Reborn as the God-Emperor in Marvel

"Is that all?" Solomon pointed at the screen. The drone's pixel resolution wasn't great, but Nick Fury had linked Tony Stark's suit cameras to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s laptop. Solomon could compare the two video feeds, and he watched as Sif and Fandral were both knocked to the ground by a punch from the Destroyer armor. They hit the ground hard, barely able to hold onto their weapons. Even Tony Stark, who had been ready to make a snide remark, rushed in to knock the Destroyer over again.

"Even with Tony Stark in his armor, he's no match for the Destroyer. And adding the Asgardians won't change that. Honestly, Tony Stark isn't even a match for me right now. Don't you think it's a bit foolish to rely on someone like him as your ace in the hole?" Solomon said, watching Stark's first-person view as the hero quickly took flight after knocking down the Destroyer. Tony tried to cut through it with the lasers from his suit's wrist, but even those, capable of slicing through most materials, barely scratched the Destroyer. Before Stark could sever its arm, the laser overheated and burned out.

"In Congress's eyes, Stark's Iron Man suit is the pinnacle of single-man combat weapons," Fury replied, watching as Iron Man took another beating from the Destroyer. "But even this tech is light-years behind alien technology. That's why Congress is so eager to get their hands on Stark's Arc Reactor. We've still got a long way to go in terms of science."

"But you wouldn't agree to that, would you?" Solomon asked, smirking. "I'm glad to see that deep down, you think about humanity as a whole, not just America."

"America as the world's sole superpower isn't good for the planet," Fury said without a hint of surprise. He and Solomon had long discussed their ideals, so Solomon knew Fury's priorities. "But officially, I'm still an American."

At that moment, Sif and Fandral, after being punched by the Destroyer, stood back up without a scratch. They picked up their weapons and charged at the armor again. Volstagg also grabbed his axe and, alongside the approaching Hogun, began attacking the Destroyer's leg armor. The Asgardians' Uru-metal weapons, forged by dwarves and imbued with magic and strength, managed to pierce the Destroyer's armor. However, the Destroyer's head swiveled around, almost like an owl, spraying fire that caused an explosion, sending the four Asgardian warriors flying once more. The slightly damaged armor began to repair itself automatically.

"So, what are you going to do next?" Solomon asked, pointing at the screen. Because of the close-quarters combat, the Destroyer's fire couldn't quickly lock onto its fast-moving targets, making Iron Man the only easy prey. Watching through Tony Stark's perspective, Solomon saw him narrowly dodging the fire several times. But Stark couldn't always calculate a safe flight path in time—since the Destroyer's fire had a brief but inconsistent delay from charging to firing, JARVIS often miscalculated. The armor was nearly scorched several times.

"It's not about what I should do, but what you should do," Fury replied cryptically. "Are you just going to let Asgardians wreak havoc on Earth? As far as I know, Earth is under the protection of the Sorcerer Supreme."

Solomon's eyes widened in disbelief. It took him several seconds to piece it together—Fury had been playing him all along since the night before, and he hadn't even realized it. The supposed "battlefield oversight" was only part of the reason he was here; the other part was Fury's cunning plan.

From a responsibility standpoint, Kamar-Taj was Earth's last line of defense against alien invaders and extra-dimensional threats. And this wasn't Vanaheim—Earth's sovereignty was non-negotiable. Loki's actions were tantamount to violating Kamar-Taj's jurisdiction. If Solomon hadn't been there, he could avoid the obligation, but since he was on-site, as a member of Kamar-Taj, he was duty-bound to step in and defend Earth, maintaining the authority of the Sorcerer Supreme. He couldn't refuse.

According to the contract between Solomon and Fury, Fury couldn't expose Kamar-Taj's secrets or Solomon's identity, nor could he bear the consequences of breaking the magical contract. But the terms didn't prohibit Solomon from exposing himself. The consequences of doing so were entirely on Solomon, allowing Fury to exploit a loophole perfectly.

That was the nature of lawful entities like Kamar-Taj, an organization bound by strict order. With Earth's sovereignty at stake, Solomon, as a member of Kamar-Taj, had no choice but to fulfill his obligations. Unless he wasn't present. But Fury had brought him here.

Clever old fox! Solomon couldn't believe how Fury had tricked him. The real reason for Fury's trap was to ensure human safety nearby. No one knew if Thor's reinforcements would foil Loki's plan, or if Loki would slaughter the humans nearby for sport after killing Thor. Relying on the enemy's mercy was unwise, and Fury wasn't stupid—he had taken the necessary precautions, fully prepared to face the consequences.

"You have to understand why I did this," Fury said, though he was well aware that his trust with Solomon had plummeted to an all-time low, even lower than what their magical contract guaranteed.

"I understand." Solomon glared at him. "But screw you, Nick Fury. You could have told me about your plan in advance, but you chose not to."

"I couldn't gauge Kamar-Taj's stance on this Asgardian coup," Fury replied, expressionless. Since Thor had arrived on Earth, Fury had noticed that Solomon, representing Kamar-Taj, had remained ambiguous in his attitude. If Earth had sovereignty, then Thor shouldn't have come to Earth in the first place but should have gone to one of the other realms. And despite knowing Thor's identity, Kamar-Taj had made no move—Solomon hadn't even suggested helping Thor.

Now, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s decision to protect Thor had made their stance clear to Asgard: they supported Thor. That was the result of Solomon convincing Fury, effectively a trap Solomon had dug for himself. Now, he had to fill it.

Even though Solomon had previously told Fury that Asgardians viewed S.H.I.E.L.D. as little more than bandits or robbers, Fury still sought to establish independent relations with Asgard. In this situation, Kamar-Taj's position became crucial. Fury was essentially forcing Solomon to pick a side, hoping to align Kamar-Taj with S.H.I.E.L.D., thereby giving them more leverage—because only then would Asgard respect them.

Politically, Solomon wasn't nearly as cunning as Fury. However, Fury had paid a price for his scheme: he had permanently damaged the bridge of trust between him and Solomon.

Solomon shot Fury one last angry glance. The mage wasn't going to share any more secrets with Fury. Gritting his teeth, Solomon stood up, donned his Sling Ring, and opened a portal. He threw his phone inside before telling Agent Romanoff to open the back hatch of the jet. Although Fury had forced him to fulfill his duty, the way he went about it wasn't clearly defined in their contract—Solomon could choose how to act. He could fulfill his role half-heartedly and wait for Thor to regain his powers—while Fury was exploiting loopholes, so was Solomon.

Solomon touched his cheek, casting a veil of illusion over his face. To outsiders, his features became blurred, like seeing someone five meters away through 400-degree myopia. The spell had a time limit, but Solomon figured it would last long enough for the situation to resolve.

The mage stood at the rear hatch, facing forward. Then, he jumped, allowing gravity to pull him down rapidly. Cold wind rushed into his clothes, and the hem of his black mage's robes and the long red cloak of the Sanctum whipped upward. Solomon adjusted his posture, curving his body backward, his head leaning back, arms spread, legs together, and feet flexed, minimizing any spin during the fall.

He saw the desert below and the faintly curved orange-red horizon in the distance. Under the dim sunlight, the Destroyer still reflected light, and the continuous explosions pinpointed its location.

"Adonai Melekh, 10, Crystal, Queen; 

Th, crucis, 400, World; 

Shaddai El Chai, 9, Silver; 

R, caput, 200, Sun; 

S, Elohim Tzabaoth, 8, Mercury; 

Kingdom, Foundation, Majesty, 

In the name of Sandalphon, 

In the name of Gabriel, 

In the name of Raphael, 

—Stigmata, Unfold!"

Solomon crossed his arms over his chest, palms out, and instantly conjured a shield of orange-red sparks that enveloped his body. The descending mage adjusted his posture again, now upside-down, hands reaching down, and hurtling toward the Destroyer armor with kinetic energy. The impact was as loud as a bomb blast, sending up a cloud of dust that filled the entire battlefield. The Asgardian warriors had to cover their eyes to avoid being blinded by the debris, and Tony Stark couldn't see anything on the battlefield.

Suddenly, accompanied by a gust of wind, a whirlwind formed in the center of the battlefield, carrying the dust away. Finally, the Four Warriors of Asgard and Tony Stark could see what had happened

— the once invincible Destroyer armor had shrunk and now had a completely caved-in helmet.

It seemed the Destroyer had been severely damaged and stood still, unmoving. This was undoubtedly a victory to celebrate, but the person responsible was a stranger to them—

"Hey, weren't you on the plane?" Tony Stark shouted. Solomon's attire was distinctive, and Stark wasn't so forgetful. "How did you get here? Did you jump?"

But Solomon ignored him completely, focusing instead on casting more spells. He gestured and spoke incantations, and soon three intertwined streams of fire shot out from his hands, striking the Destroyer.

"Is this one of your new products? Because I thought of that first—"

"He's a wizard!" Sif's words cut Stark off, making him pause. She twirled her sword, adding, "I don't know where he's from or why he's hiding his identity, but another ally is always welcome."

"Even if he uses those delicate magic tricks, he's still a man! He took down the Destroyer!" Volstagg thumped his chest. "Step back! The mighty Volstagg is about to get serious!"

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