Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 1593 The Lunar War (105)

Constantine believed he knew all of the Emperor's plans, and he had never felt surprised. Even after reading the experimental file called Zero and learning that he might be the Guard Zero, Constantine had never had any inner turmoil. However, the information revealed in his conversation with the mage Hamil made the usually expressionless Constantine frown.

"The planetary defense system includes the Earth-Moon system. As a satellite that influences tides, the Moon has different symbols and myths in different cultures on Earth. Therefore, Kamar-Taj's planetary defense system firmly controls the Moon, thereby exerting varying degrees of influence on the planets throughout the solar system. It is an intricate system, and although its purpose is defense, such powerful magic still requires a large number of magical artifacts and professional psionicists to control it in order to prevent the simplest and most direct attack on Earth."

Constantine recalled the Emperor's words when he showed him the Kamar-Taj planetary defense system. Now, the Emperor stated that an ethereal entity shouldn't exist on the Moon, implying a problem with the person in charge of the defense system. The tense expression on the face of the sorcerer Hamil aroused Constantine's suspicion; his intuition told him this matter could potentially jeopardize the Emperor's safety. Others might consider the Praetorian Guard, and even its commander, too silent, but the Emperor had instilled in them a curiosity for the universe, driving them to learn all the dangerous knowledge humanity had ever dabbled in, including the occult.

Only in this way could the Praetorian Guard serve as advisors to the Emperor, offering Him the most comprehensive advice from His perspective. The political affairs the Praetorian Guard handled and the opinions they provided after the Balkan unification wars all helped the Emperor and Regent to unify the politics, economy, culture, and military of this battle-hardened land. Although Constantine rarely offered advice, every suggestion he made was crucial, and this time was no exception.

"The Sorcerer Supreme has encountered a problem. Dark magic has affected his physical or mental health, which is why the planetary defense system is malfunctioning," Constantine interjected with the Emperor's permission. His tone was extremely polite; this was at the Emperor's request, and respect must be shown to Sorcerer Hamil. "Sorcerer Hamil, if you know why the Sorcerer Supreme left Earth on his last mission, perhaps you could offer us some assistance."

"His Holiness foresaw a hyperdimensional energy storm approaching and attempted to stop the etheric storm that was sealing off Earth." Master Hamil looked at the Emperor. "I don't know more than you, but you know the signs of that storm are so strong, and its aftereffects are extremely far-reaching. In any case, His Holiness believed it was necessary to dispel the storm and secure a chance for survival for the human race. The etheric waves inside Attilan Fortress are very likely the aftershocks of that storm. However, the tides of the Etheric Sea are not as violent as imagined; otherwise, the situation might be many times worse, and the entire Attilan Fortress might be corrupted and degraded. You have no choice but to remove it from the plan."

"Then we should prepare for the worst, regardless of any personal feelings involved."

Constantine pointed out without hesitation what the Emperor was unwilling to say to the Sorcerer Hamil, like a needle piercing a festering sore. The Commander of the Guard frowned slightly. He wouldn't expect humans to always be bound by duty; duty was as essential to the Guard as breathing. Yet, humans were still swayed by emotions, making irrational choices. "Now, the safety of our Lord is far more important than the Sorcerer Supreme. It is the guarantee of the continuation of humanity at Kamar-Taj. You know what to choose," Constantine said. "His Holiness also knows how to choose."

The monk Hamil gritted his teeth. He was a man of high moral character and rarely got angry or agitated, but Constantine's cold-bloodedness made it impossible for him to control his rage.

"You're human too, Constantine. Don't pretend you have no feelings!"

The Emperor interrupted the sorcerer Hamil's accusations against Constantine. Hamil had no knowledge of genetic alchemy, for it was not the grand spells or psychic arcane arts held in Kamar-Taj, but rather a fusion of countless cutting-edge technologies and ingenuity. Hamil believed that genetic alchemy could preserve emotions, but the modifications and enhancements the Royal Guard underwent were not limited to genetic alchemy; those were merely the most basic physical enhancements.

"I've contacted Athena. She'll be heading to Kamar-Taj, and the Himalayan headquarters will grant her access. Now let's focus on the portal to Attilan." The Emperor ended the conversation about the Sorcerer Supreme, as he had no time to waste on such trivial matters—he hadn't been speaking to Athena, but rather to Regent Victor von Doom. The war on the moon couldn't be kept secret from too many people, especially from nations or private facilities with observation capabilities; the Emperor's military operation was partly observable.

Although the battlefield at Fort Attilan is located on the dark side of the moon, the sheer number of spacecraft gathered near the moon and their apparent weapons-launching activity is enough to raise alarm. Alexander Pierce's deployment of three air carriers equipped with electromagnetic and precision artillery was enough to send shivers down the spines of the financial tycoons controlling military-industrial complexes and the Federal Reserve, leading to subsequent retaliatory attacks. The presence of an army demonstrating space-based strike capabilities in lunar orbit naturally arouses suspicion and concern. Naturally, such news was completely suppressed; even NASA remained silent. Aside from diplomats who accepted Regent Victor von Doom's invitation to meet and relay the information back home, many countries' space observation facilities awaited answers.

Undoubtedly, the final answer will be revealed, and a new political storm will break out.

Negotiations, negotiations, political maneuvering, covert subversion, assassinations, bribery, investigations, arrests, trials—all these will follow. Regent Victor von Doom is not optimistic about the post-battle environment, nor does he believe that the allies he has found and the contracts he has signed can salvage all the unfavorable situation; he still considers this deal extremely unfavorable. However, he also knows that this war is unavoidable. The Emperor has shown him a small part of the vast prophetic model, and all indications suggest that the Battle of Attilan must take place, otherwise the human army will be no match for the well-supplied Dark Order.

As the armored vehicles penetrated deeper into Attilan Fortress, the surrounding light grew increasingly dim. The convoy activated all its lighting equipment to prevent the vehicles from veering off course and getting stuck on the collapsed deck. Although the genetically modified warriors initially attacked the upper decks of Attilan Fortress from the lower levels, previous battles had never touched the lower decks of the central area of ​​Attilan Fortress. This area, far from the airlock, was a transportation hub through which large quantities of supplies passed daily. The dirty and impoverished living quarters of the lower mutants and Alpha primitives responsible for production lay in that unrelated darkness below the transportation hub.

The Emperor told the mage Hamil that he would personally close the portal, but other arcane mages would need to seal the rift within it. The relevant spells had already been written by the Emperor in the textbooks of the Kamar-Taj Library, and their core principles were explained in over a dozen books, including "The Aetheric Veil," "The Theory of Elements," and "Improvements and Chains of Sealing Mechanisms"—that spell had been written and improved several years ago, and even the arcane mages of the dimensional rifts had studied it during resupply missions. After all, although the Emperor was young at that time, he was already a prolific and highly accomplished scholar. Most psionic arcane spells for sealing portals require lengthy rituals, as they involve using the mind of a psionicist as a needle and the threads of the etheric dimension to stitch together the rift in the material universe—an extremely complex task. The Emperor simplified the ritual process so that this psionic arcane spell could take effect in the shortest possible time, serving as an emergency measure while allowing time for subsequent, more refined reinforcement and stabilization work.

"You've dispersed an etheric entity into two physical universes, which will inevitably cause many uncontrollable events," said Master Hamil. "What if you had to face two enemies at once? That's possible, since there's no concept of time in the etheric dimension, and you wouldn't know whether the cat is alive or dead until you open the box. This decision is somewhat reckless."

"While it's true that the Aetheric entities can use Black Bolt and Maximus's abilities, let's not forget that their talents originate from different conceptual entities. We can't currently contend with those Aetheric conceptual entities, but they can. Chaos and hostility are in their nature. They've handed me their pieces; how can I not make a move?"

"Didn't you consider that this is a trap!" Mage Hamil raised his voice. "What if they really want you to do this? You can't rule out that possibility, can you?"

"You want to discuss fate with me, Mage Hamil? No one can predict the future perfectly; we're just playing our cards right with the few we have." To Mage Hamil, the Emperor's tone was as relaxed and cheerful as ever, even a little flippant, as if nothing could bother him. "If we don't bet, we're bound to lose. The etheric entity will come to the material universe through Maximus. Now that the etheric entity's power has been actively weakened and dispersed, it can no longer leave its body in the material universe. You saw me toss the coin to my right hand, but the coin was actually always in my left palm. They saw the coin in my left palm, but they didn't know I had another coin. It's the oldest trick, but old doesn't mean it's ineffective."

Through images transmitted from reconnaissance drones to mobile signal base stations, everyone could clearly see the extent of decay on the lower deck of the core area of ​​Attilan Star Fortress. Sometimes, even the mage Hamil was unsure whether what he was seeing was the effect of etheric energy on the inorganic matter of the material universe, or whether this place was originally this dirty.

Slippery filth and thick layers of humus, seemingly growing flesh and blood, stretched from floor to ceiling. Rows of pipes erected in the passageway resembled nests for small scavenging alien creatures and insects, creating an isolated ecosystem unaffected by the outside world. The armored convoy seemed to have entered the intestines of a gigantic creature; a muffled whistling sound emanated from the depths of the passageway, and the thick, fleshy walls reacted as if to the high beams of the armored convoy's headlights.

If someone were to measure the ambient lighting, they would find that the deeper one went into the passage, the darker the surroundings became. It was a supernatural, lightless environment, where even the light emitted by the armored vehicles was swallowed up. Even more astonishingly, the alien creatures in the lower deck ecosystem showed no fear of the convoy, charging straight at it, undeterred even by the fire jets spewed from the armored personnel carriers, until they were completely annihilated by the ever-vigilant armored convoy and genetically modified warriors.

"We have entered the area richest in etheric energy, which will inevitably affect the material universe," Constantine said calmly as the Emperor stood up. The Emperor opened the crew compartment of the armored vehicle. This armored vehicle was very special; not only was it designed to withstand the impact of the material universe, but the spells from behind the veil would also dissipate in front of its armor, turning into a gentle breeze. Visually, it appeared as if the armor had a layer of constantly flickering static electricity. At the Emperor's command, the assault tanks at the forefront fired one shot each at the 10 o'clock, 12 o'clock, and 1 o'clock positions, but the returned data did not detect any explosions.

"The route map has lost most of its effectiveness. The subconscious of ordinary people will be deceived, and the electronic signals of the observation devices will be ignored." Constantine seemed to have communicated with the other guards of the Praetorian Guard. "My lord, I suggest that all armored vehicles behind be notified to follow the tracks of the vehicle in front."

"Keep moving forward, with the command vehicle leading the convoy."

The Emperor glanced at the wall beside the armored vehicle; the passageway ahead of the convoy was streaked with scorch marks left by flamethrowers. The aging ventilation system barely functioned, massive exhaust fans shrieking behind the rusted mesh of the walls—everything seemed to originate from a dream, the waking world being eroded step by step. The power armor of the genetically modified warriors, in activation, hummed softly, their mechanical joints roaring with each movement. They were warriors from the waking world. The Golden Guard stood before them, awaiting the Emperor's exit from the armored vehicle—golden flames ignited and vanished from his fingertips, burning away the flesh and filth on the walls, leaving only a thin wisp of smoke. The dull thud continued from the deeper, lower deck, like a heavy hammer striking a red-hot iron ingot—the psionic aura ignited again, rising from the Emperor's golden crown and spreading outwards like a fire burning in the mist, the imperceptible heat instantly dispelling the miasma.

"Light the fire!" He said. "I will guide the caravan."

Updated at 12 noon

(End of this chapter)