Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 1610, Chapter 1606: The Lunar War (122)

Numerous nerve tentacles sprouted from her shriveled eyelids. These nerves, seemingly possessing self-awareness, waved wildly in the air, clinging to the priestess Ferrier's eye sockets and extending outwards as far as they could. Even though her eyeballs and optic nerves were no longer under her body's control, the priestess Ferrier's body was not entirely out of control. She seemed to have gained some kind of supernatural vision. To a certain extent, those optic nerves had transformed into tentacles that could detect ethereal energy, something that human biology could not yet explain. These tentacles collectively extended towards the portal, yearning to be drawn into it.

"She doesn't feel any pain at all," Tita said seriously, looking at the priestess, Feliel. The latter's expression was filled with ecstasy and happiness; the physical changes hadn't affected her emotions or thoughts. "Is it because the portal is right in front of her?" Tita asked. "Can she still hear us?"

"She has no eyes."

Regent Victor von Doom cracked a small joke, the humor only understood by the knight and Catherine. Tita glared at him as if he had uttered something unforgivable, disrupting the serious atmosphere. "I believe she can still hear us, though I'm not sure if she understands the meaning of our words." The Regent raised a finger. "She has undergone a rebirth; I can see it. Her soul was completely immersed in ethereal energy. She saw the truth behind the veil and understood the knowledge she, as a mortal, could comprehend. She will eventually return to the ether, letting her soul return behind the veil, which is why I did this. Whether you believe in the concept of the soul or consider it a term referring to the projection of consciousness into the ethereal dimension, please allow me to make a small mistake for the sake of efficient communication."

"There is only truth in this world, no gods," Aparisha said, blinking. "That's all. I really hope everyone can understand Him."

Regent Victor von Doom gave Aparishia a deep look.

The Emperor had told Aparishia part of the plan, but no one expected that Aparishia would have such a profound understanding of that part of the plan. If everyone could understand the Emperor's plan, then many unnecessary measures could be kept in storage forever and never used.

"The power of regency is given by Him, and that is how He decides it."

Constantine added in a private communications channel, but only Tita could hear him.

The Commander of the Royal Guard and the Regent were authorized to know that this decision was the product of a power struggle between the Emperor and those behind the veil. However, Constantine did not explain the decisive factors behind this decision to the knights and the Battle Sisters, nor did he mention that the underlying conflict in the Battle of Attilan was a secret war between the Emperor and other forces. The Regent also did not intend to provide a detailed explanation. Catherine looked at the Battle Sisters, then swallowed back what she wanted to say. Until the Emperor wanted to reveal the truth, those who were not involved could only remain ignorant; that was the best protection.

Hearing the Commander of the Royal Guard say the same, Tita finally nodded reluctantly. She reached out to reassure her battle sisters behind her and told them on the communication channel that the plan to deal with the cult leader was the Emperor's order, not entirely the Regent's idea. Upon hearing this, the previously resentful androids immediately expressed their agreement without any objection. The First Army Commander and his Honor Guard also had no objections. Although they had acquired relevant knowledge through psychological indoctrination, their experience in dealing with Aether Dimensional Aliens and enemies using Aether energy as weapons was still too limited. The essence of Aether energy is chaos; no two Aether Dimensional Aliens are exactly alike, and killing is one of the few effective methods the knights employ.

"The water mirror divination indicates there's a portal on the moon. Is that why you went to the moon?"

In dualism, witches are associated with the feminine element. The moon, water, night, femininity, fertility, and curses are all closely linked to witches. Over countless ages, the witch race has created much magic based on the imagery of the moon, and the full moon is also when witches are at their most powerful. Therefore, witches are extremely sensitive to changes on the moon. They did not use a portal to directly reach Kamar-Taj—as a sorcerer who knew all the secrets of Kamar-Taj, the Emperor knew that doing so would be extremely dangerous. Kamar-Taj had protective spells engraved on every peak of the Himalayas. As part of this protective mechanism, any sign of teleportation would be detected and attacked. Although he possessed the authority to pass through the defensive spells, he ensured that this authority would not be revoked.

They could only travel to the Himalayas on a Pegasus-class assault transport ship.

This assault transport ship, specially equipped with anti-psychic and stealth devices as the Emperor's personal vehicle, would not be detected by any country's phased array radar, nor by psychic detection magic. Only in this way could the violent reaction of protective spells be guaranteed. As soon as she sat in the crew cabin, Bayonetta unceremoniously took control of the onboard audio system and had Dinah retrieve champagne from the ship's mini-fridge to share with Joan of Arc. Amidst the strains of "Fly Me to the Moon" and the dense bubbles rising from the pink champagne of Queen Louise, the Emperor readily admitted the reason for his departure from daily life. However, when the Emperor recounted the history of the Inhumans, the witches slowed their champagne sips, listening to his explanation and reasoning regarding the relationship between the Kree and the so-called "Second Coming."

"Are humans not a naturally evolved species, but rather, like the Kree, a product of genetic engineering?"

"No, the human race, and indeed all life on Earth, is the result of natural evolution. The reason I believe that among the vast majority of intelligent races in this universe, only the human race possesses a greater free will, rather than heading towards a predetermined end, is because I know the truth." Few people in this world can speak so openly about the Celestials. As a terrifying race that uses the entire galaxy as its experimental field, many intelligent races that recognize their existence fall into the trap of nihilism. An intelligent race that knows of the Celestials' existence must be incredibly ancient and possess sufficiently advanced science and technology.

The emperor calmly reviewed the three Celestial Tribe descents that Earth had experienced.

"The first arrival was a chance occurrence, the second arrival was a result of the first arrival, and its purpose was observation rather than intervention. Even the purpose of the third arrival was to eliminate interference factors and ensure that the observation experiment on the precious sample was not disturbed."

If you close your eyes and listen to this sound, it's easy to imagine a cup of hot tea under soft, pale yellow light, and fingers gently turning the pages of an old book—much like a tender bedtime chat. This is one of the dualities that the witch loves. The radiance he exudes makes those who face him feel as if they are facing the scorching midday sun, leaving them drenched in sweat. On the other hand, he is as gentle as a calm sea, as serene as a towering, continuous mountain range. Beneath the surface of the sea, countless fish swim, and atop the mountain range lies endless rock, just like his countless wisdom, as numerous as the stars.

"The human race awakened psychic powers too early, and the knowledge we have today comes from a system established before the Third Advent. Athena personally experienced the Third Advent, but even in the most recent one, many secrets have been hidden in history and never seen the light of day."

Then came silence, as silent as a mountain range standing eternally in trillions of sunsets, as if it had said everything it could, its core teeming with molten lava awaiting its next eruption. Though the witch lacked farsightedness, she still glimpsed a future, as if the ocean of souls had pushed a seashell before her as she strolled on the beach, its smooth, white surface drawing her attention—she saw temples destroyed and palaces burned, societies severed and societies extinct, millions of worlds reduced to ruins, trillions of humans forever unable to see the truth, the entire starry sea ablaze with flames—Beyond picked up the seashell and tossed it back into the sea, her fingers unharmed by the hidden sharp edges. She felt a pair of hands encircle her waist, a broad chest and the familiar scent of sweat captivating her.

Amon noticed the witch was smiling.

At this moment, I held my breath and concentrated.

As Regent Victor von Doom revoked the spell, countless claws, horns, and tentacles—limbs exceeding the boundaries of genetic mutation—rushed towards Catherine, who held her eyeballs before the portal. If one were to look forward from behind the two-dimensional portal—if that were possible—one would see those exoskeletons and flesh materializing entirely out of thin air, like the topological representation of an N+1-dimensional geometric figure in an N-dimensional space. Muscles and bones gradually pierced through the paper-like three-dimensional world, descending from a higher dimension to a lower one, filling every gap in the blink of an eye.

The Royal Guard and knights surged forth from Catherine's flanks, their chainswords, battleaxes, and garrison spears instantly severing the grotesque limbs that exuded a malevolent aura. The Battle Sisters stood shoulder to shoulder with Catherine, unleashing a deluge of ammunition upon the supernatural flesh. Regent Victor von Doom stood behind them, the flames burning on his eagle staff and the radiance emanating from Catherine's aura instantly vaporizing the supernatural organisms into ashes and vapor.

I do not possess his compassion. I have expectations for his plans, but not for the human race as a whole.

The Regent and Catherine are having a secret psychic exchange.

[A noble lie can save all of humanity. The human race struggles to accept harsh truths; they bow their heads to the horrific reality, refusing to acknowledge it and soothing their minds with gentle lies. Otherwise, the nihilistic delusion will drive them mad, leading to incomprehensible self-destructive acts. This is to protect them, Catherine, cruel but necessary.]

"Why are you telling me all this, Regent?" Catherine asked, somewhat puzzled. "You know, I fully believe in His plan and the necessity of those methods."

[Perhaps it's because I will be the last Sorcerer Supreme that I feel somewhat sentimental.]

Regent Victor von Doom raised his eagle staff, and the previously quiet, burning pure white flames instantly expanded, countless tiny sparks drifting towards the portal before exploding into a sea of ​​fire. The Royal Guard and knights retreated several steps, the phosphorescent white flames surging into the portal and devouring the supernatural organic matter. In an instant, the space was filled again. The malevolent entities behind the portal were endless, but this time they tasted a terror never before experienced since their birth, for their forms were incinerated, their concepts erased, and they could never be resurrected in the Sea of ​​Souls.

His sacrifice has exceeded what mortals can accept. I don't expect him to retain any human empathy. You say he has transcended humanity, perhaps lost his emotions, but that's not true. The fact that he could retain empathy means his suffering would be beyond our comprehension; he could feel the devastating consequences of his decisions. No one can understand him; not everyone can believe in him unconditionally like you do, including me.

The regent spoke in a moving tone.

He faces his own test, and so do I. I will completely set aside all pride, humble myself to the dust to embrace his vision, and believe in him without reservation. Only in this way can every link in this plan be flawless.

(End of this chapter)