Marvel Magic Case Files.

Chapter 75 Father and Father

Salomon did notice the vast starry sky above Balda's room. He also saw the expansive space radiating warm light, the enormous creature sleeping within it, its ivory-like human-faced headdress just beginning to emerge, and the almost endless angels.

Among these angels were some enormous beings like the Four Elements, but now they appeared smaller than ants.

Even though Salomon was far away from the creature under the influence of magic, he still felt an indescribable sense of oppression—the fear that humans inevitably feel when faced with such a colossal being. Even Phoenix, who was beside him, couldn't help but stiffen, its golden-red fur on its neck standing on end, making it look even fatter.

Following Salomon's gaze, Sage Lumen looked at the strange space on the ceiling. "Ah, this is the most important research achievement of the Izawell Corporation," Sage Baldr said with pride, stretching out a hand as if showing off, "an artificial divine realm connecting to the heavens, the entire room has also been otherworldlyized. It is because of this that we can glimpse the true face of the Creator."

"Indeed, it is exceptionally brilliant magic." Salomon let out a long breath, feeling that the situation was now even more troublesome. The blood-red coffins that Luca had photographed earlier, the ones that extracted the witch's blood, were probably used to power this enormous space before them.

Salomon simply couldn't understand why the Sorcerer Supreme would send him on this mission. The current situation clearly showed that the Sage Baldr was well-prepared. In this crisis, shouldn't the entire Order of the Magi have rushed over and killed the Sage first?

The Eye of Agamotto—that's the only answer. The Sorcerer Supreme must have foreseen the possibility of Lumen Sage's failure, and this possibility required Salomon's involvement. Otherwise, faced with such a dire situation, no one would involve a novice spellcaster.

But Salomon dared not relax. He took out the potion Baron Mordo had given him and drank it down in one gulp. Instantly, he felt his fatigue subside slightly, but it wasn't enough. "I am utterly exhausted, Mr. Baldr," Salomon said. "Please allow me a short rest so I can be in the best possible condition for the final outcome."

"It's alright." Baldr sat down in the high-backed chair with Ceresa in his arms. Whether out of confidence or pride, he seemed completely unconcerned about what Salomon was doing. He even allowed the delicate gray shorthair cat to stay in Ceresa's lap. Salomon glanced at Phoenix, the large golden-red bird, who bowed slightly, indicating that it would do its best to protect Salomon's safety.

The sorcerer glanced once more at Baldr, who remained expressionless, and Ceresa, nestled in his arms. Then he relaxed, leaning back in his soft chair, closing his eyes, and quickly drifted into slumber. A short rest was crucial for Salomon, a spellcaster who wielded magic through contracts with otherworldly entities. Only after restoring his mental strength could he possess sufficient mental power to cast spells, and the potion given by the Sorcerer Supreme would maximize the effects of this short break.

After an unknown amount of time, Phoenix's voice echoed in Salomon's mind again, and a person walked through the portal in the spherical room. Bayonetta walked in with a solemn expression, and Salomon, who thought Luca had given up in the face of danger, surprisingly followed her in.

Bayonetta was in a terrible mood. She had barely managed to win against the combined attacks of several Quadruple Deities and Jeanne d'Arc. At the same time, she also regained some memories from five hundred years ago through Jeanne d'Arc. In fact, Jeanne d'Arc was her childhood friend. Before the destruction of the Witch of Umbra, Bayonetta, as the forbidden child and feared by everyone, was Bayonetta's only friend and rival, who was equally competitive and was about to become the leader of the witch race.

When the witch Amber was driven to despair by the witch hunt, it was Jeanne d'Arc who sealed Bayonetta away. The image Bayonetta had previously recalled of Jeanne stabbing her in the chest with a rapier was the scene of Jeanne sealing her away. As the leader, Jeanne d'Arc would not allow the witch clan's most precious treasure to fall into the hands of others, especially not into the hands of the sage clan, who sought to disrupt the balance.

Joan of Arc used a unique magic of the witch race, temporarily sealing Bayonetta within a ruby—the very ruby ​​now on Bayonetta's pocket watch, a testament to their friendship. Joan then used the ruby ​​to break through the encirclement, sealing Bayonetta in a coffin and sinking it into a lake to hide her. It wasn't until Luca's father broke the seal twenty years ago that Bayonetta was able to see the light of day again.

In addition, Bayonetta recalled the origin of the lipstick. She remembered kneeling and weeping before a dying woman, surrounded by flames, with angels filling the sky, the one at the forefront being the Angel of Perseverance from the Four Virtues. This explained Bayonetta's subconscious hatred for the Angel of Perseverance and why she felt a sense of relief after killing it. Bayonetta remembered the identity of the dying woman—it was her mother. Her mother had given Bayonetta the lipstick and told her to go and save someone.

"To protect you, who lost your will to fight after your mother's death, to protect 'the left eye,' I had no other choice," Joan of Arc, defeated by Bayonetta, said. "I was so innocent back then."

"I remember now," Bayonetta said. "A long time ago, you were unique to me."

"That boring, doll-like woman is my friend," Joan of Arc said with a light laugh.

"Why did you choose me as your opponent five hundred years ago?" Bayonetta still had countless questions she wanted answered, "Me, whom everyone hated."

"To become the strongest witch, one must choose the strongest opponent, nothing more." Even lying on the ground, Jeanne refused to reveal her innermost feelings; her personality was exactly like Bayonetta's. She said, "Never run away from the sage Baldr. Settle the score for the grudges of five hundred years ago; this is your destiny."

"Fight, and return victorious, forging a new path. Do not fear your destiny, head held high, Ceresia. Head held high, and eyes open. Behind every fact, there is another truth." Joan's words greatly puzzled Bayonetta. Even if Joan was in a daze, it was unlikely that she would mistake her for Ceresia. Bayonetta began to doubt Ceresia's origins. Originally, she only thought that Ceresia was the child of the sage Baldr, but now this identity had to be questioned.

Behind every fact lies another truth. Why would Joan of Arc, once a comrade, help the Sage? What is Ceresia's true identity? A heavy fog of mystery weighed on Bayonetta's heart. She looked up at the very top of the Isabelle Tower. Perhaps, as Joan of Arc said, all the answers lay there.

Joan of Arc, already severely wounded, suddenly sat up and, with her last strength, fired a shot at Bayonetta. Startled, Bayonetta retreated hastily, and then Joan of Arc was engulfed in a shower of golden lightning. Endless regret and pain overwhelmed Bayonetta; she had finally regained her memories and companions, only to lose them all in an instant.

After that, she encountered Luca, who was desperately climbing the stairs. Composing herself, Bayonetta and Luca went to the top floor of the Isabelle Building, walked along the psionic path forged from light, and arrived at this spherical room.

"Mommy! Mommy's here!" Ceresa, nestled in Baldr's arms, turned around and shouted, stretching out her chubby hands toward Bayonetta. In her childish voice, she cried out, "Mommy!"

"You've finally come... my dear Ceresia," said Badr. "My dear... why do you look so sad? As a child, your smile was warmer than the sun."

"Hmm?" The little girl looked at Bader with a puzzled expression, but she quickly put it out of her mind and flashed a sweet smile at everyone in the room. Then, she let out a cute yawn and slowly drifted off to sleep.

Bayonetta glanced at Salomon, who had just stood up from his seat. Clearly, she was questioning the sorcerer with her eyes, asking why the little girl had ended up in Baldr's hands. But Salomon didn't answer; instead, he looked nervously at Ceresa in Baldr's arms.

Bayonetta temporarily abandoned her questioning of Salomon; she couldn't fathom the intentions of the Mage's Guild, so she changed her target. She adjusted her glasses and looked at Baldr behind the table. She asked, "As far as I know, you're the last Luminous Sage, aren't you?"

“Yes, my name is Badr,” the sage said. “But you can call me Father. You have lost many memories; it has been five hundred years since we last met. If you hadn’t lost your memories, this reunion would have been even more exciting.”

"Where did that girl come from?!" Bayonetta asked.

"It's a long story," Baldr said, standing up with Ceresa in his arms. He slowly walked to the astrological instrument placed on the table. "We Luminaries and you Umberah Witches have always been observers of history, viewing the world through our own 'eyes.' All of this was for the sake of this universe, to maintain its existence. But five hundred years ago, you were expelled from this race, even though you are the left eye of the World's Eye."

Baldr walked to the decorative potted plant on the table, broke off a budding flower, and under the influence of magic, the flower slowly bloomed. He tucked the slender branch into Ceresa's thick hair. He said, "At this moment, we are about to successfully resurrect the Creator Jubilee. There is only one way to restore your memories and open your Observer's Eye. Your pure eye must experience the history it cannot see. Your battles… your struggles… everything you experienced in Vigrid will help you restore your memories, all for the sake of your left eye."

"I've had enough of your philosophical nonsense." Bayonetta impatiently raised her pistol, pointing it at Bader. "I'll ask you one last time. Where did this girl come from?"

"Your question has already been answered," Bader replied with a light laugh. "It's all for awakening the 'left eye.' To awaken the left eye, you must re-examine yourself."

"You're hopeless." Bayonetta's voice was filled with anger, the most intense emotion she had ever shown in front of others.

"Ah... redemption. Such a mysterious word." Baldr recited his lines like a theatrical actor. "I marked the path to redemption with light. However, no matter how bright the light, the darkness in people's hearts remains deep. Light, darkness, and the chaos in between... To create a new world, these three separate worlds must be merged. For this purpose, the Easter celebration was held five hundred years ago, stirring up fear in people's hearts and triggering the witch hunt. Even though they all believed that the creator Jubilees would return, the left eye was still nowhere in sight. Since then, I have been working hard to build Vigrid, and now, I can finally reap the rewards."

"That's right, Jubilee will be resurrected, and we will become the Eyes of the World!" Baldr's voice rose higher and higher, but Ceresa in his arms remained undisturbed. "A new world will be born!"

"I absolutely cannot call the culprit who created this nightmare 'Father'!" Bayonetta said dismissively, suppressing her emotions once again and displaying her usual flippant attitude.

"Not bad, big guy," Luca said after watching the show for a while. "Wasn't that a bit too much, you big boss of Izawell? Redemption, light—you've taken this corporate philosophy a little too far, haven't you?"

Salomon glanced at the guy sideways. Sure enough, he hadn't misjudged him; this guy just loved to court death.

"But if you're going to talk about it, it's all bullshit!" Luca said. "History is full of people like you who committed genocide, or rather, notorious butchers."

Bader recognized Luca's identity. In fact, it was already quite brave for Luca, an ordinary person, to have come this far. The saying "like father, like son" still holds some truth—because Luca's father was Bader's employee. Although he didn't agree with Bader's ideas, Bader didn't care what Luca's father had investigated.

"But when bad rumors start to spread, I have to step in to stop them," the sage said nonchalantly. "However, to thank him for finding the lake where my long-lost Ceresa was hiding, I granted his final wish and accepted his permanent resignation."

"You bastard!" Luca yelled and charged forward. But after only a few steps, his limbs were lifted up by something unseen, just as his father had been twenty years ago.

"I no longer need you. However, as a sign of my respect," Bader said, "I will allow you to die in the same way your father did."

I desperately need recommendation votes! Even those with fewer favorites than me have way more recommendation votes! I'll start dividing it into chapters tomorrow, otherwise people will always complain about me updating only once a week.

(End of this chapter)