Six months was enough time for a lot to happen.
For example, the birth of the Mad Nun Gaby's child. The demonspawn was imprisoned in the arcane dungeon of the Immortal City the moment it was born, watched constantly by cameras and gun turrets. No one could approach the child without official clearance—not even Gaby herself, whose maternal instincts drove her to nurse it, but she too was denied.
Anna, who had calculated Gaby's due date, also called Solomon during this time, requesting to see the child. Solomon rejected her, citing "unresolved security risks."
Anna's own demonic bloodline was slowly awakening. As the daughter of the first Demon Pillar, her potential was immense. When she fully matured, that would be Solomon's moment to strike against Marduk. As for the child born to the mad nun, it was another dagger aimed at Marduk—a backup to Anna.
There was also the conflict between Matt Murdock and Wilson Fisk.
Though this case involved Athena's close confidante, Solomon had shown no leniency toward the underworld kingpin who wasted human resources. Unsurprisingly, when the Sisterhood ran into Murdock on assignment, they clashed over conflicting objectives and methods. The Sisterhood wasn't some ragtag group of street vigilantes—they completed their mission regardless of interference. For a time, New York's criminal underground believed that the hurricane that once swept through the city's shadows had returned. Gangs were blown to bits by micro-explosives, and Hell's Kitchen ran red with blood.
If not for Vanessa's poisoning at one of Fisk's charity galas—and Athena and Solomon's coincidental attendance—the mob boss might never have gotten a chance to meet Solomon. But to save the woman he loved, Fisk surrendered. Solomon demanded the names of the new European human trafficking network's operators and the buyers on the West Coast. Otherwise, he would stand by and let Vanessa die before Fisk's eyes—and he meant it, and Fisk believed him. If Fisk had noticed Athena gripping Solomon's waist as if it were the only thing keeping her from intervening, he might have reconsidered so quickly.
Some events may seem small, but they were destined to stir up storms in the future.
Solomon wasn't sure whether his passion for long-term planning came from the Earth Mother's eternal sense of time granted at his creation, or the chaotic, nutrient-like memories of all the spellcasters consumed by him. But either way, Solomon loved nothing more than ensuring everything fell within the scope of his calculations. A chess piece only counted if it landed where he had envisioned.
That included Thor's arrival.
While Heimdall's attention was fixed on Thor and the Bifrost, Solomon cast a spell to send Lorelei—who had slipped into Earth through a secret route—back to Asgard. She did not return empty-handed. Her dimensional pouch was stuffed with gold and magical potions. Lorelei would assume a new identity, posing as a wealthy civilian merchant, and infiltrate the court to gain the trust of the man masquerading as Odin—Loki.
Though in truth, she didn't even need to see Loki. The frost giant was too lost in his pleasures and had delegated power to a slew of incompetent officials. Lorelei simply needed to bribe customs officers, ride a freighter under the guise of importing goods, and pay the palace exorbitant taxes.
Natasha Romanoff instinctively sensed that Solomon's smile concealed much more. But with the intel she had, she couldn't make a solid deduction. Besides, she knew better than to say anything in front of the other Avengers—doing so would only trigger a one-sided bloodbath. If Solomon truly committed himself, none of them—aside from Thor—would survive.
"I'll come ask about that boy soon," she said quietly, glancing at the arcanist before putting on a bright smile and rejoining the others. She still remembered the boy who had undergone surgery in the Immortal City. The portal in the café had suddenly shut down without warning, and even when she tried to find him at Oxford University, Solomon avoided her like he had foreseen her every move, cutting off all access to the Immortal City.
Unexpectedly, Solomon walked up beside her. He rubbed the carbon ash from his fingers, and to Natasha's surprise, his charred hand healed instantly.
The arcanist smiled at the spy, then casually turned to Thor and asked his question.
"Heimdall saw the scepter being misused," Thor said, face growing solemn the moment the mission was brought up.
He still didn't know that his father had been banished to Earth by Loki, but he instinctively sensed that his father's sudden mental decline was abnormal. Because of this, he had tried to preserve Asgard's military strength, resisting the policies of the throne's current occupant to disband much of the army under the guise of budget cuts. As a result, the entire Asgardian military had begun rallying behind Thor, ready to support a coup—his four warrior companions included.
This wasn't something Thor could prevent just by willing it so. The circumstances were already pushing him toward it.
To avoid getting caught in a civil war, Thor accepted what seemed like a vital mission—one that allowed him to leave Asgard and remove himself from the pressure. He even sent his friend Hogun, who represented part of the military faction, to a star system in rebellion, taking the mission to Earth alone.
Thor might not enjoy thinking, but that didn't mean he wasn't intelligent. He could instinctively act in his own best interest and listen to sound advice—so long as he put the hammer down. While Mjolnir was indeed a sentient artifact, that didn't mean it could think for him. When Thor held the hammer, his brain was full of metal—not thoughts.
On the return trip to New York, Solomon chose not to use a portal. Instead, he flew aboard the Avengers' supersonic Quinjet, personally modified by Tony Stark. Stark had poured his heart into the Avengers Initiative, even redesigning the jet's frame and replacing the engine.
Pepper Potts had complained more than once that the Avengers had taken over Stark's life. He had all but abandoned corporate responsibilities, and without her management, the chaotic debt structure of Stark Industries could've driven anyone insane.
Not only was Stark focused on building new armor and robotic legions, he also took time to upgrade every member's gear. Even the practically invisible Hawkeye received a brand-new set of multi-purpose arrows and a foldable compound bow. While Solomon had remained distant from worldly affairs over the past six months, Stark had been leading his Iron Legion into every known HYDRA base. Even Stephanie had received distress calls from those serpent-laden hideouts.
Stephanie, true to HYDRA's efficient ruthlessness, made sure to kick them while they were down—much faster than helping when things were going well. She assured Solomon that she had cut all ties between the Malik family and HYDRA cleanly, with no way to trace anything back to the Immortal City.
Stark had even launched an Avengers-exclusive satellite. The satellite, capable of infiltrating any nation's data, had cost Pepper considerable effort and maneuvering to get into orbit. Although Congress had banned Stark from equipping his armor with lethal weapons, that hadn't slowed him down. He'd made major strides in modular armor design—just like what he was now showing Solomon.
"This is a gauntlet—detachable. But not that old clunky kind. These modules can combine to activate different functions," he boasted, showing off to Solomon and Thor—the two "medieval meatheads" who loved hand-to-hand combat. But Steve Rogers only wanted to hear what Thor had learned about the scepter's whereabouts.
Ever since S.H.I.E.L.D.'s collapse, the search for Loki's scepter had intensified. Though leads were scarce, everyone suspected it had fallen into HYDRA's hands. Rogers believed that the intel Thor had brought back might finally reveal what he needed most—especially regarding Bucky Barnes.
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Fairy Tail: Igneel's Eldest Son (Chapter 256)
I Am Thalos, Odin's Older Brother (Chapter 336)
Reborn in America's Anti-Terror Unit (Chapter 542)
Solomon in Marvel (Chapter 924)
Becoming the Wealthiest Tycoon on the Planet (Chapter 1284)
Surgical Fruit in the American Comics Universe (Chapter 1289)
American Detective: From TV Rookie to Seasoned Cop (Chapter 1316)
American TV Writer (Chapter 1402)
I Am Hades, The Supreme GOD of the Underworld! (Chapter 570)
Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 660)
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