Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 846 Report on the Battle of Finnbowent (Part 2)

"Catherine, Alice, Elizabeth, Cleopatra," Tatiana murmured, reciting the names of her fallen sisters. She took a deep breath to try and forget the throbbing pain in her abdomen. These were her sisters, whether creations of the monarch or ordinary girls, they had all shed their blood in her place. "Vera, Nastya, Alina, Valeria," the only sounds in the hall were the chisels of stone and the chanting of prayers by her sisters. Tatiana closed her eyes, letting her consciousness sink into the incense and prayer. She silently recited the names of her fallen sisters, then repeated them again, each name like a thorny whip lashing her back.

No one would question the sorority's creed, because they had all witnessed miracles.

Tatiana gazed up at the golden statue, a kind of unbearable pressure rising with the pale blue smoke. This was why all the sisters were willing to sacrifice themselves for this, she thought, this was a cause for which we all had to shed blood. In the nearly completed mural, Vera and Catherine were the only two sisters depicted with pure white wings.

She didn't tell the ladies everything. She couldn't remember what Ms. Catherine had said to her before leaving Vera's body, and even the small fragment of memory from the nightmares that haunted her was blurry, like a blank cassette tape with only noise. She only remembered that after all the light disappeared, Vera slowly floated into her arms, silently as if she had fallen asleep. This was a scene witnessed by everyone present, but Tatiana was certain that she had seen more than that.

"Their duty has been fulfilled; they shall stand gloriously beside the monarch," proclaimed Lady Dita, the leader of the sorority, standing beside the altar. A rough, black iron chain now adorned her shoulder armor, the chain bearing a gilded emblem and a prayer on parchment. All the sisters who survived the Battle of Finnbowent wore this ornament, and as an honor for having reached the summit, Tatiana received a parchment inscribed by Dita herself, detailing her achievements. "They have found peace, for the enemy has been burned to ashes. Rejoice for them, sisters, love them as you did while they were alive; their sacrifice is the glory of the sorority."

Dita wore magnificent black power armor, a golden eagle emblem encircling her neck guard. Her crimson robes and cloak were embroidered with lengthy texts in even darker threads, and a gilded iron ring in the shape of a sun atop her energy backpack. This was a ceremonial power armor set, but it was also an incredibly powerful weapon when necessary; it was said that the monarch himself designed some of its components. She leaned on a longsword forged by Salomon in one hand and held a massive parchment book in the other. The cover was adorned with gilded lettering, a large, uncut ruby ​​resembling flowing blood, and a genetically encoded combination lock. This book could only be opened by the sorority's highest echelons; it was said to contain not only the sorority's prayers but also the alchemy and ultimate secret weapons bestowed upon them by the monarch. Of course, only a select few knew the truth; the sorority possessed far more secrets than intelligence agencies suspected.

After the battle, all the sisters who participated in the fight had to pray for a long time to ensure that no one was corrupted. Even the wounded who had just gotten out of bed were no exception; Tita personally brought over those wounded who reeked of disinfectant.

"We will remember their deeds; their story will be engraved in stone and written in our books, so that future generations will understand the great faith for which they sacrificed themselves. Praise be to our Lord, praise be to St. Catherine!"

"Praise be to our Lord!" the nearly one hundred sisters, kneeling on one knee, exclaimed in unison. "Praise be to Saint Catherine!"

"Let us hold a final vigil, and then send our fallen sisters into the eternally silent tomb."

Tatiana was chosen as one of the pallbearers for Vera's coffin; the other three were members of the assault team. After Tatiana finished her final prayers and watched as her servants inscribed the names on the stone tablets of the Glory Memorial, she left the hall. Before stepping through the Baroque oak doors, she involuntarily glanced back. In the dim light behind the sculptures, she seemed to see Vera smiling at her from the mural—Tatiana rubbed her eyes, attributing it to a hallucination caused by three sleepless nights of vigil and prayer, coupled with the fatigue from the medication.

The funerals weren't just held by the sorority; those of the regular army and intelligence also took place at the same time. Regrettably, no clergy attended their funerals, which was to be expected given Salomon's aversion to the Abrahamic pantheon. Therefore, each fallen soldier's coffin was draped with a crimson banner embroidered with a golden eagle, and these soldiers were then buried in a specially purchased cemetery outside the Immortal City.

Sofia had just attended the funeral of one of her own people and was rushing to the towering Ministry of the Interior building, which had the exterior of a Baroque church, when she bumped into Victoria Hand.

She could guess Victoria Hand's purpose with her toes, because she shared the same idea.

The logistics department had already delivered the necessary supplies to the Sky Carrier and Sky Battleship. If it were for this reason, Victoria Hand wouldn't have needed to come to the Ministry of the Interior at all; she would have already retreated back to the Sky Carrier or the carrier fleet in the Pacific.

"We need armaments. Not ordinary armaments, but war machines," Sophia said to Stephanie, who had dark circles under her eyes. "I know the Quartermaster Department can't handle this; only the Ministry of the Interior and the Martian Foundry can make the decision."

"Neither Mars nor I can make a decision." Stephanie waved her hand irritably, empty vials of medicine and documents littering the table.

Due to Salomon's astonishing decision, much of the experimental equipment forged on Mars and Earth, along with evidence of the World Watchers' existence, was buried beneath the collapsed mountain. This prevented Stephanie from collecting data on the usage of those weapons and equipment, forcing the Martian foundry to spend far more time testing and modifying the equipment. Furthermore, the operation consumed an enormous amount of manpower, with even some Hydra special forces members losing their lives. The Immortal City had no shortage of weapons and equipment, even some with overcapacity; what it lacked was well-trained soldiers—the cost of producing a genetically modified warrior (the Royal Guard) was staggering, making large-scale expansion impossible. Stephanie was willing to pay double the compensation to double the size of the regular army.

"That's Kamar-Taj stuff; I don't know anything about magic."

"Where is the monarch?" Victoria Hand asked.

"I don't know." Stephanie rolled her eyes and almost fell asleep. "How could I possibly know where he went? All I know is that he was in the Immortal City today. I'm going to fall asleep in twenty seconds; I don't want to die from overwork like my subordinates. Do you have any other questions?"

"Do you have any other questions, you snotty brat?"

Deep within the dungeons of the Immortal City, the Royal Guard stood watch outside a large door. The boy who had witnessed the entire Battle of Finnbowent remained within a magic circle formed by concentric rings of brilliant sparks. Contrary to popular belief, Salomon had not imprisoned him, but rather protected him—a pale blue light constantly emanated from the boy's fingertips. Without this magic to restrain him, the boy would be nothing more than a mindless speck of light.

"The Chaos God Aesir has completely vanished. What do you intend to do next?"

Please vote for me!

(End of this chapter)