Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 147 Output Relies Entirely on Dogs (First Update!)

A sudden rustling in the nearby bushes alerted Salomon. He pointed his longsword at the sound, ready to unleash the power of Excalibur. Jones was also startled by the noise, but after its initial shock, it began wagging its tail wildly. The rustling from the bushes grew closer, and Coulson also pointed his pistol at the bushes.

"Agent Romanov?" Coulson's eyes widened in surprise as he stared at the person emerging from the bushes. But he quickly realized what was happening; he disengaged his pistol, placed his finger on the trigger, and demanded, "Who are you?!"

"Me? I'm not Agent Romanov." Natasha emerged from the bushes with unusual movements, her demeanor quite unlike that of a typical woman. She seemed startled by Coulson's loud question, but upon seeing Salomon, she shouted, "Salomon, get away from that man! He's a fake!"

There were now two Natashas on the field, one lying on the ground, and the other behaving erratically. The second Natasha's words were even more surprising. Salomon quickly stepped aside, not turning his back to Agent Coulson. Regardless of whether this Natasha was real or fake, the situation was strange enough. Salomon didn't know which one was Nyarlathotep, so ensuring his own safety was the most important thing.

Jones, the stray dog, was also greatly puzzled. It sniffed at Natasha lying on the ground, then glanced at her emerging from the bushes, and let out a confused whimper. This was definitely another of Nyarlathotep's tricks; the arcane mage was now completely caught up in it, and He had successfully stalled Salomon's advance. It seemed the reason there were no monsters in the Dark Forest tonight was because Nyarlathotep wanted to prevent them from ruining the show He had prepared for Salomon.

"Jones, come to me." Salomon called the stray dog ​​to his side; this was the only dog ​​he could trust now. Jones quickly stood next to the arcane mage, and like the mage, it warily watched the other three people on the field, growling threateningly at the other two standing there, warning them not to come closer. Coulson still had his pistol pointed at Natasha, who had appeared later, never letting his guard down for a moment.

Salomon asked the second Natasha, "Who are you?"

"I am Philip Coulson," she said. "I don't know why I'm here. I woke up here, and before that, I was clearly in the Stone Tower..."

"I am Philip Coulson!" Agent Coulson didn't move his pistol. "This is a trap!"

Although the second Natasha's words were somewhat strange, Salomon felt that they still had some credibility, because the secret method of stuffing one person's soul into another's body did exist, and Nyarlathotep was perfectly capable of doing such a thing.

The sorcerer narrowed his eyes. The current situation was extremely difficult to assess. If the second Natasha was telling the truth, then Coulson's soul was in Natasha's body. Who was using Coulson's body? Where was Natasha's soul? And what was the Natasha lying on the ground?

But if she lied, then the situation becomes simple and clear: the one lying on the ground is the real Natasha, and the one next to her, Coulson, is also real; the second Natasha to appear is the monster, and all of this is just to waste Salomon's time.

The sorcerer swiftly pointed his sword at Coulson, and Jones barked loudly at him. Salomon believed that Nyarlathotep, who was fond of deception and chaos, would be prepared wherever he could scheme, complicating the situation as much as possible to prevent the poor wretch trapped in the puzzle from escaping.

Therefore, Salomon chose the most complicated case. He was not wrong; Nyarlathotep did indeed set up puzzles at every step. All the questions were like a tangled ball of yarn that had been played with by a cat. But it was precisely because of His hobby and instinct that Salomon chose the most direct way to solve the problem—he played Alexander the Great and untied the Gordian Knot in the simplest way [Note 1].

Jones bared its teeth and growled menacingly, preparing to pounce and bite. Seeing Salomon's reaction, Coulson also pointed his pistol at the sorcerer. "Congratulations, you've moved on to the next question." The evil god who resembled Coulson shed his disguise, revealing his true form. He was a man entirely in black, wearing a black suit. His skin, teeth, eyes, and hair were all black; were it not for the bright moonlight, he would be almost undetectable. This was Nyarlathotep incarnate, the man of darkness, the master of the witch's feast.

He smiled and said slowly, "I can give you a little hint. Take a look at the person lying on the ground."

Salomon remained vigilant, glancing quickly at Natasha lying on the ground. No, that wasn't Natasha, but Coulson, or rather, this was Coulson's body. Nyarlathotep hadn't used Coulson's body, but rather his appearance, and Natasha, after the attack on the inn, hadn't escaped, being left in the forest. Presumably, the reason there were no monsters tonight was because Nyarlathotep didn't want the ghouls and Kug giants to harm Natasha's body and ruin the riddle she had left for Salomon.

The sorcerer stepped forward, raising his longsword. Jones also made a move to pounce and bite Him, but He calmly extended a finger and waved it, stopping Salomon and Jones's actions. "Wait, don't be impatient, sweetheart." His tone was light, as if everything was under His control. "Aren't you curious where that woman's soul went? I've observed you; I know you care about your companions, otherwise you wouldn't have brought me into the forest. Don't you want to retrieve that woman's soul, Salomon Damonette?"

"Calm down, Salomon," Coulson, whose soul had been implanted in another body, also tried to dissuade the arcane mage. "We must have other ways. Calm down, take a deep breath, calm down."

"No." Salomon sighed, his resolve hardening to a cold, unwavering resolve. He stepped forward again, swinging his longsword with force. The premonition struck suddenly; millions of timelines all pointed to one undeniable fact: he would die here. "If killing you is possible, these sacrifices are acceptable, including my own."

"Tsk tsk, you really are cold-blooded." Nyarlathotep dodged the attack and fired, but the bullet only pierced through a silver mist. Salomon suddenly appeared behind him, swinging his weapon. Nyarlathotep abhorred using supernatural powers in human form unless absolutely necessary, and for the sake of this spectacle, he hadn't summoned any monsters. Therefore, he could only dodge Salomon's sword, trying to continue challenging Salomon's sanity with words. But even though he dodged Salomon's sword, he couldn't avoid the inconspicuous stray dog.

Jones bit into His calf, its teeth piercing the skin of the dark being, and Nyarlathotep cried out in pain. "You! You actually…!" He glared at the stubbornly clinging Jones, "You actually…"

The sorcerer wasted no time; he leaped forward, slashing Excalibur downwards. Nyarlathotep shouted an incantation [Note 2], and as Excalibur struck him, though it didn't pierce his skin and bones, Salomon's power still caused the sword to shatter his shoulder blade like a hammer. Nyarlathotep collapsed to the ground, cursing loudly, but his curses weren't directed at Salomon, but at Jones.

"You utterly stupid dog!" He roared through gritted teeth, "I knew it! I knew you would betray me!"

Seeing Salomon launch his attack, Coulson picked up a stone and rushed forward, but before he could take a few steps, he collapsed to his knees, coughing and vomiting large amounts of salty, foul-smelling seawater. This was the Dark One's magic, the Breath of the Abyss, which could fill the lungs of the target with seawater. But this was only a spell; the Dark One's magic wasn't over yet. He opened his mouth and exhaled a stream of poisonous, foul-smelling steam. Salomon and Coulson, who had just vomited seawater, couldn't get close. They covered their mouths and noses, retreating one after another, and could only watch as Jones and the Dark One were enveloped by the steam.

However, the curses of the Dark One did not cease from within the steam, as He was dragged out of the slowly rising plume of steam. Salomon saw the Dark One grabbing at anything he could grasp, struggling desperately, but Jones bit His calf and dragged Him backward, leaving a trail in the ground covered with withered leaves, until Jones brought Him before Salomon.

"You betrayed me!" The figure of darkness repeated this phrase over and over. Seeing the figure of darkness dragged out of the poisonous gas, the sorcerer gripped his longsword and forcefully pierced its skin, muscles, and spine, pinning it to the ground. But Nyarlathotep seemed unconcerned; suddenly, its anger vanished, and it burst into hysterical laughter.

"Yes, I did enjoy a good show, except I was the actor. How annoying, why wasn't I the one watching the show?" He took a breath, buried his face in the fallen leaves, and his voice became muffled. "Anyway, I'm the winner, and that's not wrong. See you next time, Salomon Damonette, you're a good playmate."

"No, don't even think about it."

[Note 1] The Knot of Gordes: also known as the Knot of King Solomon, was cut open by Alexander the Great with his sword.

[Note 2] Weapon Blunting: The caster can make all slashing and piercing sharp weapons (swords, knives, bullets, etc.) appear dull when striking the target (caster or designated target), including a creature's natural weapons. The target of this spell must repeatedly chant a short incantation during the spell's duration. When attacked by a sharp weapon, they will only take half damage (damage from extremely difficult attacks is also halved). The spell effect lasts for 6 rounds, but for every additional 6 mana points consumed, the spell's duration is extended by 2 rounds.

Deep Magic: If the cost is increased (12 mana; 4 sanity), the spell will nullify all damage from slashing and thrusting weapons, with the exception of extremely difficult success (in which case half the damage will still be taken).

Aliases: Song of Corruption, Transformation Skin, Steel Skin

(End of this chapter)