Reborn as the God-Emperor in Marvel

With only a few days left in his break, Solomon had no intention of burdening himself with extra duties. Last time he visited Dave and Balthazar's training grounds, he regretted not giving the reckless, trouble-prone apprentice mage a piece of his mind. Instead of running all over the place, Solomon preferred staying at Bayonetta's apartment, lounging on the couch, petting a cat, and savoring the joy of doing absolutely nothing.

The Sword of Promised Victory, which the Grandmaster had shown him, had sparked some new ideas. He wanted to communicate with the Vishanti and convince them to help him perform a ritual to bond the Holy Sword as his contract weapon—using the Blade Pact ritual of a warlock to increase his combat prowess. Yet, his biggest challenge wasn't convincing the Vishanti to help but the sword itself.

The Sword of Promised Victory, crafted by Gaia, the Earth Mother, was indeed a divine weapon, and as such, there was a good chance that the warlock's Blade Pact ritual couldn't affect it. However, Solomon wasn't ready to give up. He examined his hands, aware that the holy marks lay within them—if he dared to unlock all his holy marks, his power of "Dominion" might allow him to forcefully forge a bond with the sword.

But this approach was incredibly risky.

Solomon absently stroked the cat perched on his knee, weighing whether this gamble was necessary. If he could successfully perform the Blade Pact with the Holy Sword, the battle enhancement spells he could learn would significantly boost his melee abilities. For instance, a spell called Voracious Blade would let him swing his sword at lightning speed—where others could swing once, he could swing twice. This ability was enduring, only temporarily suppressed by a Dispel Magic spell.

However, unlocking all his holy marks could lead to dangerous side effects, placing an extreme mental strain on him that even the Grandmaster, with the Eye of Agamotto, might struggle to counter. Given his current soul strength and rate of progress, it would realistically take years for him to be able to fully unlock the marks. He had been reluctant to bind his strength to any particular magical enhancements, hoping one day to find a powerful enough weapon to bolster his close combat abilities. But now that he had found the Holy Sword, he realized it was so strong that a Blade Pact ritual likely couldn't handle it.

So, Solomon decided to start by using only the safe holy marks to attempt bonding with the sword. In magic, safety was paramount; countless mages had met their ends through reckless ambition. If his current holy marks couldn't bond with the sword, he would abandon the Blade Pact idea and focus on becoming a magic-exploding powerhouse—he wasn't a hexblade, after all. The sword alone was already powerful enough, and forgoing the pact would be only a minor regret; he could compensate for any shortcomings in close combat with his enhanced physical abilities once he unlocked more of his holy marks.

In fact, without the Blade Pact, many of Kamar-Taj's mages would consider magic explosion tricks more suitable for him. Solomon's research into magic explosion spells had yielded significant advancements for this straightforward but potent level-zero spell. He developed spells like Lethargy Spear, which slowed an opponent's movement, and Repulsion Shock, which forcibly pushed any creature, regardless of size—even a dragon—upon contact. And Pain Shock, the strongest enhancement he'd devised, allowed a skilled warlock to greatly amplify the damage of their magic explosions.

Solomon planned to compile these magical enhancements into a book for Kamar-Taj's mages. It would contribute to the Temple's overall strength, aligning with the Grandmaster's intent to maximize the power of Kamar-Taj's mages under their binding contract with the Vishanti.

With his extensive knowledge, Solomon had also modified certain spells for this universe. For example, the cantrip Holy Flame had become Vishanti's Sacred Flame, and Hell's Rebuke was adapted into the safer Faerthin's Rebuke. Since he couldn't draw on the powers of entities outside this universe, modifying directional spells was a necessity. These spells were now compiled into a spellbook he had written, shelved at Kamar-Taj's headquarters for others to study.

Undoubtedly, these magical advances marked the most significant progress in Kamar-Taj since the Grandmaster's founding. While these spells weren't incredibly powerful, Solomon's advancement was evident to all. Many believed it was only a matter of time before he created even stronger magic. His spell-sharing had earned him considerable respect, and numerous mages now viewed him as the top candidate to succeed the Grandmaster. Some of Kamar-Taj's prominent mage families even considered him more crucial than Mordo or Kaecilius, as Solomon's contributions enriched their magical foundations.

Both Mordo and Kaecilius were accepting of this. Kaecilius openly supported Solomon's role, while Mordo, after seeing the magic Solomon had devised, simply believed that Solomon now needed more intense training. Only through rigorous trials, he thought, would Solomon be fit to inherit the title of Grandmaster.

Though, he mused, perhaps their generation of mages would still find themselves outlasted by their perpetually long-lived Grandmaster.

Moreover, Mordo thought Solomon should stay at Kamar-Taj headquarters rather than on a witch's couch, convinced that "women only slow down spellcasting!"

The Grandmaster hadn't shared her plans with anyone but Solomon and was unconcerned with the other mages' opinions. She saw the current arrangement as the best way to prepare Solomon to take over Kamar-Taj. She intended to hand down the title to Solomon, leaving the Vishanti a figurehead in Strange, stripping them of any means to influence Kamar-Taj through him.

Currently, this future Grandmaster candidate, spellbook compiler, magical enhancement pioneer, Holy Sword inheritor, and future ruler of both Kamar-Taj and Britain, Solomon Damonet, was preparing dinner. That afternoon, Bayonetta and Jeanne had gone shopping with his living allowance (courtesy of the Grandmaster, not Temple funds). Jeanne's salary couldn't cover both her and Bayonetta's high lifestyle. Besides, dollars held little meaning for Solomon. The gold he earned from selling alchemical potions through Vanthazar's Shop was far more useful; after all, the entire universe traded on a precious-metal standard, with energy-based economies limited to a few planets.

Solomon also had a new potion order from a "magic prince" named Monarch, whom he had met briefly. Monarch was about to set off on a journey and, before leaving New York, had ordered a few potions for healing minor injuries and slowing poison, paying in gold.

Yet, for Solomon, preparing this meal was far more important than completing the order. For the first time in days, he had enough time to prepare a proper dinner. Once school started, he and Bayonetta wouldn't have such lavish dinners—not for lack of money, but time. While he had ample time, he trusted his culinary skills more than those of invisible servants—a confident stance befitting an alchemist who could precisely measure ingredients and had a masterful sense of heat control.

Currently, he was making a fruit yogurt parfait that both Bayonetta and Jeanne loved. After washing the cranberries, he sprinkled them with powdered sugar, added grated orange peel and basil leaves, then squeezed in some orange juice to marinate them. Next, he pureed mangoes from Vanthazar's Shop, where it was spring year-round, and layered the puree and yogurt in glasses until full, topping them with the sugared cranberries and a light dusting of powdered sugar. With the dessert complete, he used magic to chill it, ready for when Bayonetta and Jeanne returned.

Solomon was oblivious to the fact that his phone, left at Kamar-Taj headquarters, was vibrating nonstop. Nor did he know what Balthazar and his apprentice had faced after his departure. With a sigh, Balthazar redialed Solomon's number once again to no avail.

After Solomon left the underground station, Hofas' allies, using student records to locate him, had disguised themselves as Dave. As a top physics student, Dave had access to a laboratory—not the best, but it sufficed, and without his mentor, he wouldn't even have had the underground station.

But this fatal detail was now known to Hofas and another mage, Derek, who posed as a magician. They had launched a surprise attack, seizing the nested doll that held what Balthazar believed to be Morgan le Fay herself. If Dave hadn't returned in time, Balthazar might not have survived.

Balthazar and Dave pursued Hofas and his cohort, but they ultimately failed to reclaim the artifact. Balthazar deemed the situation serious enough to inform Kamar-Taj. Hofas would undoubtedly try to release Morgan le Fay, and once free, she would likely use necromancy to raise every dead dark mage worldwide—an appalling spell that would allow the undead to retain their casting abilities, essentially creating a horde of low-tier liches under her control.

This was no longer just the Merlin School's problem; Kamar-Taj had to intervene. No one expected Balthazar, who had safeguarded the relic for over a thousand years, to fail so catastrophically just as he had finally found an apprentice.

Blissfully unaware of this looming threat, Solomon continued to prepare roasted lamb. He was only interrupted when a portal opened in the apartment's living room, and Wu Guiyue hurried through, staff in hand.

"You've got work to do, Solomon," she said. "The Grandmaster summons you."

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