Chapter 63: The Crimson Lord (BONUS)

Dante released Constantine without the slightest psychological burden.

Sure, the guy might betray him and run off, but he wasn't stupid.

He wouldn't make a run for it with people watching—odds were too low. Constantine's greatest strength was always knowing his own limits.

"Cough, cough, cough. You're really ruthless, you know that? You actually shoved that weird green light cylinder thing into my mouth... Honestly? The sensation reminded me of my ex-boyfriend—no, the one before the last."

"Damn it, I didn't let you out to listen to your pansexual dating history."

Dante had zero interest in Constantine's flexible romantic resume.

What he really wanted to know was—who the hell was inside the Warden's Office?

Or more accurately—what the hell?

Because whoever—or whatever—it was, it had to be high-tier. No way it could've taken down Thor otherwise.

And Hela had said the divine counter-magic array that had nullified her power could only have been created by a higher-level being.

Coming from her, that meant at least someone on Mephisto's level.

Maybe even someone beyond All Father-tier.

If they were in a more recognizable setting, Dante might've had a clue which great cosmic jerk this was.

But this was Fox River Prison.

The most evil thing normally here was T-bag.

"I was just trying to lighten the mood..." Even with a face puffed up like a balloon, Constantine lit a cigarette, exhaled, and followed up, "Because unless something crazy happens—we're pretty much screwed."

Dante frowned.

Screwed?

If even a degenerate like Constantine sounded that hopeless…

Then just who was inside that Warden's building?

"You sensed the presence inside the Warden's building. You should've sensed the one in the cell too, right?"

"Yeah. The one in the cell—is she your person?" Constantine blinked, then smacked his forehead. "Damn it. That fire-throwing bastard knocked me around so hard, I definitely have a concussion. Of course she's with you—if you're out, that means she is too."

"With her, do we have a chance?"

"Do you think one more 'god' matters when you're facing an entire universe?"

Not exactly the answer Dante wanted.

That basically meant this mission was a no-go. At least for now.

Sure, the system didn't impose any time limits or failure penalties, but Dante knew his best option was retreat.

Live to fight another day.

Still, the whole thing left a bitter taste in his mouth. He almost wanted to summon Clark then and there.

"That human magician. Stop spouting doomsday nonsense."

A majestic voice cut in from behind him.

Hela, Goddess of Death, had arrived. Looking very pleased after beating up her brothers.

Two guys were limping behind her, helping each other along.

Apparently, getting your ass kicked by your sister was a decent way to bond.

Turns out fists really are friendship accelerators.

Constantine opened his mouth to fire back, but the second he saw Hela, he shut it.

Because this was another legit god-tier presence.

"Noble goddess, I may not know your exact identity," Constantine said with an overly formal bow, "but I wasn't exaggerating. I can sense it—that presence isn't from our universe. These dimension lords, they're omniscient in their own planes. Invincible, even. And when Agent Dante grabbed me earlier, I could already feel that thing had cracked through the boundaries of our universe. Its power has bled through. Right now, this prison is basically covered by a foreign dimension."

"It's just a bit of energy leaking out from a dimensional rift," Hela scoffed.

She'd seen her fair share of dimension lords.

Sure, they could manipulate time, reality, even remake their home dimensions with a snap of their fingers.

But that was in their own house.

Once they left their territory, they were just glorified All Father-level nuisances.

Take Mephisto. Once that guy left his Hell Dimension, he got into multiple scraps with the old man Odin and even her.

He was strong, yeah. But beatable.

This human magician? Still wet behind the ears.

"Hela," Dante stepped forward and lowered his voice. "Are you sure?"

Her answer would decide if this mission was salvageable.

"At most, he's All Father-level."

Hela didn't hesitate for a second.

Even the most powerful plane demons and dimension overlords had to pay a steep price to act outside their own backyard.

That confirmation made Dante exhale.

So she and he were on the same page.

With Hela's restored power and Dante's current setup, they could take on a standard All Father-class opponent.

"You—how can you be so sure it's just leaked power?" Constantine pressed. His tone was unusually serious.

Even a bastard like him had pride in his craft.

"When a dimension lord overlaps this world with their own," Hela said coolly, now standing beside Dante and pulling him close like she was claiming territory, "you don't get the luxury of a debate. We'd have been instantly erased. Not killed. Erased. Like we never existed."

Okay, Dante thought, being pulled into a full-body Death Goddess cuddle. That tracks.

He wasn't some rookie anymore. He could now tell the difference between interdimensional and intradimensional teleportation.

And that was key—his portal had worked.

Meaning this place still belonged to their native dimension.

"But don't start celebrating just yet." Hela leaned down and whispered, "That magician wasn't completely wrong. Someone in this prison has collected divine relics—or items tied to that dimension lord. With enough compatible power, the guy descending could be stronger than usual."

"Why do you guys always have to speak in riddles?"

Dante groaned.

So what she meant was—the enemy wasn't a normal All Father-level, but possibly a peak-tier one?

Before he could say anything else, Coulson's voice came through his comms.

"Dante! Are you okay? Skye and Ingrid just detected a rapidly expanding energy entity at Fox River Prison!"

"You picked it up too?" Dante asked. "How strong is it?"

"Too far away for an exact read, but all indicators are off the charts. Higher than when Hela entered FBI Headquarters."

That was all he needed to hear.

Whoever was inside that Warden's building wasn't just All Father-level.

They were above Hela's current combat threshold.

Dante glanced at his team.

No way he was dragging them into a boss fight like this.

Just as he was about to order a full retreat, the Green Lantern power battery materialized in his hand out of nowhere.

He froze.

He hadn't summoned it.

"Guardian, that place... it's tied to the Emotional Spectrum."

A childlike voice came from the lantern battery.

Dante blinked.

Wait what?

His Green Lantern battery... talked?

And it was a kid's voice?

Wait. Were they telepathically linked?

He peered through the lantern window.

Sure enough, the tiny Ion Shark was circling inside like an excited puppy.

It even had that very human expression on its little face.

Dante recognized it.

Speechless disappointment.

"You're Ion Shark?"

"Yes, dear Guardian. It is I."

"You just said... the dimension lord is connected to the Emotional Spectrum?"

"Yes."

"Then all the more reason I can't go! A peak All Father-level wielder of Emotional Spectrum power? That's suicide for my team!"

"I can help. But I'm still young. At best, I can merge with you for one minute…"

Merge?

Merge with Ion Shark?

Dante smacked his own forehead.

Right. He had that wild card.

Even if it was just for a minute...

That was one hell of a minute.

Decision made.

"Ada. You, Harley, and the Wanda twins—escort these three prisoners back to the Bureau and stay on standby."

"Hela, Loki. With me. We're facing that bastard head-on."

As Dante spoke, he opened a portal.

Ada Wong and Harley Quinn gave him the are you sure? look, but they didn't argue.

They understood this wasn't their fight.

And they trusted Dante.

After sending them off, Dante turned to Thor.

"You really don't want to see the guy who locked you up?"

"Oh, I do."

"And once you see him—you want to punch him?"

"Obviously."

"Then let's go."

Hela, noticing Thor seemed a bit less dense after his beating, casually tossed Mjolnir back to him.

As soon as it touched his hand, Thor's power surged.

With a BOOM, he smashed open the cell wall.

The Warden's building came into view.

Or rather, what used to be the Warden's building.

It had completely turned blood-red, like it had been soaked in gore.

And standing at the entrance—was a massive figure.

Also blood-red.

"I have waited long enough, you ants."

"You will cry out my name in despair as you die."

"My true name is…"

"Crimson Lord—Cyttorak!"

(To be continued.)