Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 357 The End of Darkness (Second Update, 2981000 votes)

A slender figure, its features obscured and clad in a tattered black cloak, appeared behind Salomon. This was Charon, the ferryman of the River Styx from another world. He was the embodiment of the primordial sludge, bubbling at the eternal source of chaos, a part of the will of countless iridescent bubbles, and the phantom messenger of the Lord of the Gate, the most distant abyss beyond time and space.

When Salomon summoned Him, that cold, insane will descended upon him as well. He lost all sight of what lay before him; the colossal stone gate standing in the eternal chaos appeared before him. The thin silver veil that concealed the scene behind the gate seemed to be gently lifted by a breeze, revealing to Salomon a large, ever-changing, flowing, and shattering rainbow-colored sphere floating in the abyss. Ultimate fear and truth, all possibilities of the future, past, and present, knowledge that transcended all fantasy and mathematical logic, countless worlds and endlessly distorted dimensions revealed only a glimpse of the iceberg before him.

He gripped the silver cross key engraved with Arabic vines tightly in his hand.

"Not now," he said. "Great Lord of the Gate, now is not the time to go to the abyss."

Charon raised his gaunt, horribly withered fingers, and the enormous black creatures cautiously extended their tentacles to touch his fingertips. Then, the night sky covering London rapidly shrank, and a golden glimmer leaked from the edges of the dark matter, which surged into the phantom's cloak. Malekith witnessed this; the dark matter, which could have devoured Yggdrasil, was now subdued like a puppy—something Malekith could not tolerate. Yet, no matter how he howled, no matter what commands he gave, he could not resist the out-of-control aether particles and the primordial dark matter. The aether particles continued to follow Malekith's original will, shattering his life and soul to create more primordial dark matter.

The power of the Infinity Stones is indeed limitless, but the people who wield them are not. The greedy Aether particles constantly absorb everything they can to transform themselves, while the products of these transformations, the primordial darkness, are continuously absorbed by the ultimate abyss of the universe, returning to where they should have been.

Everyone present could sense the chilling madness emanating from the Ferryman of the Styx, but only Loki, Frigga (who was observing everything through the water mirror), and the Sorcerer Supreme could truly understand what lay beneath that tattered black cloak. There was no physical form beneath the cloak; it was a concept composed of pure terror and dark magic. The more one understood the world, the more one could sense this madness, but only those with unwavering will could remain unaffected by its aura.

Even though Thor didn't understand what this was, his intuition told him not to bother Salomon.

Salomon instinctively raised his hand, and a silver, fiery arrow shot from it. This spell was cast by the Gatekeeper, who was also the Key to the Gate. He granted Salomon's request, exercising His omniscience, omnipotence, and omnipotence to grant Salomon this magic that could not be cast in the Prime Material Plane.

The silver, burning arrows pierced easily through the veil of aether particles, striking Malekith. As the silver flames destroyed Malekith's body, they also forcibly ripped his remaining soul from the aether particles. This primordial dark matter and Malekith's soul were the result of a deal between Salomon and the Lord of the Gate; the generous, omniscient god had also bestowed something upon him. But at the same time, Salomon, adhering to the principle of equivalent exchange, paid a price—beneath his armor, the back of his raised hand bore the permanent mark of Yog-Sothoth.

This is a gift, and a curse.

Just like the Stigmata, he had to exert all his strength to retain what little humanity he had left behind. He began to recall everything he had experienced in this world since he could remember. Those were the things he had left behind in this world, marks to remind him of who he was, like an anchor hook pulling a ship on an endless, mad ocean, preventing him from getting lost in the vast multiverse.

At this moment, the Stigmata seemed to have fixed Salomon's concept of the material plane, and the ten Stigmata redefined his existence.

"You know this!" the Queen of Asgard shouted, pointing at the water mirror. "You sent your disciple to contact those things? Don't try to fool me. I'm a witch, the most powerful witch in Asgard. This isn't the power of the Vishanti or the Octessence Alliance (an alliance of multiple outer-dimensional demons, with the Vishanti as the leader). This is far more dangerous! I know about those outer-dimensional things; this thing originated from the Cyclops. We agreed that Asgard would be responsible for the Prime Material Plane, and Kamar-Taj would defend against the outer dimensions. Your disciple is doing something extremely dangerous."

"I trust my disciple as much as I trust myself," the Sorcerer Supreme said calmly. "This outer-dimensional being was contacted by Salomon while resolving a time travel incident, and Salomon made a deal with that Daedric Prince. In fact, it was that Daedric Prince who was waiting for him; the time travel incident was merely an accident. Because that Daedric Prince exists in all timelines, the time travel incident occurred, as He has always been there. In any case, Salomon has always stood with humanity, and the future Sorcerer Supreme will uphold the covenant between Kamar-Taj and Asgard, continuing to protect the Prime Material Plane."

"Won't Salomon be the next Sorcerer Supreme?"

"No, he belongs to me, to humanity, not to Vishanti."

Malekith's wailing echoed through the water mirror, and a deep black sphere enveloping his soul flew into the Ferryman of the Styx's other hand. All the distant dark matter vanished, and Salomon could once again see the scene before him clearly. As the faint light of dawn pierced through the thick clouds, the terrifying phantom behind him vanished instantly, leaving nothing but the combatants and a mass of ruins.

The ether particles, now devoid of their manipulator, float in the air, slowly extending tiny, deep red tentacles outwards.

"What was that?" Thor asked, still shaken. "Was that your magic?"

"Barely," Salomon said, opening his eyes as the deep darkness gradually faded. He sheathed his gauntlets, glanced at the dark magic-infused markings on the back of his hand, and then shoved the silver key back into place. He didn't want anyone to see the silver key; it was far too dangerous, and any knowledge gleaned from it was perilous. "You should summon the warriors of Asgard," he said. "Rest, then summon Heimdall back to Asgard. Someone will be cleaning up here soon; we're just getting in the way."

"Hey, Coulson," Salomon borrowed Darcy's phone and dialed, "Do you have food on your plane?"

"Of course. By the way, can you tell me what happened next?"

"Of course... no, my friend. While I do enjoy Nick Fury's ignorant little games, you've already had one magical accident, and I don't want you to die again."

I can't help it if the update is late QAQ

(End of this chapter)