Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 847 A Detestable Soul (First Update)

"The answer to this question doesn't depend on me. Why would you ask a question with an answer you decide for yourself? Is that interesting?" The retrieved memories didn't change the boy's way of speaking. He looked around and snorted disdainfully. The iron-black cages around him hummed after being electrified, and the floor and walls were engraved with painfully twisted curves and intricate four-dimensional polygon topologies. Even the overhead lighting was independently powered.

It wasn't hard to judge how long it would take to build such a tight-fitting magical prison; the boy knew without thinking that this place certainly wasn't originally intended for him. It was a place to imprison spirits, and he was only here because it happened to be useful.

“I don’t thank you, Salomon. I don’t consider you to be helping me,” he said. “I hear the grief from the crowd above, like a saw slowly pulling at my spine. You paid with so many lives and weapons to destroy half of the soul of the Chaos God Asar, and even if it’s out of revenge, you won’t let me leave so easily.”

"You underestimate me, Asa." Salomon addressed him by his first name without any politeness. "You know why I want to destroy the other half, even at the cost of interrupting this time loop, scheming against my past self, and deceiving the entire universe and timeline to achieve my goal. But you guessed one thing right: even if you are the good side of the Chaos God Asa, I will not look at you any differently."

"Where do you plan to seal me away? Kamar-Taj or some other planet?" The boy looked up curiously. "I'm curious how you came to this decision. Does Bayonetta know what you're planning to do?"

"No, I will let you go, allowing your soul to begin its reincarnation." The sorcerer smiled. Before the boy's surprise could fade, he continued, "You once possessed the power of the Chaos God Asa, and I believe you foresaw the future predicament of the human race. Perhaps it was for this reason that the Chaos God Asa bestowed the Eye of the World upon the witch and the sage."

The boy made a nasal sound, which was undeniable.

"But that's far from enough. Humanity's predicament doesn't only stem from outer dimensions. Before your soul reincarnates, I need to reach an agreement with you, a soul contract that will allow you and me to stand on the same side—I've said it before, even if you are the Chaos God Asa representing the good side, I won't trust you too much. Who knows if you'll go mad after losing your memories, just like your brother, once you're in a physical body."

"Doesn't your paranoia really affect your life? Have you ever truly trusted anyone, Salomon? You're wrong about one thing: I've never considered myself superior to humans. I'm just one of the masses. But look at yourself; you continue to deny your own nature." The boy laughed. "Perhaps you need a therapist. Given your cursed future, it's a sincere suggestion."

Salomon ignored the boy's advice. "Once the soul contract is signed, I will let your soul leave and give you flesh to become human," the sorcerer said. "I know the atrocities I will commit in the future, but whether the actions are just depends on the consequences. To prevent the destruction of the human race, I will do things you can't even imagine, things that would make your evil brother act like a childish rascal stealing snacks from other children. Now you have time to look at this contract carefully. I have distributed contracts to many people, but this is the most binding one because it is a contract certified by my true name."

"What if I don't sign?" the boy asked.

"Then you can use your imagination." Salomon pointed to the runes painted on the wall, behind which several arcane mages awaited orders. They held scrolls filled with dark power, copied by Salomon and the Sorcerer Supreme himself. Some of the text on these scrolls was identical to some of the runes on the cannons on War Machine's shoulders and on its energy core. Although this would certainly provoke Bayonetta's ire, Kamar-Taj would never gamble the future on baseless matters; only a hothead like Stephen Strange would gamble (although Strange was twice Salomon's age, that didn't stop him from calling him a "hothead"). However, with Salomon in charge of the future, even with the title of Sorcerer Supreme, Strange couldn't recklessly jeopardize the fate of the human race.

"Tsk!" The boy clicked his tongue dismissively. "Let me see the contract."

Salomon told Bayonetta that "the boy has already taken human form and is hiding somewhere in human society as an infant." While this isn't entirely wrong, it's not entirely accurate. Salomon and the Sorcerer Supreme had other plans for this special soul—taking human form would certainly result in the loss of memories, but the essence of the soul wouldn't change. Half of Asgard's soul is ultimately immortal, and the contract Salomon made with the boy would continue to reincarnate alongside Asgard's other half, even if memories were lost—in fact, the boy quite agreed with the contract Salomon offered, after all, he was the half of the soul representing good, and Salomon's demands were merely reinforcing his past work and beliefs. However, given the boy's personality, he still launched into a barrage of sarcastic remarks about the sorcerer, spewing out things like "a vampire who expects people to work without pay."

"Actually, it's quite pleasant being with you, Salomon," the boy suddenly said before the sorcerer broke the seal. "But I never expected you to be so ruthless to yourself."

"Did you see a glimpse of the future?"

"Yes, despicable soul." The boy nodded. "Good luck, goodbye."

"My lord?" Constantine asked, bowing his head.

"It's alright, the contract has been signed. It's always better to be prepared than not, even if we don't need it." Salomon waved his hand, signaling the arcane mages in the next room to return to Kamar-Taj, making no mention of the conversation that had taken place in the room. There was no way to open a portal here. Hidden in the ceiling of the corridor leading to the outside were alchemical robots (an upgraded version used during the Dark Elf invasion) that he had created in his spare time, combining Malbus's mechanical manufacturing and bio-modification technologies. These alchemical robots, which were both dead and alive, could lock onto enemies with radar within a fraction of a second of activation, and then descend from the sky to slice unverified intruders into thin slices of flesh with their blade-like limbs.

Moreover, the ghosts and shadows he summoned lurked in the shadows, constantly hunting down enemies attempting to infiltrate this place from another dimension. Layers upon layers of arcane traps, powerful protective spells maintained at great cost with precious materials, an independently operating security system, and vibranium doors tens of centimeters thick all guarded every secret here. Compared to these, the hundreds of guns of varying calibers and functions, covering every corner with their firing range, seemed insignificant. As an underground prison hiding the secrets of the cosmic gods and the Brotherhood of the Shield, the security measures here in the Immortal City were among the most stringent, rivaled only by biological laboratories.

"Let's go, we still need to attend a few funerals."

"The Immortal City's manpower is exhausted this time. We must find a new source of population." After the mass funeral, Stephanie immediately approached Salomon, who had been watching from afar—he hadn't gone straight to the funeral or greeted anyone. His current identity made it inappropriate for him to appear before everyone; his presence would only remind people of Finnbowent.

Stephanie had just had a nap and looked much better. "The next batch of sorority members must have their exams extended, and the girls who officially joined earlier must continue their training. Tita has repeatedly told me how terrible those girls' tactical skills are. Before, we've focused too much on their individual combat abilities. If we want to train qualified soldiers, we must strengthen their education..."

Salomon nodded.

He was wearing the robes of the hominid as usual, but this one was new.

Please vote for me!

(End of this chapter)