Marvel: Soul King

TN: Exams has been eating up my time.

After Gabriel was gone, the frozen flow of time resumed instantly.

The crimson lights began to flicker once again, the chaotic sounds returned, and the flowing liquor filled glasses as though nothing had happened.

Everything seemed to have returned to normal, yet the ceiling of the bar now bore a gaping hole created by Gabriel.

This caused every gaze in the bar to converge upon them in an instant.

Constantine cursed silently to himself and had just intended to flee the "scene of the crime" when a hand suddenly pressed down firmly on his shoulder.

Feeling the weight and force on his shoulder, Constantine stiffly turned his neck and saw a man glaring at him with fury.

This man was the owner of the bar, Papa Midnite, who was a mage and part-time merchant, well-respected by the hybrid angels and demons for his neutral stance and profit-driven principles.

Just like his name implied, "Midnite" symbolized his position as an impartial intermediary between light and dark. He maintained the balance of the world without taking sides in the war between Heaven and Hell.

Anyone who tried to upset the delicate balance or challenge the principles of neutrality would face his merciless retaliation.

"Uh… this is a misunderstanding!" Knowing he was not in the wrong, Constantine forced an awkward but somewhat apologetic smile. "If I said this hole has nothing to do with me, would you believe me?"

"What do you think?" Midnite asked in a low, angry voice, his face filled with displeasure. "I believe I've warned you before that this is my territory, and I don't tolerate anyone causing trouble here."

Midnite's rules were clear—anyone daring to act recklessly here would face punishment.

"Wait… I didn't do this!" Constantine protested with his voice filled with grievance.

This time It truly wasn't his fault, yet no one believed him. Perhaps this was just the fate of someone with a reputation as terrible as his.

No one trusted Constantine because he was known as a liar whose words carried no truth. Even those who hadn't been deceived by him directly had heard tales of his infamous exploits.

The saying "Trust Constantine, and you'll end up dead with no burial" had already spread throughout both Heaven and Hell.

"Constantine, you've broken Midnite's rules!" A man with pale golden eyes stepped forward and said mockingly, "Prepare to face your punishment, or you won't be leaving here."

Constantine sighed, knowing there was no escape from this predicament, and asked, "So, how do you plan to settle this?"

Midnite replied, "Simple. Tenfold compensation."

"I'm broke," Constantine said bluntly as he turned his empty pockets inside out and spread his hands. "Can I owe you for the repair costs?"

Midnite's tone became increasingly menacing. "Then you'll have to offer something valuable as collateral."

"Uh…" Constantine was left speechless and could only turn to Lod, who had been watching silently, and pleaded, "How about you cover for me this time? I'll pay you back when I have money!"

'As if that would ever happen.' Lod rejected him outright, "I don't have money either."

Then, with Nemu in his arms and his leather spear holster, he turned to leave the bar.

He had already obtained the information he came for, so whether Constantine lived or died was none of his concern.

"Wait!" Another angel suddenly stepped forward to block Lod's path, "You're Constantine's friend, aren't you? Pay his debt before you go!"

"No, you misunderstand." Lod glanced at him with a warm smile and said, "I don't know Constantine, nor am I his friend."

"No, no, no!" Constantine shouted loudly, "Friend, you can't just abandon me! I helped you out earlier!"

"You hear that?" The angel grabbed Lod's collar with a menacing grin. "I'll give you two choices—pay his debt or stay here."

Hearing that Constantine was to be punished, it seemed the crowd didn't even need Midnite to step in. A dozen hybrid angels and demons had already surrounded them. Clearly, there were many who despised him and even more who wanted him to suffer.

"Let go." Lod's tone remained warm, with his smile remaining unchanging.

"Listen," the angel sneered arrogantly, "if you hand over that little girl next to you, I'll let you leave."

"Hahaha..." A seductive female demon interjected with a laugh. "Sars, you've got a good eye. That girl's soul is of such high quality that offering it to Heaven might even earn you a drop of pure angelic blood."

Sars' expression stiffened, and he snarled, "Karitan, say that again, and I'll tear your mouth apart!"

"Oh~ I'm so scared!" Karitan pretended to be frightened before turning to Lod with a flirtatious smile. "Hand over the girl to me, handsome. Not only will I pay for you, but I'll also let you enjoy a free night."

"You guys took the bait but..." Lod said with a sigh. "Why couldn't you have done it earlier?"

"Hand her over now!" Sars, seeing his plan exposed, dropped all pretense and reached out to grab Nemu.

However, just as his hand was about to touch her, a flash of light sliced through the air and severed it.

Blood sprayed everywhere, staining the ground crimson.

"Ahhh!" Sars screamed in agony, drawing the attention of everyone in the bar.

The entire bar fell into stunned silence.

"Oh, sorry about that." Lod's warm and humble smile remained as if he hadn't just acted. "I applied a little too much force, and your hand came off."

"You... you bastard!" Sars howled, charging at Lod in a blind rage, determined to tear him apart.

Clang!

The sound of a blade echoed and in the blink of an eye, under everyone's gaze, Sars was cleaved cleanly in half.

"Let me ask you something." Lod's gaze swept across the room. "Does anyone else intend to stop me? If not, I'll be on my way."

"Yeah, we intend to stop you... Hahaha."

"Kill him!"

"Fufufu, This guy must be insane... I like that."

"Hah, he's as good as dead!"

"Hey Papa Midnite, he is making a ruckus on your territory, teach him a lesson!"

Hearing this, Midnite frowned, for if he let the man and Constantine go, his reputation is going to take a hit, and in the underground, reputation was everything.

Now, he was in need of a way to keep it intact and solve this with the least losses.

'Fuck you, Constantine,' Midnite cursed in his mind as he looked around, and the emotions inside the bar were reaching a boiling point, as if the air itself was set ablaze.

Greedy and murderous gazes were all turning to focus on Lod and Nemu, as if their presence alone was igniting a riot.

"Are you guys going to attack?"

Lod was unfazed as he wore a calm and faint smile, and he spoke softly, "If not, I suppose I'll take my leave now."

Constantine stood there and whistled as if nothing was happening, since for him, this was a blessing in disguise, because now all attention was shifted away from him.

He decided it was time to disappear, since Lod was so graciously drawing the heat, and Constantine thought it would be foolish not to seize the opportunity to flee.

He crouched low and crept under the bar tables, crawling his way toward the exit, and he comforted himself by thinking, 'Next time we meet, I might repay this favor.'

The troublemaker Constantine was escaping unnoticed, as everyone's eyes were glued to Lod.

Midnite's expression was grim as he growled, "Whoever can kill him, I'll reward them with a drop of pure blood!"

Pure blood, a treasure that only true angels or demons could produce, was an intense concentration of energy. It could purify the bloodline and enhance one's power, making it a prize that was coveted deeply.

With such a reward on the table, it was inevitable that someone would rise to the challenge.

"Out of the way! Let me handle this!"

A towering man, an angel standing nearly two meters tall, stepped forward to confront Lod, and his presence was causing a wave of resignation to sweep through the others. Those who were eager just moments ago were now wearing expressions of frustration.

"I should've acted faster!" grumbled a demon. "With Zack stepping in, that kid's finished."

Zack was renowned as one of the strongest among the hybrids here, his strength approaching that of a lower-tier pure-blooded angel. It is said that he was only a step away from ascending to heaven.

The succubus, Karitan sauntered forward with a sultry sway, biting her red lips seductively as she offered, "Zack, if you kill that kid, why not leave the little girl to me? I'll keep you company for a whole month."

"What a damn tease," Zack muttered, though his body was betraying him as he felt his dick harden, and he laughed loudly and replied, "Sure, you can have her, but I'll get to enjoy her first!"

"Enough, Zack!" Midnite barked impatiently. "Finish him off already and stop wasting time!"

"Got it, Papa Midnite," Zack replied confidently as he advanced. His right hand was radiating with a holy light that gradually coalesced into a golden sword, and a cruel grin was spreading across his face as he roared, "Die!"

The sword of holy light was cutting through the air as it hurtled toward Lod's head with a seemingly unstoppable force.

Ding!

A crisp sound rang out as the blade of light was halted abruptly, mere inches from Lod's face, for it was stopped by a single finger.

"What!?" Zack's eyes were filled with disbelief.

This was an all-out strike, one he was pouring every ounce of his strength into, yet this guy was stopping it effortlessly with just one finger, and it was absurd to the point of being laughable.

Veins were bulging on Zack's face as he pressed down on the holy sword with both hands, using every ounce of power he could muster. Yet the sword was refusing to move, as if the single finger before it was an unyielding barrier.

With a faint motion, the finger hooked onto the edge of the blade.

The next moment, blood sprayed like a fountain as Zack was bisected diagonally from shoulder to hip, and his body was collapsing to the floor in two pieces.

"Oh my," Lod remarked with a blank expression, but internally he was geeking out, because he was doing what every weeb wanted to do even once in their life.

But he kept his cool on the outside, "I was intending to cut you into eight pieces, but it seems I wasn't fast enough."

He was claiming another life, and once again, in an instant.

The swiftness of the kill was leaving everyone dumbfounded, for none were even seeing how Lod was striking.

Those who were placing their faith in Zack were now feeling a chill crawling down their spines, and an uncontrollable sense of dread was gripping their hearts.

At that moment, Midnite was feeling a wave of frustration boiling forth, because he was realizing that the fuckers here were provoking someone far beyond his ability to handle.

"Get out of my way," Lod said coldly, his voice devoid of emotion, "or I will kill you all without another thought."

Nobody was moving. Lod, out of frustration, let out a colossal wave of Reiatsu that surged forth, shattering the bar's floor and sending visible ripples of energy cascading outward. A violent windstorm tore through the space, causing everyone to stumble and fall to the ground.

The crushing spiritual pressure was growing more intense, making it harder for anyone to breathe, because it was feeling as if an invisible mountain was descending upon them. Pining them to the ground and robbing them of the ability to move, let alone fight back.

It was horrifying, and they were feeling utterly powerless.

Once so composed Midnite knelt down and was gasping for air as he struggled to lift his head.

He heard the footsteps of the man walking outside.

After a minute later, he lifted himself up and dusted his clothes, and he looked around and saw all of the hybrids in the bar picking themselves up.

"Bunch of useless pieces of shi…" While he started to curse and was getting ready to teach everyone that led to this commotion some punishments,

The door of the bar again opened, and when he looked back, his breath caught in his throat.

The man again entered, and this time he didn't have the child with him, and dread crept into him since he understood what was going to happen.

"What... what are you going to do?" But he stammered out a question nonetheless.

"What am I going to do?" Lod's faint smile returned as he replied, "Why, kill everyone here, of course."

"You see, I'm in need of some souls, and if I go around and kill humans outside, I would get more attention than I can handle, but here, people wouldn't care whatever happens to you lot."

"You... you monster..." Midnite's face went even paler.

"I never said I wasn't." Without hesitation, Lod raised his blade and whispered, "Scatter, Senbonzakura."

The silver blade dissolved into a flurry of pink petals, shimmering under the red bar lights with an otherworldly beauty that captivated everyone present.

"Goodbye... In the next life, I pray that you have a better hand dealt." Lod murmured as he swung the hilt downward.

A torrent of petal-like blades surged forward, slashing through flesh and bone with merciless precision, and screams of agony filled the room as blood sprayed in every direction, painting the scene with the hues of red.

[Notice. You have obtained Medium Soul x1.]

[You have obtained Medium Soul x1.]

[You have obtained Medium Soul x1.]

The system prompt signaled the annihilation of the Midnite Club.

[Notice. Total Medium Soul gained x19]

[Notice. Total Low Soul gained x48]

A total of 67 lives were extinguished—all were hybrid angels and demons.

The bar's floor was drenched in thick blood, scattered with chunks of flesh and severed limbs. The scene resembled hell itself, yet Lod stood untouched amidst the carnage, his clothes spotless, without a single drop of blood. He stepped through the thick pool of blood, leaving the bar behind one step at a time.

He walked to the taxi standing at the roadside and opened the door. Inside, Nemu sat eating ice cream.

Lod asked, "Where did you get that?"

"The driver got it for me," Nemu replied.

Hearing this, Lod nodded.

"Brother, where are we going now?"

"To find Constantine."

"Ah~ Do you know where he is?"

"I do."

---

After sneaking away, Constantine headed straight home without delay.

Back at his apartment, he didn't even bother taking off his clothes before collapsing onto the couch.

Too much had happened tonight. The mysterious man, Gabriel's arrival—everything left Constantine feeling mentally drained.

Before leaving, Gabriel had even warned him, "Keep an eye on Hell's movements."

Constantine lit a cigarette, taking a deep drag before exhaling a cloud of white smoke. The familiar burn of nicotine eased the tension in his nerves.

"What's Gabriel trying to tell me?" Constantine muttered, his gaze deep and contemplative. "Is there something else happening in Hell besides Mammon's arrival?"

A sudden knock on the door interrupted his thoughts.

"Fuck!" he cursed under his breath, dragging himself up and walking to the door.

As he opened it, he was greeted by a brunette with wavy hair and an attractive figure.

"Angela?" His brow furrowed before a look of disdain crossed his face. "What are you doing here?"

Little did Constantine know that the woman standing before him had been chosen by Mammon as his "mother."

"John, please," Angela said, tears welling in her eyes. "I want to see the people who killed my sister!"

"No." Constantine's refusal was immediate. He slammed the door shut without hesitation.

"Please! I'm begging you!" Angela pounded on the door desperately. "Isabella… I need to know what she saw!"

Inside, Constantine hesitated. Something compelled him to look through the peephole.

Angela's face was a mix of pleading, despair, and regret. Her heart ached with guilt and the need for closure. It reminded Constantine of himself—of the time he begged a priest for salvation.

The dynamic between Angela and himself mirrored his own past.

And the door between them felt like the confessional that had denied him redemption.

He hadn't been saved back then.

But Angela… she still had a chance.

Eventually, the iron door creaked open.

Angela's tear-streaked face lit up with a glimmer of hope. "John… does this mean you'll help me?"

"You'd better think this through, Angela," Constantine said with a sigh. "Once you start, there's no going back. When you can see them, they'll see you too. Do you understand?"

After a moment of silence, Angela nodded firmly. "I understand."

"Alright. Follow me."

Constantine stepped aside, letting Angela into the apartment.

They entered the bathroom, where Constantine turned on the faucet, filling the tub with water.

"Take off your clothes," Constantine said.

Angela hesitated before removing her outerwear, revealing her curvaceous figure. Standing by the bathtub, she took a deep breath. "Do I need to take off everything?"

Constantine's eyes flicked downward before slowly backing up.

'That's… some big mountains…'

"John?" Blushing slightly, Angela whispered, "I mean… can I leave something on?"

"That's fine," Constantine coughed awkwardly, redirecting his gaze.

"Alright then…" Angela took another deep breath and asked, "Why water? Does Hell even have water?"

"Water is a universal medium," Constantine explained impatiently. "In mysticism, it represents both connection and separation. It can serve as a channel to traverse different realms."

"Oh, I see." Angela stepped into the tub, lowering herself into the water. Suddenly, a thought struck her. "How long do I need to stay in here?"

"It depends," Constantine said with a sinister grin, one that sent a shiver down Angela's spine.

"Wait, you—" Before she could finish her sentence, Constantine shoved her head underwater with brutal force!

"Mmph…!" Gasping and flailing, Angela choked on water, her face a mix of terror and panic as she clawed at Constantine's hands, trying to break free.

The scene was grotesque: a rugged, disheveled man forcing a beautiful woman underwater in a tub, her struggles, evoked the image of a murder in progress.

"I forgot to mention," Constantine said with a smirk. "To see Hell, you first have to experience near-death."

But Angela didn't hear what he said—she was too busy drowning.

(End of Chapter)