Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 837 Time Travel (First Update)

As one of the few who had delved deep into Bayonetta's mind, Salomon had witnessed this scene more than once, though he had always observed it from Bayonetta's perspective, experiencing her helplessness and despair upon seeing the dead Rosa. This kind of magic that penetrates deep into dreams requires the recipient to open their heart and offer no resistance, allowing the caster to repeatedly observe certain details. As part of psychotherapy between partners, Salomon often performed the spell after intimacy, when Bayonetta was sound asleep, gradually increasing her acceptance of the scene. If the spell was performed while Bayonetta was awake, her inner resistance would affect its effectiveness.

Perhaps it was for this reason that Bayonetta was able to remain rational amidst her immense grief and devise the right solution when she saw her deceased mother again. Baldr, completely unaware that Bayonetta was nodding towards a secluded corner, stepped into the moonlight; all his attention was focused on the deceased Rosa. The pale moonlight passively amplified the witch's power, allowing Bayonetta to cast [Witch's Walk], a spell similar to [Spider Walk], without needing to incantate. She stood steadily on the glass of the circular skylight—Bayonetta only actively used the power of [Eye of the World] on rare occasions, but now she had no choice; only the power of the [Right Eye of Light] and the [Left Eye of Darkness] could allow them to return to the future.

"The dimensional portal has opened! We must return to my time!" Bayonetta cried out, seeing Baldr holding Rosa motionless. "Hurry, we don't have time!"

"Bard." Perhaps it was Bayonetta's voice that awakened the dying Rosa, or perhaps it was Rosa's lingering soul that propelled her already dead body. Rosa miraculously opened her eyes and looked at her lover. "Take care of Ceresa. Our child will awaken her power; she will be awakened by the Eye of the World."

She glanced out of the corner of her eye at the dark figure bathed in moonlight above the round skylight. After that, Rosa seemed to sink completely into the mire of death; she lost all consciousness, her soul slowly sank into the warm, hot spring-like darkness. Baldr cried out her name in despair, but no matter what he did, he couldn't wake Rosa again. He hated his own powerlessness. This wasn't the first time he'd seen Rosa die. He had thought he could change something this time, but he had accomplished nothing—the first time, when he and Rosa fought side-by-side, Rosa was killed in a sneak attack. After that, he listened to the man called the Prophet and traveled through time to the future to seek revenge. The second time, he couldn't even get there in time, watching helplessly as Rosa was killed by that damned man. Anger and grief were like two rusty gears in his mind, creaking and unable to move.

He wouldn't have been able to even think about it if Rosa hadn't told him their daughter's name. Clearly, Rosa remembered the memories from after the time loop perfectly; she gave the lipstick to Baldr the very first time.

"Bard!" Bayonetta urged urgently, "We don't have time!"

Baldr gently placed Rosa on the ground, then slowly rose to his feet, filled with immense anger. He leaped into the air and grasped Bayonetta's outstretched hand.

"Mummy..." Bayonetta looked at her mother's figure with longing, then resolutely cast a spell, activating the power of the Eye of the World.

"Mummy...no!" This era's Bayonetta and Jeanne rushed into the room. Jeanne closed the door and placed a seal on it to prevent anyone else from entering. However, they weren't the only ones in the room. This era's Bayonetta, filled with grief and rage, pointed her pistol at the golden figure holding Rosa. "I see you, the Angel of Slaughter! Who are you! Put her down!"

Salomon slowly removed his helmet. The witch of this era immediately gasped, "It's you, you're... big brother!"

"Cesarea! You know this man?" Joan asked, her voice filled with surprise and uncertainty. She didn't lower the gun aimed at Salomon's head, remaining extremely vigilant. "Yes, I know him." The scene before her threw Ceresa into utter confusion. "What on earth is going on...?"

"This is a time loop, Seresa. A time loop that creates parallel universes and merges timelines. You'll understand what this is all about later." Salomon now understood why the Sorcerer Supreme had left him here while he himself had run back to the Himalayan headquarters in Kamar-Taj. The Sorcerer Supreme wanted him to witness the loop caused by the Sun Island incident firsthand, but also wanted to avoid seeing the melodramatic ethical scenes.

Salomon knew that the witch before him was not Bayonetta, the woman he had spent many years with, but Ceresa, the little girl he had cared for before, who had not yet lost her memory. Therefore, he changed his tone, becoming as gentle as when he had cared for the little girl. "I will take Rosa away, and no one will be able to find her," he said. "This is our promise. You will face difficult choices in your life, and I will take care of everything for you."

"What is he saying, Ceresia?" Joan of Arc asked, somewhat agitated. "Should we kill him here?"

"No..." Ceresa stepped forward, looking at her dead mother with grief, "I entrust everything to you, big brother."

Salomon nodded. "Don't worry, we'll meet again in the future."

He opened a portal to the Himalayas before Ceressa and Joan of Arc, from which a fierce wind and blizzard raged. Salomon donned his helmet, carried Rosa's body, and walked inside without looking back. As the room was filled with slowly melting snow, faint shouts of battle could be heard outside.

Ceresia cast aside her grief and stood with Joan of Arc to prepare to face the enemy. This was the outcome of the Sun Island incident; the Ceresia of the past had not succumbed to sorrow, which led to her being sealed away by Joan of Arc.

Salomon understood why the Sorcerer Supreme had given him this lesson. Seresa was Bayonetta, and Bayonetta was Seresa. In the merged timelines of the multiverse, Bayonetta and Seresa were the same person. That was why Bayonetta became his partner, even proposing to live together before he was an adult. This was the mystery of time; cause and effect did not follow logic.

No one stopped him when he entered Kamar-Taj.

He first went to the crypt behind the Kamar-Taj headquarters and placed Rosa's body in a pre-finished stone coffin. He brought a stone from outside and spent several hours sculpting it into Rosa's likeness. Finally, he closed the chamber, sealing the crypt completely. After completing this, Salomon went to the Sorcerer Supreme's meditation room, where the Sorcerer Supreme was already waiting for him. The master and disciple nodded without speaking, and the Sorcerer Supreme led Salomon into the dungeon where dangerous creatures were imprisoned—Salomon had been here more than once, but he didn't know what was in some of the rooms until the Sorcerer Supreme pointed to an empty cell, at which point he suddenly understood. In the future, when he studied magic, he had looked up the dungeon's records, and according to the records, this cell had been sealed for five hundred years.

The cells next to the empty cell had already been sealed off. The gloomy-faced dungeon keeper retreated into the shadows, and Salomon saw his face clearly; it looked exactly the same as it would have five hundred years later.

"Is there anything else you wish to do?" the Venerable One asked.

"No, Master." Salomon shook his head, lying on the rune-covered stone bed, his hands gripping the hilt of his sword, like a knight laid to rest. He placed his helmet beside his face and removed the shroud, folding it and setting it aside. "I only hope Rosa's grave will not be disturbed."

"No one will disturb her." The Sorcerer Supreme took a deep breath. "Be prepared, you will lose consciousness after this spell is completed."

"See you in five hundred years, Master." Salomon closed his eyes. He knew the principle behind this magic: once the spell was complete, he would be frozen in time, like an insect encased in amber. This was the magic with the slightest disturbance to time; Salomon would inevitably suffer a backlash from time if he crossed it. Only here could he slowly repay his debts without affecting himself.

"See you in five hundred years, my favorite disciple."

A flash of orange-red light, and Salomon was plunged into endless darkness.

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(End of this chapter)