Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 461 The Scarlet Witch and the Wizard (Second Update)

Both the power of the Great Shadow, Sithon, and Wanda's inherent superpowers are extremely deadly. The combination of these two powers propels Wanda Maximoff's potential to almost reach the pinnacle of human magical talent. The reason for saying "almost" is that Salomon's mental power is stronger and more controllable than hers.

Even if she casts spells that Salomon has never seen before, the arcane mage can find a way to counter them based on his experience.

Even without the blessing of a holy mark, Salomon's spellcasting skills were more than enough to defeat this untrained spellcaster. While instances of superhuman strength causing bricks to fly in the magical realm are not unheard of, such occurrences usually happen between spellcasters with vastly different abilities. The same spell cast by different spellcasters will produce completely different results; spells cast by powerful spellcasters are often the result of extensive training and practice, making them far more powerful than those of beginners.

In most cases, magical duels aren't about who has more magic power; casting technique is the most crucial factor. The speed and clarity of incantations, the accuracy of hand gestures, and other factors combine to constitute a spellcaster's skill. In some aspects, a newly trained academic spellcaster can even surpass a wandering, far higher-level wild mage.

Experienced spellcasters can deduce an upcoming spell from the opponent's gestures and syllables, and take effective countermeasures. They can either hit the enemy with their own spell before the opponent's spell arrives, interrupting the opponent's casting, or simply seize control of a spell and return it to the enemy.

For example, the arcane lock Salomon placed on the refrigerator was so powerful that the Sorcerer Supreme couldn't open it after touching the door. Unless Salomon brute-forced the Sorcerer Supreme's spell, he simply couldn't open the refrigerator door. The most common application of the "Unblock" spell was in the small refrigerator Salomon placed in Kamar-Taj; over the years, he had cast it at least a hundred times, and only a few times had he successfully broken the Sorcerer Supreme's arcane lock.

Kamar-Taj trains standard academic spellcasters, with daily drills in the training grounds designed to hone the spellcasting skills of arcane mages. Compared to the visceral close-quarters combat training, magical duels are far less visually appealing.

To the untrained eye, two spellcasters standing face-to-face for ages before finally unleashing a spell seems utterly uninteresting. But to the experts, these two spellcasters have already clashed more than once, their routines basically revolving around casting and interrupting, casting and countering, and casting and stealing spells. This kind of intangible struggle is what truly captivates the audience.

Salomon was the most skilled of all the apprentices, adept at using tricks to interrupt their spellcasting. He also didn't hesitate to use underhanded methods, such as tickling their nostrils with a feather while they were chanting, forcing them to choose between abandoning their spellcasting or suffering the consequences of a failed spell.

As far as he knew, there was no spell in the world that involved sneezing. The Sorcerer Supreme's solution was simple: he used his fists. From then on, this trick stopped working, at least not in Kamar-Taj.

So when Wanda Maximov tried to read Lorna and Salomon's minds again, a gaping hole appeared in her own. Wanda, lost in a daze, opened her eyes to find herself sinking into the deep, dark ocean, the icy water pressing into her nostrils and lungs. Even more terrifying, a pair of eyes, fixed on her, floated above, searching for any information she revealed.

Even though she reacted quickly, the opening was enough for Salomon to detect her surface thoughts. Of course, part of the reason was that Salomon wasn't interested in her inner thoughts and didn't continue casting spells to probe her mind; otherwise, Wanda, who had just gained her powers, wouldn't have been able to resist.

"Your abilities are the same as mine!" The red-haired girl's eyes widened. "You have superpowers too!"

"No, completely different." Salomon shook his head, offering no further explanation. He took the three empty paper bags, stained with gravy, and then pulled little Lorna to her feet.

"See you next time, Ms. Maximov." Salomon, no longer spouting nonsense, became polite, which made Wanda think that there might be something wrong with the man in front of her. "We should get down to business," he said to little Lorna. "Let's hurry."

"What are you going to do?" Wanda suddenly asked. "Are you going to find that gem?"

"Do you know where that thing is?" Salomon glanced at her with some interest. Analyzing Wanda Maximov's spellcasting abilities would take some time, but her current reaction was enough to provide crucial insight. If she truly was a user of supernatural magic, then someone with intelligence as her primary attribute wouldn't be a fool.

Salomon revealed a lot of information, and Wanda, who had recovered from the surprise attack, also found key clues.

"Let's make a deal. I'll tell you where that thing is. The most valuable thing in this base is definitely that thing." The red-haired girl took a deep breath and began to negotiate with courage. Her fear of Salomon far exceeded that of when she volunteered to participate in Hydra's human experiments; that feeling of drowning lingered. But she also knew that these people (she didn't know what Hydra was) would squeeze every last bit of value out of her and her brother; they were merely their experimental subjects.

To protect herself and her brother, she had to make a deal.

Even if the other party is a devil, she will not regret it.

"You seem to know me very well, so you should know my purpose." She glanced at little Lorna standing next to Salomon. "Your abilities are similar to mine, I know how powerful you are, so I won't lie to you." Wanda Maximov said nervously, "Teach me how to use my abilities, and I'll tell you where that thing is."

"You want to become my student? You want to learn magic?"

"Is this magic?"

"Otherwise what?" Salomon said. "Don't you know what your abilities are? I do know you very well. I know your birth, your thoughts, your power, your entire being..."

"That's too twisted, Brother Salomon!" Little Lorna grabbed Salomon's ear, interrupting the arcane mage's speech.

"Idiot, that's rhetoric!" The sorcerer rolled his eyes. He tossed little Lorna, who was like a koala, down from the ground, and then extended a hand to Wanda Maximoff. In that hand were three gemstone rings of different colors, which still reflected a dazzling light even in the cell with only one lamp.

Wanda couldn't help but squint her eyes.

"You will definitely not be my student, but to ensure you don't cause trouble with your abilities, I can teach you some methods of control," he said. "Let's formally introduce ourselves. I am the heir to the Sorcerer Supreme. The unofficial contractor of Vishanti. The practitioner of the covenant with Asgard. The heir to the King of Midgard. The rightful heir to Great Britain. The future king of the Celts. The wielder of the Holy Sword and the Holy Lance. The last of the Knights of the Round Table. Count of Londinion. Lord of the Immortal City and the Pillars of Demons. The adopted son of the Goddess of Wisdom. A living saint. A savior. The unofficial chief priest and king of the Jews. Probably, in a past life, the builder of the Temple in Jerusalem. And a Chicago baptist burrito fanatic—Salomon Damonette."

Wanda Maximov's eyes widened. "What did you say?"

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(End of this chapter)