American comics: From Hogwarts to God on Earth

Chapter 458 Magic-Side Reform (Part Two)

"That one?" Kane frowned. "You mean—Doctor Fate?"

Constantine simply shook his head enigmatically. "Buddy, if I were you, I'd agree immediately. Neither Zatanna nor Doctor Fate have much say in this matter. And that person's been in a bad mood lately, perhaps—"

Chauvin didn't continue, but his omission left Kane with much to ponder.

If Doctor Fate has become the embodiment of the entire magical world's order, then Zatanna is the future of the magical world. The latter's influence is actually no less than the former's.

But even these two couldn't influence the person Constantine mentioned, which can only mean that—

Kane was silent for a moment, then finally shook his head.

"Your theory is interesting," Kane said cautiously, "but I must admit, I cannot abandon my life's work to learn about an unfamiliar magical system. While traditional magic may have its flaws, it has at least stood the test of time, hasn't it?"

Constantine nodded, acting as if he fully understood and respected his ideas, but in his heart he had already given up on Kane. He was now trapped by sunk costs and still clinging to a sliver of hope.

As the first target chosen, Kane possesses exceptional talent, capable of rapidly growing stronger even after switching tracks. Furthermore, he is one of the few enlightened mages, a fact supported by his previous mention of studying Tantric Buddhism.

The difference can be seen in the magic of different regions, such as the High Priest's.

This mage could have served as a role model; if he had agreed, Rune would have directly introduced him to Vishanti or Setorak. Unfortunately, he made the wrong choice.

Constantine looked at Kane with pity for a moment, then smiled and said, "Alright, then I'll take my leave."

Kane felt a chill run down his spine under Constantine's gaze, but he still maintained appearances. Kane clapped his hands, summoning a puppet, and said, "Show him out!"

While doing all this, he kept a wary eye on Constantine, fearing that he might cause trouble in his room. Kane had long admired Constantine's reputation, and although he despised his words and actions, he would never underestimate his strength.

In fact, if we exclude certain old relics and oddities like Rune and Raven, Constantine's current overall strength would definitely rank him in the top three.

Constantine has an extremely high magical potential, but the only problem is that the side effects are too great. However, the runes have given him a powerful body, which can effectively resist the side effects of magic.

With Logan's help, this Hellblazer is now quite famous. Whether it's a good reputation or a bad one—well, that's none of your business.

But to Kane's surprise, Constantine made no move, and instead of saying goodbye, he said, "Farewell, my friend."

Constantine left the skyscraper and lit a cigarette as he went downstairs. He had suppressed his craving for cigarettes in Kane's room to avoid being impolite.

He glanced back at Kane's room and shook his head.

Kane is doomed.

Constantine walked to the corner, where a black sedan was waiting. The window rolled down, revealing Zatanna's beautiful face.

"How are things on your end?"

Constantine feigned sadness and shook his head. "Like all self-important mages, he rejected my offer."

A look of sadness crossed Zatanna's face; she felt sorry for Kane's fate. This mage had previously learned about and even studied Kamar-Taj magic, so she had assumed Kane would agree.

"How are things on your end?" Constantine asked.

Zatanna didn't say much, she just shook her head, and Constantine immediately understood what she meant.

"I'm afraid the entire magic side will be subjected to a major purge." He sighed, acting as if Chad Kang genuinely cared about those arrogant mages.

After seeing Constantine off, Kane immediately began to strengthen the defenses of his room. He drew various strange symbols on the walls while pondering Constantine's bizarre behavior.

When he promoted that strange spellcasting system, he didn't seem particularly enthusiastic; instead, he acted like a lazy old man. It was as if this thing would definitely be wildly popular in the future, coupled with Constantine's revelation of some behind-the-scenes figure—

Maybe that idiot is just trying to scare me! Kane comforted himself with this thought, but he couldn't even fool himself. If he really didn't care about the guy behind the scenes, why would he be here reinforcing the defenses?

Several hours later, he finally finished reinforcing the entire room. This had consumed a lot of materials and energy for Kane, but he felt it was all worth it.

Just as he was about to sit down and read a book to rest, a man—or rather, a boy—suddenly appeared on the sofa where Constantine had just been sitting.

His face was quite handsome, and he was probably between adulthood and underage. In addition, the boy gave Kane a strange feeling.

When he was young, Kane had seen ancient magic used by Tantric practitioners and high priests, and the ancient often symbolized ignorance.

The spellcasting material most often used by those mage-like professionals was two-legged sheep. Kane was often terrified by these terrible spells and even had nightmares at night.

When Kane looked at these spells again as an adult, he no longer felt the same way he did back then, but now he felt that chilling feeling again.

"Who are you?" Kane asked, his mind racing. The fact that the other person could bypass his senses to get here meant that he had the ability to kill him instantly.

Kane knew he had no chance against the boy in front of him, so he didn't attack first. Instead, he pretended to be nervous and rubbed his hands together, while actually fiddling with the ring on his hand. When the ring was turned to a certain extent, it would automatically release a random teleportation to him.

"Didn't Constantine just say that?"

Kane was taken aback. He had met both Doctor Fate and Zatanna before, but the person Constantine had mentioned but whom he had never met seemed to be—

Is he the man who even Constantine dared not call by his name, the one who intended to promote the new spellcasting system? — But he's so young!

"I'm very sorry, sir, but my aptitude is too dull, and I dare not easily change course—" Kane tried to defend himself, but the boy's expression remained unchanged from beginning to end.

After the ring spun to a certain extent, the spell failed to activate, and Kane realized that his little trick had been discovered.

"I understand." The other party nodded. "In that case, rather than letting you be drained by the Upside-Down People in the future, why not become a part of me now?"

Kane's eyes widened, and then he realized that his body was covered with mournful ghosts, their miserable state exactly the same as that described in the cruel magic books of his childhood.

He then realized that he had never truly let go of his fear of those ancient magical rituals; Kane had merely pretended not to be afraid. After all, he was already a powerful mage, wasn't he?

Now, the long-lost fear caused Kane to completely lose his mind, and he screamed.

"Aaaaaaahh ...