Reborn as the God-Emperor in Marvel

At the moment, Solomon still didn't know where to find Bayonetta, but he had a plan.

Bayonetta didn't come to Vigrid to peacefully coexist with the Lumen Sage, Balder. And since this was the heartland of the Laguna Order, teeming with upper-plane creatures, it was likely that the witch was in Purgatory, possibly hunting angels.

But the Purgatory realm could still interact with the inanimate objects in the real world. He had never seen ordinary people remain calm in the face of anomalies. Instinctively, creatures avoid danger.

So, all Solomon had to do was look for where the biggest commotion was happening—where people were running in fear. That would be where Bayonetta was. The lipstick was still in his dimensional pouch, and he had to get it into the witch's hands. Only then could the future seen by the Seer be fulfilled.

After leaving the mirror dimension with Luka, Solomon gave him a task: if he saw anything strange, he should call him immediately. Vigrid's old town had many ancient buildings spread across a vast area, so splitting up was the fastest way to find the witch. At the very least, they needed to find traces of where she had been.

Luka was quite skilled in this line of work. Apart from tailing Bayonetta, his main job was as a "freelance reporter," essentially a paparazzo. His biggest source of income came from selling celebrities' private information to entertainment magazines. Without honing such skills, he wouldn't have been able to keep up with the witch's trail.

"Truth, huh." Solomon rolled his eyes at Luka before they parted ways.

Solomon was well aware that his attire stood out among the religious followers of the Laguna Order in Vigrid. As a result, the mage didn't walk openly through the streets. And to ensure he could receive Luka's call promptly, he couldn't hide in Purgatory or the mirror dimension. Instead, he jumped across rooftops of old stone buildings, climbing along rough walls. Admittedly, there was a bit of a youthful thrill in it—he had pulled his hood up after all.

Rodin might actually make a hidden blade, right?

The buildings didn't vary much in height, making the climbs relatively easy for Solomon. He circled the buildings near the central fountain, checking quiet alleys and eavesdropping on conversations between Laguna followers to see if anyone mentioned anything strange. Yet, he found no trace of the witch, nor did he receive any calls from Luka.

As noon approached, Solomon had no choice but to return to Bayonetta's house to make lunch for a crying Cereza. He promised her that he would bring her mother back home, but it did little to comfort her. Cereza still believed that her crying was the reason her mother hadn't returned. Solomon took a deep breath. What else could he do? He hadn't refused to take care of Cereza in the first place, so now all he could do was smile and carry on.

Once he finally managed to calm the little one, he hurried back to Vigrid and returned to the rooftop where he had left. He continued searching in one direction, now near the outskirts of the city, but still with no results.

Just as he was beginning to feel frustrated, a loud explosion caught his attention. Turning around, he saw that a small church near the old town's central fountain had been destroyed. Massive chunks of stone were hurled into the sky, crashing back down to earth. Even the rising dust couldn't obscure the piercing golden light that shone through the shadows. It was a light invisible to ordinary people, but Solomon could see it clearly.

With his keen eyesight, he could even make out a giant creature with two heads, lifting the remains of a chapel into the clouds. Bayonetta was there! No one else could cause such a commotion with angels.

Solomon dashed toward the scene. Along the way, the streets beneath his feet were filled with panicked, fleeing Laguna followers. By the time he arrived, large stones had shattered the ornate fountain, and smaller pieces of debris continued to rain down from above.

The mage cast a spell and entered the Purgatory realm. From here, he saw flames erupt again in the distance, causing the once-intact chapel to collapse, sending up a cloud of dust. Shattered stones, propelled by an immense force, flew in all directions. A small piece of debris rapidly grew in size as it hurtled toward him, smashing into the ground. Along with the falling debris was a dark figure, and the two-headed angelic creature flapped its wings, diving through the dust clouds.

That was Bayonetta! Solomon quickly ran toward her, but before he could take more than a few steps, the two-headed angel vanished. Then, suddenly, all of Vigrid began to shake. A column of thick smoke and orange flames erupted from Bayonetta's location, shooting straight into the sky.

Solomon quickened his pace. By the time he arrived, he found the debris had fallen onto a small square. The stone-paved ground occasionally spurted orange-red molten lava, which cooled and left black-red scars on the once-beautiful buildings. Everything flammable—benches, flower pots, and furniture left behind by fleeing residents—was ablaze. Flames climbed into the houses, while thick, toxic smoke billowed out, filling the square with the stench of burning material and noxious gases.

Covering his mouth and nose, Solomon skirted around the square and continued his search through the inferno for the person he was looking for.

The tremors in Vigrid grew more intense, and the lava flows became more violent. Solomon felt the ground beneath him shudder as suddenly, the stone pavement collapsed. In the distance, a clock tower was engulfed by a fountain of lava, launching it, along with trams and other vehicles, into the air. Lava surged like a river through the streets, with the houses forming the banks of this fiery stream.

This was no longer an angelic city—it was hell. Even on the rooftop, Solomon could feel the scorching heat in the air. As he continued, he spotted signs of battle, and he followed the trail until he reached a massive crater of molten lava.

The crater showed signs of artificial construction. The bridge that spanned the lava lake couldn't have been formed naturally—it was as if the place were beckoning him with an incredible secret, stirring the curiosity of any explorer. Fortunately, the builders' efforts hadn't been in vain, for an explorer had indeed arrived.

Solomon took a deep breath of the relatively clean air, found his footing, and jumped down. Slowly descending (thanks to Feather Fall), he saw that the stone bridge had been broken into three parts, and a dark figure had just entered a cave on the far side of the lava lake. The mage quickly cast a spell, opening a portal and stepping into the cave. The air here was much cleaner, and a cool breeze blew from the depths of the cave.

Finally, he could breathe freely again.

The heat and light from the lava lake had almost blinded him, and by the time he reached this place, he was drenched in sweat. The sticky feeling made his skin itch. Solomon continued down the long cave, dodging falling stones, until he saw sunlight ahead. It was a shaft of light coming from a vertical well. The clear sunlight shone down, casting his shadow on the ground. The blue sky above remained untouched by the chaos below, as if the world outside the well was a peaceful, serene place.

Solomon, suppressing his disgust, grabbed a bit of tar in his hand and swallowed a spider from a small glass vial. After chanting a spell, the tar vanished. Solomon grimaced, feeling the spider bouncing around in his stomach. He spat a few times, trying to rid himself of the sensation.

"That was disgusting," he muttered as he began climbing up the well's walls. "I should have chosen Levitation. Such an oversight..." Fortunately, Spider Climb lasted for an hour. At least he didn't have to keep re-casting the spell, which would mean swallowing another spider.

Once out of the well, Solomon immediately felt the refreshing breeze, clearing away all the heat. There was no bubbling lava, no stench—just clean air filling his lungs once again.

He arrived at a steep cliff where he could see Vigrid's old town in the valley below, now engulfed in flames. Lava cascaded like a waterfall, gathering into a molten lake at the bottom of the valley.

"Fck!" Solomon cursed. There was nothing he could do about it. He spat in frustration and continued climbing a set of crumbling stone steps crushed by fallen columns.

Weeds grew everywhere until he finally reached a ruined circular coliseum. The massive two-headed angel hovered above the arena, while Bayonetta stood below. As Solomon approached, he recognized the angel's identity.

This angel had two enormous dragon heads—one red, one blue—each adorned with jewels and armor. Its body was a giant, inverted marble face. On its forehead was a golden laurel crown, with a sun symbol at its center. Its massive claws resembled those of a dragon, with golden ornaments at its knees and claws. Its long tail was wrapped in spiked hairshirts, with a golden, winged decoration at the end. Its broad wings kept it suspended in the air.

This was Fortitudo, one of the four cardinal virtues, an angel representing the holy will of the divine realm. It embodied courage and fortitude and wielded the power of fire, capable of summoning lava. All the lava flooding Vigrid's old town had been summoned by it from the depths of the earth.

"I've heard there's a witch who escaped the

 hunt, defying our rule," the massive, inverted face spoke, its booming voice echoing through the arena. "Her connection to the lower planes has tainted her soul. If you are this unfortunate soul, I will deliver you from your torment."

The witch, bored, munched on candy, paying no heed to the angel's words.

"O Holy Child, wise one..." Fortitudo interrupted his conversation with the witch. "Please, perform a miracle and save this poor soul before you..."

Suddenly, a gunshot rang out, and a bullet ricocheted off the marble face. Fortitudo stopped mid-sentence, shocked. He couldn't comprehend why someone would refuse such a gift.

Bayonetta winked at Solomon and said to the angel, "Sorry, I forgot to mention why I'm hunting you. You're just too ugly. I can't bear to let you suffer any longer."

"O Holy Child..." Fortitudo tried to speak again but was cut off by Solomon raising his middle finger.

"Are you defying the heavens as well?" the angel asked, surprised.

"I've never bowed to the upper planes, let alone a little dog like you," Solomon replied. "Upper-plane creatures should stay away from the Material Plane. This is the domain of the Supreme Mage."

"Humans cannot oppose us! Even with that witch by your side, you cannot hope to defeat us. Do not think to wield the power of darkness against us. No matter the era, witches never learn their lesson..." Fortitudo declared. "We will reshape the world! And you could be one of us, rising far above the Lumen Sages..."

"Shut up, featherface!" Bayonetta, annoyed, fired a few more rounds and drew her long blade. "You're so stupid it's unbearable."

Take a guess at what I'm going to give the protagonist. It's important, related to the System, and a major upgrade.

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