Chapter 148
On Azarath, the environment had deteriorated into an uninhabitable wasteland.
The temperature had soared past 100 degrees Celsius.
Dust and sand filled the air, swirling in violent gusts. Above, thick black storm clouds flickered with silver lightning, while thunderstorm tornadoes churned in the distance.
The continent's electromagnetic field had become dangerously unstable.
Crack!
The sky split apart, silver lightning streaking across the heavens before crashing into the ground with an ear-splitting boom.
The land trembled beneath the force of the impact, and the deafening echoes rang in their ears.
The flickering light of the storm illuminated the grim faces of Raven and Zatara.
Both were drenched in sweat, struggling to endure the oppressive heat.
Raven fared better, her half-demon physiology allowing her to withstand the conditions with only a thin sheen of sweat on her forehead.
Zatara, however, was human.
His body was not built for this.
His mouth was parched. His magician's robe clung to his body, soaked with sweat, making him feel like a steamed lobster, his skin red and burning.
His hair curled from the heat, and he could smell the faint scent of singed strands.
Then—
Splurt!
A column of red blood shot into the sky, erupting like a boiling geyser.
Working together, Raven and Zatara had conjured a razor-sharp magical wind blade that sliced through the tough, crimson skin of Trigon's lifeless corpse.
From the gaping wound, Bardi was expelled, drenched in blood.
Zatara reacted instantly, conjuring a protective magic shield around himself and Raven to shield them from the demon's corrupted blood.
At the same time, he manipulated the surrounding water vapor, cooling their bodies.
The effect was instant.
It was like stepping into an air-conditioned room in the middle of summer, an overwhelming relief, as if taking a bite of an ice-cold popsicle.
But this magic required continuous effort, and with the chaotic weather worsening, it would not last long.
Standing atop the deteriorating and lifeless body of Trigon, they watched as blood gushed forth like a spring.
"He's falling apart!"
Zatara's voice was tense as he fixed his gaze on Bardi.
At this moment.
Bardi's entire body was being wrapped in Trigon's blood.
It flowed across his skin, seeping into his pores—moving like a living parasite, writhing desperately as it tried to merge with him.
Even though Trigon's projection had been devoured by Bardi, the blood still clung to its final obsession.
To save him.
Because if Bardi survived, his body would grow stronger.
And with greater strength came greater potential.
But—
It was futile.
Bardi's arms and legs had already begun to dissolve.
Turning to blood.
His genetic structure was collapsing from within, breaking down at the deepest molecular level.
"Protect me."
Raven's voice was sharp, filled with urgency.
Without hesitation, she clawed open the arteries in her wrist, allowing her own blood to flow freely.
Her eyes narrowed.
The connection between her and Bardi, the one they had shared before had never been severed.
Even when Trigon's projection perished, Raven had received a telepathic signal from Bardi.
A single thought.
A way to save him.
She lifted Bardi's deteriorating body, setting him down on the ground.
Then—
Using her blood magic, she forced Trigon's blood out of his body, dispelling its corruptive influence.
At the same time, she controlled the demon's blood, using it to carve intricate, sinister symbols into the ground.
With Trigon's blood as fuel, she began constructing a powerful, forbidden spell circle, one designed to nurture demons.
"This is…!!"
Zatara's heart clenched.
Even though his knowledge of runes, sigils, and spellcraft was inferior to Raven's, he was still a master magician.
And this magic circle…
It was wrong.
It reeked of corruption.
Some of the symbols, even some of the spells were ones that he himself had taught Bardi.
Now, Raven had woven them together with Azarath's ancient runes, creating something far more complex and far more dangerous.
Zatara's breath hitched.
If Raven was trying to turn Bardi into a demon.
Then it would be better for Bardi to die as a hero than live as a monster.
Demons are chaos incarnate.
Darkness.
Evil.
Destruction.
Even with all her efforts to fight against her demonic heritage, Raven herself still struggled with the darkness inside her.
How could Zatara trust her now, when she was standing on the corpse of her father, invoking his blood to alter Bardi's fate?
His fingers tightened around his wand.
The rough Olympus vines that wrapped around its surface dug into his palm.
A single thought surged in his mind.
Kill Bardi before it's too late.
Demons are born evil.
It's in their very bones.
His expression hardened.
His grip on his wand tightened.
He raised it.
"As long as I use the energy from Trigon's blood, combined with my own half-human, half-demon essence, I can forcibly bond his original genes. It will be enough to keep him alive. But… his power will weaken because of the genetic conflict."
"He won't become a demon."
Raven's voice was firm.
She could feel Zatara's hesitation.
She could sense his intent to kill Bardi.
His fear.
His worry.
That Bardi—like Trigon—would become a threat to Earth.
After all…
Trigon's battle had nearly destroyed an entire planet.
Now, Azarath was a dying world.
The winds raged.
Tornadoes tore apart the land.
Lightning and thunder roared across the skies.
Tsunamis swallowed the coasts.
Glaciers melted.
The air temperature exceeded 100 degrees.
If Earth suffered the same fate.
It would be an extinction-level disaster.
Zatara's expression was conflicted.
"He's a hero."
Raven's voice trembled with exhaustion.
"He saved Earth."
She didn't stop moving.
Her blood poured onto Bardi's body, merging into him.
His arms and legs had already dissolved.
His genetic sequence had unraveled.
His cells could no longer divide.
His DNA transcription had halted.
Without intervention.
He would cease to exist within seconds.
On the ground, Trigon's blood began to glow.
Feeding energy into Raven's spell.
The winds howled.
The dark sky churned.
The storm raged.
Zatara fell silent.
His gaze flickered between Raven's trembling form…
And Bardi's deteriorating body.
For the first time.
He realized…
That despite all of Bardi's power.
The one who ultimately decided his fate…
Was Raven.
With a sharp exhale, Zatara slammed his wand into the ground.
Instantly.
Thick vines sprouted from its base, glowing with emerald energy.
Layer upon layer, they expanded outward, forming a protective dome.
Shielding Raven and Bardi from the storm.
Raven let out a relieved breath.
Suddenly.
The magic circle pulsed.
A violent, red light erupted from Trigon's blood.
(To be continued.)
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