Inside a spacious and cozy office, Balthazar was tidying his appearance in front of a mirror.
As a half-breed demon who had been clawing his way through the mortal realm for many years, he had been in an exceptionally good mood lately.
As long as he waited for Prince Mammon to successfully descend,
As the primary contributor to the cause, he would be able to wash away the lowly half of his human bloodline and ascend to the status of a noble Pure-blood Devil.
Prince Mammon had even promised him the reign over an entire state to himself.
However, the only thing that made him uneasy was that the several Demon Gods serving Prince Mammon seemed to have vanished into thin air lately; he couldn't reach them anywhere.
But none of that mattered.
Balthazar flashed a smile at the handsome human face in the mirror.
"Hmm? Why is the mirror distorting?"
Before he could react.
Boom!
The mirror shattered instantly.
A massive force sent Balthazar flying, slamming him heavily onto the office desk.
Specially made bullets tore right through his human disguise, revealing half of a hideous demon face.
Before he could scramble to his feet, a black shadow lunged forward, pinning him against the desk.
Thud! Thud!
Constantine straddled the demon, throwing punch after punch as he barked, "Where is the Spear of Destiny?!"
Balthazar's eye socket was crushed by the blows, causing his eyeball to pop out.
Yet he wasn't angry in the slightest. A grin stretched across that half-human, half-demon face as he muttered indistinctly:
"Don't waste your breath, little John. It won't be long before I won't have to wear this disgusting human skin anymore."
Before the words had even finished, Balthazar abruptly raised his leg and kicked Constantine away.
Constantine let out a muffled groan as he slammed into the wall.
A hand clamped around his throat, hoisting him into the air.
"It's just a pity that a short-lived wretch like you won't live to see that day."
Balthazar looked at Constantine's flushed face and mocked, "Stop struggling, little John. Enjoy these final moments."
Constantine gripped Balthazar's arm tightly with both hands, his face turning crimson as he struggled for air.
Just as Balthazar prepared to snap that fragile neck...
Bang!
At some point, Constantine had slipped a pair of brass knuckles engraved with crosses and various inscriptions onto his hand, and he smashed a fist into the demon's face.
"Aaagh!"
The brass knuckles, infused with holy power, instantly pulverized half of his face.
Constantine took the opportunity to break free from the hold.
Without pausing to catch his breath, he followed up with a barrage of punches, knocking Balthazar to the floor.
"Damn it! Where the hell is the Spear of Destiny?!"
Constantine pulled out a Bible and held it in his hands.
"Cough, cough... I'll see you in Hell, John."
Balthazar gasped for air, his mouth splitting into a sneer. "This time, you won't be able to run."
Seeing his stubborn defiance, Constantine let out a cold laugh. "I might be going to Hell, but you wouldn't be so sure about yourself." He flipped open the Bible and began to chant the incantation.
"..."
"In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, A–"
"Stop! You lunatic!"
Balthazar jerked in terror, screaming, "The Spear of Destiny is no longer in my hands! I gave it away!"
Constantine paused his reading, his gaze icy. "To whom?!"
"What good will it do to tell you? John, do you really dare go and ask that person for it?"
Balthazar breathed a sigh of relief and sneered.
Thud!
Constantine didn't waste words, delivering another heavy punch.
"Cut the shit. Where is it?!"
"Ga-bri-el."
Balthazar endured the pain, enunciating each syllable. He wanted to see Constantine's reaction upon hearing that name.
Gabriel?!
Constantine's pupils shrank violently.
The one looking after the mortal realm for God was actually connected to Mammon's affairs?
This truth made him instantly realize the gravity of the situation.
Suppressing the shock in his heart, he backhanded Balthazar with another heavy blow and taunted coldly:
"By the way, God only forgives you after you've been granted absolution."
Constantine stood up and walked toward the elevator.
He had to get back to the Church immediately to ask Gabriel what the hell was going on!
Ding!
The elevator doors opened.
Angela stepped out cautiously, both hands gripping her handgun.
Seeing Constantine, she immediately asked:
"Where is the bastard who killed Isabel?!"
Constantine looked at her in shock.
He never expected this woman to be so reckless as to secretly follow him here!
Didn't she know that every demon in the city was looking for her?
"What the fuck are you doing here?!"
Constantine roared in anger, "Get back to the car..."
Before he could finish his sentence, disaster struck!
The elevator behind Angela suddenly imploded.
Boom!
With a massive explosion, a large hole was torn through the elevator doors.
Angela was instantly thrown backward into the elevator, her body crashing through layers of crumbling walls as she vanished into the black, rainy night outside.
"Angela!"
Constantine's expression changed drastically. He scrambled to pull out his phone and dialed Sephirot.
"Ring... ring..."
"Damn it, pick up the phone!"
Constantine paced in circles, frantic.
A few seconds later, the disconnected signal tone drifted through the line.
"FUCK!"
Beside himself with rage, Constantine smashed his phone onto the floor.
He braced his hands against the wall, staring at his own distorted reflection as he gradually forced himself to calm down.
Where would they take Angela?
The demons taking her could only be for one reason: to complete the ritual for Mammon's arrival. He suddenly remembered that back at the mental hospital during the day, Sephirot hadn't left with them; he had made an excuse to stay behind.
And Isabel had jumped from the roof of the mental hospital, ultimately falling to her death in the water tank...
"The water tank... the water tank..."
Constantine repeated the words as his eyes cleared with realization.
He spun around abruptly, pressed the button for the still-functioning elevator, and rushed back toward the mental hospital.
The mental hospital.
Sephirot, Carrie, and Papa Midnite were huddled in a corner of the room housing the water tank.
Sephirot frowned as he looked at the ceramic jar Papa Midnite held in his hands.
The rancid stench wafting from the jar made him lean back in slight disgust.
"Is that stuff really going to work?"
Sephirot asked skeptically.
"This is carrion incense dug from a ghoul's crypt. It can mask every scent of a living person!"
Papa Midnite said with a hint of pained reluctance.
"Hiding your movements from an angel's perception is an incredibly difficult task."
"But if it's just a matter of changing your scent to fool them, it's quite simple."
As he spoke, he sprinkled the powder around their feet.
"According to what you just said, Gabriel is doing this to release Mammon from Hell."
"That means his attention will be entirely focused on the ritual."
"As long as we disguise our own scents as demons from Hell, his arrogant nature will ensure he pays no mind to a few insects hiding in a corner."
Just a short while ago, Sephirot had briefly explained the circumstances surrounding Mammon's descent to Papa Midnite to dispel his suspicions.
Of course, he hadn't breathed a word about his plan to kill Mammon.
"Sounds reliable enough."
Sephirot nodded thoughtfully.
"Of course, there is one prerequisite."
"The subject mustn't have seen your true face before."
Papa Midnite glanced at Sephirot, a sudden surge of unease rising in his heart.
"You... haven't actually met an angel face-to-face, have you?"
"I... don't think so?"
Sephirot rubbed his chin, carefully recalling his experiences over the years.
Aside from recruiting an angel named Augustus in the Haddonfield sewer a while back, he truly hadn't encountered any other angels.
And since Augustus was still locked away in Silent Hill, there was no chance he could have sent word to Heaven.
Therefore, it was absolutely impossible for Gabriel to know him.
Hearing that slightly hesitant answer, Papa Midnite fell into silence.
He couldn't help but feel like he had boarded a sinking ship.
While the three of them stood there staring at one another.
Thump!
A dark shadow plummeted through the broken skylight above the water tank, falling straight into the pool.
"Here we go!"
Sephirot's expression brightened, his eyes narrowing slightly in the darkness.
This grand performance, prepared for so long, had finally begun.