Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 250 You Can't Escape Fate (First Update!)

Now that things have come to this, Salomon can no longer simply open a portal and take Danny and Ghost Rider away. He has dragged secular forces into the dimensional war, and if he were to leave directly, these agents would be utterly defenseless against attacks of dark magic—that much is certain. Therefore, he cannot abandon S.H.I.E.L.D. and leave—this has nothing to do with his personal preferences or whether he likes Hydra; it is purely rational thinking.

Whenever ordinary humans face magical attacks, the sorcerers of Kamar-Taj have a responsibility to lend a helping hand, regardless of who these people are, what race they belong to, what power they belong to, or what ideology they hold. Kamar-Taj has always treated everyone equally, let alone him, who has brought secular forces into the picture. He cannot desert his post; this is the responsibility of his most beloved disciple, the responsibility he has to bear after accepting the magic of Vishanti.

Even maintaining the stability of the prime material plane is within his responsibility, since he took up the holy sword.

He had considered bringing Ghost Rider and Danny the Demonborn back to Kamar-Taj, but it wasn't feasible. Placing them at Kamar-Taj headquarters or the three shrines would mean placing them under the Sorcerer Supreme's protection, which violated the covenant. If the Sorcerer Supreme temporarily left Earth, the two could seek refuge in Kamar-Taj, but this would mean both headquarters and the shrines would lose their top-tier combat force against the combined forces of the lower planes—therefore, Salomon had no choice but to relocate the two along with S.H.I.E.L.D., a move born of necessity.

After Nick Fury left, the sorcerer sat beside Johnny Blaze with a troubled expression, fiddling with an unopened syringe and occasionally poking Johnny Blaze to see if he was awake. After a while, seeing that the man showed no signs of waking up, he stood up and slapped Johnny Blaze, who was lying on the bed, twice.

"Master, will this work?" the android asked. Salomon shook his head. "I don't know either, but that's how it's done in the movies. See, he's awake, isn't he?"

"Where...where am I? You are...you are that wizard!" Johnny Blaze sat up in terror, as if waking from a nightmare. Thankfully, he didn't experience delirium after the large dose of anesthetic, allowing Salomon to communicate with him smoothly. "You've been asleep for almost a day," the sorcerer said, recounting the events following Ghost Rider's failed attempt to abduct the boy. He then saw the man recoil back onto the bed, shielding his eyes with his arm, looking exhausted. "Your leather jacket has been sent to be washed," Salomon said. "This is probably the best way to prevent you from suddenly transforming. You're currently only wearing this hospital gown, and I don't think clothes that expose your buttocks fit the Spirit of Vengeance's aesthetic. Even if you wanted to transform now, the Spirit of Vengeance might refuse."

The sorcerer continued speaking to himself, explaining Johnny Blaze's plans and reasons for doing so, though he wasn't sure if the world's best stunt motorcyclist was actually listening. "How can I get rid of this mad spirit?" he asked. "Father Moru promised me he would help me get rid of it."

"He can't do it, Johnny." Having achieved his goal (using Ghost Rider to find the Demonborn), the sorcerer told him the truth without hesitation. Deception, concealment—all for his own ends. Johnny Blaze immediately understood Salomon's intentions. "You know!" he gritted his teeth, recalling the raucous hunger of that mad soul, the burning and weakness that coursed through his body, the increasingly rapid heartbeat, and the lack of blood supply. His veins no longer flowed with blood, but with fire.

"You knew from the beginning, but you just didn't say anything, simply because you needed me, right?"

"Yes," Salomon readily admitted. "Blindly seeking help is useless until you understand the true state (version) of the vengeful spirit within you. This monastery can indeed temporarily suppress the vengeful spirit within you, but that's futile, because the vengeful spirit, unable to vent its anger, will eventually break free of its seal, and then you will be completely unable to stop it. The reason Moru said he could help you is because he lacks knowledge."

The sorcerer paused, observing Johnny Blaze's expression. Even as he spoke those words, Johnny Blaze's forehead was already covered in cold sweat; the hunger of the Spirit of Vengeance was at play, something no method could suppress. However, Salomon's "leather jacket tactic" seemed to be working. The Spirit of Vengeance indeed didn't want to expose its pelvis easily. No matter how hard Johnny Blaze tried, the Spirit of Vengeance refused to appear, instead tormenting him repeatedly inside until Johnny gave up struggling.

"Do you still believe your soul belongs to you?" Salomon leaned closer to Johnny and whispered, "The day you lose the Spirit of Vengeance will be the day Mephisto takes it back. The devil's interest is notoriously high; anything outside the contract is possible. You didn't negotiate properly when you signed the contract. I guarantee you, you won't just lose your soul; everything you care about will suffer. Stop dreaming, Johnny. Becoming the Ghost Rider is your destiny. Whatever torment this destiny brings you, you can only endure it, because the current situation is the best outcome for your future. Maybe hundreds of years from now, your situation will be even worse than it is now... Hmm, don't talk back, don't display American liberalism. If I tell an American you can't eat dog poop, he'll go try it and then come back blaming me for not stopping him. I know what you're thinking: 'What nonsense is this kid talking about?' 'I'm going to try it!' You can do that, no problem at all, but before that, I want you to do what you want to do, which is to fight the devil with me."

The sorcerer whispered like a devil, "You cannot defy fate, Johnny."

"How's it going?" Nick Fury asked the sorcerer. But Salomon didn't have time to answer. He was busy clipping the scrolls from the sacristy to his waist pocket with wooden boards. These documents would greatly enrich the Kamar-Taj library's collection. He deliberately avoided the ascetics as he did so—not long ago, Captain Rogers had returned to the monastery with his team and the ascetics they had encountered along the way, carrying long knives, Bibles, and incense burners. The ascetic monks hadn't even noticed that their sacristy collection had been completely wiped out.

"How is it?" Nick Fury asked again. Salomon finally replied, "What do you mean, how is it?"

"Ghost Rider!"

"Frustrated, angry, and resentful," the sorcerer shook his head. Johnny Blaze, true to his liberal spirit, stumbled out of the medical tent and stubbornly went to find Father Moru, who took Johnny to a basement in the monastery. They promised to return before S.H.I.E.L.D.'s departure, so Salomon let them have their fun.

"Damn it." Nick Fury sighed. "So what's going on between you and Captain Rogers?"

"He thinks I'm a bit cruel to the high priest of the devil cult, and as the embodiment of justice, he doesn't want to talk to me." Salomon's tone was slightly sarcastic. "If I'm cruel, then you should go pick cotton, Nick Fury."

The director of S.H.I.E.L.D. glanced at the mischievous sorcerer but didn't respond.

"Without Agent Romanov, any one of you could start arguing."

"Listen up, I didn't attend your boys' party at all. I'm still a minor." The sorcerer narrowed his eyes. "Did you hear me?"

"What did you hear?"

"Screams of agony."

I'll save the extra chapters for the weekend. I'll just take a nap after work and fall asleep; I'm too tired.

(End of this chapter)