Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 125 Chess Pieces (First Update!)

Although the mission assigned by the Sorcerer Supreme was bloody and issued hastily, the Venerable did not require Salomon to depart immediately. According to the Venerable, Salomon should wait until destiny had dictated the right course before undertaking the mission; until then, he needed to make thorough preparations. Like a stage play, actors must wear costumes and appear at the appropriate time; appearing too early would disrupt the entire performance.

Furthermore, the Sorcerer Supreme stipulated that Salomon must carry out the mission alone. Combined with the Sorcerer Supreme's earlier strange remarks, Salomon felt uneasy. He noticed the emerald light flickering in the Eye of Agamotto and the Sorcerer Supreme's extremely serious expression. But when he tried to ask more, the Sorcerer Supreme, unusually, remained silent about the mission, only explaining to Salomon that he could freely use the artifacts of Kamar-Taj during this mission.

After saying this, the Venerable Master returned to his meditation room on his own and refused to see anyone else.

The Sorcerer Supreme didn't know how to explain this mission to Salomon, because the order didn't come from Vishanti, nor from her, but from the highest superior—the Eternal God. This was extremely rare, as He is the sum of all time and space (emphasis added), and there are rarely things that require the Eternal God's special attention; yet, this had happened today. Not only was Salomon uneasy, but the Sorcerer Supreme was as well, but she could only offer Salomon her utmost support so that her disciple could complete the mission.

The sorcerer swallowed his questions after the Venerable One left, but the feeling still lingered in his mind. He returned to his room and began preparing for the operation—scrolls, magic missiles, a wand, a spellbook, alchemical potions, and a dimensional bag containing casting materials. Salomon hesitated, then picked up his rapier and fastened it to his belt. Feeling uneasy, he also slipped a pistol into the dimensional bag. Although Salomon believed the Venerable One wouldn't harm him, this lingering emptiness compelled him to be fully prepared; over-preparedness was always better than no preparation at all.

After roughly checking the necessary items, he took out his phone, which he had left behind, ignored Balthazar's missed call, and dialed Bayonetta's number directly, but the call went to voicemail. Salomon sighed.

"Bayonetta, I'm sorry, but Kamar-Taj has a mission," he said. "I made your favorite fruit yogurt parfait, and the Invisible Servant is finishing three servings of roasted lamb chops. I might not be able to go back today. If you're unhappy, you can give mine to the Cheshire Cat, and please give my apologies to Joan of Arc..."

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Hophas stood on a rectangular, grey-black rose-patterned rug, his hands behind his back, a sapphire cane clutched behind him. He had stood at the table all night, yet remained alert, letting the blinding light stream in through the two glass windows in front of him. Since escaping Balthazar's seal, he had begun to savor the morning sunlight, for only this warmth, traveling across the universe, could make him feel truly alive.

He looked at the distorted wood grain on the varnished solid wood desk in front of him, and the odds and ends scattered around it—there was a stainless steel pen holder containing some pens, and a small, white, polygonal plastic object whose purpose was completely unclear. It was probably just a useless thing, like the owner of this room.

Hofas didn't want to see the other furnishings in the room, because apart from a marble sculpture of the Virgin Mary bound in black chains, everything displayed the owner's appearance and style. The narcissistic portraits and posters also featured the room's owner's head and full-body photos. Whenever Hofas saw those things, he felt disturbed and found it difficult to concentrate.

He didn't turn around when he heard the door open. Hofas, head bowed, asked, "Are all the satellite receivers set up?"

"Everything's arranged." Derek walked in carrying his briefcase, complaining incessantly, "Those things even ruined my manicure, which isn't a pleasant thing at all."

This is Hophas's companion, the magician Derek. His teacher was a wizard from Morgan le Fay's court. Derek's teacher vanished when he was fifteen, leaving him only a spellbook and some rather useless alchemical recipes. Compared to his own education, Hophas always looked down on Derek, this half-baked wizard, and even on Derek's teacher. He knew what kind of wizards were in Morgan le Fay's court; magical knowledge was lost generation after generation, until it produced someone like Derek who needed to become a magician.

In ritual magic, magic circles serve many purposes, typically amplifying spell power, guiding spellcasting, or linking the powers of multiple casters. Regardless of their purpose, ritual magic circles cannot have the slightest error, and drawing magic circles is a fundamental skill requiring diligent practice. Hophas sought Derek's cooperation not only because Derek could handle mundane tasks, but also because Derek was incompetent—using a satellite receiver as a ritual site was utterly foolish, yet Derek failed to grasp its significance.

This was Hophas's objective. He had already chosen the leyline nodes. Once Veronica was released, Morgan le Fay would begin casting a spell, and during the spell, Morgan le Fay would be unable to interrupt the ritual. Hophas could then easily interrupt the ritual with a simple wave of his staff, causing a magical backlash. No matter how things unfolded, no matter whether Morgan le Fay spared Veronica, he could seize control of Morgan le Fay's weakness, take the initiative, and rescue Veronica.

His next task was to release the last wizard imprisoned in the nesting dolls, besides Morgan le Fay (Veronica). "The one inside is another of our companions," Hophas explained to Derek, "Abigail Williams, the little witch who made Salem famous. After she's out, only Morgan le Fay's layer remains, and releasing her will require a lot of magic."

"What do we do next?" Derek raised an eyebrow and sat down in his office chair. He now considered his task complete; it was now Hofas's turn.

"Have you ever heard of the Parasite Charm? Sorry, I forgot you're behind in your studies." Hophas's words were tinged with mockery, but Derek didn't care, since he hadn't studied much magic to begin with.

"I prefer to rely on my instincts," Derek said, casually propping his legs up on his desk. "You know, just go with the flow."

“Very good.” Hofas slowly walked up behind Derek. He explained slowly, “The Parasite Curse is a rather sordid spell. If I remember correctly, it originated from the Voodoo religion of Haiti. You should know how we cast spells—converting life force into magic, drawing magic from nature. This spell allows one magician to completely steal another magician's magic, which means…”

"...It can steal your life." Hofas removed his cane from Derek's neck. The Parasite Curse was very effective, especially when Hofas cast it himself. Years of honing his skills allowed him to maximize the spell's effect. Derek's life and soul had been completely drained, and now only a still-warm shell remained on the chair.

"Whether it's a ring or magic, it's all just decorations in your hands." Hophas removed the ring from the corpse's finger and threaded it onto his staff. Then, he gently tapped the staff against the matryoshka doll, and a scorching arc ignited the wooden surface of the doll, the penultimate seal about to disappear.

To Hofas's surprise, Abigail Williams wasn't as obedient as he'd imagined. Once released, she immediately revealed a glimpse of her astonishing nature, and even this small part was enough to break through Hofas's mental defenses. But Abigail Williams had no intention of harming Hofas. She glanced at the sunlight outside the window and quickly disappeared from the room. She had her own mission to complete; she was going somewhere, waiting for someone. That person would definitely come; that person was behind the door.

Meanwhile, an elderly man with white hair on Armstrong Street also sprang into action. He devoured the meatballs as quickly as a young man and downed the homemade beer in his glass in one gulp—he had a stage play to watch, a project he had planted fifteen years ago, and he couldn't miss it.

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A long time passed, until lunchtime, before Hophas finally snapped out of his endless reverie. Had he not subconsciously used magic to seal his mind before glimpsing even a fraction of Abigail's true nature, he might have been driven mad forever. Hophas sighed heavily. He couldn't fathom how Balthazar had sealed away the terrifying little witch, but he had no time to ponder such matters now. His thousand-year-long plan was nearing completion, and he had no time to be distracted by anything else.

Hofas decided to do it himself. He was always good at exploiting weaknesses, and even if Dave really was Merlin the Supreme, Hofas could still find the young upstart's Achilles' heel.

"Madam, could you do me a favor?" After some effort, Hofas finally pushed open the door to the radio station's control room. In fact, he had asked many people before finding this place, because even among students at the same university, many were unaware that the school had a radio station, and the location was quite remote. By the time Hofas finally found it, his patience had run out, and the influence Abigail had had on him was still there.

Becky was startled by the sudden sound and asked in great surprise, "How did you get in?"

When Becky asked him a question, Hophas simply waved his cane impatiently and refused to answer.

"Follow me." He gave the order decisively. Becky stood up groggily and followed Hofas out of the vast control room. Hofas didn't mind using some underhanded methods as long as he could achieve his goal.

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Derek's workshop was broken into by two groups of people. The first group consisted of Balthazar and Dave, the master and apprentice of the Merlin School. Balthazar had discovered Derek's identity; he was a renowned magician who could find the address of Derek's office online. Balthazar deduced that Hofhas was there, so he took Dave with him to the location, attempting to find the sealing container.

However, the outcome was not unexpected for Hofas. With the life of the person he admired in danger, Dave quickly gave in and handed over the ring in exchange for Becky's safety.

The second group was Salomon, who arrived shortly after. By the time he arrived, everyone else had already left. Even after many years, the strange magic that lingered in the town of Salem remained vivid in his memory, and in this office, the smell of that strange magic was even more pungent.

Salomon held in his hands Agamotto's Crystal Orb, a priceless treasure of Kamar-Taj, the very artifact he used to trace the source of the heretical magic. He had intended to leave the crystal orb in Kamar-Taj, but the Sorcerer Supreme insisted he take it, for this artifact could be used to track the heretical magic across the entire world; he could use the map displayed on the crystal orb to see the location of the event.

As Salomon stood before his desk and recited the incantation taught by the Sorcerer Supreme, a dark shadow clung to the crystal ball, stretching northeastward along the coastline from New York. The sorcerer recited the incantation again, magnifying the image in the crystal ball. The shadow crossed Boston, continued along the coastline, and finally stopped at a place Salomon knew quite well—Salem.

He wanted to revisit the place.

I'm begging for recommendation votes, monthly tickets, subscriptions, and donations!

Does anyone know how to set up a bounty?

(End of this chapter)