meant to be shared, don't you think?" Constantine put on a smile, his disheveled yet handsome face still sending Mordo a clear signal that he deserved a punch.
"Returning it is simple. First option: you stay in Kamar-Taj for the rest of your life and don't even think about leaving," Mordo sneered. "Second option: I kill you."
"I'll take the third option," Constantine said decisively.
"The third option is that you trade the complete Grand Summoning Art for it! Instead of trying to pass off an incomplete spell like last time. Tony is very patient with you, but I am not."
A flash of disgust crossed Mordo's dark face.
The Grand Summoning Art. Tony had never forgotten about this spell. Although Mordo didn't understand why, he took the matter very seriously, adhering to the principle of putting the Sorcerer Supreme's wishes first.
But how could Mordo be a match for the cunning Constantine? He was being run in circles.
The reputation of 'Con' wasn't for nothing.
Constantine's face fell, and he stopped talking.
To this day, he still hadn't figured out how Tony knew about this spell he had never used, but the spell's power was so formidable that Constantine was reluctant to give it to anyone else.
It was also because of this that Constantine had always been wary of Tony; he always felt as if he had no secrets in front of him.
The silent Constantine once again chanted a spell, slowly extinguishing the glow on the magic formation.
The dozen or so descendants of Azazel inside were all emaciated, having had a large amount of blood drawn from their bodies. It was foreseeable that they would need to recuperate for some time.
Mordo shot Constantine a fierce glare, then had everyone in the magic formation stand up, especially the Mutants, who were to follow him separately.
"You don't need to come. You're in the worst condition. I've already had food prepared to replenish your qi and blood," Mordo said to Nightcrawler.
"Thank you. Does this mean it was a success? Will the Sorcerer Supreme eliminate the demon from that Otherworld?"
The young, naive, and timid Nightcrawler asked in a weak, soft voice.
"Of course, child. The Sorcerer Supreme's authority is won, not spoken," Mordo said with a comforting smile.
Nightcrawler smiled happily.
Turning around, Mordo led the other Mutants away, a complex emotion flashing fleetingly in his eyes.
He had to do this, according to the order Tony gave him before leaving Earth.
"Kill all of Azazel's descendants except for Nightcrawler. Leave no one alive."
In a way, this wasn't wrong. Apart from Nightcrawler, who was a teenager, the other descendants had all been brainwashed by Azazel, their minds filled with all sorts of dangerous thoughts.
Moreover, the descendants Azazel left on Earth were far more than just these dozen or so. Kamar-Taj had found Nightcrawler on short notice and then used his blood to find the dozen others nearby.
Looking across the globe, there was no telling how many more there were. The number was certainly not small.
Mordo felt conflicted and somewhat hesitant, but Tony had given him a Death Order.
No explanation, no persuasion, just a direct order.
Mordo ultimately decided to carry it out. The fate of these people was sealed.
...
Accompanying Tony on his teleportation to Outer Space were Dormammu and his newly forged Terror Corps—the Insecticons.
This new Legion, numbering a hundred strong, consisted of massive, bulky bodies filled with intricate and complex parts. Each Transformer had an Insectoid Form, making them more efficient at slaughter.
This encirclement and annihilation of the Ancient Demonic Mutants was also an experiment for Tony.
He had created the "Transformation Cog," a key Transformer organ born from the combination of the Allspark, technology, soul, and magic. These one hundred Insecticons were all embedded with a Transformation Cog, allowing them to freely switch between their Humanoid Form and Insectoid Form.
Success or failure—it would all be tested in the crucible of war.
(end of chapter)
Earth, Kamar-Taj.
A giant magic formation activated. A terrifying magic formation that had taken ages to inscribe was now being fully energized by Mordo, Wong, and the others under Tony's command.
A strange radiance began to permeate every corner of the Earth. The searing magical patterns etched into space were observed by many, naturally causing a huge stir.
Many people expressed that they understood the world less and less, as one bizarre event followed another.
Constantine stood before a blood-colored magic formation with a sullen look on his face, continuously drawing blood from several humanoid creatures with peculiar appearances.
"This should be enough, right? If this keeps up, many of them will turn into dried corpses," Mordo said, taking a moment from overseeing the magic formation's operation.
Constantine sighed and said, "It's not that simple. This is much more troublesome than searching for Hell's Border. At least the nexus between Hell's Border and the real world is on Earth, but this time, it's in Outer Space. It's too difficult to locate such a small dimension."
At the center of the magic formation, over a dozen of Azazel's descendants left on Earth had deathly pale faces as their blood was being drained frenziedly.
Among them was Nightcrawler, who had just been rescued. He was also part of the group, and the one having the most blood drawn.
In Constantine's words, Nightcrawler had inherited Azazel's spatial ability and was the descendant whose bloodline was closest to Azazel himself. Using his blood as the core for the blood magic would yield the best results.
Although Nightcrawler's mother, Raven, was furious when he was brought to Kamar-Taj and wanted to come along, she was rebuffed by Mordo with a single sentence: "Mortals are forbidden from setting foot in the Sacred Land."
This time, the people of Kamar-Taj had recaptured Constantine specifically for his magic, to accomplish something Azazel had always wanted to do but never succeeded in.
To pinpoint an Alternate Dimension from Earth.
Of course, Azazel's method was insane, directly using the descendants he had sired on Earth over thousands of years as a sacrifice to locate it through a ritual of sacrifice.
But with Constantine's magic, things were much simpler; at least no one would be killed.
"Tony and his Mechanical Legion have already been teleported. Can I go now?" Constantine said dejectedly, stroking his scruffy chin.
This was too tragic. He was just about to have a heart-to-heart with Zatanna when he was forcefully dragged back here. That guy Tony actually had the gall to make him locate a dimension in Outer Space!
And after locating it, he had crudely mobilized all of Earth's magic formations to bombard that dimension, directly forcing it into manifestation!
Wasn't he afraid of blowing up that already fragile Pocket Dimension?!
Mordo shot Con a cold glance and sneered, "This isn't the first or second time you've stolen a magical Secret Art from Kamar-Taj. If it were up to me, I'd have locked you in the Magic Prison long ago. You should be grateful for the Sorcerer Supreme's magnanimity! You're sighing and groaning just because you were asked to help once? Give back the Secret Arts first!"
"I've already learned all that magic, how can I return it? Knowledge is meant to be shared, don't you think?" Constantine put on a smile, his disheveled yet handsome face still sending Mordo a clear signal that he deserved a punch.
"Returning it is simple. First option: you stay in Kamar-Taj for the rest of your life and don't even think about leaving," Mordo sneered. "Second option: I kill you."
"I'll take the third option," Constantine said decisively.
"The third option is that you trade the complete Grand Summoning Art for it! Instead of trying to pass off an incomplete spell like last time. Tony is very patient with you, but I am not."
A flash of disgust crossed Mordo's dark face.
The Grand Summoning Art. Tony had never forgotten about this spell. Although Mordo didn't understand why, he took the matter very seriously, adhering to the principle of putting the Sorcerer Supreme's wishes first.
But how could Mordo be a match for the cunning Constantine? He was being run in circles.
The reputation of 'Con' wasn't for nothing.
Constantine's face fell, and he stopped talking.
To this day, he still hadn't figured out how Tony knew about this spell he had never used, but the spell's power was so formidable that Constantine was reluctant to give it to anyone else.
It was also because of this that Constantine had always been wary of Tony; he always felt as if he had no secrets in front of him.
The silent Constantine once again chanted a spell, slowly extinguishing the glow on the magic formation.
The dozen or so descendants of Azazel inside were all emaciated, having had a large amount of blood drawn from their bodies. It was foreseeable that they would need to recuperate for some time.
Mordo shot Constantine a fierce glare, then had everyone in the magic formation stand up, especially the Mutants, who were to follow him separately.
"You don't need to come. You're in the worst condition. I've already had food prepared to replenish your qi and blood," Mordo said to Nightcrawler.
"Thank you. Does this mean it was a success? Will the Sorcerer Supreme eliminate the demon from that Otherworld?"
The young, naive, and timid Nightcrawler asked in a weak, soft voice.
"Of course, child. The Sorcerer Supreme's authority is won, not spoken," Mordo said with a comforting smile.
Nightcrawler smiled happily.
Turning around, Mordo led the other Mutants away, a complex emotion flashing fleetingly in his eyes.
He had to do this, according to the order Tony gave him before leaving Earth.
"Kill all of Azazel's descendants except for Nightcrawler. Leave no one alive."
In a way, this wasn't wrong. Apart from Nightcrawler, who was a teenager, the other descendants had all been brainwashed by Azazel, their minds filled with all sorts of dangerous thoughts.
Moreover, the descendants Azazel left on Earth were far more than just these dozen or so. Kamar-Taj had found Nightcrawler on short notice and then used his blood to find the dozen others nearby.
Looking across the globe, there was no telling how many more there were. The number was certainly not small.
Mordo felt conflicted and somewhat hesitant, but Tony had given him a Death Order.
No explanation, no persuasion, just a direct order.
Mordo ultimately decided to carry it out. The fate of these people was sealed.
...
Accompanying Tony on his teleportation to Outer Space were Dormammu and his newly forged Terror Corps—the Insecticons.
This new Legion, numbering a hundred strong, consisted of massive, bulky bodies filled with intricate and complex parts. Each Transformer had an Insectoid Form, making them more efficient at slaughter.
This encirclement and annihilation of the Ancient Demonic Mutants was also an experiment for Tony.
He had created the "Transformation Cog," a key Transformer organ born from the combination of the Allspark, technology, soul, and magic. These one hundred Insecticons were all embedded with a Transformation Cog, allowing them to freely switch between their Humanoid Form and Insectoid Form.
Success or failure—it would all be tested in the crucible of war.
(end of chapter)
