Reborn as the God-Emperor in Marvel

"I don't really want to rely on the Seventy-Two Demon Gods for combat, even though they can be quite helpful." Solomon pointed to Phoenix, who was sleeping on a perch. Normally, Phoenix wouldn't speak unless Solomon approached it. Aside from Solomon and the Supreme Sorcerer, anyone else who heard Phoenix's song risked becoming lost in it. Ever since Phoenix appeared in the Supreme Sorcerer's meditation room, the mages responsible for the elder's daily needs no longer needed to use magic to light candles—Phoenix's feathers were already ablaze.

"And then?" asked the elder.

"Apart from the magic in the Book of Vishanti, I think I also need to master some energy-based combat spells." Solomon was referring to evocation spells—fire, frost, lightning, earth, acid, and force. These spells are simple and direct, the best choice for dealing with small fry.

Evocation spells bear a striking resemblance to the magic from the Vishanti lineage. The Supreme Sorcerer was a master of manipulating energy, and Solomon had once watched him, in the mirror dimension, turn the spell "Magic Missile" into "Isaac's Missile Storm."

The so-called "Five Fireball Sect" spells were also easily cast by the Supreme Sorcerer. However, these spells were only amusing to him, useful for apprentices, but not enough to confront the Sorcerer's true enemies.

"Protective magic is also one of my essential studies," Solomon continued. "I'll need to study divination spells too, and some mental spells, but only the basics for illusions. As for necromancy... I have to admit, I'm somewhat interested. Hmm? You're not angry, are you?"

"Why would I be angry?" the elder replied. "Is studying dark magic worse than drawing power from Dormammu? It's not a big deal. You're still young, with much to learn. Dark magic is still magic, and I don't forbid you from learning it."

Solomon almost forgot—the Supreme Sorcerer was the one who had drawn the most power from Dormammu. A bit of necromancy wouldn't surprise him. As long as the other mages at Kamar-Taj didn't find out, it should be fine. After reporting his magical study plans, Solomon quietly left the meditation room, planning to pass the time at Bayonetta's place.

It was spring break, and Solomon had made some progress with his magic. His first 3rd-level spell was the famous Fireball. Pleased with his progress, the Supreme Sorcerer gave him a small break.

---

Thick curtains blocked the bright sunlight streaming through the windows. Despite it being spring, the two women wore light, thin nightgowns. They lazily reclined at opposite ends of the couch, their long, fair legs curled up on the cushions, each holding a book—not a complex magical tome, just a regular romance novel.

Bayonetta's toes, painted black, playfully brushed against Solomon, who sat in the middle of the couch. Unlike her gentle playfulness, Jeanne was much rougher. The white-haired witch always viewed Solomon as an outsider intruding on her and Bayonetta's world. The moment Solomon arrived, she had slammed her foot onto his knee and refused to move or speak.

"Meow~" The Cheshire Cat cautiously greeted its owner.

"Shut up, you fat cat!" Jeanne snapped from under the couch. It was as if she had just noticed Solomon's presence, greeting him awkwardly, "There's food in the fridge. Help yourself."

Solomon was used to Jeanne's attitude. With a snap of his fingers, the fridge door opened by itself, and an invisible force fetched drinks and snacks, even twisting off bottle caps and pouring cola into cups. Finally, the refreshments floated to the three people on the couch. This was a small magical advancement for Solomon. He no longer needed cheap materials for certain spells—like this Unseen Servant spell, which no longer required a piece of string or a bit of wood.

Jeanne snorted, took her cup, and stopped looking at Solomon. Although she still harbored some dissatisfaction, she had gradually accepted his presence. After all, Solomon cooked most of their dinners, and they only needed to fend for themselves for lunch. As long as Bayonetta didn't invite Solomon to stay the night—or if he did, he wasn't invited into bed—it was tolerable. The apartment only had one large bed, and she shared it with Bayonetta!

Solomon had also brought a pile of books and manuscripts, all of which he and Bayonetta had scavenged from the Holy Cross Church library. He couldn't possibly read them all, even with the Scholar's Touch spell. Fortunately, Bayonetta was happy to share the workload. With the upper ranks of the Lagna Order nearly wiped out and the funeral proceedings dragging on, Bayonetta had nothing better to do at home. She wasn't in the mood to read romance novels and found these ancient manuscripts far more engaging.

Solomon was about to enter high school. Given his grades and age, it seemed a bit late to start now, but with his A GCSE results and his award from the EU Young Scientists Competition, several private schools had already sent interview invitations for the holiday period.

However, most of these schools had strict attendance requirements. For instance, Eton College didn't allow parental visits for the first three weeks of enrollment, and students couldn't leave the school during that time. This would greatly reduce the time Solomon had for his magical studies. The £20,000 annual tuition wasn't a concern for Solomon at this point, but if it were up to him, he would never choose to attend such a school.

Ironically, Eton College had been founded by Henry VI in 1440 with the aim of providing free education for poor students, preparing them for King's College at Cambridge. Yet today, Eton had become one of the most prestigious aristocratic schools in England. It was truly ironic.

Regardless, the best option for a British high schooler was one of the "Nine Great Public Schools." Though the elder's comment about "giving the Saxons a run for their money" had been a joke, it was clear that the Supreme Sorcerer had some serious intentions of grooming Solomon to lead the next generation of Saxons.

---

Due to the strong impression Solomon Damonet left on Natasha Romanoff, she wasted no time starting her investigation after finishing her business with Stark Industries. When she accessed SHIELD's database to pull Solomon's file, she found it marked with a symbol.

This symbol meant "danger." The file was classified as Level 6, just below Natasha's clearance level—otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to see it. The note was written by Agent Coulson, someone Natasha knew as the Director's trusted aide. It was said that even before Nick Fury became the director of SHIELD, Coulson had been his partner.

Natasha's instincts told her something was off. Although Nick Fury was known for his integrity, it seemed odd that a veteran agent, especially one who had been the director's partner, would only have Level 6 clearance. There had to be more to this story. But that wasn't the focus right now. Conveniently, Coulson was also handling Tony Stark's affairs, currently poring over Howard Stark's files. Natasha figured she could ask him about what wasn't in the files.

"I was going to ask if you had the right clearance level, but clearly that's unnecessary," Coulson's voice came through the phone. "Still, I'd like to know—why are you interested in this?"

"Tony Stark met with him. Alone. In the EU Young Scientists Competition lounge." Natasha flipped through more Stark Industries paperwork, bored. Ever since she became Stark's assistant, the pile of documents had been endless—why did she even need to decide on badge designs? Couldn't the security department handle that?

"And then?" Coulson asked.

"Stark kept saying he'd met someone weirder than him." Natasha chuckled. "You know how odd Stark can be. It's hard to imagine anyone stranger than him."

Out of instinct, Natasha didn't reveal too much, and Coulson understood that, but it was enough.

"Actually, Solomon Damonet is suspected to be part of a superhuman organization," Coulson said, his tone growing serious. "This group was active in Celling Town. If you look into the Celling Town incident files, you'll find a few things—like the theft of Congressman White's gemstone ring and a major fire outside the town."

"What's the connection between these?" Natasha asked.

"I believe Solomon Damonet may be a pyrokinetic, and he was the one who stole the ring from White," Coulson replied. "He had an accomplice. That theft might have just been a trial run—they could be planning something bigger."

"A ring?" Natasha recalled the three rings Solomon wore on his right hand, each of them strikingly expensive and eye-catching. She asked, "What did Congressman White's ring look like?"

"It had a pink gemstone. Quite distinctive," Coulson said.

"Yes..." Natasha thought back. She had indeed seen a ring with a pink gemstone on Solomon's hand. She continued, "Have you pursued this further?"

"I dreamed about it, ma'am," Coulson replied. "I recall the trail leading to a private museum. But due to Stark's disappearance at the time, I had to drop the investigation. I guess it weighed on me so much that I even dreamed I led a team to raid that museum… I can vividly remember the layout inside. Funny, isn't it?"

"Yes, indeed… very funny," Natasha muttered, narrowing her eyes at Coulson's records. Coulson hadn't dreamed about raiding the museum—he had actually done it. But why did he think it was a dream? Natasha Romanoff took a deep breath

—this was a much bigger deal than she had initially thought. The fish on the hook wasn't a small one.

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