Marvel Magic Case Files.

Chapter 69 Count Malphas

A small section of the arena floor was propelled into the air by the gushing lava, billowing black smoke. The witch easily spun around to avoid the rubble, her speed astonishing. In an instant, she grabbed Salomon and leaped onto the arena's circular wall.

The sorcerer knew he might not be of much help in this battle; the power of the Fortitudo angel was beyond his current capabilities, and he was aware of being a burden. However, Salomon did what he could. He took out a lipstick, handed it to Bayonetta, and also tore open a scroll, applying the magic on it to the witch.

"You're so thoughtful." Sensing the magical field around herself, the witch blew Salomon a kiss and then casually pushed him off the wall, sending him away. That little height wouldn't kill Salomon.

The witch held a long sword and looked at the giant angel clinging to the stone wall, perched there like a hawk.

"Come on, Featherface!"

Suddenly, orange-red flames filled the sky above the arena, like hydrogen mixed with air being ignited. The bright light flashed and disappeared in an instant, and the violent explosion even destroyed part of the stone wall that had survived to this day. Immediately afterwards, the entire arena seemed to be a bucket filled with water, now brimming with lava. The huge stone bricks on the ground were ejected into the air under immense pressure, and the excess lava flowed out of the arena's exit like a joyful river.

Salomon's magic could be used to deal with the current situation. It was a protective spell, commonly used to resist high temperatures, specifically "Resistance to Energy Damage: Fire." As a second-circle spell, it offered extremely good value, allowing Bayonetta to ignore some of the potential damage from splashing lava and flames.

Of course, this magic isn't invincible. Once the damage it withstands exceeds the magic's maximum capacity, "Resist Energy Damage: Fire" will lose its effect. Therefore, Bayonetta must act quickly; fighting the enemy in lava is not a good idea.

This was one of the biggest battles Salomon had ever witnessed. He had barely stepped back a few paces when he saw the witch stepping on a massive boulder that had been launched into the air. The next instant, she appeared on the stone wall, and in the blink of an eye, she was standing on the enormous body of the Fortitudo angel. Then, she leaped up, grabbing the sharp jaw of a dragon's head with both hands, and slammed the angel into the still-wet lava with an over-the-shoulder throw.

Then came several more muffled thuds as the witch swung the angel's massive body back and forth across the arena, slamming it against the ground and walls. Even Salomon, standing outside the arena, could feel the ground tremble. Suddenly, a deafening wail erupted as the angel's sizzling blood floated on the lava, crimson steam rising like clouds before being dissipated by the scorching air.

Salomon knew Bayonetta was strong, but he hadn't expected the witch to be this powerful. However, only someone like her could kill Baldr, and Salomon didn't want the Sorcerer Supreme to intervene again; the price would be far too high.

When the angel took flight again, Salomon was astonished to find that the Fortitudo angel's two dragon heads, one red and one blue, along with its long neck, had vanished. Only two blood-gushing holes remained in the chin of its enormous, inverted face. Its once serene, marble-like face was now filled with rage; it roared with immense fury, and the earth began to tremble violently. The Fortitudo angel roared and chanted, unleashing its full power.

The tremors of the mountain grew more intense, and a muffled sound rose from the ground, rapidly approaching the surface, like the drumbeats of doomsday announcing the coming of judgment.

Then, with a "pop," like opening a soda bottle, a massive amount of lava, carrying rocks, erupted under immense pressure. The accumulated potential energy even propelled the entire arena rapidly into the sky, instantly scattering the clouds that had drifted in from nowhere.

The stone arena disintegrated instantly. The corridors, pillars, walls, and the most iconic ancient astrological instruments—all companions that had been inseparable for centuries—now parted ways with rubble, dust, and lava.

Salomon immediately entered the Mirror Dimension. As his proficiency with Vishanti magic increased, he could open the Mirror Dimension faster and faster; otherwise, he would likely have perished in the first wave of lava and rockfall. With his excellent eyesight, he saw the Fortitudo angel fly backward, and a giant black raven appeared in the sky.

As this demon was summoned, the sky radiated a crimson glow. Simultaneously, Salomon's pinky ring heated up, allowing him to naturally perceive the demon's message and the sealing runes on its body. This demon was the 39th of the 72 Demon Lords, named Malphas, a count, commanding 40 legions. It appeared as a raven, but could also transform into human form. It had a hoarse voice, could construct houses and towers, and could reveal the enemy's desires, thoughts, and actions to its summoner.

But this demon can also be summoned by Bayonetta, as part of one of the contracts she has entered into, and the angel of Fortitudo became a sacrifice Bayonetta offered to Mapas. This raven, which blots out the sky, clings tightly to the angel with its claws and relentlessly pecks at the angel of Fortitudo's massive body with its sharp beak.

Where Salomon couldn't see, Malphas pierced a massive hole in the angel. But as Malphas attempted to fall to the ground, Bayonetta withdrew her magic, her black feathers returning to their black hair, flowing back to the witch through the summoning circle. Immediately afterward, all the falling rubble seemed to be imbued with a sudden force, crashing into the mangled angel. The summoning circle reopened, and countless bloodstained, cold, slippery, withered arms grabbed at the angel of perseverance, dragging it towards the crimson gates of the abyss.

A black figure descended from the sky, moving faster than the falling rocks. Salomon watched Bayonetta's flight path, which led towards the sunrise and crescent canyon. The sorcerer looked in that direction with worry. He didn't know if the witch's flight there was a coincidence or deliberate, but there was ample evidence that Baldr desperately wanted Bayonetta to embark on such an adventure.

But as things stand, Baldr's schemes remain a mystery, and Salomon doesn't believe Luca can uncover any truth. However, the Luminous Sage Baldr will ultimately confront Bayonetta personally, even though he is her father, for he is the priest of Jubilee and the possessor of the "right eye." His power, along with Bayonetta's, is essential for Jubilee's revival.

Salomon's task was to ensure Baldr could face Bayonetta. Only then could the witch kill him with the lipstick. To guarantee this possibility, he needed to ensure Bayonetta's little adventure went smoothly. While Baldr was scheming against Bayonetta, wasn't the Sorcerer Supreme also scheming against Baldr? Salomon didn't need a specific plan; he only needed to execute it.

However, after the witch fell into the canyon, Salomon lost her coordinates. He summoned Pegasus with a small statue, fed the pure white winged horse an apple, and then Salomon rode it with the golden reins, passing through the portal out of the mirror dimension and flying towards the Sunrise and Crescent Canyon with its two giant stone statues.

Upon arriving at Sunrise and Crescent Canyon, Salomon encountered many enemies he had never seen before. The sky was filled with numerous small angels, such as a large group of angels with Cupid-like faces, Dear and Decorations, and Cachet and Compassion with sharp metallic wings. These angels were not particularly powerful, but their sheer number meant that Salomon would have to exhaust his mental energy to overcome them using his magic alone.

If he were to use magic, his longest-range spell would be "Magic Blast," but it could only hit one target. These angels were also extremely fast, and Salomon, who would need at least 2.5 seconds to cast a spell, would likely be surrounded by them and stabbed to death with their blades.

But Athena also gifted Salomon a shield—yes, it was Aegis. Salomon, riding on Pegasus's back and holding the shield, flew over the canyon. He saw many cherubs turn to stone, falling like raindrops from the sky, creating craters in the ruined canyon.

Now, almost all the angels hovering above the canyon were drawn to Salomon's attention, and they rushed toward him, only to turn to stone upon seeing Medusa's head. However, some of the larger angels were not petrified as quickly, including the Inspired angel among the three higher-ranking Thrones.

It was an angel entirely red, with a long, slender body. White penance bands covered its entire body like stripes, and its tail was flat and forked, like a snake's tongue. The Inspired angel's head was also similar to a snake's, with two huge fangs in its upper jaw, but its lower jaw was densely packed with small teeth capable of grinding bones, and its mouth was an unsettling deep purple. As usual, its head was covered with gold-edged armor that connected flesh and blood. On either side of its head grew two thin, flipper-like wings, and from the back of its head extended a golden decoration that resembled the intertwining of snakes when they mate.

Inspired angels never descend to the ground; they roam the air, their goal being to devour the followers of darkness, hence their serpentine mouths. Even if an Inspired angel saw Medusa's head, it could still pursue Salomon for a while before her massive body was completely petrified.

Had Pegasus not disliked Salomon's poor horsemanship and changed his flight path, Salomon would have been swallowed by the angels along with Pegasus. But there were simply too many angels here. After several extremely dangerous dodges, Salomon was still surrounded by numerous angels. If it weren't for Pegasus's superb flying skills, Salomon wouldn't have been able to stay here for more than an hour.

Fortunately, the angels seemed to have received a command, ceasing their pursuit after Salomon left the area, much to the sorcerer's relief. The sun had already set, and shadows once again crept out from the bottomless valley, like those yearning for sunlight reaching out towards the remaining warmth. A thin moon appeared in the setting sky, its lower half tinged red by the lingering sunlight, while its upper half was a deep blue-purple, the colors blending together at their junction. Several stars, invisible during the day, now shone brightly.

Suddenly, many of the inspired angels that were originally flying toward Salomon turned around and began to fly toward the west.

I think the update time is too early; it needs to be a bit more erotic.

(End of this chapter)