C293

While Constantine was discussing with Dad and the others, Anton, who had yet to leave Chinatown, made a call to the High Table.

The High Table moved swiftly. As a major power in the underground world, they had countless informants throughout Los Angeles, ensuring they could gather intelligence rapidly.

A few minutes later, Anton received a response.

This morning, at the Mafia's headquarters, in one of their buildings, their leader—Valon—had personally welcomed an elderly, gray-haired man.

The message was clear.

Mephisto had made contact with the Holy Lord.

Upon receiving this news, Anton frowned slightly. He was now certain that Mephisto intended to cooperate with the Holy Lord. Perhaps the two demons had already begun to act.

However, Anton wasn't alarmed.

Mephisto's plan to open the gates of Hell and descend to Earth in his true form was riddled with obstacles.

The Ghost Rider was merely the first line of defense.

Beyond that, there was still the Ancient One, the Earth's last line of defense against magical threats.

As for the Holy Lord…

Even if he managed to gather all twelve talismans, Anton could invoke the Justice League in Batman's name and obliterate the demon with overwhelming force.

While Batman and the others might find their abilities somewhat ineffective against the Holy Lord, Wonder Womanwould ensure the situation never spiraled out of control.

After all, the Earth of today—the modern world—was no longer what it had been in ancient times. Those early civilizations, with their low productivity and few supernatural beings, had struggled against demonic forces.

But in this Marvel-dominated world, the eight demons under the Holy Lord—terrifying as they were—weren't thegreatest threat. At best, they could cause localized chaos, but not the destruction of human civilization.

For that reason, while Anton took the High Table's intelligence seriously, he wasn't in a rush to have Constantine seek reinforcements.

Instead, an interesting idea formed in his mind.

Since Constantine wasn't strictly a member of the Justice League, why not take advantage of this world's unique setup?

Anton considered forming a magic-oriented team—one that would include Ghost Rider, Father, Jackie Chan, Xiaoyu, Tohru, and others—to handle supernatural threats.

In essence, it would be a Marvel version of the Justice League Dark.

The traditional Justice League, led by Batman, primarily dealt with non-magical threats—aside from a few major magical crises, such as the Battle of New York or the events of Thor's arrival.

The Dark Justice League, on the other hand, would be spearheaded by Constantine, focusing exclusively on magic-based threats, such as the Ghost Rider incident and the resurgence of the Holy Lord.

The two teams wouldn't interfere with one another. Instead, they could operate in parallel.

And when faced with a catastrophic threat—such as the inevitable arrival of Thanos—both sides could join forces.

After all, both teams were Justice League, and both were extensions of Anton himself. The only difference was their scope of operations.

Batman had no supernatural abilities.

When it came to magic-based crises, all he could really do was shout orders—hardly a valuable contribution. It made far more sense to leave those situations in the hands of magic-specialized heroes.

Besides, Batman was already incredibly popular. It was time to let other heroes shine.

And with Constantine as the bridge, the Dark Justice League would function as an official division of the Justice League.

As the Justice League's Magical Consultant, Constantine naturally straddled both worlds—making him the perfect leader for this initiative.

...

Papa's Antique Shop.

Suddenly, Constantine's expression shifted. He pretended to leave the shop, fiddled with something outside for a moment, then returned. Looking at his father and the others, he spoke with a serious tone:

"Bad news."

The group stared at him, confused. Seeing their dumbfounded expressions, he continued:

"I just received word that vallon, the leader of the Black Hand Gang, entered their stronghold this morning with an elderly, gray-haired man."

"A gray-haired old man?"

The old man furrowed his brows, feeling like he was being indirectly insulted again. His confusion quickly turned into mild annoyance.

"What's so strange about that?" he grumbled.

"Because that old man is Mephisto."

At Constantine's words, the atmosphere in the shop tensed.

"If I'm right, Mephisto and the Holy Lord have formed an alliance. Just as I suspected, they plan to work together to achieve their goals."

"So, what exactly are they planning to do?"

Xiaoyu's curiosity sparked. She didn't seem scared at all—on the contrary, she looked excited, as if she were already envisioning herself as Batman, stepping up to save the world in its time of crisis.

"If their ultimate goal is to take over the Earth, what's their first step?" she asked.

"First, they'll go after the talismans."

Constantine's voice was firm.

"The twelve talismans are the source of the Holy Lord's power. He won't give up on reclaiming them. Second, there's Ghost Rider. The main reason Mephisto wants control over him is because of a contract."

"The San Van Gonzal Contract!"

The old man's eyes widened as he recalled the name.

"Exactly." Constantine nodded. "The contract of San Van Gonzal has been missing for years. It's said that the previous Ghost Rider took it and disappeared. Now, only the current Ghost Rider can track him down and retrieve it."

"What's so important about this contract?" Jackie Chan asked.

The old man's face darkened.

"San Van Gonzal was once a town full of devout believers. They could hear the voice of Heaven itself. But then, the Devil came, tempting them with his tricks and deceit. Every single soul in that town sold themselves to him. That contract is the record of their doomed pact."

He took a deep breath before continuing.

"Whoever holds the contract and speaks the oath can command all of those lost souls—now vengeful wraiths. It's an unbelievably dangerous power. Some even say that the one who possesses it can open the gates of Hell itself."

Jackie Chan's expression turned grim. "So, Mephisto wants to open the gates of Hell, and the Holy Lord wants his power back. That's the foundation of their alliance."

"Exactly." Constantine nodded. "Aside from that, they have no reason to work together."

He paused for a moment before adding:

"But Mephisto can't open the gates of Hell alone. He needs the Holy Lord's help. So, in return, he'll assist the Holy Lord in recovering the twelve talismans. That's our biggest concern right now—making sure the Holy Lord doesn't regain his full power."

His eyes narrowed.

"The key to everything is the talismans. Have you secured them all?"

In truth, Constantine wasn't entirely sure how far the Jackie Chan Adventures timeline had progressed. The talismans were the foundation of the story, and as far as he knew, Tohru had already become the old man's apprentice, which meant the Talisman Saga was nearing its conclusion.

But how far exactly had things progressed? That was the question.

Jackie Chan's face darkened.

"Yes, we've gathered all twelve talismans. They're currently being kept in District 13."

…

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