Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 213 Short Hair (First Update!)

A colossal golden pillar of light shot into the sky, its blinding brilliance attracting countless eyes. The immense energy that had passed through the portal mercilessly surged into it, even briefly annihilating it. The pillar continued its ascent, piercing the atmosphere and hurtling towards the deep, boundless darkness of the universe. Only as the golden specks around Salomon gradually dissipated did the cosmic beam of light begin to fade. Those who had been looking up in awe felt their vision go blank; the blinding light pierced their thin eyelids, temporarily blinding them.

The attack of shattering stars was beyond the Chitauri's ability to withstand. The power of Excalibur swept across the Chitauri soldiers and their ships floating in the void with overwhelming force, leaving only a sea of ​​fire and wreckage. This power also attracted the attention of many in the universe. It was Salomon's small warning, a reminder to any aliens eyeing Earth's resources to think twice.

The entire city fell silent. Aside from the faint crackling of flames climbing flammable materials, even the groans of the wounded hidden underground ceased, for no one could fail to feel the terrifying power emanating from the towering beams. Only after those on the streets who had stared directly at the pillars of light regained their vision did they realize that the seemingly endless Zeta Reich soldiers lay sprawled on the ground. The colossal beasts that had been floating in the air were now completely paralyzed, plummeting from the sky to the ground or the top floors of buildings. It was as if someone had flipped a switch on these alien soldiers; they were no different from toys whose batteries had run out.

Then came cheers.

At first, there were only a few scattered gasps, but then the joy quickly spread. Almost everyone who was still alive raised their hands, hugging those around them tightly, sharing the survivors' happiness. This was the first time Salomon had displayed its power before everyone, a power that forced everyone to sit down and think.

"What is this?" Agent Romanov helped Professor Saviger up from the ground. They were the closest people to the Sword of Excalibur, besides Salomon, and the ones who could best feel its power.

"You are...King Arthur?!" Professor Sullivan asked, trembling. The romantic legend of King Arthur is familiar to every Englishman. The legend tells of how, when Great Britain faced peril, King Arthur would awaken from Avalon to save the world. Eric Sullivan was a true-blue Englishman. Although he didn't have red hair, after experiencing the events involving the Asgardians, he developed an interest in various myths and legends, including the story of King Arthur.

"I'm just an heir," Salomon shrugged, feigning nonchalance. However, due to the massive drain on his magic, he appeared pale, and Excalibur was used as a cane, planted in the ground to support his body. The magic power that supplied the unsealed Excalibur was accumulated by Salomon since childhood. After unleashing this attack, the lower half of his long, black curly hair had turned gray—hair can store magic, and Salomon had deliberately grown it long to ensure his future height and to prevent his life force from being significantly affected after expending so much magic.

His foresight came in handy.

Salomon exhaled a puff of hot air, then took out a pair of scissors and began cutting his hair. As he cut his long hair, he gestured for Agent Romanov to continue her work. But before Agent Romanov could even push the Tesseract out of the portal generator, she pressed her earpiece, seemingly receiving some information. "The nuclear missile has been launched." She turned to the arcane mage. "What do we do? Stark said he can send the nuclear missile into the portal."

"Close the portal, now." Salomon put down his dagger, beckoned with his finger, and magically retrieved Agent Romanov's earpiece, putting it on his own ear. "Stark," he said, "now, follow my orders. All you have to do is guide the nuclear missile's trajectory towards me. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

Natasha looked at the sorcerer again to confirm, then resolutely pushed the scepter in. Unexpectedly, Nick Fury on the other end of the earpiece had no objection to Salomon's decision, and Stark even agreed to Salomon's plan, though he still didn't know what it was.

"I see you, Stark." The arcane mage removed his gauntlets and took out a slingshot from his pouch. "Aim at me. Can you do it? Maybe I shouldn't ask you. I should ask Jarvis. You're just the one holding me back."

"I can do it, Mr. Damonette. After many meticulous calculations..."

"This is my job, Jarvis!" Stark interrupted the AI's clear and straightforward explanation with displeasure. He flew under the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge and caught the missile. "Alright, Jarvis, calculate the trajectory and the detonation time for the nuclear missile. You know, I just don't want to compare my computing speed with a computer."

"Yes, sir." Jarvis calmly activated the thrusters on his Iron Man suit. Stark flew over Battery Park, the Financial District, Little Italy, Chinatown, and Greenwich Village with the nuclear missile, using the thrusters to gradually correct the missile's trajectory so that it was aimed directly at the rooftop balcony of Stark Tower.

"In the name of Vishanti..." Salomon watched the nuclear missile gradually fly in, showing no fear whatsoever. He chanted the incantation, making a series of hand gestures. Through the headset, under Salomon's command, Stark released the nuclear missile ahead of time. He saw a shattered glass mirror covering the top floor of the building; the nuclear missile disappeared as if it had jumped into water after touching that mirror.

"Where did the nuclear bomb go?" Stark asked curiously.

"Hmm, you wouldn't want to know." Salomon resumed his lazy demeanor, and as he picked up the scissors again to continue cutting the lifeless hair, his hand was stopped. Natasha patted Salomon on the shoulder, gesturing for him to sit down.

"Leave it to me," she said. "It's the only thing I can do right now."

Salomon obediently sat down, his legs dangling in the air, lazily overlooking the war-torn city of New York from the edge of the balcony. The Sorcerer Supreme had achieved his goal, albeit at a high price. From now on, no nation would underestimate the alien threat, though Salomon didn't expect those secular nations to cooperate sincerely.

After Natasha trimmed Salomon's white hair, the sorcerer now had a full head of short black hair. The other Avengers had already captured Loki, who was bound by anti-magic handcuffs, and Natasha had taken Professor Eric Sullivan downstairs for treatment. Salomon didn't go down to join the commotion; instead, he remained seated on the balcony, sharing a bag of rainbow candies with his mount—the same bag Pegasus had stolen from the store—he needed to replenish his life force, and eating was the best solution.

"Well done." Stark sat down next to Salomon. "But you've deprived me of something to brag about in my life. I really pity this parallel universe version of myself."

"You should go get the Tesseract now." Salomon gave Stark a few candies, and the Iron Man from the future stuffed them into his mouth without hesitation.

"I still have time." He said this, yet stood up again. The future Stark patted the sorcerer on the shoulder. "I think, with you in this world, things might be a little easier."

"Go on, that's my business." Salomon chewed on his candy and waved behind him without turning his head.

A moment later, Stark reappeared behind Salomon, but this time it was the Stark of this universe. Pegasus leaned closer, sniffing, unable to distinguish between the two Starks. "Well done." This Stark stepped aside to let Pegasus's horse pass, patting the arcane mage on the shoulder. "You know, I originally wanted to push the nuclear bomb towards the portal. You said I'd have a daughter, and Pepper isn't pregnant, so I thought I might not die… Anyway, you did a good job. Although you're still young, we need you."

"Someone has already said that to me."

"Who? Which sentence?"

"Well done," and you said it yourself.

"Ha! What kind of lame joke is that?" Stark shrugged, seemingly apologizing for not appreciating Salomon's humor. "Get up, S.H.I.E.L.D. is coming to hand over the Tesseract and Loki's scepter. The head of S.H.I.E.L.D., an official even higher than Nick Fury, is coming. Nick Fury said he'd hand the Tesseract over to Asgard, but those bureaucrats definitely won't agree. I can't imagine what he's going to do. But that's none of our business. We'll leave the cleanup to S.H.I.E.L.D., and Loki will be under their care for now. How about I take you out for barbecue?"

"Very good." Salomon put his gauntlets back on, clapped his hands, and Phoenix reappeared and vanished into thin air. After Phoenix disappeared, the shield and lance on the balcony were gone, and Pegasus looked at Salomon with its big, wet eyes, seemingly interested in the roasted meat.

"I really should meet those 'S.H.I.E.L.D.' officials." The mask re-covered the sorcerer's face, emphasizing the words "S.H.I.E.L.D." It was unclear whether Stark noticed. As Salomon descended the stairs, almost everyone greeted him, and the sorcerer responded to each one until he stood before Loki. "Hello," Salomon said, shaking Loki's handcuffed hands, causing the evil god to roll his eyes.

"Don't be like that, I actually quite like you. At least you're much smarter than most people."

Loki tilted his head, sizing up the armored figure before him. Unable to speak or cast spells, he could only communicate with his eyes, and Salomon could easily guess Loki's thoughts: he was trying to escape. So, a green ray shot from Salomon's hand struck Loki, instantly enveloping him in a force field shimmering with a faint emerald light.

Loki rolled his eyes again; he understood the spell's effect.

"What are you doing?" Thor asked anxiously, quickly stepping forward to check on Loki's appearance, who was still holding a hammer in his hand.

"Don't worry." The sorcerer glanced at the few people who had just slipped under the bar not far away. "This magic will ensure he doesn't escape. Now that he can't teleport, it's enough for S.H.I.E.L.D. to safely transport him downstairs."

"Oh, thank you," Thor thanked him readily, then stepped forward and lifted Salomon into a tight embrace. "You are a warrior too, Salomon Damonnet," he said. "Though I do not know who your ancestors were, one day your glory will grant you endless mead and feasts in Valhalla."

"Thank you so much! Please put me down!"

Thank you to Mo Ran Shi Ye for the 100-point reward.

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Dimensional Anchor

School of thought: Protection

Ring positions: Priest/Prophet 4, Judge 3, Warlock/Mage 4, Summoner 3

Domain: Guardian Subdomain 4

Casting time: Standard action

Components: Language, gestures

Distance: Medium distance

Effect: Ray

Duration: 1 minute/level

Exemption: None

Spell Resistance: Possible (for objects)

A green ray shoots from your hand. You must hit the target with a ranged, contact attack. Any creature struck by the ray is enveloped in a force field glowing with a vibrant green light, completely preventing extradimensional travel. Movement forms prevented by the dimensional anchor include those listed below and other similar spell-like abilities. 'Gate' and 'Teleportation Circle' cannot be used during the spell's duration.

(End of this chapter)