Hell Opens Its Gates (Six)

"Merlin, please don't—"

"Is this Merlin from the legend of King Arthur?" Shazam exclaimed.

"That's him." Constantine nodded and lit another cigarette. "Let's get back to the point—how do we crush Nero's scheme?"

The moment he said it, Constantine froze. How had he become the most serious person on their side? They were doomed.

"Any ideas?" Roland asked.

"Contact the Heavenly Realm and have them wipe out Hell's forces," Constantine said.

"I already tried," Roland said. "The answer from Heaven was: the Lord doesn't care."

"What about Gabriel, Michael, Raphael, and the other angels?"

"I asked about that too. Lucifer said he'd take down anyone who came." Roland spread his hands.

"...Where does Lucifer stand? Is he on Nero's side?"

"He's just watching for entertainment. But if Nero tries to kill me, I can ask him for help. I might even survive."

"What about Earth's superheroes?"

"The Rogues have already captured The Flash, so he's probably having a rough time. Superman isn't on Earth right now. Wonder Woman's missing. Batman's the only one doing all right—he's tying up a lot of supervillains in Gotham City." Roland told them what he knew.

"Merlin, is there anyone in the magical community—"

Merlin pointed at Shazam without a word.

"Well..." Constantine was speechless. "Looks like only the Messiah's arrival could put an end to this. I'll go find Swamp Thing..."

"Swamp Thing?" Deadpool sucked in a breath. "Can you handle that?"

"That Prophecy isn't very reliable," Roland said.

"...I'm out of ideas too." Constantine looked miserable. "How about we pray for the wrath of God? If he sees the Beast of the Antichrist, he ought to pass judgment."

"Or we could count on Shazam to take Nero down?" Roland pointed at Shazam.

"Me?" Shazam nodded. "I think I can do it."

"If he