Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 807 Triggering Technique (First Update)

The four archangels representing the element of fire, [Perseverance], waved their magnificent white wings. At the sage's command, dragon heads, each inlaid with red and blue gems, opened their massive maws and spewed a terrifying torrent of lava towards the sorcerer below. Salomon reacted swiftly; upon recognizing the type of angel the sage had summoned, he retrieved the shield bestowed upon him by Athena from the void and displayed the professional skills of a top-tier sorcerer of Kamar-Taj.

"Honey, come help me!" Salomon called out to Bayonetta without hesitation, without trying to be brave.

It's not that he's incapable of defeating the Four Virtues. Perhaps when he first encountered the witch and the Four Virtues, he indeed lacked the ability to kill those deformed beings, but for a modern arcane mage, it only takes a little time to defeat the [Perseverance] angel, whether using spells bestowed by Yog-Sothoth or the Holy Sword, it can be done in a short time.

However, Salomon had no time, because his opponent was not the Quadruple Archangel, but a Sage possessing the terrifying spell [Swift Stream], comparable to [Witch Time]. Even with the enhancement of his Stigmata, Salomon's reaction speed couldn't be fast enough to stop time, and even with the sturdiest armor plates of his power armor, there were still gaps between the plates. Therefore, if he were to be even slightly distracted, he could very well be fatally wounded by the masked Sage. He had to stay focused, otherwise, the next time that golden spear tip would be more than just scratching the reliefs on his power armor.

The witch held up a finger, and Salomon agreed without hesitation. This was their little code, used to compete for the title of "Midnight Bedroom Cowboy." Bayonetta, with perfect understanding, summoned Madame Butterfly to deal with the Four Elements; she had almost wiped out all the previous angels, so she only needed to focus on the Four Elements angels.

This violent female demon seemed to have some kind of communication channel with Bayonetta. Upon learning that she could kill a large number of angels today, she even willingly paid part of the magic required for the summoning to allow half of her body to emerge from the witch's summoning circle. The moment Madame Butterfly appeared, she punched the plump, marble-faced angel of [Perseverance], shattering the angel's porcelain skin. Shards of porcelain, along with scalding blood, rained down like a torrent.

Madame Butterfly let out a joyful cry, followed by a few more punches.

The witch's battlefield shifted from the ground to the sky. Even so, the collision between the two behemoths still stirred up scorching gray hurricanes on the ground, and almost everything in the town of Noahdun that wasn't secured was blown down by the sudden gale. If the sage and Salomon hadn't been wearing head armor, they would surely have been blinded by the wind carrying dust and sand.

"All you can do is hide under women's skirts?" The sage seemed completely unconcerned about the [Perseverance] angel's wails, unexpectedly standing there and launching a mocking attack. Even without using his ability to see through the ether, Salomon could sense the barely suppressed rage in the masked sage's tone. "Come, let me test your skills!" The masked sage raised his spear, the tip pointing at Salomon's eyes. "If this is all you've got, then you'll die here today!"

"I'm an egalitarian, so I don't think there's anything shameful about it."

Despite his words, Salomon assumed his stance. He used his shield to cover the lower half of his face, preventing the sage from seeing his mouth movements, and used the sound of sand hitting his armor and shield to obscure his speech. Whether in close combat or a magical duel, information was a crucial factor in victory, and Salomon didn't want the masked sage to guess what magic he had just cast. He didn't even want to use his usual [Mirror Image] spell, because he knew that every sage was a very powerful spellcaster, and seeing through [Mirror Image] was an incredibly easy task.

"However, I personally have some confidence in my swordsmanship; close combat is a required course in Kamar-Taj. Also, there's something else—" The masked sage stood there, waiting for the arcane mage to continue. "—I remember that World Watchers sell their souls to their respective contracted planes, and then reincarnate there as planar beings. So, is that guy being beaten up someone you know? Do you have some deep-seated grudge against him?"

The sage seemed surprised that Salomon's topic had strayed so far, and for a moment even struggled to keep up. In response, the sage tossed his spear over.

Although that conversation took place many years ago, Salomon still remembers it very clearly.

"Both her right and left eyes have the ability to manipulate time and space, which is why Ceresa appeared."

After the Sun Island incident concluded, the Sorcerer Supreme finally had time to continue educating his disciples. Before Jubilus's complete death, the Sorcerer Supreme was observing the course of events and arranging the work of the sorcerers, and did not have time to properly explain to Salomon the unique spells of the witches and sages who called themselves the watchers of the world.

"The spell 'Witch Time' is a clumsy imitation of the Eye of the World, achieving a near-time stop by enhancing the senses, rather than truly manipulating time. Similar spells can be found in the library of Kamar-Taj, but we sorcerers have failed to integrate the foundation of this magic into our blood. They can cast such spells so easily not only because of the powerful magic in their blood, but also because this magic is instinctive for them; they only need a little learning to cast it," the Venerable said. "If someone possesses the Eye of the World, like the witch who wants to live with you, they might be able to cast time-stopping spells at will. If you're interested, you can ask her, provided she's willing to be honest with you."

Salomon and the witch had spent many years together and knew each other inside and out.

He had already devised a plan to deal with magic like "Witch Time," which accelerates the senses to the point of near-time standstill. One method he devised combined event listening (triggering) and invocation techniques. Anyone with basic programming experience could understand it; with slight modifications to the flow and objective, it became a highly effective countermeasure. Although he and the witch often used magic in rather unconventional ways, that didn't mean his solutions were ineffective. Bayonetta and he had perfected the use of this spell, including but not limited to pulling another person into the spell's effect and transferring the effects of "Witch Time" to another person. Bayonetta and Salomon had used this technique in their recent battle.

In short, if the Sage uses [Swift Stream], Salomon's pre-prepared [Trigger] spell will automatically retaliate by connecting to the pre-made spell. He was so certain the Sage would do this because he had just secretly performed a divination, predicting the Sage's actions. Perhaps seeing an arcane mage wielding a protective spell might make one forget how magic works, but divination spells, like protective mages, are specializations within Kamar-Taj.

Salomon calmly dodged the attack, and a tenth of a second later, the sage appeared behind him, catching the golden spear. Without hesitation, the masked sage thrust his spear at the "slow" Salomon, but the moment the spear tip touched the intricate relief on the arcane's power armor, the arcane's magic activated.

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(End of this chapter)