Chapter 66

"And Cinderblock's somehow immune to my magic now. Everything I've used on it bounced off."

Robin didn't get the chance to respond as he jumped over Cinderblock's foot and tossed an explosive bird-a-rang at Cinderblock, the weapon succeeding at doing little more than taking off two of its fingers. The beast lunged at him again. It's fingers had already reconstructed themselves.

Robin frowned at the sight. Mumbo Jumbo's increased physical stats and his ability to use magic without his wand was connected to Cinderblock's immunity to magic and increased durability and regeneration. He hadn't seen any artefact or device that could provide any clues.

This was why he and his mentor hated magic. You could understand a program, analyse a machine's mechanism, damage or shut down a device but magic didn't have such weaknesses. Even spells could be used to deceive as they didn't necessarily mean the spell cast would be what was chanted. He could admit its power but he hated fighting magicians above everything else.

"Don't ignore me! Alakazam!" The magician yelled, launching a group of glowing cards at a surprised Raven who quickly formed a black barrier to block them. She noted with a little irritation that each card dealt more damage than the last.

'At this rate, the barrier wouldn't hold against the jack card, much less the king.' She thought, willing her cloak to flap and carry her into the air right as the last cards destroyed the wall she'd been standing behind. She frowned at the property damage. This had to end fast.

She quickly formed a portal under Mumbo's feet, surprising the magician when he appeared in front of her. She placed her hand on his head and forced her own magic into him, nullifying his ability to use magic and blasting him into a car.

"Now, it's over." Raven said, approaching the downed man. Her eyes widened as she was forced to dodge a fireball emanating a disturbingly familiar energy.

The incinedary arts, while easy to cast, were one of the more difficult schools of magic to control. Fire was a wild mistress that knew no allies and it's intoxicating power could plunge an unprepared or weak willed user into madness. The only people who freely used fire were the more powerful magi.

And demons.

Her eyes narrowed. Multiple cars crumpled in response to her rage. That was where the familiarity came from. She'd recognise the magic in the fireball anywhere, she'd encountered it many times. That was why he was able to use magic without spells. That was how he and Cinderblock somehow managed to grow more powerful proportionally.

A mutual bond. He gained Cinderblock's durability and strength and in return, Cinderblock gained the additional immunity to magical attacks. A very useful spell but the drawbacks were many and it required a special procedure to exchange essences unknown to none but high ranking members of the Church of Blood.

"To think you'd go to them of all people." Raven hissed at him. "What could possibly lead you to go to Blood?"

Mumbo grinned maliciously, getting up from his position, his eyes radiating a sickly yellow glow. "They made me a deal, girl. A deal they fulfilled their part of. A deal I'm also going to fulfill my part of."

"You do know about their ultimate goal, don't you?" Raven glared at him. The man cackled madly and fired a jet of flames at her, prompting her to swiftly create another barrier. The fires temporarily obscured her vision, preventing her from noticing Mumbo rushing towards her with his fist outstretched.

The magician grinned when his fist made contact with Raven's face, sending her flying. "Of course I know about it, girl. I just don't care!"

Raven swiftly got up and from the shade of her cloak, multiple tendrils shot towards the man, aiming to stab into his major circuit points. The man danced around each one, destroying them with a purging flame that gathered in his hand.

"And you feel the world's better off enslaved by a demon? Is that really it, Mumbo?" Raven asked, assaulting the man with a barrage of attacks. She could hear Robin's pained grunts in the distance. No doubt Cinderblock had only grown in power alongside Mumbo.

 Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the concrete giant pick Starfire out of the sky and smash her headfirst into the asphalt. Beastboy was gone. Fully taken by the hat.

"Is it really any different from how we currently are, girl? In a way, it'd be better. No needless fighting and betrayal to gain a finite position of power, no more mad scramble for material gains." Mumbo said and snapped his fingers.

A circle of flame surrounded the two magic users. The remaining three momentarily paused their battle to observe the phenomenon. Raven frowned at the fire, feeling her power being slowly sapped from her. Whatever doubts she had were gone now. He had the mark of Skath. Albeit a weaker one.