Marvel Magic Case Files.

Chapter 72 Best Friend

Salomon admitted that even with everything clearly written in history books, he hadn't learned his lesson and had severely underestimated the madness of monotheism. Previously, there had been bishop Ragnar leading his followers to commit suicide to celebrate the Easter of Jubilee; now, it wasn't hard to understand why the sage Badr intended to celebrate with the lives of an entire city.

The Sorcerer Supreme assured Ceressa that neither the angels nor Baldr would harm her, but missiles don't have eyes, and explosions and shockwaves don't discriminate. Ceressa now has her magical pets by her side: the elven grey shorthaired cat and a demon, Phoenix.

Even so, Salomon was still worried that Ceresa could survive the missile attack. The destructive power of human-made weapons far exceeded that of many forms of magic, and if there were as many missiles as Luca claimed, even if they were loaded with conventional warheads, they would be enough to destroy an entire city.

"Salomon, what are you planning to do?!" Luca yelled on the other end of the phone. "You're not really going to wait for those missiles to launch, are you?"

Salomon gazed at the sea near Vigrid Sun Island. An invisible giant whale emerged from the ocean, gray waters flowing down its unseen form. Although his vision was obscured by the white veil of rain, preventing him from seeing the specifics, he could sense the whale writhing in agony on the surface. Through the rain, even the arcane mages on the distant reefs could hear the agonizing cries emanating from another world. This whale had stirred up erratic waves and ferocious currents; it was likely the cause of the massive whirlpools surrounding Sun Island.

That giant whale was very likely the Sapientia angel of the Four Virtues, and Bayonetta was very likely fighting it. Salomon took a few deep breaths; he planned to eliminate anything that might endanger Seresa's life before delivering her to Bayonetta.

"Wait," he said. "I'll handle this."

"But I won't wait for you. I'll tell you the location, it's on the top floor of the high-rise next to the Isabelle Building." Luca seemed to sense Salomon's emotions and said, "Try to keep up, I need to disarm the missile first."

"Good luck." Salomon hung up the phone and turned to look at Master Wang beside him. He said, "Take me there."

"What? Are you crazy?" As Salomon's former partner, Little Wang the mage was still assigned to a group with Salomon. "Although you weren't assigned a mission, you might go mad once you get there. Do you really think you can survive under missiles?"

"Destruction is always easier than creation. I may not be able to build missiles, but breaking some electronic components is a piece of cake. I can even tighten bolts. If all else fails, I can cut them in half," Salomon said. "Besides, this is my business, Senior Brother Wang. That little girl will be sent to the island soon, and I can't keep those things; they'll kill her. You know where to send me; I need to conserve my mana. Don't open the portal directly to the top of the building; open it higher. I won't get hurt, but I don't want to be attacked as soon as I step out, nor do I want enemies to come in through the portal."

"Alright..." After a while, Master Wang nodded in agreement. "Be careful. But you should know that if Modu comes to ask, I will definitely say that I must let him know where you went."

"I understand," Salomon said. "I'll be back after I've taken care of this."

"Be careful!"

"I will."

Sparks flew beneath the dark clouds, and a circular portal opened during a lull in the thunderous storm. The surrounding rain silently dispersed, and a figure in a red robe leaped from the portal, plummeting rapidly towards the ground. The portal opened by the young mage was located above Sun Island, a request made by Salomon specifically to give him the opportunity to observe the situation.

The wind howled in his ears, and the rain lashed against him, taking away his body heat and warmth. The rusty smell of rainwater filled the air.

The Isabelle Building was the tallest and most distinctive building on Sun Island. Its two golden wings, spread wide on either side, shimmered even in the gloomy, rainy night under the bright white xenon lights. Salomon adjusted his posture, chanted an incantation, and controlled the airflow around him. A small thrust propelled him gliding towards it. His saintly vision allowed him to see the buildings on Sun Island clearly. One of the buildings had a glowing circular shaft in the center of its top floor, and around the shaft, he saw the launch pad Luca had mentioned, with rows of missiles already deployed.

He recited the incantation again and used a little trick to push himself towards that side.

Standing atop the gray missile warhead, which stood like a crown of thorns, was a woman in a red leather coat. When Salomon saw her, she saw him too. The woman disdainfully raised her gun and fired at the rapidly gliding Salomon. When Salomon saw her raise her hand, he sensed impending doom. He bit down hard on a feather he had been clutching, crossed his hands, and a massive shield of orange sparks appeared before him.

Joan of Arc fired several more shots, but only the sparks flying from her shield proved she hadn't missed. Facing the rapidly approaching Salomon, she chuckled and leaped away from the raised bullets, letting Salomon, carrying the Shield of Seraphim, crash into the ground. The arcane mage curled up, the kinetic energy of the falling bullets instantly dissipated by the Shield of Seraphim. He rolled on the ground, then stood up again. This made him look somewhat disheveled, his clothes soaked with rain.

"I thought it would be Bayonetta," Joan of Arc said dismissively. "I didn't expect it to be you. Does Kamar-Taj also want to stop Jubilee's resurrection?"

"Isn't it obvious to you?" Salomon spat out the feather from his mouth; now was not the time to conserve his magic. The way the woman held those four pistols had put Salomon on high alert. It wasn't just because she could shoot him from hundreds of meters away, but also because of the woman Bayonetta had mentioned who used the exact same spell. He could only assume, before he could formulate a suitable strategy, that this woman was just as strong as Bayonetta and possessed the same witch time.

He glanced at the weapons erected around him. These weapons, crafted by human ingenuity, concealed their ferocity deep within. Before being fired, they were like quiet ladies; once airborne, they would transform into savage beasts, leaving behind only shattered buildings and charred limbs.

"Are you looking for this?" Jeanne waved the launcher in her hand, a large red button gleaming brightly. She placed it on the railing. "This is what allows Bayonetta to fight me with all her might; I can't let you take it. Speaking of which, you Kamar-Taj are really annoying. Before the war between witches and sages even began, you were already clamoring for war. If it weren't for the Sorcerer Supreme, how could you have survived until now? Or... is your goal my race's most precious treasure?"

When she said the last sentence, Joan of Arc's expression, which had been somewhat relaxed, suddenly turned fierce.

"I have no interest in the 'Left Eye'," Salomon said, looking at the angel crest in Joan of Arc's eye. "I guess you're a witch too, though I don't know why you sided with the Sage. But in any case, Jubilee is not allowed to awaken. Someone else has taken care of that. I'm only here for the remote control in your hand."

"Ugh, they're as annoying as flies..." Joan of Arc said impatiently, but before she could finish her sentence, swirling glass daggers surrounded her, their sharp edges slicing rapidly towards her body. Even though Joan of Arc tilted her head back to avoid a dagger aimed at her eyes, her calves and shoulders were still cut open by the ubiquitous daggers.

The second-circle spell "Cloud of Daggers" wasn't something that could be dodged by reaction alone, even though Joan of Arc had triggered Witch Time. She leaped out of the space filled with daggers the moment she was injured, using magic to stop the bleeding. The spell didn't do much damage to Joan; instead, it enraged her. Salomon's goal wasn't to kill Joan, nor was he confident he could. His target was the remote control Joan had tossed aside.

But the remote control is right behind Joan of Arc; to get it, one must get past the witch.

"I absolutely hate you all!" Joan of Arc's voice was filled with rage. She raised her pistol and fired several shots at Salomon, shouting, "You are as disgusting as angels!"

The bullet whizzed past Salomon, leaving him completely unharmed as he zigzagged through the air. This was a result of the combined effect of the first-circle spell "Mage Armor" and Salomon's reaction, allowing him to escape Jeanne's gun. The arcane mage sprinted forward, his hands flashing with orange-red sparks as the Ring of Raghadore formed in his palms. He then hurled the Ring of Raghadore into the air.

Salomon intended to force Joan of Arc away from the remote control, as her bullets couldn't stop the spell's trajectory. Joan of Arc dodged the spell to the side, then suddenly accelerated, leaping onto the Ring of Raghadore and soaring above Salomon, her right leg slashing down like a battle axe at the arcane mage.

She was going to crush this annoying guy in front of her!

Suddenly, Salomon moved, crossing his arms to block the attack.

This greatly surprised Joan of Arc; it was the first time she had ever seen someone keep up with her speed during witch time. Salomon had unlocked some of his stigmata, which greatly enhanced his combat power, but his soul essence didn't allow him to sustain it for long. Joan of Arc instinctively fired the pistol on her high heel; the muzzle flashed near Salomon's ear, illuminating half of his face, and the intense heat left small charred spots on his skin.

The deafening gunshots made Salomon's ears ring, but it didn't hinder his next move. He spun around, grabbing Joan's ankle with his left hand, and as he took a half-step forward, his right hand bent to block Joan's left leg's horizontal kick. The immense force caused him to fall to the left, crashing to the ground, pulling Joan down with him.

The witch braced herself on the ground with both hands, using her waist and abdomen to lift Salomon high above her, face to face. She bent her right leg and kicked Salomon in the abdomen again. The intense pain made the sorceress release her grip, and the violent kick and the bullet fired at the same time sent Salomon flying into the air, freeing Joan of Arc from her restraints.

While Salomon was still in mid-air, the two pistols on Joan of Arc's high heels fired in quick succession, and several bullets followed, striking Salomon hard.

Salomon landed unharmed, the deformed bullets falling from his body with a clattering sound. His shroud was protected by the Sorcerer Supreme's magic; the bullets only caused some bruises, no different from being punched a few times, leaving him with no other injuries. The sorcerer let out a long breath, chanted the incantation again, bowed slightly, and charged towards Joan of Arc.

He abruptly stopped, his hands flashing out like whips, grabbing Joan's arms. Salomon then took a large step back, attempting to knock Joan to the ground. But Joan was far stronger than Salomon, whose stigmata were not fully unleashed. A certain wicked sense of humor compelled her to grab the whip and throw Salomon backward.

"No!" At that moment, Joan of Arc realized she had been tricked. The lightning chain vanished instantly, and she quickly raised her pistol, firing at Salomon, who was still in mid-air. But her bullet only pierced through a cloud of silver mist; the arcane mage was already standing in front of the remote control, raising a shield.

"This is mine." He picked up the remote control, straightened up, ignoring the fatigue from the stigmata. He waved the remote control at Jeanne, then an electric current shot through his hand, short-circuiting and smoking the remote. He said, "I suppose you won't treat me to afternoon tea or dessert, but I do have some questions for you."

"What's the problem?" Seeing that Salomon had gotten the remote control, Joan of Arc relaxed instead, standing there lazily, revealing her beautiful body curves, and her fierce temperament disappeared instantly.

"What do you plan to do to Seresa? Why did Baldr allow Seresa to get close to Bayonetta?"

"Celastia!" Joan of Arc exclaimed. "How could I possibly hurt Celastia? She's my best friend! Bayonetta..."

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(End of this chapter)