Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 649 The Church of Coron (Second Update)

"Continuous minor earthquakes across Maine... The governor is asking residents to stay home and not panic... We've invited geologist Richard..." Salomon tossed aside the TV remote and answered the phone as if granted a pardon. The host's drowsy voice was truly torturous, and this call, transferred from the front desk, allowed him a temporary escape from the boring television program.

"Mr. Augustus? This is Bonhams auction house. The painting you auctioned will be delivered to the Brunswick Hotel by a special courier in five hours. Please be ready to sign for it." Salomon hung up the phone, glanced at Wanda who was engrossed in engraving amulets on a bronze plaque, and prepared to tell her the news.

This was a long-term mission to retrieve the Dark Book or its fragments, a task Salomon had been undertaking for nearly a decade. He had pinpointed the location of the mission through a peculiar work of art. Among these was a bizarre and clumsy imitation of the Virgin Mary and the Christ Child—the figures were obese, reminiscent of Peter Paul Rubens' *The Sylphides and the Forest Spirits*, with a visual tension no less than that of *The Rape of the Daughters of Lucifer*. But that painting did not evoke beauty; on the contrary, it was deeply disturbing. The figures' faces were filled with malice, their limbs displaying the wrinkled skin of old age, devoid of elasticity, and beneath the unappealing curves of the human form lay a dense mass of protrusions, as if worms lay beneath the skin instead of flesh. Against the somber backdrop of the painting, some grotesque creatures frolicked and played.

This terrible yet incomparably charming painting was auctioned off as an imitation of Rubens by an unknown 18th-century artist. Salomon, acting on his intuition, bought the painting, gained access to examine it closely, and made contact with the seller. Through conversations and a hefty sum, Salomon learned the story behind the painting: the seller was the sole surviving member of the aforementioned family, a descendant of James Robert Boone, a relative of the mad writer Charles Boone. The painting, along with other artworks (including a broken cross and a card covered in strange writing), had been brought from the seller's ancestor, Charles Boone.

To fund Salomon's art purchases and his medication for his rheumatism, the seller told him a horrifying tale: an incredibly sinister house, a strange, deserted town, a child without eyes, a calf with two heads, many mad living people, and many equally mad dead. Unlike fabricated stories used to inflate auction prices, Salomon immediately recognized this as a genuine fabrication. The story took place in an abandoned town on the banks of the River Royal, about eleven miles upstream from the mouth of the Androscokin River, about three miles north of Falmouth, near Chappell White, at the Boone family's old house.

Salomon was certain they weren't making things up because the addict mentioned a book. When the seller showed him the card, Salomon was even more convinced it was a true story. He put aside the troubles following the Ultron incident and returned to the Kamar-Taj headquarters library to check the records. Finally, he found information about Charles Boone and the town of Jerusalem in a mission log from over a hundred years ago. In the Kamar-Taj mission log, Jerusalem was described as an unremarkable abandoned town with traces of dark magic activity, but no unusual phenomena had occurred.

The book was called "The Secret of the Worm," and the spell written on the card Charles Boone sent could summon a monster hundreds of feet tall from beyond the universe.

When he saw the seller again, the seller had died on the street from a drug overdose.

This was the police's conclusion, but Salomon disagreed. Although he saw numerous injection marks in the seller's groin, the seller had only inhaled the drugs through his nose during their last meeting. In just two weeks, it wouldn't be so easy for a drug addict to progress from nasal inhalation to groin injection. All the doubts were resolved after he discovered an inconspicuous tattoo on the seller's body.

The organization to which this tattoo belongs was founded in the 16th century in the mountains of Romania, and later migrated to England and Scotland. After Kamar-Taj destroyed the organization, the Colonzon Church reappeared in the United States.

The name of the Kabbalah demon.

Salomon nervously touched the silver key under his clothes.

He couldn't find the seller's soul, nor could he summon a ghost to answer his questions. But as he attempted to cast a spell, the silver key suddenly became scorching hot, and the mark on his hand reminded him that this matter was related to the nameless god, the ruler of time and space, and the One Who Unifies All. He was certain that vampires and cultists were connected to the town of Jerusalem in the story. If it weren't for the painting and the vampire activity reported by his Kamar-Taj informant, Salomon would never have noticed that place. He was quite certain that the seller's death was inextricably linked to this cult that worshipped Yog-Sothoth, the One Who Unifies All.

He was also quite certain that someone was trying to summon monsters using the magic book that Charles Boone had once seen.

Salomon was tasked with handling this matter, while the other sorcerers, along with the sorority and intelligence agencies, worked to eradicate the Colombon Church, which was hiding in the United States. Agent Victoria Hand suspended her pursuit of Hydra and devoted herself entirely to the operation to eliminate the cult.

"Sorry, no comment." Agent Hand bluntly rejected Natasha Romanoff's attempt to obtain information.

The sudden disappearance of Salomon and Wanda unsettled Agent Natasha Romanoff. As the Avengers' (ostensible) spy deployed to the Immortal City, she needed to be aware of the movements of these two destabilizing forces. Normally, she could selectively act as a double agent, but with the three Sky Helicopters activated, the danger level escalated dramatically. Even though the operation included a downtown area, the Immortal City was preparing its ammunition to the standards of high-intensity warfare. Agent Hand expressionlessly squeezed past Natasha—she was busy arranging the brainwashing program. All mortal agents about to participate in the cult extermination operation had to undergo brainwashing, completely forgetting everything they had seen and heard. This was an indisputable procedure; those who refused would be executed on the spot. She had to do it; she knew how easy it was to corrupt mortals. A whisper, a symbol, a smile—that could turn a resolute elite agent into a cultist for the rest of their days.

Stephanie's father, Gideon Malik, with Salomon's help, has climbed to a position where he can assist the Immortal City, and this mission will be his moment to shine. Loyalty is rewarded; those who are useful are loyal.

"C-A1 Agent, Commander of the England Division." Agent Hand handed a mission procedure document to his subordinate. "This is your mission. C-A2, Commander of the Scotland Division, this is your mission. The CIA will provide you with intelligence support, but remember to keep your mouths shut and maintain your agent discipline. I will personally lead the North American division's combat team, and we will act simultaneously when the monarch's signal is given."

"Including operations in downtown areas?"

"If necessary, artillery fire can cover up everything." Agent Hand glanced at the C-A2. "Casualties are inevitable. Execute the mission, Agent Weaver. This is the last time I'll call your name."

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(End of this chapter)