Reborn as the God-Emperor in Marvel

"I swear, it wasn't the corpses of those Ragnar cultists that attracted that big guy," Enzo said, having learned the details the moment the church was destroyed, including the appearance of the powerful angel. By the time Solomon and Bayonetta returned to the Gates of Hell bar, Enzo was already comfortably lounging on the sofa. "We've always only held funerals for ordinary people or for Rodin, and only low-level angels ever show up. But this time, that big one might be related to you, Bayonetta, especially with Ragnar's Easter coming up."

It had been mentioned before that Bayonetta often used funerals as bait to lure angels and feed them to her demons, which explained why she owned several white nun outfits. Sometimes, when Enzo couldn't find clients looking for funeral services, Rodin would play the role of the "corpse." Due to his special status, only low-level angels would come for him, and none of the middle or high-tier angels dared to mess with him.

Thus, Enzo figured that the appearance of a middle-tier Archangel this time had something to do with Bayonetta. Plus, she had caused chaos in the church, nearly costing him his commission, and this tight-fisted merchant even tried to get out of paying her. But faced with Bayonetta's new guns, Enzo had no choice but to pay up.

On the ride to the bar atop Pegasus, Bayonetta had already explained the Archangel's true intent to Solomon: it was all about the "Left Eye" and the resurrection of the "Creator."

These angels, servants of Jubileus, had been searching for the "Left Eye" for years in order to revive their Creator. Bayonetta, bearing the Left Eye, had been sealed in a coffin for 500 years and only reappeared twenty years ago.

The strange thing was that, when Bayonetta first reappeared, the angels weren't as active as they were now. Their numbers only began to increase as Ragnar's Easter approached.

According to the Ragnar cult's lore, Easter was the day the Creator Jubileus would awaken. Despite being a relatively young sect, the Ragnar cult had amassed incredible wealth and technological prowess, with numerous followers worldwide. Their religion was officially recognized and legal, and aside from the recent suicides of fanatical members, the authorities couldn't do much about them.

After all, Christian extremists had done far worse things throughout history, and at least the Ragnar cultists weren't hurting others. Even the Puritans had a dark history with witch hunts.

What troubled Solomon, though, was that this Easter hadn't been mentioned in the Ragnar cult's original texts. In Christianity, Easter was established based on the Bible's account of Jesus' resurrection on the third day after his crucifixion. But the Ragnar cult's Easter was a date directly set by the Izzawel Corporation, which was unsettling. It didn't feel like a celebratory event but rather an announcement—as if they were declaring that Ragnar's Easter wasn't just a myth but a real-time notification of their god's impending resurrection.

"Interesting theory," Rodin commented while polishing a glass. He seemed to agree with Solomon's deductions, his voice smooth and rhythmic even while speaking long sentences. "But no one's ever seen Izzawel's CEO, Badr, and no one knows what he's up to. Heck, we don't even know if he's alive or dead. But if he is alive, then this Easter is definitely his doing."

"That city looks just like any other city," Enzo chimed in. "Maybe a little more advanced with technology. It has schools, hospitals, an airport—everything. The problem is, Vigrid is full of Ragnar cultists! With Easter around the corner, their followers are pouring in from all over the world. They're so fanatical that they'll sing hymns in the middle of the street! Ugh! It's disgusting how obsessed they are!"

"If that's the case, we need to find out what Izzawel is really planning," Solomon said. "I have a bad feeling that this conspiracy is far from simple. If Badr is still alive and he's found a way to reclaim the 'Left Eye' from Bayonetta... I need to be prepared."

"Prepared for what?" Bayonetta asked.

"Inform the Sorcerer Supreme and have Kamar-Taj ready," Solomon replied. "If the Creator really wakes up, only the Sorcerer Supreme can stop it."

The Eye of Agamotto, the Time Stone—it could control the flow of time in everything, from organic beings to inorganic matter, energy, and who knows what else, unless they were one of the five cosmic entities immune to the Time Stone's influence (though that wasn't certain). Even Dormammu, the ruler of the Dark Dimension, was subject to its power. Sometimes, Solomon wondered if even the Vishanti were bound by the Time Stone's control and whether Agamotto gave it up under the will of the Great One.

Perhaps Solomon had too many conspiracy theories in his head, but he always assumed the worst when dealing with people who had a vested interest. This was a side effect of the memories imprinted upon him—while learning magic, he had also absorbed knowledge of assassination plots against both apprentices and mentors. Even the most powerful mages could fall to something as small and unassuming as a dagger. This constant sense of danger left Solomon in perpetual fear for his life.

Without the restrictions of the Weave, Solomon could master all spells, even those exclusive to specialized schools of magic, but it would take an enormous amount of time. That's why, in terms of his studies, Solomon had to be extremely cautious. He focused primarily on defensive spells, which had delayed his progress in other areas of magic.

Suddenly, his phone rang—a basic keypad phone that the Sorcerer Supreme had insisted he carry. While magic could be used for long-distance communication, it wasn't as convenient as a phone, and it wasted energy. Solomon glanced at the unfamiliar number on the screen, already guessing who it was.

Solomon looked at Rodin, who gestured for him to take the call. Bayonetta, also curious, could easily guess who was on the other end.

"Hello…" The noise on the other side of the line was loud, filled with shouting voices, forcing Solomon to hold the phone away from his ear. The person on the other end shouted to make sure Solomon could hear him clearly, "It's Luca… I'm not calling for help! I know there's no such thing! I know how cold and heartless you are! I'm calling to tell you to turn on the TV. I'm at the scene! Izzawel Corporation is holding a press conference, about the Ragnar cult suicides…"

"Get to the point, Luca," Solomon said, though it seemed like Luca couldn't hear him over the noise. Fortunately, Luca, being the seasoned reporter he was, quickly got to the information Solomon wanted to hear.

"Word is, the CEO of Izzawel Corporation is going to make an appearance! For the first time ever! Turn on the TV! This guy looks like... I don't even know how to describe him. But trust me, he looks more like a wizard than you do!"

As I mentioned earlier, Solomon didn't send Luca off for revenge. He merely suggested that Luca enter Purgatory and advised him to bring a gun—nothing more. If anyone missed that, it's because they weren't paying attention.

Also, Luca's situation differs from the ordinary humans who interfered during Solomon's hunts for vampires and werewolves. Those people opposed the arcanist and were in a life-or-death struggle with him. Their positions were clear-cut, and no further explanation was needed. But Luca, as a victim's family member, had a natural right to know the truth, which is why Solomon explained things to him. After signing the contract, Luca was harmless to Kamar-Taj, and there was no need for Solomon to do anything else to him.

Constantly displaying hostility to strangers is more aligned with the chaotic evil alignment, which doesn't match the protagonist's character. Solomon is in the lawful faction, though there's a distinction between lawful good, neutral, and evil. I've written before that the memories Solomon received caused some changes in his psyche. His bit of compassion was already exhausted when he advised Luca to bring a gun. If it weren't for the need to explain things to readers who don't get it, I wouldn't have spent so much time on this, and I would've pushed the plot forward instead.

After using up what little kindness he had left, Solomon encouraged Luca to investigate the truth and pointed him toward Vigrid without offering any help. It was pure exploitation of the remaining value Luca could offer—a capitalistic mindset if ever there was one.

And we all know, capitalistic tendencies are definitely evil, right?

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