(Davian's P.O.V)
Every single soul that Trigon had held within him had been released, allowed to move onto the afterlife.
Konso could normally only be administered through stamping the forehead of a spirit by using the pommel of your Zanpakuto. But it wasn't necessary. The practice only held ceremonial significance.
I had found out that I could use the Konso from any part of the blade. That ability had come in handy as I had used it to free the souls trapped within Trigon.
Performing it however was intensive on the soul. It felt akin to forcefully scrubbing off all their grief and attachment to the physical world using your own soul.
It was more intensive than 10 seconds of continuously spamming Getsuga Tensho.
Which is why I immediately dropped out of Shikai the second his head separated from his neck.
The crown of bone on my head disappeared as I gently glided down towards the ground.
Something was waiting there for me however.
On the ground was a head wearing a pig's mask, lying a few meters away from a headless body.
Professor Pyg.
"Trigon must have used his body as basis for a complete possession."
Chase spoke out.
"Yeah..."
I replied, staring at the wide eyes forever imprinted on his face. He was undeniably dead and his soul was a living proof of that.
A grey ball of soul energy that floated above his dead corpse. It was a dirty thing.
Still...
"Are you sure?"
Chase asked as I stepped forward to perform the Konso on Jaznoz Valentine.
"Evil or not, its my duty now. This poor bastard needs to cross over to the other side. His judgement awaits him there."
I answered, landing the tip of the sword gently on the grey ball.
There was a brief flash of light and the soul ascended towards the heavens. I watched it leave, plunging into the white light.
"A lesser man would have held a grudge."
Chase commented.
"Are you trying to compliment me?"
I asked him with an upturn of is lips.
"Actually..."
Chase' voice underwent a change, sounding embarrassed, an emotion I never thought he could even feel.
"We have a slight problem."
A second later I understood why.
"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"
Raven's voice called out as white chains rose out of a magic circle on the ground to encircle me, binding me tightly to the point I couldn't move.
Raven appeared in a flash of white energy. Her face was set in a rictus of anger and betrayal as she looked at me. I almost couldn't take the latter.
"Chase!!!"
I called out at my Zanpakuto spirit. He was supposed to watch her!
"She woke up the instant you destroyed Trigon's vessel. She's...very stubborn."
The Zanpakuto spirit told me.
"Very very stubborn. She threatened to start singing Friday at full volume."
I sighed. Okay that was a valid threat. Still, now I had to deal with a pissed off teenager.
"You!!"
Raven ground out, the chains tightening around my body.
"You had no right! I was the one who was supposed to take him out! Not You!"
I raised an eyebrow.
"You do understand he's an evil son of a bitch who can never be truly killed, right?"
I asked her, causing her to blink in surprise.
"What's more important, your destiny or stopping him?"
I added, flexing my body and snapping the white chains, frowning at the effort it took me.
Raven lowered her hand, looking lost.
"I..."
"Get ready."
Chase informed me as I walked closer to Raven.
"I just..."
She begun, only for me to slam the pommel of my sword on her forehead.
With a loud screech, Trigon's spirit left her, rising to the sky in a cloudy and black mist.
"What?..."
Raven asked as strength left her.
I was there to hold her body before she fell. Trigon's spirit hissed in discontent, trying to flee.
"He tried to possess you due to the connection you both have. Stay here and don't move!"
I told her before taking to the sky in pursuit.
A Shunpo deposited me before Trigon's path, blocking his way towards Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, Catwoman and the other Justice League members.
I smiled, twirling my Scythe.
"I knew you would try to possess someone in order to drag this out."
I told the spirit.
The red eyes at the center of it's fluid misty form narrowed. It immediately changed direction and dove down towards a certain spot.
Towards the only other body available, now that I had prevented him from possessing any of the others.
'Just like I had planned.'
"Yes. And this time, no Mercy."
Chase told me.
I hardened my heart, blasting away in a Shunpo.
Yeah. No Mercy. I had given him many chances to prove that although he couldn't be on my side, he didn't need to be an enemy.
"Just like I thought, he was useful after all."
I answered Chase, plunging after the Dark Entity.
Trigon slammed onto Constantine's chest, his black and misty form squeezing through the Magician's nostrils, mouth and ears.
His eyes barely flashed red before I was there, one hand shoved through his chest. The build up of magic that had just begun brimming inside him stopped.
Blood burst through his back, coating my palm. My hand had speared through his rib cage, destroying his heart.
His eyes flashed red, his face changing into a panicked expression, one that was wide with fear.
"Noooo!!!...aargghhddgg! You will pay for this Mortal!"
Constantine said but the voice wasn't his.
There was a flash of yellow, Constantine's magic, and Trigon's influence disappeared.
The exorcist's face went back to normal. A trail of blood fell down the corner of his lips as he stared at me with...a stunned expression. He couldn't believe it.
I pulled in close.
"In case you were wondering how sacrificing one self feels like, Constantine, this is it."
A groan escaped him as more blood sprayed out of his mouth.
"Bloody..."
He coughed out more blood.
I slid my hand out of his chest, holding him before he fell to the ground, blinking in quick succession.
"You're going to die." I told him seriously.
"I can save you, wash away your sins and regrets, send you into the afterlife. However, doing so, will release Trigon."
I added.
"Are you sure he's going to accept the deal?"
Chase wondered.
"He will. If he doesn't then it just proves that he's not really different from what everyone thinks he is."
My reply made Chase snorted.
"Which is? A conniving bastard, who wouldn't mind stabbing you in the back?"
He shot back.
"Even bastards can save the day Chase. We did it."
He didn't respond to that.
Constantine's hand shakily went to his shirt pocket, one soaked with blood.
"Fuck...no smoke..."
I sighed, going into my own pocket and withdrawing a single cigarette. One that looked beat up. Constantine blinked in surprise as I placed the lung killer on his lips.
"Why?..."
He stammered out.
"Well...I used to smoke too. I never could get rid of the addiction. So I found a different way to deal with it. It’s a metaphor, you see. You put the thing that does the killing right between your teeth, but you never give it the power to kill you."
A green flame appeared on the tip of my finger.
Constantine stared at the flame with a strange look.
"Before I light it up, here's the deal. I can't kill Trigon. No one can. But...you can drag him to hell with you. Make sure he doesn't come back."
I saw him listening intently. The only reason he was still alive being that I was staving off his death, just until he understood the proposal and made a decision.
"So what will you choose? Salvation and redemption for your soul, or eternal suffering to make sure that Trigon never escapes? That he never harms anyone again?"
It was selfish.
It was harsh.
But it was the perfect plan. One a strategist like Constantine would consider pitching to someone in his position.
So it was very ironic it was happening to him.
I felt someone enter my range. They flew down, gently touching the ground behind me.
"Be on your guard. We don't know if they will try to take you in."
Chase warned as Superman and what was left of the Justice League arrived.
Meanwhile, my eyes never left Constantine's.
"I...damn you...Davian..."
The magician finally answered, face wincing in pain.
"What do I have to lose...just a soul and a chance at redemption right? In exchange that cunt Trigon will be gone and I can finally avenge them..."
Saying that, he took a drag of the cigarette as I lit it.
The rest kept their distance, whether out of respect or something else, I appreciated the gesture.
Something fell into my palm. I looked at the key Constantine had dropped in my hand and stared at him questioningly.
"Kent...he would have wanted you to have the key to the Tower. It has a knack for being the home of strays. It's... floating somewhere out there in the cosmos...when you need it the most, believe in magic and it will arrive."
I nodded, tightening my hand around the Key. Funny enough, all this went down because Batman was too damn stubborn. He should have told Raven about Kent.
No matter his reasons, that man had been one of the very few people Raven trusted. News of his death had hit her hard and put into motion the events leading to the destruction of Gotham.
Atleast with the key she would have something to remember him by.
The light dimmed in Constantine's eyes and death took him.
I stepped away from him, raising the Scythe and allowing the shrouds to escape. They took to the skies, hovering around Constantine and I in a loose formation.
Instantly, I felt the power of the Spirit King leave me. The burning chains, cat skull, large weapon, all faded away into spirit energy, leaving behind a loose connection to...somewhere.
"Are you sure that was wise?"
Chase wondered.
"Yeah. I can get to that level on my own. Besides, I couldn't keep them locked away in my Inner World, they still have a job to do and with everything that has happened...I can't help but respect Death. Whatever it is."
The shrouds swooped down as a surprising bright soul, it's beauty only marred by the roiling dark spirit contained at its core, rose up.
The soul ascended with the shrouds accompanying it. Then all of them disappeared into the afterlife.
Zatara stepped up next to me, his top hat placed on his chest.
"He wasn't a good man. But he tried to do right. Goodbye John."
He paid his respects.
"It has started snowing."
I looked up at the descending snow flakes.
"We need to talk."
Superman said from behind me.
"Yeah. I guess we..."
I paused, tilting my head
What was that?
I could sense power unlike anything I had felt today, even with Trigon's power up, coming from the location above the crater.
The sky became brighter as we all turned to stare at...
"Raven?"
She was glowing white, energy held tightly in her hands. A terrible premonition gripped me.
"Chase...what was the countdown for Raven's death?"
I asked my Zanpakuto, I immediately Flash stepping towards her, clearing the distance quickly.
Only to smack on a white Shield.
"It was 1 hour and 42 minutes ago..."
Oh no.
There was still a minute left.
Raven's death was never going to be at Trigon's hands.
(Davian's P.O.V)
Every single soul that Trigon had held within him had been released, allowed to move onto the afterlife.
Konso could normally only be administered through stamping the forehead of a spirit by using the pommel of your Zanpakuto. But it wasn't necessary. The practice only held ceremonial significance.
I had found out that I could use the Konso from any part of the blade. That ability had come in handy as I had used it to free the souls trapped within Trigon.
Performing it however was intensive on the soul. It felt akin to forcefully scrubbing off all their grief and attachment to the physical world using your own soul.
It was more intensive than 10 seconds of continuously spamming Getsuga Tensho.
Which is why I immediately dropped out of Shikai the second his head separated from his neck.
The crown of bone on my head disappeared as I gently glided down towards the ground.
Something was waiting there for me however.
On the ground was a head wearing a pig's mask, lying a few meters away from a headless body.
Professor Pyg.
"Trigon must have used his body as basis for a complete possession."
Chase spoke out.
"Yeah..."
I replied, staring at the wide eyes forever imprinted on his face. He was undeniably dead and his soul was a living proof of that.
A grey ball of soul energy that floated above his dead corpse. It was a dirty thing.
Still...
"Are you sure?"
Chase asked as I stepped forward to perform the Konso on Jaznoz Valentine.
"Evil or not, its my duty now. This poor bastard needs to cross over to the other side. His judgement awaits him there."
I answered, landing the tip of the sword gently on the grey ball.
There was a brief flash of light and the soul ascended towards the heavens. I watched it leave, plunging into the white light.
"A lesser man would have held a grudge."
Chase commented.
"Are you trying to compliment me?"
I asked him with an upturn of is lips.
"Actually..."
Chase' voice underwent a change, sounding embarrassed, an emotion I never thought he could even feel.
"We have a slight problem."
A second later I understood why.
"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"
Raven's voice called out as white chains rose out of a magic circle on the ground to encircle me, binding me tightly to the point I couldn't move.
Raven appeared in a flash of white energy. Her face was set in a rictus of anger and betrayal as she looked at me. I almost couldn't take the latter.
"Chase!!!"
I called out at my Zanpakuto spirit. He was supposed to watch her!
"She woke up the instant you destroyed Trigon's vessel. She's...very stubborn."
The Zanpakuto spirit told me.
"Very very stubborn. She threatened to start singing Friday at full volume."
I sighed. Okay that was a valid threat. Still, now I had to deal with a pissed off teenager.
"You!!"
Raven ground out, the chains tightening around my body.
"You had no right! I was the one who was supposed to take him out! Not You!"
I raised an eyebrow.
"You do understand he's an evil son of a bitch who can never be truly killed, right?"
I asked her, causing her to blink in surprise.
"What's more important, your destiny or stopping him?"
I added, flexing my body and snapping the white chains, frowning at the effort it took me.
Raven lowered her hand, looking lost.
"I..."
"Get ready."
Chase informed me as I walked closer to Raven.
"I just..."
She begun, only for me to slam the pommel of my sword on her forehead.
With a loud screech, Trigon's spirit left her, rising to the sky in a cloudy and black mist.
"What?..."
Raven asked as strength left her.
I was there to hold her body before she fell. Trigon's spirit hissed in discontent, trying to flee.
"He tried to possess you due to the connection you both have. Stay here and don't move!"
I told her before taking to the sky in pursuit.
A Shunpo deposited me before Trigon's path, blocking his way towards Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, Catwoman and the other Justice League members.
I smiled, twirling my Scythe.
"I knew you would try to possess someone in order to drag this out."
I told the spirit.
The red eyes at the center of it's fluid misty form narrowed. It immediately changed direction and dove down towards a certain spot.
Towards the only other body available, now that I had prevented him from possessing any of the others.
'Just like I had planned.'
"Yes. And this time, no Mercy."
Chase told me.
I hardened my heart, blasting away in a Shunpo.
Yeah. No Mercy. I had given him many chances to prove that although he couldn't be on my side, he didn't need to be an enemy.
"Just like I thought, he was useful after all."
I answered Chase, plunging after the Dark Entity.
Trigon slammed onto Constantine's chest, his black and misty form squeezing through the Magician's nostrils, mouth and ears.
His eyes barely flashed red before I was there, one hand shoved through his chest. The build up of magic that had just begun brimming inside him stopped.
Blood burst through his back, coating my palm. My hand had speared through his rib cage, destroying his heart.
His eyes flashed red, his face changing into a panicked expression, one that was wide with fear.
"Noooo!!!...aargghhddgg! You will pay for this Mortal!"
Constantine said but the voice wasn't his.
There was a flash of yellow, Constantine's magic, and Trigon's influence disappeared.
The exorcist's face went back to normal. A trail of blood fell down the corner of his lips as he stared at me with...a stunned expression. He couldn't believe it.
I pulled in close.
"In case you were wondering how sacrificing one self feels like, Constantine, this is it."
A groan escaped him as more blood sprayed out of his mouth.
"Bloody..."
He coughed out more blood.
I slid my hand out of his chest, holding him before he fell to the ground, blinking in quick succession.
"You're going to die." I told him seriously.
"I can save you, wash away your sins and regrets, send you into the afterlife. However, doing so, will release Trigon."
I added.
"Are you sure he's going to accept the deal?"
Chase wondered.
"He will. If he doesn't then it just proves that he's not really different from what everyone thinks he is."
My reply made Chase snorted.
"Which is? A conniving bastard, who wouldn't mind stabbing you in the back?"
He shot back.
"Even bastards can save the day Chase. We did it."
He didn't respond to that.
Constantine's hand shakily went to his shirt pocket, one soaked with blood.
"Fuck...no smoke..."
I sighed, going into my own pocket and withdrawing a single cigarette. One that looked beat up. Constantine blinked in surprise as I placed the lung killer on his lips.
"Why?..."
He stammered out.
"Well...I used to smoke too. I never could get rid of the addiction. So I found a different way to deal with it. It’s a metaphor, you see. You put the thing that does the killing right between your teeth, but you never give it the power to kill you."
A green flame appeared on the tip of my finger.
Constantine stared at the flame with a strange look.
"Before I light it up, here's the deal. I can't kill Trigon. No one can. But...you can drag him to hell with you. Make sure he doesn't come back."
I saw him listening intently. The only reason he was still alive being that I was staving off his death, just until he understood the proposal and made a decision.
"So what will you choose? Salvation and redemption for your soul, or eternal suffering to make sure that Trigon never escapes? That he never harms anyone again?"
It was selfish.
It was harsh.
But it was the perfect plan. One a strategist like Constantine would consider pitching to someone in his position.
So it was very ironic it was happening to him.
I felt someone enter my range. They flew down, gently touching the ground behind me.
"Be on your guard. We don't know if they will try to take you in."
Chase warned as Superman and what was left of the Justice League arrived.
Meanwhile, my eyes never left Constantine's.
"I...damn you...Davian..."
The magician finally answered, face wincing in pain.
"What do I have to lose...just a soul and a chance at redemption right? In exchange that cunt Trigon will be gone and I can finally avenge them..."
Saying that, he took a drag of the cigarette as I lit it.
The rest kept their distance, whether out of respect or something else, I appreciated the gesture.
Something fell into my palm. I looked at the key Constantine had dropped in my hand and stared at him questioningly.
"Kent...he would have wanted you to have the key to the Tower. It has a knack for being the home of strays. It's... floating somewhere out there in the cosmos...when you need it the most, believe in magic and it will arrive."
I nodded, tightening my hand around the Key. Funny enough, all this went down because Batman was too damn stubborn. He should have told Raven about Kent.
No matter his reasons, that man had been one of the very few people Raven trusted. News of his death had hit her hard and put into motion the events leading to the destruction of Gotham.
Atleast with the key she would have something to remember him by.
The light dimmed in Constantine's eyes and death took him.
I stepped away from him, raising the Scythe and allowing the shrouds to escape. They took to the skies, hovering around Constantine and I in a loose formation.
Instantly, I felt the power of the Spirit King leave me. The burning chains, cat skull, large weapon, all faded away into spirit energy, leaving behind a loose connection to...somewhere.
"Are you sure that was wise?"
Chase wondered.
"Yeah. I can get to that level on my own. Besides, I couldn't keep them locked away in my Inner World, they still have a job to do and with everything that has happened...I can't help but respect Death. Whatever it is."
The shrouds swooped down as a surprising bright soul, it's beauty only marred by the roiling dark spirit contained at its core, rose up.
The soul ascended with the shrouds accompanying it. Then all of them disappeared into the afterlife.
Zatara stepped up next to me, his top hat placed on his chest.
"He wasn't a good man. But he tried to do right. Goodbye John."
He paid his respects.
"It has started snowing."
I looked up at the descending snow flakes.
"We need to talk."
Superman said from behind me.
"Yeah. I guess we..."
I paused, tilting my head
What was that?
I could sense power unlike anything I had felt today, even with Trigon's power up, coming from the location above the crater.
The sky became brighter as we all turned to stare at...
"Raven?"
She was glowing white, energy held tightly in her hands. A terrible premonition gripped me.
"Chase...what was the countdown for Raven's death?"
I asked my Zanpakuto, I immediately Flash stepping towards her, clearing the distance quickly.
Only to smack on a white Shield.
"It was 1 hour and 42 minutes ago..."
Oh no.
There was still a minute left.
Raven's death was never going to be at Trigon's hands.
