Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 123 Approaching Crisis (First Update!)

With his vacation almost over, Salomon naturally didn't want to find anything to do. He already regretted not beating up that rash and troublesome rookie mage when he last went to Dave and Balthazar's training grounds. Rather than running around, Salomon preferred to stay in Bayonetta's apartment, sit on the sofa, pet the cat, do nothing, and enjoy the pleasure of wasting time.

The Sorcerer Supreme's display of Excalibur to Salomon sparked a new idea in him. He wanted to communicate with the Vishanti and persuade them to help him complete a ritual, as he desired to make the sword his contracted weapon—a pact with the sword through a sorcerer's Blade Pact ritual—to enhance his melee abilities. However, Salomon's biggest problem wasn't persuading the Vishanti to help him with the ritual, but rather the sword itself.

Excalibur is a powerful weapon forged by Gaia, the Earth Mother. Given Gaia's status, it is an absolute divine artifact, and the sorcerer's Blade Pact might not be able to affect it. But Salomon was unwilling to give up easily. He examined his hands; the stigmata were on them—if he risked unlocking all the stigmata, the "Domination" magic might very well help him forcibly form a contract with the sword.

But this is very risky, extremely risky.

Salomon subconsciously stroked the cat crouching on his lap, weighing whether this risk was necessary. If he successfully forged the Blade Pact and the Holy Sword Pact, the magical invocations he could learn would significantly enhance his melee abilities. For example, the magical invocation called [Thirsty Blades] would grant him astonishing sword-wielding speed; he could swing twice in the time it took an ordinary person to do one swing, and this magical ability would be permanent unless temporarily suppressed by a [Dispel Magic] spell.

However, unlocking all the stigmata could potentially cause him to lose control, placing an immense mental burden on him. Even the Sorcerer Supreme wielding the Eye of Agamotto might not be able to save him then. Given his current soul strength and rate of progress, optimistically, fully unlocking the stigmata would take several years. For many years, he had hesitated to commit the magical energy he had attached to himself, hoping to one day find a powerful enough weapon to compensate for his lack of melee combat ability. But when he finally found his ideal target, he discovered that the weapon was far too powerful, far beyond what the Blade Pact could wield.

He planned to first use the stigmata he could safely unlock to control the Holy Sword and attempt a contract. After all, in magic, safety was paramount; countless spellcasters had killed themselves, some even becoming infamous for their stupidity and being dubbed gods of foolishness. If the existing stigmata couldn't bind the Holy Sword, Salomon intended to forgo the other two magical contract buffs and settle for being a magic-power-bursting maniac—he wasn't a cursed swordsman who had to choose the Blade Contract. The Holy Sword was already powerful enough; abandoning the contract would only leave him with a slight regret, a deficiency he could compensate for with the increased physical strength and agility he gained after unlocking the stigmata.

Conversely, setting aside the Pact of Magic, the Arcane Blast spell, already mastered by many arcane mages in Kamar-Taj, might be more suitable for him. The Arcane Invocations related to Arcane Blast unearthed by Salomon greatly enhance this simple and brutal zero-ring spell. For example, [Spear of Sloth] can reduce the movement speed of the target; there's [Repulsive Impact], which can forcefully push away the target creature, regardless of its size—even a dragon would still be effective; not to mention [Painful Impact], the most powerful Arcane Invocation. The more powerful a sorcerer, the greater the damage from Arcane Blast, and this Arcane Invocation further amplifies its power.

Salomon plans to find time to write down all the magical invocations related to Arcane Burst in a book for the sorcerers of Kamar-Taj to study. This will help improve the overall strength of Kamar-Taj, especially under the strict covenant of Vishanti. Enhancing the power of Kamar-Taj's sorcerers is also something the Sorcerer Supreme desires.

Salomon's extensive knowledge also allowed him to modify some spells to suit the specific circumstances of this universe. For example, the spell "Holy Flame" was changed to "Vishanti Holy Flame," and "Infernal Shout" was modified to the safer "Faltin Shout." After all, he couldn't rely on the power of magical entities outside this universe to cast spells, so modifying the targeted incantations was necessary. These spells have now been included in his previously compiled spellbooks and are available for reference on the bookshelves at Kamar-Taj headquarters.

Without exaggeration, this represents another significant advancement in arcane magic since the Sorcerer Supreme founded Kamar-Taj in a millennium. While these spells aren't particularly powerful, Salomon's progress is undeniable, and everyone believes he will eventually unleash even more powerful magic. The immense prestige Salomon has gained from sharing magic has led many arcane mages to privately consider him a candidate for the next Sorcerer Supreme. His importance to Kamar-Taj even surpasses that of Mordo and Kasirius—at least that's what those arcane families believe, as the magic Salomon provides enriches their arcane research.

Mordo and Kasirius readily accepted the situation. Kasirius, needless to say, was willing to support Salomon; Mordo, after seeing the magic Salomon had created, had no objections either. He only believed that Salomon now needed more and more rigorous training, and only through that endless trials could Salomon become the next Sorcerer Supreme.

Although he didn't know whether his generation of sorcerers would be outlived by the current, incredibly long-lived Sorcerer Supreme.

Furthermore, Mordo believed that Salomon should spend the night at Kamar-Taj headquarters, not on the witch's couch, because women would only slow down his spellcasting!

The Venerable One did not tell anyone except Salomon about her plans, nor did she care about the attitudes of the other sorcerers. The Venerable One simply believed that maintaining the status quo would help Salomon take over Kamar-Taj in the future. The Venerable One planned to give the title to Salomon and leave the Vishanti with a Strange who was just an empty shell. At that time, even if the Vishanti wanted to influence Kamar-Taj through Strange, they would be powerless.

Meanwhile, Salomon Damonet, the next Sorcerer Supreme candidate, compiler of spellbooks, discoverer of magical invocation, heir to the Holy Sword, future ruler of Kamar-Taj, and King of Britain—a man of paramount importance to Kamar-Taj—is preparing dinner. This afternoon, Bayonetta and Joan of Arc went shopping, using Salomon's living expenses (given by the Sorcerer Supreme, not Kamar-Taj's operating funds). After all, Joan of Arc's salary couldn't support her and Bayonetta's high standard of living, and US dollars held little significance for Salomon. The gold he earned selling alchemical potions at Vandazar Fol was more useful; it was hard currency, and the entire universe used a precious metal-based monetary system, with energy-based systems existing only on a small number of planets.

Salomon currently has an order for alchemical potions, placed by "Prince of Magic" Monarch, whom he had met once before. The old man is setting off again. Before leaving New York, he ordered several vials of healing potions for minor injuries and potions to slow the effects of poison from Salomon, also paid for in gold.

However, for Salomon, preparing the dinner in front of him was far more important than fulfilling the order, because only in the next few days would he have ample time to cook a fine meal. Once he went to school, his and the witch's dinners wouldn't be as lavish, not because of financial reasons, but because of time constraints. With more time available, Salomon had more faith in his own skills than in the food prepared by the invisible servant—this was the confidence of an alchemist; he would never add too much or too little seasoning, and he was particularly adept at controlling the temperature of the dishes.

He was making a fruit yogurt parfait that both Bayonetta and Joan of Arc would love. Salomon sprinkled powdered sugar on the washed cranberries, then added grated orange zest and basil leaves, squeezed in some orange juice, stirred well, and waited for the sugar and juice to infuse the berries. After that, he pureed the mangoes he had bought from Vandazar Fo (where it's spring-like all year round), poured them into a glass, layering the puree with yogurt until the glass was full, and finally placed the infused berries on top, sprinkling some more powdered sugar. After doing all this, Salomon used magic to freeze the dessert until Bayonetta and Joan of Arc could eat it.

Salomon, engrossed in enjoying life, had no idea that his phone, left at Kamar-Taj headquarters, was vibrating incessantly. He also had no idea what had happened to the Merlin School masters and disciples since he left. Balthazar sighed and dialed the number again, but still no one answered.

After Salomon left the underground transfer station, Hofas's accomplice, disguised as Dave, arrived. They had found the location through Dave's school's student records; Dave was an honors student in physics, which was why he was able to apply for a lab. Although the lab wasn't as good as he had imagined, it was sufficient; if it weren't for his advisor, he wouldn't even have had the underground transfer station.

However, this fatal information came to the attention of Hofhas and a wizard disguised as a magician named Derek. They raided the place and stole the nesting dolls that held Morgan le Fay's clone (which Balthazar believed to be his original self). If Dave hadn't returned in time, Balthazar would likely have died at Hofhas's hands.

The Merlin School master and his disciples pursued Hophas and his companions, but ultimately failed to retrieve the magical artifact. Balthazar believed that Kamar-Taj needed to be informed, as the situation was dire. Hophas would undoubtedly try to release Morgan le Fay, who would then unleash the necromancy, awakening all the dead dark wizards in the world—a terrifying spell that would allow the awakened spirits to retain their spellcasting abilities, effectively creating a large group of low-level liches under human control.

This is no longer just a matter for the Merlin School; Kamar-Taj must intervene. No one could have imagined that Balthazar, who had kept that thing for over a thousand years, would fail him when it came to finding an apprentice.

Salomon, of course, had no idea that the crisis of world destruction was so close to him; he was currently busy preparing roasted lamb chops. It wasn't until a portal opened in the living room of his apartment that Salomon stopped what he was doing, looking utterly astonished. He saw Wu Guiyue carrying a staff and hurriedly walking in.

"You have work to do, Salomon," she said. "The Supreme One summons you."

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(End of this chapter)