Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 724 Lord of Humanity (Second Update)

"Enough!" Salomon turned to the side, the head of the soaring eagle on his thick shoulder armor severed. He had finally reached his limit, severing Hela's arm with his holy sword, the tip of his holy lance pressed against the throat of the fallen goddess of death. The horrific injury and pain finally brought Hela back to her senses. The arcane mage used his boots to press down on the black sword "Night Sky," completely extinguishing Hela's hope of retaliation. His almost completely damaged vocal unit barely managed to project his voice, but it was accompanied by a crackling electrical hum, making it difficult to hear. Perhaps Malbath, considering future needs, had deliberately used precious materials in the vocal unit, which allowed it to block Hela's sword and save the arcane mage from a throat-slitting fate.

"You are no match for me now!"

"You're not bad either," Hela spat. The scalding sweat was quickly cooled by the mountain wind; she struggled to calm her anger and regain her composure. "If it weren't for that damned Odin..."

The sorcerer, through the electronic eye service system, saw Hela's stubborn, unyielding gaze. Hela's madness forced him to use unconventional power, transforming the original combat techniques into a contest of strength, which displeased the sorcerer, who had previously enjoyed swordplay. But he knew this wasn't the time to indulge in the thrill of battle. "I admit your combat skills are excellent. If you have the chance to get out of here, perhaps we can have a proper showdown!" he said. "But now is not the time for self-pity. If you're willing to listen to my advice…"

“Regardless, you have defeated me, and the victor has the right to set conditions. You are a mighty warrior, and I look forward to our duel in Asgard.” Hela moved her barely healed arm and rose from the ground. Even disheveled and covered in blood, she maintained her haughty demeanor, convinced in her heart that she had only suffered a slight defeat. She raised her chin. “Speak, your queen is listening!”

"Oh...shy child! Quickly take her to the room!" Frigga jumped up and down anxiously in front of the silver mirror.

Salomon's offers to Hela were all promises of alliance and concessions, and it's easy to imagine that even an exhausted Hela wouldn't agree to such a proposal. She hadn't completely lost her mind to give up Asgard, which was about to be hers, for a position in an empire that hadn't even been established yet.

"I know you won't accept this suggestion, but don't forget, I am a wizard." Seeing Hela about to fight to the death, Salomon quickly said, "Ragnarok will eventually come, Asgard will soon cease to exist, and Asgard after its destruction will not recover. I can offer you an opportunity to conquer the galaxy, an opportunity to expand the territory of the Nine Realms. An endless war, isn't that what you want most?"

"I am the future king of Asgard! Not a weapon to be used by others!"

"Ruins and a king of the dead, is this what you wanted?" the arcane mage scoffed. He ignored the goddess of death who was cleaning herself of blood, and sat on the cliff, overlooking the unchanging Helheim, where the steel forest and the River Styx shimmered with an eerie light.

"You have always been a weapon, a weapon Odin used to expand Asgard's territory. I, on the other hand, am a tool created to fulfill a certain mission. Unlike you, I understand my mission, and I am willing to do so," he said. "You can go your own way, but what will you have to rule over besides skeletons? Do you want to be the king of all stones?"

"What a silver tongue! You won't make me give up my revenge on Odin, you mortal!" Hela shouted angrily. "I knew it! You must have been sent by that liar Odin to persuade me! What did he promise you that made you willingly come here to die?!"

“I have nothing to do with Odin, and I never intended to stop you. I know you won’t agree to my suggestion until you see the end.” Salomon removed his helmet, revealing sweat-drenched black hair and a nearly deathly pale face. The wound Hela inflicted on him was slow to heal; the power of death was slowly but steadily taking his life. Yet, he showed no pain or fear on his face, as if the terrible wound beneath his armor was merely a stain of ink on parchment. “In fact, you are the prelude to a dark future,” he said. “After complex calculations, I discovered that if I can recruit you, the future human empire will reach unprecedented heights. I need you, Hela. I need you to lead the post-apocalyptic Asgardians into humanity, and then join me in completing the task that the Aesir failed to fully accomplish.”

"Unify the Milky Way?"

"Yes, unify the galaxy, and complete the ascension that humanity and Asgardians have yet to achieve." Salomon's eyes burned with golden flames. Hela knew what Salomon meant. Even though she wasn't interested in history, she knew about the origins of life in the Nine Realms and the Celestials' genetic engineering. In a sense, Asgardians and humans shared a common bloodline: the blood of the Celestials. Even though the Asgardians called themselves gods, they were still a long way from becoming true gods. Humanity possessed the potential for ascension, but had not yet crossed the threshold.

She was almost captivated by the vision, but she quickly snapped out of the allure of Salomon's voice.

"I am the King of Asgard!"

"As long as you can achieve my goal, you can call yourself the King of the Galaxy if you want." Salomon looked into Hela's eyes. "Think long-term, Hela. In the future, both Asgardians and humans will be able to completely escape the fate of the universe. You can do whatever you want if you wish, because after the mission is completed, the human race will no longer need me."

"Would you give up power?"

"Power is to me a means and a tool, not an end."

Hela felt as if two hands were gripping her heart tightly. "You fool!" she cried, "Are you really willing to be a tool?"

"I was born for this purpose, and I know I have never possessed free will. I don't mind, but that doesn't mean I'm willing to follow in the footsteps of the Old Gods," Salomon said softly. "I am a tool of humanity, a tool of myself."

"What's the difference?" Hela questioned.

"There is a difference. I have a plan..."

The Supreme Master extended his finger, disturbing the originally calm surface of the silver mirror.

Frigga looked up in horror at the Sorcerer Supreme. She was still reeling from the terrifying plan Salomon had described. "This is your real plan?" She couldn't help but clutch the hem of her sky-blue battle dress, the exquisite gold ornaments twisting in her hands. "Do you know what this means?"

The Venerable One calmly said, "I know, and my disciple knows too. In fact, it was he who proposed this plan."

"You are crazier than I imagined! You are going against the entire universe! You will not have a good end for this!"

"But this is also the only way for humanity to escape the manipulation of the gods." The Sorcerer Supreme's gaze was resolute. "I'm sharing this plan with you to gain your support, Frigga. Do you want to watch Asgard experience Ragnarok again and again, with souls becoming food for the Old Gods?"

"What arrogance!"

"This is humanity raising the banner of rebellion against the ancient gods who manipulate fate!" the Venerable proclaimed. "Salomon's birth was an opportunity. Did you think I had forgotten Camelot's fate? Humanity must not repeat that mistake! Among billions of possibilities, I found the opportunity to mold him into what he is today. I killed him tens of millions of times! I saved him tens of millions of times! I educated him tens of millions of times! Now, he recognizes himself as human, and so he will fulfill his mission! He will accomplish what Odin dared not do! Only such a person is worthy to be the ruler of humanity!"

Please vote for me!

(End of this chapter)