Serdar's mentality might be considered unusual among humans, but it was absolutely typical among demons, especially given the enmity already established between him and Hellboy. Initially, Serdar was wary of Hellboy, suspecting he might have powerful connections. This caution made Serdar avoid direct confrontation, preferring to keep his distance. However, he soon realized that Hellboy had no significant backing and was even aggressively pursuing him. This realization made Serdar determined to teach Hellboy a lesson to alleviate the frustration he had endured.
With a loud "Bang!" sound, under Serdar's watchful gaze, Hellboy, who had been forced to retreat, finally made his move. Not wanting to harm Kairey, he chose to knock him back with his massive handgun. Yet, Hellboy seemed to forget that Kairey was no longer a regular human. Once merely a human with demonic blood and power, Kairey had now fully transformed into a demon. Hellboy's gigantic handgun, designed to inflict additional damage against demons, inevitably injured Kairey, even though Hellboy didn't intend it.
With a hiss, the divine energy within the gun's impact started to corrode Kairey's body. Fortunately, Kairey was quite powerful, and this extra corrosive force was insufficient to cause significant harm. However, the pain enraged Kairey, who instantly retaliated with a burst of flames from his mouth, directed at Hellboy.
Hellfire, one of the powers that even venom feared, was one of the most common forces in the hellish dimensions. Though different from the Hellfire of the Ghost Rider, if the user was strong enough, it could achieve similar devastating effects. Facing the oncoming hellfire, Hellboy didn't dare take it lightly. He swiftly adjusted his massive handgun and fired a powerful shot that echoed through the church.
With a resounding "Bang!" a burst of divine energy erupted from the gun's barrel, clashing with the hellfire and extinguishing it instantly. Despite Serdar's high hopes for Kairey's true strength, Kairey was no match for Hellboy. Even after consuming many of his comrades to enhance his power and bloodline, Kairey still fell short.
Hellboy had the strength to confront Serdar directly, and Kairey's origins were intricately linked to Hellboy. After arriving on Earth, Hellboy had been raised by the military, who even conducted experiments on him. Hellboy didn't resist these experiments, and the likes of Kairey were developed based on research involving Hellboy's bloodline.
In essence, Kairey and the other demonic experiments were somewhat like Hellboy's bloodline descendants, albeit not as powerful. Hellboy himself had grown stronger over time, and the military had high hopes that these demonic experiments could reach Hellboy's level. However, the current Kairey was clearly no match for Hellboy, despite his transformation into a demon. Serdar didn't expect Kairey to kill Hellboy directly; he merely wanted to see Hellboy hesitate in attacking. But the situation was deviating from Serdar's expectations. Hellboy was beginning to fight back effectively, and Serdar realized he would need to intervene to achieve his goals.
"Eh? They are already fighting? Has the Hell Lord not arrived yet? Why is the human form still fighting Hellboy?" Outside the church, Robert and Constantine observed the scene. Constantine muttered as they kept their distance to avoid being noticed by Hellboy. By the time they arrived, Hellboy was already engaged with Kairey, while Serdar watched menacingly.
"Didn't you say that human form had some connection to Hellboy? It seems he's lost control. But it looks like the Hell Lord hasn't arrived yet. Could it be the preparation isn't complete?" Robert's eyes flickered as he scanned the church. He wasn't observing Hellboy or Kairey but looking for signs of the Hell Lord's descent.
"I haven't noticed anything yet..." Constantine understood Robert's point and also searched for clues about the Hell Lord's descent. Despite their knowledge, neither Robert's keen observations nor Constantine's understanding of hellish magic revealed any signs of the Hell Lord's method of arrival. The dimensions of Hell were vast, with countless Hell Lords, each specializing in different domains. Every Hell Lord had a unique way of descending into other dimensions. It was impossible to know all of them.
As Robert and Constantine scrutinized the church surroundings, the battle between Hellboy and Kairey took a new turn. Actually, calling it a battle wasn't accurate; Hellboy had finally decided to take serious action against Kairey. Realizing the danger of dragging out the fight with Kairey while a more formidable foe lurked nearby, Hellboy resolved to subdue Kairey quickly before confronting Serdar and then find a way to remove Kairey from the scene.
With a decisive "Thud!" Hellboy shot his massive handgun, piercing Kairey's body. A powerful surge of divine energy exploded, enveloping Kairey and simultaneously restraining and corroding his demonic form. This was one of Hellboy's signature moves, a technique he'd used during previous demonic incidents to capture numerous hellish demons. Those demons could only struggle against the divine force, unable to escape. Kairey was no exception now.
As Hellboy trapped Kairey, Serdar suddenly appeared behind him, delivering a powerful punch to Hellboy's back. Despite Hellboy's quick reaction, having just confined Kairey, he couldn't replicate his earlier performance against Serdar. Hellboy had no choice but to meet Serdar's attack with his strongest right fist.
With a thunderous crash, Hellboy was sent flying, his right hand once again shattering. Though the injury looked severe, it was not as bad as last time. This time, his hand resembled a cracked watermelon, not as ruined as before. Yet, for Hellboy, such injuries were nothing. His right hand quickly regenerated.
"Aren't you here to deal with that Hell King? Why aren't you making a move? If you act now and the Hell King is sacrificed to you, Hellboy won't object," Robert suggested to Constantine after their initial clash.
"Me? I'm probably no match for him. Why don't you kill him directly?" Constantine hesitated. While collecting spoils was fine, fighting a top-tier Hell King head-on was daunting for him.
"If I fight, who will handle the Hell Lord when he arrives? The principle of matching strength with strength still applies, you know?" Robert retorted, giving Constantine a pointed look.
Although Robert didn't know Serdar's exact plan for the Hell Lord's arrival, he assumed Serdar was confident, otherwise, he wouldn't be toying with Hellboy here. Robert and Constantine had arrived late and missed the part where Serdar considered using Hellboy's bloodline to strengthen Kairey, thus prolonging the confrontation.
"Alright, with Hellboy in front, maybe I can help..." Constantine conceded. He wasn't weak, especially now that he'd cleared many of his debts and could reuse his previously inaccessible resources. This significantly boosted his capabilities.
However, Constantine viewed these resources as consumables, preferring to preserve them for better opportunities unless absolutely necessary. Now, with Robert's urging, Constantine had no choice but to act, unless he was prepared to face a Hell Lord alone.
Dealing with a Hell Lord was out of the question for Constantine. Even with all his resources, he couldn't defeat one. Escaping from a Hell Lord's clutches would be an achievement in itself.
In the church, just as Serdar was about to capitalize on his advantage over the recently knocked-down Hellboy, a mysterious force manifested as a sharp cold light aimed directly at Serdar's forehead. Even Serdar sensed the impending threat, knowing it wouldn't kill him but would cause significant injury. This forced him to halt his attack on Hellboy and evade the strike while searching for the unseen attacker.
With a hiss, the attack missed as Serdar dodged, but it bought Hellboy enough time to fully recover. Hellboy, unaware of his helper's identity, glanced at Kairey, who was still ensnared by the divine energy. Clearly, it wasn't Kairey assisting him. And even if Kairey had regained his senses, he lacked the power to help Hellboy against Serdar.
"Who's there?! Show yourself!" Serdar's voice boomed through the church as he searched for his unseen adversary, his expression darkening. But Constantine had no intention of revealing himself. It was far safer and more effective to attack from the shadows and let Hellboy take the brunt of the battle.
"What are you waiting for? Attack now while he's focused on me! I'll support you from the shadows. But remember, if we kill this Hell King, his remains are mine as my spoils of war," Constantine's voice echoed in Hellboy's mind, urging him to strike.
"Constantine?!" Hellboy was surprised. He hadn't expected Constantine to be his secret ally, but he quickly realized Constantine had been tracking him all along, never giving up. This realization made Hellboy's expression darken with irritation. He hadn't anticipated Constantine's persistence, trailing him for so long...
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