Marvel Magic Case Files.

Chapter 61 Similar Women

For the past twenty years, Enzo had paid Bayoneta with jewels instead of cash. Only recently did Bayoneta realize that her subconscious collection of jewels was entirely due to the attraction of her left eye to her right eye.

Now that things have come to this, how could the witch, who is searching for the truth about her origins, possibly suppress her desire to uncover the truth?

Despite Salomon's repeated admonitions, the witch still considered it overly gentle nagging. Although Bayonetta enjoyed being cared for, she had her own thoughts. If Salomon hadn't mentioned the Sorcerer Supreme, she would have even considered handling the matter herself. After all, it concerned her memories, and Bayonetta believed it was her own affair.

But now, more and more theories point to the resurrection of the creator Jubilee, and even if Bayonetta is powerful, she cannot possibly defeat that thing alone. However, the witch still plans to secretly investigate Vigrid first, trying not to attract attention, to see if she can gather any clues—clues about her origins.

To reach Vigrid, one must first take a train. This train is a special line to Vigrid, a high-speed train developed by the Izawell Group. To board this train, one must have a Vigrid pass. Bayonetta naturally didn't have one, but she still managed to board the train by entering the Infernal Realm, meaning she evaded the fare.

The train traveled through the snow-capped peaks of the Alps, and most of the passengers were Ragnar pilgrims on their way to Vigrid. The carriages were extremely luxurious, with light green wool carpets on the floor, woven with patterns of dark green and white wool; the seats were wooden armchairs with thick blue cushions embroidered with golden sun symbols; even the luggage racks were made of brass.

Bayonetta sat by the window, watching the orange-red afterglow paint the black rocks, the white mountaintops reflecting the bright light, and the shadows below gradually rising, devouring the last rays of light one by one. The carriage appeared empty, but this was only because the witch resided in the Infernal Realm; ordinary people's projections in this world were merely illusory, transparent phantoms.

She planned to travel from the Infernal Realm to Vigrid. As long as she didn't directly encounter Baldr, who possessed the "Right Eye," no one would be able to detect her presence. Well, perhaps ordinary people would feel something passing by, but it wasn't a big deal.

The long journey made Bayoneta drowsy, and she had a dream. In the dream, a hoarse male voice spoke to her, saying, "Wake up, my daughter."

Bayonetta found herself in what seemed to be an empty room. Before her was a huge golden ring, with golden ripples on its surface. A black figure appeared within the golden ring.

"Dad?" Bayonetta found herself saying the words involuntarily.

"Yes, come here." The figure stretched out a hand, and the clothes looked extremely familiar to Bayonetta.

Then, a slight jolt of the train brought her back to her senses. The witch turned to look out the window; night had completely enveloped the earth, moonlight illuminating the snow-capped peaks along the way, its pale light once again dispelling the shadows. Bayonetta had no recollection of the scene from her dream. She lowered her head and pondered for a moment—perhaps this was related to her lost memories; once she found a clue, she would naturally recall them.

Suddenly, she heard the sound of a motorcycle engine, which grew closer and closer. The sound traveled through the glass window into the witch's ears, drawing her attention back to the outside.

She saw a motorcycle defying gravity as it sped along a steep, black rock face. A bright purple arcane barrier hung between the motorcycle and the rock face, and the slippery snow between the rocks seemed to have no effect on the motorcycle. It continued to move at high speed with remarkable smoothness, even maintaining a speed that was relatively stationary compared to the train.

The rider of the motorcycle was a short-haired white woman wearing a red, tight-fitting leather outfit; this woman had appeared in Baldr's office before. As Bayonetta looked out, the woman was also looking into the vehicle. The witch adjusted her glasses—this woman's spell was exactly the same as her own, which piqued Bayonetta's interest.

She felt that coming to Vigrid was a very good choice.

Joan twisted the throttle, and the motorcycle accelerated again, leaping off the rock face, flipping several times in the air before landing on the train roof. Instead of applying the brakes, she swiftly charged towards the roof of Bayonetta's carriage, pulling two black pistols with white peacock feathers hanging from their handles from behind her back, and rapidly firing at the target carriage.

Purple magic enveloped the bullets, pouring into the carriage like a torrential downpour. Joan of Arc paid no heed to the Ragnarokists' pleas; she ignored their screams. Her only target was Bayonetta.

The witch's reaction was incredibly swift; as she dodged a bullet that whizzed past her, the surroundings slowed dramatically. This was Witch Time, a unique magic of the witch race that enhances the recipient's senses, allowing them to move at supersonic speeds. This magic is usually permanent on witches, automatically triggering when they dodge attacks. Of course, it can also be triggered intentionally under certain circumstances, depending on the caster's intentions.

She braced herself against the seat, and the pistol on her high heel fired instantly, shattering the glass. Bayonetta leaped out of the window, twirled a few times in mid-air, and landed steadily on the roof of the car, standing opposite Joan of Arc. Without a word, she reached behind her back, raised her magenta pistol, and aimed it at the unfamiliar enemy.

"Excuse me, who are you?"

"Heh." The purple magic spell beneath the motorcycle lit up again, and the engine roared to life. Bayonetta fired immediately, but both bullets were dodged by Jeanne dodges. Jeanne darts forward on the motorcycle, then slammed on the brakes, causing the rear of the bike to ram sideways, which Bayonetta dodged by jumping back. Jeanne then forcefully spun the motorcycle around, again slamming the bike sideways at the witch, but the witch dodged each time.

The witch suddenly leaped up, leaping towards the rock wall, her wide sleeves billowing like a swallow spreading its wings in the wind. Purple magic lights up beneath Bayonetta's feet, allowing her to land steadily on the rock wall, while her hair and clothes seem to be drawn by gravity from another direction, showing no sign of falling.

"You seem to possess the same magic as me," Bayonetta said. "I'll ask you one more time, who are you?"

Joan of Arc also stopped her motorcycle on the vertical rock face. She chuckled softly, "Looks like the long sleep has dulled your mind."

"Do I know you? You seem to know me." Bayonetta's gun was still pointed at Joan of Arc, and the full moon lingered behind her, bathing her black leather coat in a pale moonlight.

"I may know you better than you know yourself."

"You're making me care more and more."

"If you defeat me, I might tell you something." Jeanne's way of speaking was almost identical to Bayonetta's, both habitually raising their voices at the end of sentences, like a hook trying to entice the other's heart. She drove her motorcycle up the mountain, with Bayonetta close behind. With the witch's leaps, her black sleeves slid forward like outstretched wings.

Joan of Arc abandoned her motorcycle and leaped to meet Bayonetta. Her fighting style was identical to Bayonetta's; their bullets collided, rubbed together, and sparked in mid-air. Regardless of the technique, their movements were almost identical, and bullets fired at extremely close range were dodged in the same way.

The two skipped and hopped their way up to a higher mountaintop. Joan of Arc ran ahead, then suddenly turned and launched a high kick at Bayonetta, the pistol on her heel firing a bullet. But this attack was exactly what Bayonetta had anticipated. They exchanged several more evenly matched blows before separating, because even though Bayonetta had lost her memory, her fighting instincts remained, and she could find a way to counter every attack Joan of Arc made.

"This feeling is so long-lost." Joan of Arc pointed her gun to both sides. "How about it, does it remind you of anything?"

"No, not at all." Bayonetta pushed up her glasses with her gun and said, "I do have a feeling that I once defeated you."

"You can try, you slowpoke." Joan of Arc raised her pistol and charged forward again. Her long, powerful legs swung in a spinning kick at Bayonetta, but it was a feint. As expected, Joan of Arc's pistol was blocked when it swung at the witch.

The two then clashed again, but no matter how they attacked, they couldn't land a blow. Their fists and feet were constantly blocked, and the rapidly advancing bullets always grazed past them. Bayonetta's pistol, "Elf Knight," began to crack after being subjected to numerous violent impacts. However, as she fought Jeanne, the familiar scene slowly brought back her memories, as if she had once fought a similar battle with this person before. Because she was lost in her memories, Bayonetta's movements slowed, and Jeanne quickly seized the opportunity to exploit her weakness.

"Is this all the strength you have?" Joan of Arc asked flippantly. She and Bayonetta were standing to the side of a massive stone pillar, but they did not continue their attack.

"Who knows? Maybe you'll find out after a few more times." Bayonetta's tone was as usual, deeply concealing her longing for that memory.

Joan of Arc chuckled and replied, "What can you demonstrate with that kind of toy?"

"I will, because I think you haven't had enough fun yet." Bayonetta suddenly leaped toward Jeanne and fired another shot, but the round green and pink gems embedded in the "Elf Knight" shattered abruptly, and the magenta pistol emitted thick smoke and electricity.

"How foolish!" Joan of Arc jumped aside and fell off the pillar. She said, "You're not ready."

"Hmph!" Bayonetta watched as Joan of Arc vanished before her eyes, her crimson "Elf Knight" completely destroyed. On this ancient ruin strewn with colossal stone pillars, only white snow and moonlight remained.

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(End of this chapter)