Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 679 Freedom and Sacrifice (Second Update)

"You're useless. This is a battlefield of blood and flesh, not a place where cowards who only rely on high technology to bully primitives can survive. Without your armor, you're useless in combat." Kasirius didn't turn around, his tone full of contempt. His past record with Stark was vastly different; most of it was fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan, bullying extremist groups that didn't even have an air force. This asymmetric warfare filled Kasirius with disdain. Although Stark repeatedly explained to him that this was what future warfare looked like, the sorcerer chose to ignore him. In his view, not daring to engage the enemy in close combat was a sign of cowardice. "Get ready, someone will bring you your shield in a little while." Kasirius looked at the silent Steve Rogers. "While you're displaying the childishness typical of superheroes, the truly innocent are still suffering! At least those girls are cleaner than the American soldiers who went to Afghanistan, aren't they?"

"Hey! All I need is a shower!" Tony Stark grumbled.

The clanging of metal gradually drowned out the vibrations from the reactor cooling ducts and Stark's complaints. The rhythmic, heavy footsteps belonged to the Sorority's steel high heels striking the slatted floor as they silently marched into the tarmac, each equipped with their own weaponry. The assault team was armed with steel wings, chainswords, and explosive pistols; Asgardian force field technology allowed some of the more skilled Sorority members to wield even more dangerous powered longswords. The heavy weapons team was equipped with heavy explosive guns and heavy flamethrowers, with ammunition and fuel for combat mounted on their energy backpacks.

The offensive force extends beyond this. Besides the assault transport ships aboard the aircraft carrier, two tanks will descend from the sky alongside them. Three air carriers will coordinate with the Sisterhood's operational plan, launching simultaneous attacks from different locations to completely eradicate the newly formed human trafficking organization—the only stable way for the Sisterhood and the Immortal City to acquire new population. Although this method has become increasingly unstable with their continued efforts, the Sisterhood's command believes their monarch will forge a new path for them. And indeed, he intends to specifically collect battlefield orphans for training, rather than girls who have endured inhuman suffering, to further enhance the Sisterhood's professional capabilities.

The structure of the sorority has always been a key point of discussion between Dita and Stephanie.

Both in the envisioned future and in the present reality, the number of members in the sorority will continue to grow, and even now there are sorority members who specialize in clerical work. Although these clerical personnel can still use explosive guns and chainsaw swords, they are ultimately not professional combatants and can only perform medical, clerical, and similar tasks. These individuals must be separated from the existing military organization in terms of position and function, forming a specialized clerical department to help the monarch strengthen control over the entire administrative system.

Tita plans to first establish a complete framework and then gradually fill it with people.

Civilian staff are simply categorized by position, while combat units are divided according to tactical preferences and weapon choices. This simplifies command and management, requiring only a few branch commanders to oversee. However, Tita encountered unprecedented difficulties when choosing names and designing emblems—the sorority's emblems were derived from the emblems of the Amber Witches, specifically Bayonetta and Jeanne d'Arc, featuring a rose and a lily respectively. Following this line of thought, Tita spent all her free time without figuring out how to design the emblems for the functionally divided sorority branches. She now regretted not having the patience to study emblemology earlier and considered talking to Stephanie to find an emblem design expert for help. Tita was certain that the monarch had created her into a perfect image, and she didn't want the monarch to know that she couldn't even design an emblem.

Therefore, when she carried out this long mission, the style and pattern of her armor remained unchanged.

"Sisters!" She stood on the tarmac, her steel high heels beneath the scorch marks left by the burning wreckage of the Quinjet and the black blood that had seeped into the concrete and couldn't be completely washed away. Steve Rogers, shield in hand, stood in the shadow of the lights watching her address the sorority members of the Retribution, "I don't need to say much to you. You all understand how important this mission is. Some of our sisters have been saved because of it."

Dita drew her longsword from her waist, showing the girls the weapon Salomon had forged himself. Most of the girls had only seen the sword twice: once during their formal oath-taking ceremony, and once during their prayers when they became reservists. Many girls vividly remembered those moments; they would never forget the smell of disinfectant and shower gel on them after being pulled out of hell, nor the inner pride and rage they felt when they donned the power armor, ready to unleash it upon their enemies.

"We are the messengers of the monarch's will, his sword and hammer! Today, the weapons we wield will be filled with his wrath!"

Steve Rogers frowned.

"I thought we had ended the war forever, at least that's what the soldiers who fought alongside me thought," he said. "We certainly weren't sending girls who weren't even twenty years old to the battlefield."

"Such words were said during World War I too. 'The war to end all wars,' 'The war to end the old era,' these concepts have been mentioned more than once." Cassirios shook his head dismissively. "Mortals always trample on humanity for petty gains. I remember Salomon telling you more than once why this place is in this state—I'm not blaming him, he just didn't understand that not everyone has the wisdom to comprehend all things in the world, not everyone is as rational as he is."

"You made him start killing at the age of twelve!" Rogers finally seized the opportunity to pinpoint the person most directly responsible for Salomon's current state. In his view, Cassirios bore a large part of the blame.

"This is his mission and responsibility. Salomon is incomparably noble, both in terms of bloodline and legitimacy. He is the future ruler of Earth, and his status dictates that the Venerable One cannot educate him in a too-gentle manner. When he possesses that power, he must shoulder the responsibility—rights and obligations. You can't imagine how demanding Salomon's childhood curriculum was; he had to learn science, magic, and art. He had no toys, no playmates, only endless learning and training, yet he never complained. Those who aspire to wear the crown must bear its weight. This kind of education gave Salomon the mental fortitude to face the future. Do you think a street youth wearing headphones, a trendy hoodie, and smoking cigarettes can shoulder this responsibility? Compared to that kind of person, wouldn't you have more faith in a wise man wielding a longsword and scrolls?"

"You treat people as tools."

“Yes, that’s true. Even Salomon sees himself as a tool,” Kasirius said softly. “Perhaps Stark still doesn’t understand why we hate him so much, but I believe you do. You are tainting this sacrifice with that manipulated freedom and human rights, tainting the free will the Sorcerer Supreme fought for humanity. I’m merely showing you the truth of the world, and you can barely bear this sacrifice.”

"Then why don't you just rule humanity directly? Why aren't the tasks for the demonic descendants so cruel?" Rogers said. "I never imagined the world would become like this..."

"Because that's not our job. Someone else will do it, but that person will definitely not be one of you." Cassirios smiled. "The Demon's mission is completely different from the last one, and I won't explain the differences to you. I said I would give you one last chance. If this mission still can't change your mind, I will invite you and those agents to take revenge on me, right here."

Please vote! I'm going to bed as soon as I get off work, sob sob!

(End of this chapter)