Reborn as the God-Emperor in Marvel

The appearance of Jeanne put Solomon on high alert. Strangely, all her attention was focused on Bayonetta, completely ignoring Solomon and Cereza behind her. 

Hatred, regret, and a mix of complex emotions flickered in her eyes alongside the angelic sigil, emotions so intense that even the stormy winds outside the corridor couldn't extinguish them.

"You've taken your sweet time. I've grown tired of waiting. You've come this far, and that's enough. You've returned to your former self," Jeanne said, raising her gun toward Bayonetta. "Since ancient times, our battles have always ended this way. Let's finish this here."

Bayonetta pushed her glasses up with the barrel of her gun. She had already faced Jeanne multiple times since Solomon returned to Kamar-Taj. Each battle stirred memories she had long forgotten, reminding her of lost abilities, like her power to transform into animals. But she could never fully understand what this fellow witch truly wanted.

However, an enemy's ally is also an enemy, whether witch or sage.

"The Lumen Sages—observers who balance the witches. There's a law between us that must never be broken: the union of light and dark will bring disaster upon the world. But five hundred years ago, a child was born, blatantly violating this law. That child was you, Bayonetta," Jeanne said, her gray eyes gleaming with an inexplicable light. "The disaster that followed plunged both our races into chaos, and we still feel its effects. You are the child of light and darkness, the true center of chaos. Letting you live is an unbearable risk! When the 'Eyes of the World' fall into our hands, the power of creation will awaken. Therefore, the Left Eye—our precious Left Eye—must not fall into anyone else's hands!"

Both Solomon and Bayonetta understood what Jeanne was saying. The goal of the sage Balder was clear: to obtain Bayonetta's Left Eye and use it to awaken the creator Jubileus. Yet Jeanne, Balder's subordinate, seemed oddly determined to prevent Bayonetta from advancing, as if she didn't want the Left Eye to fall into Balder's hands.

Solomon silently listened to Jeanne while contemplating the Supreme Sorcerer's intentions.

It was understandable for there to be a traitor in any group, but Jeanne's attitude toward the angels couldn't be unknown to Balder. Yet he still allowed her to act. This suggested that Balder was confident Bayonetta would eventually deliver the Left Eye to him. The key to this plan likely lay in Cereza, who had only recently come into Bayonetta's life.

Could it be that the Supreme Sorcerer foresaw Balder's failure and sent Cereza to Bayonetta to counter his plan? Or had the Sorcerer placed some kind of enchantment on Cereza that would trigger when Balder tried to activate his dark hand, reversing his plans?

"It's time to end this, Bayonetta!" Jeanne said as she stepped forward, her high heels crunching over broken glass. The wind outside the hallway suddenly picked up.

An angel crowned with four elemental halos appeared beside the building. This angel had no head or neck, nor any feet. Instead, its chest bore a pure white marble face. It had two thick arms, but instead of hands, its arms ended in four flexible tubes. Light emanated from where its shoulders met its body.

This was Temperantia, the angel representing the wind element. Bayonetta had encountered this angel before arriving at the Sun Island, and not just once. Now, the angel seemed displeased with Jeanne's interference, bringing its massive arms crashing into the corridor.

"Boya!" Bayonetta shouted. Solomon, too, wasn't paralyzed by the looming giant.

"Got it!" He quickly scooped up the petrified Cereza. At the same time, Phoenix spread its wings, filling the corridor with a fiery orange glow. As Phoenix let out a piercing cry, both Temperantia and Jeanne slowed down slightly. Solomon raised his hand and caught Phoenix's claw as it flew toward him, vanishing from sight.

This was one of Phoenix's spell-like abilities. Under its effect, Solomon and Cereza entered a hazy world where they could still see the outside but with everything blurred and mixed in color. The mystic lightly tapped his foot, causing him and Cereza to float. The little girl clutched her stuffed doll and cat tightly, burying her face in Solomon's chest. She looked like she wanted to cry but held back.

Phoenix hovered above them, its fiery feathers warding off wandering spirits from this plane. Then, grabbing onto Phoenix's claw, Solomon returned to the real world, reappearing near Temperantia's massive descending arm. Outside, Bayonetta and Jeanne had already leapt through a shattered window and were battling in the broken stairwell.

Temperantia, seeing Solomon and Cereza evade its attack, casually swung again, smashing through warped metal window frames and statues in the corridor. Phoenix grabbed Solomon and Cereza, disappearing and reappearing on a higher floor of the building.

Facing such a powerful angel, Solomon knew he couldn't win in a direct confrontation. But he didn't need to fight it head-on. Phoenix had a spell-like ability that could deal with creatures from outer planes, but it required time to prepare. Following Solomon's command, Phoenix flew out of the shattered window to distract Temperantia.

The angel's chest-mounted face fired a beam that followed Phoenix's path, carving into the thick ground and walls, creating an arc across the building. Meanwhile, Solomon raced up the stairs with Cereza, waiting for Phoenix to finish preparing its spell. But then, he encountered someone unexpected.

"Luka!" Solomon raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You're still alive!"

"How could I die in a place like this?! What's going on here? What's tearing everything apart?" Luka shouted, narrowly avoiding another attack from Temperantia. Fortunately, his grappling hook invention had saved him. "I even saw a giant bird made of fire flying outside! If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I'd think I was going insane!"

"It's an angel, a big one. And the bird? That's my summon, the Phoenix," Solomon said without slowing his pace, and Luka quickly followed.

"What are you going to do?" Luka asked as they raced up the narrow stairwell. "From your tone, it sounds like you've got a plan?"

"Yeah," Solomon replied briefly, calculating the time. About a minute later, he kicked open a door to a secure exit, bursting into the corridor of the upper floors of the Isabelle Tower. The windows here had also been shattered by previous explosions. Phoenix, now circling the building, shot upward at Solomon's telepathic command, with Temperantia following closely.

Solomon leapt from the window, and Phoenix swooped in to catch him, carrying him toward the angel. He began chanting a spell, stirring waves in the etheric plane. Even though this angel had strong faith, Solomon's words invoked a primal fear of death in Temperantia. At the same moment, Phoenix activated its spell-like ability, and with a soft explosion, the massive angel vanished.

This was a combination of the first-level spell "Cause Fear" and the fourth-level spell "Banishment." Solomon had taken a small risk to weaken the angel's will, ensuring Phoenix's banishment spell would succeed. The gamble paid off. Temperantia was successfully banished to Jubileus's divine realm, but the spell's effect would only last for a minute. After that, Temperantia would return, so Solomon had to move quickly.

Phoenix flapped its wings with force, carrying Solomon and Cereza rapidly along the building's exterior until they landed near the bright white orb floating at the top of the Isabelle Tower. This orb was the tower's core, and the white light band surrounding Balder's room was tangible, known as the Path of Psionics. Its endpoint led to a portal connected to the orb.

Phoenix set Solomon and Cereza down on the Path of Psionics. Thanks to the magic used in constructing this path, the high winds didn't affect them, preventing them from being blown away.

"Daddy!" As soon as they entered the room, Cereza ran toward a man sitting in a high-backed chair on the other side. Her chubby little hands stretched out as she dropped both her stuffed doll and cat. The man wore a white robe lined with gold, and a golden mask covered half his face.

Solomon wasn't surprised; he had already guessed that Balder was Cereza's father.

"I didn't expect a member of the Mage's Conclave to arrive first," Balder said. "But those battles weren't meant for you. It makes sense you've made it here. Are you here to witness the Creator's awakening?"

"Balder, do you really think the Creator will be allowed to awaken on Earth, under the Supreme Sorcerer's watch?" Solomon held Cereza tightly, doing his best to keep the struggling child away from the dangerous man.

"Even the Supreme Sorcerer cannot oppose the Creator!" Balder slowly rose from his chair, a massive rune-inscribed disc glowing behind him, illuminating him from behind while his front remained shrouded in shadow. "Those who live in the light cannot escape the empty darkness born from the shadows. The closer they get to the light, the stronger the darkness becomes. We will forge a new world filled with order, where all chaos and disorder will be eradicated! Come to me, my daughter!"

There was no point in arguing with a fanatic. Solomon glanced at the wriggling Cereza in his arms, hesitated for a moment, then followed the Supreme Sorcerer's instructions and set her down. The little girl picked up her cat and

 doll, then ran toward Balder. Solomon held Phoenix back, stopping it from retrieving Cereza.

"You've taken good care of my daughter," Balder said as he lifted Cereza into his arms. "Look, the Supreme Sorcerer sent you to deliver her, which proves even they agree with my vision. Everyone yearns for a perfect world, even the Supreme Sorcerer."

"Who knows," Solomon muttered, filled with tension. He wasn't just worried that Balder might harm Cereza but also about whether the Supreme Sorcerer's plan would work.

"Please be patient, my guest. A seat has already been prepared for you. Watch as this world is reborn. I should thank the Mage's Conclave for shielding the Sun Island from prying eyes. It saved me a lot of trouble," Balder said, holding Cereza. "You will witness it, and your place in the new world is assured."

"Be my guest," Solomon said, sitting down in one of the room's chairs, quietly pulling a scroll from his case.

Now, all he could do was wait for the Supreme Sorcerer's plan to take effect. He had also hidden a magical creature in Cereza's stuffed doll. If things went awry, he could still cast a spell and use the creature to bring her back.

Forgot to ask for recommendation votes.

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