Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 143 Resurrection (First Update! Requesting Recommendation Votes!)

Nyarlathotep, the Outer God representing Chaos among the three Incarnations, is obsessed with deceiving and tempting humanity. He is the source of madness, chaos, and destruction, setting traps for the unwise. His greatest pleasure is leading humanity into terror and despair, ultimately driving them insane. He is also known as the God of a Thousand Faces, possessing countless incarnations. Chaos, deception, and conspiracy are his forte.

Salomon was now certain that Nyarlathotep knew about his conversation with Randolph Carter and that Randolph had informed him of the myriad avatars of the Crouching Chaos. The arcane mage was also certain that if the Natasha before him hadn't been replaced, then the Matthew Hopkins she saw who went to the witch's dwelling was definitely an avatar of Nyarlathotep. It was a reminder to Salomon that Nyarlathotep's avatars in Salem weren't limited to the "Dark One," and it had planted a seed of doubt in the arcane mage's heart, waiting for that seed to take root and sprout.

The sorcerer's task is to determine whether the Natasha before him is indeed herself. If so, what other incarnations in Salem are unknown to Salomon? And who have those incarnations become? Coulson? Or Judge Cotton Mather?

If not, then Natasha is one of Nyarlathotep's incarnations. Where is the real Natasha? How can we find her? What should he do with the incarnation of Nyarlathotep before him? Did he lie about his description of Matthew Hopkins? Is the incarnation before him a manifestation of the Dark One? Is there only one Nyarlathotep incarnation in Salem?

A barrage of questions surged forth in an instant, several inverted and intertwined issues—this was Nyarlathotep's pleasure. Everyone who faced Him had to be extremely cautious, drawing upon their life's wisdom to solve the fatal problems left behind by Nyarlathotep. Salomon didn't immediately ponder; instead, he pressed his wand against the throat of the person before him—ensuring that Natasha/Nyarlathotep posed no threat to him was of utmost importance.

“I said,” Natasha/Nyarlathotep said, “it was a children’s hospital, and I burned it down. It’s the thing I regret most. I’ve told you before, if there’s a devil in this world, then it has done what it wanted through my hand.”

The sorcerer didn't remove his wand; the blue aura at its tip was poised to erupt. He didn't expect to find the answer to this question. He couldn't be sure whether Nyarlathotep would gain Natasha's memories if he replaced her. Asking someone to prove they are objectively themselves is a paradox; this philosophical question of identity is a trap Salomon has prepared for a possible incarnation of Nyarlathotep—a psychological game he's playing with him.

"You don't believe me, do you?" Natasha/Nyarlathotep blinked. "I've read philosophical books on the problem of identity in my spare time, a problem that's almost impossible to prove. If you add Hume's skepticism to that, it becomes even more impossible for me to prove, since I've eaten breakfast, and the elements and cells that make up my body are certainly different from before. Little boy, what exactly are you doubting?"

Both Nyarlathotep and Natasha involve philosophical knowledge, which proves nothing.

"You have no idea how many people in the world like you." Salomon changed the subject, his hand holding the wand still steady. "In fact, when I was twelve years old and studying painting, I even painted a picture of you."

"I honestly didn't know you were a fan of mine," Natasha/Nyarlathotep laughed, though half her face was now hidden by a fake beard. She said, "You knew about S.H.I.E.L.D. back then? Wasn't the EU Young Scientists Award ceremony our first meeting? What was your makeup like? What was I wearing? A bodysuit? Business attire… or underwear?"

"I've known of your existence for a long time." Salomon's words were not specific, but could refer to either Natasha or Nyarlathotep. He said, "The painting I made depicts you in a Japanese high school girl uniform, a red cheongsam, and extremely gorgeous court attire."

Salomon mentioned Nyarlathotep's various human incarnations, and as for the Japanese high school girl uniform... who knows if Nyarlathotep actually has an incarnation called Nyarlathotep? The title of the Thousand-Faced God wasn't given to Him for no reason, so let's just bring it all up now.

"Okay~ I really didn't know you liked this." Natasha/Nyarlathotep turned her eyes away, looking somewhat embarrassed. But this was only on the surface; in reality, her answer was still impeccable. Salomon didn't know if this was due to her agent's instincts or a characteristic of Nyarlathotep.

"I just thought that outfit suited you well." Despite being repeatedly tricked, the person in front of him showed no sign of any connection to Nyarlathotep. Salomon frowned, because he couldn't afford to waste all his time on this; if he did, he would fall into Nyarlathotep's trap.

He devised a way to verify identity—since verbal confirmation was impossible, stepping outside the problem and addressing it from an external perspective was a viable option. Although this method carried significant costs and risks, it wasn't entirely unacceptable, and Salomon was confident in its security.

He stepped forward, forcing Natasha/Nyarlathotep to turn her back to him and walk deeper into the alley.

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"I'm so sorry, really, so very sorry." Salomon followed Natasha as she weaved through the town's dark, narrow alleys, with a dog trailing behind him. Natasha, walking ahead, had large patches of reddish-black blood on her chest and back, but no wounds beneath the blood. No matter how much the sorcerer apologized, Natasha ignored him. Salomon understood; after all, Natasha had been dead in front of him for about 50 seconds, and he had personally killed her.

Salomon used this method to verify her identity.

Because Nyarlathotep can be killed physically in his human form, if he were killed, his corpse would fall and begin to vibrate and expand, eventually exploding and emerging as a gigantic, clawed monster (or some other monstrous form). This repulsive behemoth would fly into the sky from its shattered body and disappear without further harming its killer. This knowledge was given to Salomon by Professor Randolph Carter, and the arcane sorcerer's audacity in not worrying about accidental killing stemmed from his mastery of a spell—the third-circle necromancy spell Resurrection. This was a positive-energy spell that could resurrect a creature that had been dead for less than a minute in a near-death state. The sorcerer had spent diamonds worth six pounds of gold to cast this spell.

Without warning, he plunged the dagger into Natasha's heart through the gap between her ribs. After confirming that Natasha had died from massive blood loss and that her body remained unchanged, Salomon revived her. In addition to casting this spell, he also cast the first-circle spell "Heal Wounds," giving Natasha many potions, which allowed her wounds to heal and her to regain her health.

Salomon himself didn't want to conduct such a verification again, not only because the method was risky, but also because he had squandered all the life-restoring potions in his dimensional bag. All in all, what he spent was enough to cast the resurrection spell again.

Natasha was furious that Salomon hadn't informed her of this method beforehand, not even a word. "I've imagined many ways to die," she glared at Salomon, "but I never imagined I'd die this way."

"You were only dead for a minute, Natasha. It's nothing, and you're perfectly fine now, without any scars. I even think you're healthier than before. Because I gave you some medicine you didn't need, and any illnesses that might have affected you are gone now—except for cancer." The sorcerer blinked. "The reason I didn't tell you was to keep it a surprise; only that way could I verify the truth. Otherwise, the other person might fake death, making it impossible for me to confirm, and then I would be in another predicament."

"I've actually died once," Natasha whispered. "How did you even come up with this idea?!"

"That's a secret, you can't know." The sorcerer curled his lip. "Besides, you might die a second time, but I'll try my best to prevent it from happening a second time."

"That's the best news I've heard all day!" Natasha rolled her eyes. "I'm going back to the hotel to take a shower. Thanks to you, I stand out wherever I go in this outfit!"

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(End of this chapter)