Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 1646 Kamar-Taj: The Future Order

"Did you feel it?"

Bayonetta stood atop the Astronomical Tower, gazing at the deep purple sky in the distance. An ordinary person educated in materialism might see it as a natural optical phenomenon, while a religious superstitious person might interpret it as some kind of revelation. But as a psychic, the witch could see the danger and the truth behind this anomaly. Bayonetta and Joan of Arc had secluded themselves in the Emperor's top-floor office to avoid their excessive supernatural charm interfering with their work outside—this was their side of the story. In reality, they obtained all the information they needed through the office's glass portholes, and the areas they could access were extremely far from their work areas—as psychics, their second vision was far more precise than artificial radar. Even without expertise in divination, they could still glean information about the movements of other dimensions from their pets kept in the lower realms.

Bayonetta extended her finger and extinguished the candles around the statue of Hecate, severing the connection between the upper and lower realms.

"The Sorcerer Supreme is dead. This fact is being repeated throughout all dimensions, and every elf is rejoicing at the death of their Organizer. But this is not the end; a greater crisis is imminent, and every demon is unusually excited. Should we stay here and wait for him, or return now?"

“I choose the latter,” Joan of Arc shrugged. When Bayonetta looked at her, the white-haired witch, still sitting motionless on the living room sofa, hadn’t opened her eyes. “We can’t be of much help here. He’s not some chauvinist; he’s a pragmatist. If he can solve the problem, he’ll survive; if he can’t, we can’t completely defeat his enemies. But I think the defenses at Oxfordshire Manor are strong enough, and that South American island is secluded enough. We can go wherever we want. Right now, there’s a missile pod above us. If the mission fails, we’ll have to drop a nuclear bomb here. You know what to choose. I don’t want to be caught in the nuclear blast.”

"It might be an avalanche."

"That's possible." Joan of Arc yawned widely, raising her arms high. "This whole thing has kept me up all night. When we get back, I'm going to give him a good beating and then throw a head at him!"

Bayonetta smiled.

"You're not as determined as you said you were, Joan of Arc."

"Ceresa!"

Athena had no right to enter; only the Praetorian Guard could follow the Emperor down the steps, traversing a long, complex network of illusions and defensive spells stretching for hundreds of kilometers, extending thousands of meters into the underground tomb. The Sorcerer Supreme's body had been treated with incense; even through the shroud, the pungent smell of burning spices could still be detected. He still hadn't donned that laurel wreath, the Sorcerer Supreme's final gift, that incredibly powerful artifact disguised as a laurel wreath.

The sky was still crimson, and the tall goddess stood silently in the wind and snow, toying with the laurel wreath in her hands.

The atomic-level reliefs on the laurel wreath, invisible to the naked eye, emitted a faint glow. This was an artifact painstakingly crafted by the Sorcerer Supreme, its power and purpose no less than the Eye of Agamotto. Athena had nurtured many heroes, warriors, and kings, not limited to ancient Greece. She had many names in different civilizations, and the world called her by different names, but she was certain that the Emperor would be the last hero, warrior, and king she nurtured. The only thing she couldn't be sure of was whether the Emperor and the Sorcerer Supreme knew what would happen during their future time travel—this period in the modern era was not the only time she spent with the Emperor; her past and the Emperor's future were intertwined, far more complex than any prophet could imagine—as the snowflakes melted on the scorching laurel wreath, Athena put away the crown that would be used to signify her status in the future.

The Emperor attempted to postpone her coronation, and this was certainly not because the other Kamar-Taj sorcerers had not yet returned to Earth from Attiland. However, she believed she could persuade them to accept the crown before the people of Kamar-Taj, because at the moment of the Sorcerer Supreme's death, all psionic beings in the galaxy felt a sense of relief; even mortals could sense a strange emotional shift. The Emperor had to follow protocol and issue a proclamation to all schools of thought in the galaxy, including the ancient pantheons of Asgard, announcing the ascension of the new human king.

This is a necessary political event that cannot be swayed by human emotions.

The Emperor knew he had to issue the proclamation quickly, yet he was still swayed by a last vestige of human emotion. Athena believed she could persuade him to relinquish his final hesitation and sentimentality. Even unaware that the Sorcerer Supreme had entrusted Him with her tutelage, this act demonstrated that the knowledge and ideology she imparted were precisely what the Sorcerer Supreme desired Him to learn. No one in the world, besides the Sorcerer Supreme himself, was more suitable to teach Him. Because she and Him shared a common lineage, because He was more powerful than Zeus, Cronus, Odin, or any other principal god of Earth's pantheons, and more farsighted than Agamotto and the Sorcerer Supreme.

"She's fine now, but to avoid any potential long-term effects, I suggest she rest for a while." The medic looked up at Amfitryon. "My decision doesn't count, does it?"

“Your word is final, Medical Officer. If you can't provide a comprehensive report, even the Royal Guard and the Emperor won't allow Wanda Maximov to carry out her mission.” Amphitryon shook his head. Wanda Maximov was already on a stretcher, being transferred to another Pegasus-type transport aircraft, equipped with sophisticated medical facilities capable of performing thorough examinations that rapid medical checks couldn't reach. “We need to get her back to peak condition before her next mission, Medical Officer. Initiate intensive treatment immediately upon her return to the Immortal City. Mage Daniel…”

"I have other things to attend to, and that's no simple task," Wizard Daniel rolled his eyes. News of the Sorcerer Supreme's death had spread, but Wizard Daniel showed no sign of grief. In fact, only a select few core arcane mages knew of the Sorcerer Supreme's retirement plans, and Wizard Daniel, as the Temple Guardian, was undoubtedly one of them. The Sorcerer Supreme's death only meant the plan had succeeded; the only ones who would bear the consequences were those who carried it out. "Your master may have told you that I need to bring the other arcane mages back to Kamar-Taj. Those mages need to know of the Sorcerer Supreme's death, but I don't rule out the possibility that some already know, such as Wizard Hamil."

“Yes, but before you undertake this task, you need to know that the mages who once guarded the dimensional rifts will also return to Kamar-Taj,” Amphitryon said. “The last transfer of the Sorcerer Supreme was a thousand years ago. Historical records show that the ceremony upon which Our Lord assumes power requires the mages to swear allegiance, and the mages responsible for monitoring the outer dimensions are no exception; they must return to Kamar-Taj to pledge their allegiance to Our Lord. In addition, Our Lord believes you also need to judge the mages like Mordo who opposed Our Lord.”

"How should I sentence you?" Mage Daniel gritted his teeth. "How many young people died in this operation?"

“There are no innocent victims, Mage Daniel. When they refuse goodwill and insist on opposing our Lord, they are carrying out foolish actions at the cost of others’ lives. The fact that we are allowing them to receive treatment instead of imprisoning or killing them is already an act of mercy from our Lord,” Amphitryon said. “Tatiana has arrested Mage Mordo and his followers. You need to provide our Lord with some advice, Mage Daniel; our Lord will seriously consider your suggestion.”

"real?"

Amphitryon frowned. "My lord lived here for a long time, and I don't understand why you think He wouldn't listen to others."

Master Daniel burst into laughter.

He laughed so hard he could barely breathe, and tears streamed down his face.

"He was never like us. No one has ever been able to receive the Sorcerer Supreme's tutelage for an extended period. From the first day he arrived at Kamar-Taj, everyone present knew he was different from us. His abilities far surpassed ours; some even speculated that his abilities exceeded those of the Sorcerer Supreme." Sorcerer Daniel smiled, wiping away tears. "Every king is a narcissistic fellow, and the greater the king's achievements, the more narcissistic he becomes. To put it bluntly, your master was the most arrogant man I've ever met, but he certainly had his reasons for arrogance, because he knew that what he was doing was correct in a macro sense, but that was also quite repulsive. Do you know how many people your master sent those gene-killers to kill in order to unify the schools of magic on Earth?"

"This is to prevent high-risk psionic experiments from occurring."

"Yes, that's true, yet many people died."

"I don't care about these things. My Lord and I only care about the ordinary people who die because of high-risk psionic experiments." Amphitrite thought for a moment, his noble face full of seriousness. "You are the truly arrogant one, Mage Daniel. I must rebuke you. In my Lord's eyes, your life is no more noble than that of mortals. You regard the lives of those psionicists as superior to those of mortals, which contradicts my Lord's ideals."

Mage Daniel grimaced for a moment, ultimately realizing he couldn't refute it. "I suspect he created you with his own genes; your thoughts are exactly the same, ruthless enough," Mage Daniel said. "Now your master intends to replace our former order with a new one. Aren't you going to consider the price you'll pay? Don't look at me like that, big guy. I don't intend to gain any power in the future order. I'm about to retire; the family curse is keeping me busy. I have no interest in the future your master has created."

(End of this chapter)