Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 1308 (Second Update)

During the five minutes it took to wait for Aparishia to enter the throne room, Regent Victor von Doom arrived. Most of the lighting flickered briefly at his appearance, even the stained-glass windows dimmed, only stabilizing after the system recovered and rebalanced its current. He wasn't there in his physical form, nor could he enter the throne room physically, as he wasn't currently in Latveria. It was merely a dim mental projection, powerful yet limited, the remaining light filtering through his translucent body, appearing as ethereal as a wisp of smoke. This strange phenomenon startled Hammurabi, who quickly raised his Guardian Spear and pointed it at the phantom. The castle possessed extremely powerful anti-magic arrays; ordinary spellcasters couldn't project their own celestial bodies into the castle, let alone into the throne room where the emperor resided. Only after the emperor confirmed it was indeed the Regent's projection did Hammurabi lower his guard and nod to the Regent.

"Don't be nervous, Hammurabi, your master is not that fragile." The regent stood at the foot of the steps, looking at King Di on the throne. "You never give me a moment's peace. Now you're reciting your last words again. Once when facing Quetzalcoatl, and now again! Can't you have a little confidence in yourself? Every time you act like you're facing death!"

"I have it, which is why I need to be prepared. This is just a contingency plan."

Regent Victor von Doom's iron mask was illuminated by the light behind him, as glaring as his emotions. "Including letting Camilla know so much classified information?"

"So this is the real reason you're angry?" The Emperor laughed. The modified Vladimir family throne was just the right size for the Emperor, with a beautifully crafted pure gold eagle perched atop its high back, its eyes inlaid with blood-red rubies. The wealth accumulated by the Vladimir family over six hundred years had not been entirely converted into various financial investments; countless gold, silver, jewels, and works of art remained. Although all portraits of the Vladimir family had been burned, those priceless works of art were preserved and placed in the castle's museum for public viewing. The Emperor selected some jewels and weapons to display in glass cases on either side of the throne room as decoration, serving both as a bloody deterrent and a symbol of the glory of the Latvian liberation war. "I divined Camilla's fate; she is extremely important to Latvian. I see her destiny clearly: from prisoner to queen of South America, she can only rely on us."

"You refuse to share with me what you saw behind the Silver Gate." Regent Victor von Doom's iron mask vanished like smoke, revealing a remarkably handsome face. "You've never hidden anything from me. What reason has made you choose to remain silent? What kind of nightmare could make you back down?"

"Now you're getting angry about this again. Are you a stay-at-home mom in a middle-class family?"

"Don't try to change the subject. You promised me that you would prepare me no matter what."

"Aparishia will arrive at the castle in two minutes. We still have time." The Emperor raised his hand, a wisp of silvery smoke drifting out and then tightly coiling around his fingers. He extended his palm, letting the smoke of memories drift toward Victor von Doom, fragments of memories forming and shattering in an instant. "My dearest friend, forgive my predicament, I cannot tell you everything." When Amon led Aparishia and Lieutenant Nixon into the throne room, the vast hall contained only the Emperor, along with Hammurabi, the Janissary standing beside the throne.

"That's the 120th time you've drawn your gun!" Aparishia felt like his scalp was being pricked by needles; his adjutant's behavior was constantly testing his limits of patience. However, he didn't react, because they were still in the training grounds inside the castle, under the watchful eyes of the Royal Guard. Yet, Adjutant Nixon continued to repeatedly pull his pistol from its magnetic holster, practicing rapid-fire, like a child who had just received a new toy. "Aren't you still excited?"

"This is different, Commander. This is a pistol the Emperor gave me!"

Lieutenant Nixon raised an eyebrow, examining the personal secondary weapon with great interest. This gun wasn't a bomb weapon, a plasma weapon, a thermoelectric or laser weapon, but rather an experimental ray weapon. It was slightly larger than a bomb pistol, but its close-range firepower was far greater, even surpassing that of a thermoelectric weapon. In Aparishia's eyes, the weapon's only flaw was its overly ornate decoration; it was more of a ceremonial weapon than a battlefield weapon.

"Look, there's even a golden laurel wreath on it!" Lieutenant Nixon pointed to the intricate Baroque gold patterns and inlaid gems on the gun. "This must be because of my outstanding performance in the battle report! Did you see the look on his face as he listened to my story?"

"Sorry to steal your thunder, Nixon, but I'm sure your enthusiastic performance made the Emperor want to yawn." Aparishia knew, of course, that the reality was quite different. Nixon, the adjutant, had entered the throne room with his chest puffed out, carrying the company banner, and his face was beaming with excitement as he received the new chapter banner, adorned with lightning and eagles—signifying the First Company's formal promotion to a chapter. But that didn't stop Aparishia from mocking his overly excited display. "But I want to know, who was spouting bureaucratic nonsense before we got here, huh?"

"It definitely wasn't me," Nixon's lieutenant grinned.

Although he had many complaints before arriving at the castle, they all vanished the moment he saw the emperor. Unlike his fleeting glimpse in Paititi, there was no need for anyone else to explain his identity; the emperor's very presence was the best interpretation of the word "ruler," as his presence was as conspicuous as a star in the solar system. Only someone like him could write a book like "Unified Truth," and even regulate the tactics, strategies, and organizational framework of genetically modified warriors.

Moreover, he witnessed many other things, such as the nearly 7-meter-tall automated combat robots, resembling mobile fortresses, and the 10-meter-tall individual mechs loitering outside the castle. He even asked Amon when these things would be equipped for the knights. Amon, the Royal Guard, didn't answer, but a single glance conveyed a great deal to Nixon's adjutant, making Nixon begin to dislike these guys who were even bigger than himself. Then there were the bomb girls in the castle, wandering around in power armor meant for ordinary people, glaring menacingly at anyone who might approach the Emperor, as if the Emperor were their property.

"The emperor summoned you for a private conversation. What did he say to you?"

"It's none of your business anyway," Aparisha snorted. "Grab your training swords; we need to have a gladiatorial combat. If you lose, you'd better behave when I tell you to shut up, or I'll rip your tongue out."

Lieutenant Nixon readily accepted the challenge. "Are you sure you want to fight a cyborg with a high-powered cybernetic prosthetic? My prosthetic chip and pre-programmed code are excellent; it can even predict movements." He took a longsword, about the height of an average person, from the training rack. Even without his power armor, it felt somewhat heavy, leading Lieutenant Nixon to surmise that it was a weapon intended for the Imperial Guard, and that this training ground was likely exclusively for their use. He muttered a few words, implying that the Emperor's high regard was somewhat inexplicable, then stopped thinking about it and turned to Aparishia, "What if you lose?"

"That's simply impossible."

"I mean, if... Don't assume I'm bad at close combat just because I have the best shooting record. That's a required course." Lieutenant Nixon flicked his wrist, pointing the sword tip at Aparishia. "If the word 'if' even exists in your head. This is a bit difficult for you, isn't it?"

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(End of this chapter)