Reborn as the God-Emperor in Marvel

In the early morning, Vigrid, across the sea from Naples, was shrouded in a thin mist that covered the water, with only the tall spire piercing through it.

Under the clear sky, the spire reflected a dazzling white light. This tower, the headquarters of the Izaverta Group, also served as Vigrid's lighthouse, much like the teachings of the Lagnar Church, constantly radiating light to the world.

This glowing object was not an ordinary giant lightbulb, as most people assumed, but rather a glowing white sphere connected to the top of the spire by golden metallic bands. Around the sphere were two floating rings, one large and one small. This was magic, not technology.

At the top of the spire was a massive room surrounded by circular seating. If the room were full, no matter where you sat, all eyes would focus on the same spot. Hanging from the columns were red banners that stretched to the ground, densely covered with golden scripture.

If not for the large golden-red desk in the center, the room would have resembled a chapel rather than an office. There were no electric lights, but the room was filled with a warm glow, partly from several large rings behind the desk.

These nested rings emitted light. The outermost ring was dark, inscribed with glowing runes, and the closer the rings were to the center, the brighter they shone. The innermost one was a massive golden disc, entirely blank. Each second, the rings rotated in sync, though without making a single sound.

Still, the faint light was not enough to fully illuminate the office.

"After waiting 500 long years, the moment is finally approaching." A hoarse yet calm voice came from behind the desk. The speaker was none other than Balder, the Izaverta Group president, who had appeared on television earlier. His attire had not changed, and his face still bore the marks of age. However, he still wore the golden half-mask and gently stroked the white peacock perched on his shoulder, as it was alive. "The child will come here in the end."

"Are we going to repeat the tragedy of 500 years ago? Or…" A tall woman with short white hair and dressed in a tight red leather suit stood before his desk. The suit had a black, fluffy collar at the neckline, with a gold pocket watch hanging from a bow tie. Her high heels, much like Bayonetta's, had thick soles, with black guns holstered at the back of the heels. However, her pants were much looser, split like a qipao, revealing her pale, slender legs.

"The child's path is inevitable. Do you want to know how I know? I understand the laws of the Three Realms and have seen everything clearly. Our next actions are acts of virtue, shaping the best possible world." Balder faced to the left, so the woman could only see his mask. As he spoke, he continued to stroke the peacock. His tone was slow, filled with confidence, as if everything was unfolding according to his plan.

"You, the 'Right Eye,' abandoned order and chose chaos," the woman in red said, her voice rising slightly at the end, sounding nonchalant as if none of this concerned her.

"You're mistaken. The world is currently in chaos," Balder replied. "My daughter and I must become the World's Eyes. Without merging the Three Realms into one, we will never achieve true order or salvation."

"Madness," the woman scoffed.

"You don't need to understand, and unfortunately, you cannot leave me. Even angels serve me. Jeanne, so must you."

At the mention of her name, the woman in red turned around, her triangular golden earrings swaying slightly. Jeanne took a deep breath and let out a disdainful hum, showing no more emotion in response to Balder's words.

"I have waited 500 years for this. You too must be eager to reunite with the child," Balder said. "But don't forget, everything we do is in preparation for the Creator Jubileus' arrival. The time to create a new world is near."

He looked up at the true source of light—a swirling mass of gold and red energy, suspended in a strange space. Behind it, thick clouds in shades of orange and crimson moved slowly. Through the light, one could make out a massive humanoid figure, surrounded by countless white feathers gently floating downward.

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Solomon had temporarily returned to Kamar-Taj, where he needed to report the entire situation to the Sorcerer Supreme. Before leaving, he had specifically advised Bayonetta to refrain from hunting angels for a while to avoid falling into the Sage's trap. One angel was enough to keep her demons satisfied for the time being.

However, Bayonetta had only given a perfunctory response, which made Solomon a bit worried.

After he had informed the Sorcerer Supreme about everything, she showed no surprise. Solomon couldn't dismiss the idea that she had become desensitized to such events. In this universe, constant crises could destroy Earth, so the awakening of a "god" wasn't exactly shocking.

"I've seen it, using the Eye of Agamotto," the Sorcerer Supreme said. "Including the mistletoe in your dimensional pouch."

Solomon realized he might have overthought things. But... "Mistletoe?" he asked. "That's just a lipstick."

"Mistletoe is just a metaphor. In Norse mythology, it was mistletoe that killed Balder—weak, small, and seemingly insignificant," the Sorcerer Supreme explained calmly. "That lipstick will be the mistletoe that kills the Lumen Sage Balder. Perhaps due to the shared name, destiny has intertwined their fates. That lipstick was given to Bayonetta by Rosa, Balder's lover. It is the key to freeing the Sage."

"Rosa?"

"Yes, Bayonetta is the daughter of Balder and Rosa. Rosa was the previous holder of the 'Left Eye,' and Balder is the 'Right Eye.' Their forbidden union, which led to Bayonetta's birth, triggered the war between the Witch Clan and the Sages." The Sorcerer Supreme placed a book in front of Solomon. "It was the Sages who, starting in 1480, incited the witch hunts of the Christian Church because the Witches had won the war. The Sages took advantage of their exhaustion and stoked fear of witches among ordinary people, leading to a sharp decline in the Witch Clan's population. These blind witch hunts ravaged Europe for over 300 years, even reaching the Salem Witch Trials."

"So, Bayonetta is a… Nephalem?" Solomon asked.

"Genesis 6:4: 'The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God went to the daughters of men and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.' The Book of Enoch also records information about the angels' offspring—the giants. They were locked away in the fifth layer of the seven heavens. The most famous giant in human history might be Goliath, who was killed by King David. The Great Flood was meant to erase the influence of those renegade angels and their offspring. These beings could all be called Nephalem. You've likely read about them in The Book of the Angel Raziel." The Sorcerer Supreme lightly tapped Solomon's head with her fan. "How many times have I told you, don't use game terms for mystical concepts!"

Despite his curiosity, Solomon couldn't help but ask, "They say Enoch was taken to heaven. Teacher, when you made a contract with heaven, did you meet Enoch?"

The Sorcerer Supreme answered, "I didn't make the contract with God, but with Metatron, or Medanzah. Perhaps that is Enoch, but no one knows for sure. I've never entered heaven nor met God. Heaven was in a very strange state at the time. If it weren't for heaven shutting its doors, it wouldn't have been so easy to make the contract."

"Strange?"

"I suspect… God is no longer in heaven."

Just as Solomon was about to ask more questions, the Sorcerer Supreme cut him off. "This is not something you need to know. These questions are for you to explore in the future. Right now, focus on the task at hand, not heaven."

"I'm not that impulsive," Solomon said, sticking out his tongue. But he obediently shifted his focus to the Lumen Sage Balder and the soon-to-awaken Creator Jubileus.

"If that god does awaken, what will we do? We can't just keep using the Time Stone to create loops, right? You've warned me about the dangers of manipulating time. If you manipulate his time stream, I fear you'll pay a steep price. Dormammu might…"

"Then go stop it from happening," the Sorcerer Supreme said, pleased that Solomon was concerned for her. She rewarded him by grabbing a soda from his fridge. "Your goal is to make sure Bayonetta uses that lipstick to kill Balder. Your job is to help her avoid the Lumen Sage's traps and make sure she doesn't die along the way. If she reaches the final battle, she'll kill Balder. At that point, the histories of the Witch and Sage Clans will vanish completely. No one on Earth will be able to summon beings from other dimensions on such a large scale."

"Wait, are you saying Bayonetta will die?" Solomon asked cautiously. Though Bayonetta often teased him, enjoying his awkward reactions, he had grown fond of her. "But there are still angels on Earth... Teacher, maybe we could..."

"It's all up to you, Solomon," the Sorcerer Supreme said. "Bayonetta and Balder's lives are in your hands, not mine. Only your decisions will determine their fate. Once you decide, you must bear the consequences."

"Consequences…"

"Who else would I send to keep an eye on Bayonetta? The last guy who tried came back bruised and battered. Only you came back unscathed," the Sorcerer Supreme teased, barely containing her laughter. "You're the only one who can handle her."

"Fine…" Solomon's eyes darted away awkwardly. It was too embarrassing—she'd seen through his little secret.

"You'd better take that call," she added.

"Call?"

Sure enough, Solomon's phone started ringing. He looked at the screen and saw the caller: Bayonetta. He awkwardly picked it up, but before he could say anything, a young girl's voice came through.

"Mommy!"

"What?!!!"

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