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Chapter 106: For God's sake! IX

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A torrent of life force was unleashed upon it, causing it to light up in rays of myriad colors, orange being the most noticeable.

"I've never used this before, but... Please survive, that'll make things so much easier for both of us..."

And thus it was unleashed, the staff flew away from his hands, sparkling with a collection of Orange, Golden, and blue energies.

Time stood still, allowing the staff to pass by it, flying on its own accord, or perhaps adhering to Ian's instructions. Not even the God killer was able to react.

Ian would later note to himself how charitable the conscious divine weapon was, allowing the spear to go right through it, absolutely shredding everything on its way.

Just that brief collision with the God killer created a blast of dozens of meters around.

The damage would've been greater, oh so much greater if Ian didn't control the staff perfectly. All it had to do was to destroy the God killer cocoon, and it stopped right behind Deathstroke.

Surprisingly, he wasn't too injured, he just had a very big hole in the majority of his chest, reaching even his neck.

The staff had gone through the cocoon like a knife slicing through butter, leaving a lasting effect of turning the divine weapon into a malformed liquid, seemingly unsure of what to do.

It does have consciousness after all, and perhaps that consciousness was responsible for the next scene, the scene of a Golden letter manifesting itself before the God killer, then flying to Ian who easily caught it, his staff returning to his side with it.

Ian didn't seem surprised. He just opened the letter and started reading through it while slowly drifting towards Deathstroke.

"Ah, of course, of course, charity again. Yup... Hmm, I see. I'm glad there are many gods. That way, the phrase God is generous can take effect, leading to plenty of charity."

It was about this point he landed before the kneeling Deathstroke. He was still, unmoving, and not even flinching... He looked dead. Blood was flowing out of his ches... Strike that, he had no chest anymore.

A puddle of blood was already formed beneath him, quickly spreading through the ground, what remains of his remain was crumbling... He looked pitiful.

The first thing Ian did was move the sleepy Ivy to his back, blue energy flowing from the staff, facilitating the process

Ian crouched to Deathstroke's level, getting a bit too close to someone like Deathstroke. One can never know if he's pretending or not. One can also never know if such a fatal injury is able to stop him.

Still, Ian reduced the distance between them, defenselessly whispering something in his ears.

He then stood up again, "Come here." He spoke, seemingly to no one, but the God killer instantly formed into golden swords and landed in Ian's hands, "Not bad..."

Everything seemed to be perfectly planned, Deathstroke acting more as a messenger, delivering the letter and the divine weapon.

"Well, Hephaestus, have it your war... For now." Ian murmured before taking better hold of Ivy, flying with her back home, leaving Deathstroke possibly alive again.

With the league of shadow's methods, they'll surely be able to save him, yet Ian didn't seem to care. In fact, he planned before to let Mike kill him, but since he was here, and Deathstroke is still alive, he made changes in his plan...

"Finally back?"

"Yup." Ian faintly responded. On his way home, he decided to contact Zatanna after noticing several missing calls from her. It does seem that she knows something about where he was though, perhaps the girls told her?

"You went too far." Her tone was serious but also amused at the same time.

"Hm? Which action are we talking about?" Ian was a tad bit confused. He goes too far a lot of times, so it's understandable.

"..." Zatanna let out a sigh, "Constantine is in hell."

"Oh... Well shit."

"What did you do exactly? Numerous demons started targeting him suddenly in our world, making his life like hell. Not long ago, he went to hell on his own accord though he didn't tell me anything."

She seemed more curious than concerned. In fact, she didn't seem worried at all.

"Huh, I see... I didn't really go too far, I just used his assistance without his permission." Ian contemplated his words for a while before responding casually like the innocent person he is.

"Hahahaha, yeah sure, I totally believe you." Her sarcasm was obvious.

"Nah, it's actually true. He just took it upon himself to share my burden." Ian shrugged unconcerned, getting a laugh out of Zatanna.

It's easier to kill God than to permanently get rid of Constantine. That may be an exaggeration, but that's how confident they were in Constantine's cockroach skills.

"He didn't ask for help, so I'll leave it at that for now. However, be careful, Constantine is a bit vengeful. Also, I might need your help soon. The chances are extremely low, nearly zero, but it's possible."

"That's confusing," Ian noted.

"Is it? You should know me very well, I'm the best, so how can I not succeed in what I desire?" She hung up right away.

"Sure... I totally believe you."

Ian observed the changes in the city along the way, and he didn't seem much. The city was slowly getting more prosperous though.

A lot of people still have apprehension about Gotham, but things are slowly turning around, especially with Ian investing in numerous projects, mostly on the legal side of things.

He landed directly in front of his mansion, walking past the guards casually though they didn't seem to notice him. He only canceled whatever spell he was using when inside.

"Mm? Boss!?" A surprised voice sounded the moment he entered followed by someone throwing himself at him, wanting to hug him only to remain hovering in the air.

"You live here now?" Ian eyed her, singling to her not to disrupt Ivy's nap. Harley was adorned in red pajamas, looking to be in her own house.

"Yup! And what is this? Sooo cool, and you look so cool! Also wanna wear clothes like that! Also also, why do you have hair longer than me!?"

Harley tried moving around in the air, but she was barely successful, "Fly me around pleaaase!?"

I swear, God could appear before her and evaporate reality with a snap, and she would still say the same thing.

"Calm down, and call Layla and Ralf here now." He instructed before letting her free, then he went on to put Ivy in bed.

Ian went back to his room and changed back to his crime lord uniform. His steps led him to the guest room where he took a seat.

After calling them, Harley sat by his side bombarding him with questions until she noticed he was in no mood to respond, so she strangely stayed silent.

The moment Layla and Ralf arrived, Ian spoke calmly, "So Selina vanished, and the Roses can not find any traces of her?"

Ralf seemed nervous, scratching his head, unsure of what to do. Layla on the other hand was more decisive as she performed a full bow, "I failed you."

That's it, that's all she said as she remain in her subservient pose, seemingly awaiting him to set her destiny in stone.

"I'm not blaming you. I'm not blaming any of you." Ian shook his head before gazing at Ralf, "Give me the report."

And Ralf hastily complied, giving him written words of what happened, "So she did come back with the Hope diamond, but she vanished soon after with it without saying anything... Very interesting."

Ian threw the report to the side, "Layla, you're doing well, so continue. It's easy for anyone to hold the helm when the sea is calm, but it's nothing but that when in chaos... We turned the chaotic Gotham into a calm sea, and that's what'll continue to do unless chaos is needed."

He signaled for her to stand strong and continued, "I won't be available much from now on. I won't be involved in the Roses too deeply. My footsteps should take me all around the world, so I have to leave everything to you two."

The serious atmosphere made them gulp their words. All they could do is to nod and show their determination.

"Perfect. You can go, and call Mike here." Ian further stated before zoning out, his finger slightly tapping the table beside him in contemplation.

'That was kinda badass,' Harley mused in her mind, scanning him carefully from top to bottom, 'He still doesn't seem like a God though, so why does Layla think so?'

Harley has never been more rational since her transformation than now. Her psychiatrist mind working full time to figure him out, something she's been doing since joining the Roses, just not to this degree.

"What is God anyway?" Harley questioned out loud, accidentally getting Ian's attention.

"God huh? Someone or something of many of which there is a lot. A thing relative to human understanding because they can not gauge what a God feels... Or if it can feel in the first place."

Harley was a bit confused, but still asked the most important question, "Can you? Do you understand God?"

"Me?" Ian shook his head with a laugh, "I can not understand myself, so how can I truly understand God? I'm sure we'll meet soon enough, it's just a shame it can not be now."

"I'm still very confused. I feel like you're giving me nonanswers? You're just being unresponsive." Harley frowned, and Ian eyed her in surprise, but he still didn't point out her odd behavior.

"Just think of God as anything but God. Think of it as a thing, and imagine a sea of things."

Ian shook his head, somewhat amused by his own words, 'Why do I know this when I have never paid much thought to what God is? Where does this occasional odd knowledge come from?'

A sigh escaped his mouth, "More questions than answers. Such is the way of nature."

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Chapter 107: For God's sake! X

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"Ah, for God's sake. I knew we should've thrown him in jail the first time I saw him." Nightwing brought both his hands up, facepalming himself with undeniable exasperation.

"I... I don't know what to say anymore." Batgirl besides him also added in dismay.

They were in the Batcave, standing in the central command chamber. In front of them was Batman who was intensely watching something on a large monitor.

The place looked quite advanced, filled with a variety of technologies, including the supercomputer before them with several monitors, one of which was playing a video.

Batman's eyes traced every movement in the video, again and again. He continued to replay it as if he wants to go back in time and see it for himself.

The two behind him waited and waited until he finally paid attention to them, specifically Nightwing, "He escaped again even though you were there."

Indeed, Nightwing was the only one in the area of the incident. He watched it happen, but couldn't get close... He even lost Deathstroke's body.

"There were too many," Nightwing frowned, "They were strong. They had more numbers, and they were stronger than the last time."

Batman glanced at him before going back to his contemplation, "Why did Ian leave him alive? He already faced such a scenario before, so being the person he is, he will definitely do something extreme."

"Yeah, I was wondering about that too. I even saw him whispering something in Deathstroke's ears despite the latter looking dead."

Nightwing explained, stroking his chin before shaking his head, "Unfortunately, I will have to go. I will be going back to Birmingham."

Batman nodded before focusing on the video again. His sidekicks already dispersed, leaving him alone, until Alfred entered the bat cave that is.

"Master Bruce, the guests have arrived." Alfred respectfully spoke, faintly peeking at the video playing on the monitor, showing the absolute destructiveness of Deathstroke, Ivy, and most importantly, Ian.

The Justice league heroes do not yet know who Batman is, so of course he wouldn't bring them to his base which is right below the Wayne manor.

The place of the meeting was a monitored place in the city. Batman nodded and made his way there discreetly.

The meeting place was a simple room with a large table in it and several chairs, two of which were filled. Batman on the other hand remained standing, working something out on a laptop.

"Everyone else is busy." The Bat frowned. He was even willing to have a remote video communication, but only two showed up.

"To each their own. They're either busy with something personal, or they're fighting for what they believe in. They didn't ask for help, so they should be okay."

The one who spoke was a noticeably tall and fair-skinned woman with straight waist-length black hair, blue eyes, and broad shoulders. She was absolutely gorgeous in appearance, sporting a slender and athletic frame with a well-toned yet muscular build.

It wasn't just her body that made her the center of all attention, it was above all her demeanor, her overwhelming presence. A warrior at heart, confident, but seems to be quite outgoing.

Batman didn't show any weakness or annoyance, he kept looking through the laptop though this time for something different altogether, "I will warn them all later lest they fall into his clutches, but for now, let's talk about the incident."

"Why am I here? I mean, didn't I tell you everything about my interaction with him?" The last person in the room finally saw the opportunity to speak, it was the Flash himself.

"Because of this video." Batman didn't explain further, but let them see it for themselves.

It wasn't long before the Flash's eyes widened as he stood up, vanishing from his place only to appear with his eyes next to the laptop screen, his eyes were moving at such miraculous speed that they looked white as if he had no iris or pupil.

"Speed force! But it's orange? Not red... What is happening?" Confusion was written all over his face as he eyed Batman, "This... How?"

Much to his disappointment, however, Batman shook his head, "I do not know, but it must have something to do with the strange staff-like weapon, and Ian himself."

"I have never heard of such a weapon. It looks complex and dangerous? Too dangerous." Diana also remarked with a frown, "So he is the one?"

"Yeah, I'm nearly a hundred percent certain he's the one. He should be responsible for the Hope diamond heist." Batman affirmed.

"You seem too certain..."

"I'm certain. I studied the clues you sent me meticulously. The number of distractions in the heist and the way they're done. It is definitely him. I've been studying his behavior since long ago, so trust me on this."

"I do trust you. I'm just wondering why someone like him would target the Hope diamond when he can target more valuable stuff... Does he know about the curse?" Diana revealed her doubts.

"I don't know... Flash, I think you should already know how he acquired the speed force, right?" Batman already deduced the reason, so the Flash should've too by now.

"I just don't know why it's orange?" Flash instead of answering, gave a question of his own.

"I don't have as much data about the speed force but I can make an assumption based on the visible spectrum.

He either did something to increase its wavelength, thus producing the orange light. I can also assume based on that; the possible power increase in the force."

Batman narrowed his eyes, glancing at the Flash, "The other option would be..."

The Flash's eyes widened, many possibilities running through his mind, "Red and yellow. The combination of the two colors makes orange!"

"Pretty much. I don't know exactly how the speed force works, or if it has any relation with the visible spectrum, but that's the best I can do with the information I have."

Batman was too much of a Guinness. His deduction skills were out of the world, especially considering how little he knows, yet how much he can figure out.

"Where is he?! I have to meet him!" The Flash's emotions were in turmoil. The possibility of Ian knowing something about the Red Flash, the killing of his mon was something he couldn't ignore.

However, Batman was unmoved, "Let go."

In the Flash's defense, batman was quite intimidating to most people, so it was only natural he complied.

"We need to plan it out. You saw the staff. It's obviously capable of absorbing powers, more likely energies. The way he used it in the footage shows that he doesn't have many limits in using the staff's powers.

The good thing, for now, is that he doesn't seem to be able to use the speed force like you, only his staff seem affected by it. The bad news is that he can use magic."

He noticed Diana trying to say something, but he wasn't done just yet, "Most importantly... There seem to be ten closed vessels on the staff.

I can only assume the energies are held within. I can also assume that a vessel can only hold one energy, otherwise, it will simply be a disaster.

I can only wonder how many types of energies he acquired, but what I'm sure of is that he'll want to acquire more. Ian is a collector, he likes to take stuff for himself... I can see where this will lead."

"He... What kind of person is he?" Diana asked, a bit apprehensive.

"He is... Opportunist, odd, successful, wise, willing to sacrifice others for what he believes in or for what he wants..."

That wasn't the end, Batman continued with a more detailed and personal evaluation, so in-depth even Diana and Flash looked at him strangely. When he said he studied Ian, he really meant it.

"He is certainly not crazy, but he refers to himself as such... I don't think he truly thinks that. He may be looking at it from a human perspective because he could be considered crazy with normal evaluations.

I think he's incredibly rational and logical, but he chooses to throw logic away sometimes for fun."

"Why?" Diana finally got the chance to speak, raising her voice, "Why is someone like that a crime lord in Gotham. You're even allowing it. When I heard about it, I thought you chose someone of your own, but... Why?"

"Ian is incredibly dangerous, perhaps the most dangerous person I've met to date. He could be our greatest enemy, but also our greatest aid... The problem is his randomness, so..."

Batman eyed both people in the room with a serious look, "He's a crime lord because he can do what I can not... And because I didn't see too far into the future.

I didn't foresee his quick advancement nor did I see to depth into him at that moment... I've made a mistake, but perhaps it's not a mistake."

Diana frowned, understanding dawning on her, "I see. You didn't want us to follow in your footsteps. You didn't want anyone in the team to make a similar mistake."

"And I've already made a mistake..." The Flash murmured to himself. If only Ian knew how much of a headache he's becoming to the inhabitants of earth and hell alike.

"Stay silent for a while." The bat instructed before making a call and putting it on speaker. Soon Ian's voice rang from the phone, sounding a bit unclear. It seemed to be too windy on his side.

"Hello!? Bats? Doing any charity work recently? I'm quite interested in your bat mobile! Like imagine, we can hold a charity event, and I can buy it for tens of millions.

It will all go to the charity of course, so it's all for the greater good. Great idea, is it not?" How should it be said? Ian stole the show in an instant.

The two superheroes were naturally speechless while Batman remained unfazed, "I want to meet."

"Huh? Nah, I'm like somewhere in the pacific right now. I think I'm lost? not sure. Anyway, I'm doing charity work here, so I can't go back any time soon..."

That was certainly bad news, and everyone in the room knew it, so Batman pressed further, "What kind of charity are we talking about?"

"Sus..." Ian remarked but still answered nonetheless, "But let me think about how should I say it... Oh, yeah, hunting a giant harmless animal for the sake of a charity related to Gods.

The charity is also very charitable as they gave me tools for the harvest... Oh wait, I found it! Anyway, goodbye stingy bat!"

"Wait!" Albeit, despite Batman's shout, Ian still hung up.

"Gods? Pacific?" Diana murmured with a strange look on her face.

Batman heard her. The gears in his mind turned quickly, and all he could say was, "Oh for God's sake!"

...

Chapter 108: Welcome To Hell I

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"Huh?" Ian scratched his head, looking around. He could swear he heard a faint yell from somewhere, "Well, whatever."

He shrugged and eyed the Island far away before him, "Swimming around is lovely, but I have business to attend to."

His staff appeared before him, and its magic was immediately activated under his meticulous control, allowing him to fly through the water like a fish.

Ian gently landed on the shore, soaking wet. He looked like he was on a holiday, adorned solely in white shorts, showing his perfectly tuned muscles, seemingly crafted by the same Gods that he spoke of before.

There was however something strange on his body. It was what looked like an incomplete black tattoo on his middle upper back.

The black dots were no more, or perhaps they formed into this tattoo. It seemed to be like the petal of a flower, an inky black petal, exquisite and finely crafted.

Ian's hair was styled in the form of a braid, akin to the ancient style of Vikings though he didn't go too far, he just combed it backward, forming into a long braid, reaching his waist.

Ian being the courteous person he is, remained standing on the shore, waiting for someone to welcome him. Soon, Ian heard the faint ringing of bells, followed by tens of people approaching him on horses.

Each of them had pretty much the same ancient style of attire, complemented by the swords, bows, and shields they carry.

"What a nice cosplay," Ian remarked, eyeing the crowd. It was certainly a sight to behold. Tens of amazonian women lined up before him, looking cautious with their weapons out.

They appeared even more cautious, looking at the staff hovering behind him, but not one of them thought of retreat, their determination was clear as day.

Ian still waited without saying anything until their queen finally showed herself.

They made way for her, entering in grandeur with her long fluffy black hair, her attire fitting her stature, especially her golden crown. She had a very similar demeanor to Diana.

"Speak of your name. Why are you here? Where did you come from?" She was much calmer than the rest. That much was for certain.

Ian performed an elegant bow, getting into character, "Ian Rose, sent by the Gods of course, specifically Hephaestus."

"Proof?" The Amazonian Queen Hippolyta frowned, still unsure. It's extremely hard to reach Paradise Island after all, so she wasn't too resistant to his words.

Ian seemed to be performing a show as he clapped his hands together before pulling them apart, except now there was a letter in his hand.

He then threw the letter to Hippolyta, the magic trick not ending just yet as the letter flew gently to her hands.

The letter looked normal, but Hippolyta could sense something from it, the divine energy of the Gods. It was very faint, but it was there, "I still don't understand. Why are you here?"

"Hmm? Oh, right, it's not written in there. The Titan is somewhere on this Island."

"I... Still, I will not just permit you to do what you want just like that, I need time to think... Also, wear some clothes."

Well, she was a bit intelligent, Ian noted as brought while shirt from his dimension and put it on, something he didn't mind doing considering some of the Amazonians were staring at him a bit too long.

'It's like they want to throw themselves on me for some reason... It must be because they're very kind and charitable.' Ian nodded to himself and followed after the Queen.

The first thing she did was to lead him to a small cottage at the side of the Island, not that far away from their main area of residence, "Do not leave the area, or there will be consequences. I will make a decision soon."

"Sure," Ian shrugged as he entered the wooden cottage, 'It's okay I guess? But they're still watching me huh? Is this a test of sorts Or perhaps she wants to do some research on my target? Well...'

His attention soon diverted to the house, "Alright, let's make some changes." They weren't just some changes, it was a reconstruction of reality otherwise, Hippolyta wouldn't so stunned when she came back.

She found Ian lying on a sofa with popcorn, watching some kind of movie on a laptop. Many accessories were on the once vacant cottage, it looked somewhat cozy, "Wanna join?"

"Huh? No..." She shook her head, getting her composure back. Of course someone sent by the Gods wouldn't be a normal person, but she suspects otherwise because she can sense no divine energy from him at all.

"I have a few questions." She started asking without waiting for affirmation, mostly things about the contract and his identity.

"So is the staff hovering behind you granted to you by the Gods?" She questioned.

"No, that's the result of charity from the kind demons of hell."

"What?!" The more she questioned, the more confused she became until she finally had it with his odd answers. Somehow, he found a way to include the word charity in his every answer.

"Your target is a mad Titan, Lapetus... Can you truly defeat him? My concerns lie in my people, so I can not allow such danger here."

"Yeah, it shouldn't be hard. Moreover, the danger is already within. Are you willing to leave it here, giving it a chance to spread later, or will you take this opportunity?"

Ian's words were very meticulous. His deals with the demons made him learn a lot about the true nature of the devil's ways.

Hippolyta grimaced in hesitation, but alas, she wasn't the Amazonian Queen for centuries, even millennium for nothing as determination shone in her eyes, "Face me. Defeat me, and I shall aid you the best way that I can in facing the threat."

"Hmm, no?"

"Why?" His refusal made her confused.

"Well, I can be sure that I'm not as physically strong as you are, but my other methods... They're too potent, I'll basically just embarrass you." Ian contemplated his words for a bit, articulating them so as to not sound offensive.

"Will you now? Let's go!" Hippolyta bit her lips, holding her anger from coming out. She turned around, not taking a no for an answer.

"Well, don't say I didn't tell you." Ian shook his head in dismay. He was truly too kind.

"What an audience... This is even worse. Are you sure you wanna do this?" Ian asked, eyeing the many Amazonians surrounding the area.

"Be silent, and let us start at once!" She wasn't in the mood for words as she pulled her sword out of her belt, leaping at Ian decisively.

However, much to her dismay, Ian just jumped up, soaring into the sky. His staff was suddenly in his hand as he began constructing magic balls one after another, abusing his endless life force, and spamming magic.

The end product was a sky filled with magic spheres with Ian in their midst, his voice somehow reaching the dazed Queen, "Should I launch them, lady Hippolyta?"

"N-No! Thi... This is cheating." She murmured in coherently, and Ian heard her as he slowly landed before her.

"Is it? Then I can use other metho..."

"No, no need. Just... I'll cooperate." Spamming was always a horrifying ability, abused whenever possible, so her anxiousness was natural, just now discovering the frightening capabilities of the man before her.

"No need. Just stay far away from the location I'll point out to." As Ian spoke, he brought out the God killer from his dimension.

It was actually in the form of a bat due to Harley messing around with it many times for the past week since his return.

"So where is it? And don't destroy it, or I'll destroy you, alright." Ian gently caressed the bat with a sweet smile and showed his kindness to the bat who seemed to shake in fright.

Ian then let it go, and it flew in a certain direction, "Perfect. You all go in the opposite direction."

He didn't wait for any of them to respond as he flew into the sky before following after the God killer. The dozens of magical spheres also followed after him, looking like an army marching to war.

Ian was soon suspended in the air, looking down at a massive statue at the far end of the Island, right next to a mountain.

The God killer was floating right next to the statue, faintly vibrating as if it can not wait to destroy it, and that it did the moment it was given permission, "Do it."

The Golden bat swung around in an instant, colliding with the statue with incredible force, breaking it with ease. It then hastily flew back to Ian.

"The statue of Appolo has fallen, and it's time for me to rise... It's time for vengeance! I lapetu... Huh?"

...

Chapter 109: Welcome To Hell II

...

The Golden bat swung around in an instant, colliding with the statue with incredible force, breaking it with ease. It then hastily flew back to Ian.

"The statue of Appolo has fallen, and it's time for me to rise... It's time for vengeance! I Lapetu... Huh?"

The one to speak, released from a seal sentencing him into eternal damnation was Lapetus.

He was a mad titan, a threat banished to Tartarus, and elements of his body were spread around Themiscira. The only thing keeping them from assembling again was Apollo's statue which has just fallen.

The mad titan had risen from the depths of the ground as if climbing from the clutches of Hell. Following behind him were his army of blue demon-like creatures.

They were however ants in comparison to him as he stood mounting above trees with his intimidating posture, his skin similarly blue albeit a bit darker.

Yet such an intimidating foe halted his words once he comprehended the scenery before him.

In the sky, there was a man. In his hand, there was a staff. Behind the man, there was magic. The magic was a sea of magic, a variety of pure destructive magic.

"I love magic. It's gorgeous, isn't it?" Ian murmured, a bit overwhelmed by the extent of what magic can do with his infinite life force, "I've once hated it... Now I love it because I can use it... Enjoy."

The magic fell upon the army like falling meteors. Magic spears, arrows, spheres, blasts. Think of it, he had mastered it.

"Hmm? Very well done." Ian murmured, noticing something interesting, "Just in case... Magic Armor!"

He spoke an incantation, forming an illusionary blue armor around him. The god killer appeared in his hand, forming into a golden spear.

The sea of magic did fall on the army, and it nearly exterminated every one of them except the mad Titan himself.

He looked to be in a sorry state, not too injured, but his emotional state certainly was as he stared in a daze at the thing that protected him, a pale blue spear, radiating a faint white glow, "N-no no no noo!"

The Mad Titan was truly going mad, his rage manifesting around him. The weapon must've meant a lot to him.

Not for long though as just as he was about to unleash his wrath, he saw a blue figure with vast white wings descending at him with a speed not many could react to.

The golden spear in the attacker's hand reeked of danger. Lapetus really did his best, but there wasn't much he could do besides gazing at his crumbling spear and the hole in his chest, "Hah..." A breath was his last move before falling to his knees dead.

"So easy," Ian murmured before eyeing the mountain beside the area. It was shaking, seemingly triggered by the unsealing of Lapetus, "Yeah, Murphy is such a good friend."

Ian then went hid his wings again and flew solely with magic towards the mountain. With his current state, a volcano is a better word for it.

Yet he just focused his life force on the staff, specifically, the vessel of magic and mysticism.

His meticulous control of magic gave birth to several blasts of ice magic, one after another as floated down the volcano unaffected by melting heat.

'It's a problem though. My life force input per second doesn't allow me to cast immense spells in short amounts of time.

The obvious solution is to increase my life force output, and my most powerful magic spell, magic spam is already broken on its own, so it's more than enough for now.'

Casting immense magical spells usually take him several minutes which is a lot of time in battle. Some of the high-end spells may even take dozen minutes and more, but as he stated, magic spam is a broken 'Spell'.

The volcano was soon frozen cold, "Not bad at all." Ian nodded before continuing with a few mysterious words, "This was perfection, wasn't it? Anyway, I expect what I want to be delivered to my doorsteps."

He then brought a piece of paper from his dimension and let it fall on the ice before vanishing into the distance.

The air pressure and every problem that comes with fast flight speeds were no longer a problem, and his love for magic was only growing.

It wasn't long after he flew away that a set of footsteps reverberated throughout the icy mountain. A short odd-looking man with what looked like a yellow glass on his left eye; walked towards the piece of paper.

"Perfection it was not... Monsterous it was. When did humans come so far? I can only hope his steps don't land him on Olympus..."

It was Hephaestus who vanished soon after. That was followed by the Amazonians finally arriving at the incident location, looking aghast at the destruction before them.

Not just that, a black place soon landed on the Island, from which Wonder woman appeared, followed by Batman. The jet was his batplane, named Batwing.

"Oh for god's sake!" Batman just observed everything from afar as Diana reunited with the Amazonians before performing a thorough scan of the area.

The immense destruction around was certainly not to Batman's liking because if it proved something, it would be the danger Ian can prove to be, and the cautious person Batman is, he wouldn't remain unprepared.

'I know his weakness, but it's very troublesome to exploit it... I have to work harder, so much harder to create it...'

The headache of many. The menace of hell was already on his way back to Gotham. This has been a quick job he took that has additional future benefits, a bit of charity.

He has been away for only a few days, but now he needs to get back to business. He was on the verge of launching a mother company to all of his other companies, Ivy's garden, and Cat's rest.

The new company will be the legal side of the Roses, the only side most people will ever see. Ignorance can be bliss after all.

He called it Rose corporation for a very specific purpose so that the Roses can hide behind it, to be the mask that can not be seen through.

It was nothing revolutionary, but the new company rising under Ian's care is, it was called Rose pharmacy, and its first product was named the Golden Rose.

The Golden Rose was a golden liquid that if taken can heal almost anything with no side effects, it can regrow limbs, cure cancer, and most things that aren't supernatural.

How was such a miraculous product even remotely possible to make? Well, it was the work of Ian and victor, formerly known as Mr. Freeze. The latter did most of the work, but Ian provided the source of the liquid, holy energy.

Victor somehow found a way to cover that illusionary energy into a drinkable liquid with miraculous nature.

Since the third vessel of his staff has already assimilated holy, he can just pump his life force into it and continuously make it.

His focus in staying in Gotham at the moment was on studying the process so he can do the same thing himself without the need for Victor's method. That, and creating a variety of new plant life with Ivy while waiting for a guest to arrive.

...

Chapter 110: Welcome To Hell III

...

Selina, aka Catwoman, has vanished, and the Roses couldn't find even a shadow of her though Ian seems strangely sure she's alive and well.

That didn't stop him from looking for her though, and to do that, he called someone who also wanted to contact him. They both wanted something from each other, so they made a deal.

On that note, Ian was left pretty much alone with Harley and Ivy as Raven also left on a self-exploration trip of sorts though Ian knows exactly what's on her mind, and he's looking forward to what she can achieve on her own.

He taught her a lot, and showed her many ways she could face an enemy such as Trigon, so of course he's looking forward to what she'll do. Will she go with such methods, or will she use a better method of her own? It was almost like an entertaining show for him.

"It's been a while..." Ian smiled and greeted his guest without leaving his place.

He was seated on a large cushion in the guest room, awaiting her with a golden bat in his hands, the god killer. He did send it away to his dimension instantly after.

"I see that you're alive and well." His guest, lady Xanadu sized him up from top to bottom. She has already talked to him on the phone, so she knows he's alive, but you know what they say, seeing is believing.

And she had to see it and truly appreciate how much he changed. He looked like a different person entirely as if years passed.

He was already handsome but now he was more. He was appealing to her, someone who had wandered the earth for thousands of years.

"Yeah, I still can't believe it. I thought I was dead for sure." Ian chuckle.

She was however having none of it, "I felt like you didn't believe in my prophecy at the time, and now I'm sure you never believed in it in the first place."

"Hmm? Why wouldn't I believe in one of the best prophets in the world?"

"That I wonder as well." Xanadu smiled as she took an already prepared seat close to him.

"Well, I will be generous and let you read my future again. Perhaps you can see something accurate this time." Ian lifted his palm on his own accord, even taunting her.

"Why do I feel like that's exactly what you want? And my hunches are usually correct." Xanadu remarked, crossing her legs together.

"Yet you will still take the bait." Ian smiled still, and she indeed did without a word. Her hands found themselves all over his, looking at every nook and cranny of his palm.

A frown soon emerged on her beautiful mature face as she murmured, "You know. I didn't see much last time, a rare case but it happens. I've dealt with cases similar where I just feel that the connection will be severed at a specific point of time which I consider to be death."

Her eyes met Ian's, seeming confused as she continued, "I've never been wrong, not since I reached my level, and I still didn't fail because your connection was indeed severed.

That same day I spoke of, something happened that severed the connection, and it's still in that state because even now, I can see nothing."

"Hmm. Huh, I see." Ian took his hand back, bringing his staff out and feeding it his life force like usual while contemplating her words.

"How?" She couldn't help but ask, curious because he obviously seems to know something as if he just needed a confirmation.

"I wonder." Ian shrugged. Of course he knew, but he wouldn't tell her. He couldn't tell her that, 'As expected... It all comes back to the energy I call my life force. It never happened before, but that day, giving away my life force healed my wounds and even my old scars.

I had many doubts about that, and many assumptions... Now, I'm almost certain that what she saw as my death was actually the transformation of my life force which has cut off that connection.

The transformations didn't stop there but they continued until today. I can clearly sense the gorgeous petal tattoo on my back on the verge of completion, and that should declare another transformation.'

Ian sensed many things through his life force. It was long ago that he started sensing anything within the area of it.

The give and take process further allowed him to slowly gain more control over things such as his staff and rings to the point where he can now do something akin to telekinesis.

It all started when the tattoo on his back started becoming clearer. He felt a faint connection with the staff which continued to deepen with him feeding it his life force until he became able to control it from afar.

He was even more sure of an assumption of his once he discovered that this sensing and controlling transformation does take the energy, but it goes into the tattoo.

It was as if the tattoo was medium to all that he controls, and he also verified that.

It got to the point that Ian had to wonder, 'Is my life force truly a life force? Or is life force just a part of it... Do I even have a life force? Does this energy I produce just function similarly to life force, but it's not actually that?'

He had so many questions but so few answers like always, and it was killing him. Still, he found himself somewhat entertained. He found himself to be like a book, slowly unfolding before him.

The question is how much effect can he have on the process? can he accelerate it significantly, even more than he was doing now?

"I guess you have your troubles yourself." Xanadu softly remarked.

"I guess I do... Anyway, let's get to business. I will help you recover your magical abilities in return for your occasional help with your precognition."

Xanadu smiled, and nodded, "Starting from now."

"You do seem to have great trust in my ability to help you though. Did Zatanna tell you something?" Ian wondered.

"Ah? As I thought. Zatanna is the one that reserved a spot in your team?" She saw no reaction from his still, so letting out a small sensual laugh, she continued.

"I guess I missed my shot. My only regret is that I trusted myself too much at the time, thinking you were as good as dead, so I didn't bother investigating your strangeness, and that odd energy you release."

Her smile turned a bit quirky, "I'm honestly tempted to make someone disappear under mysterious circumstances to get what I believe to be the best future for me."

She was methodical and logical, mostly thinking about benefits than feelings as Ian noted, "I mean, we already have a deal, so we're in some kind of partnership, but you can if you can."

"Unfortunately, I can not." She shook her head before she continued, "Now, about your girl. It was extremely hard to do so as if veiled by something of darkness, but I found her... In Egypt."

Ian narrowed his eyes. That was something even the Roses couldn't find, "She must've been taken there by some supernatural force then, because there were no traces of her going there... Exact location?"

"Temple of Bastet."

"Huh? That's interesting, but odd at the same time." He had many doubts about the mysterious circumstances, but he still has to go. I mean, what's the worst that can happen? Well...

"Welcome to hell..." How did this happen? How did it come to this? Most importantly, is this for charity?