The twin rings of blue and green spells encircling the Arcanist's arm meshed tightly together, their overlapping motion clicking like brass gears in perfect sync. When Solomon saw the timer spell activate on its own, he knew the meeting's time limit had been reached. He intended to leave Hela with some time to consider his offer—after all, it was a weighty matter, and even Hela had to think carefully about the terms and the plan he had proposed.
"I'll return," he said, twisting his wrist. The ticking of the spell rings sped up, like the ticking of a wound-up clock's second hand. He quickly summoned Pegasus back into its statue form, slung the Holy Shield and Holy Lance across his back. "I hope next time you'll have an answer for me."
"How are you planning to escape Odin's seal? Even I can't do that," Hela asked, intrigued. "Did you find a flaw in the seal?"
"Kamar-Taj... The monastery I belong to was founded not long after your imprisonment," the Arcanist explained, "We studied the Space Stone and Time Stone."
From Hela's expression, Solomon gleaned something and quickly clarified that he couldn't take her with him—the spell didn't allow for that. Even if she leapt into his arms, it would be useless.
The spell didn't break Odin's seal. Rather, it worked by referencing the subject's temporal position and manipulating that timeline via the Akashic Record. To bypass Odin's restrictions, the spell was intricately designed: it essentially compared the subject at location A, time A, and at location B, time B. It temporarily swapped B's current time with A's past time, then relied on the Akashic Record's natural correction ability to drag the subject back to location A. Once the spell ended, time reverted to B, resulting in a spatial shift without spatial travel. This delicate workaround made it possible to slip past Odin's powerful seal. It was the same method the Sorcerer Supreme used to recall Solomon during the Dark Elf invasion—no space-jumping, just an elegant sidestep.
The only drawback: the temporal gap between point A and point B couldn't be too long, or even the Time Stone might risk tearing space-time continuity.
The lengthy explanation clearly irritated Hela. She had wanted to persuade Solomon to smuggle her out.
Of course she knew about the Infinity Stones. Asgard had once used the Space Stone to study the Bifrost. But when she was sealed, Odin had already hidden the Stones on Earth. Hela didn't know that and had assumed the Tesseract was still on Asgard. To her, Kamar-Taj seemed like some ancient Asgardian secret society.
"So you really are Odin's errand boy!"
Solomon tried to reply, but the spell gave him no time.
Frigga's expression was complicated as she watched the tall figure materialize in the room.
Solomon collapsed to his knees the moment he was pulled back—Earth's gravity was slightly stronger than Helheim's, and he hadn't readjusted yet. But he didn't shut off his stigmata. With his powerful body and the support of the power armor, he quickly stood again. Frigga caught the scent of blood. She noticed the damage on the golden armor where Nightfall had sliced through. Knowing her daughter's power, she understood exactly what those wounds meant.
"Take off your armor, now." She didn't bother with courtesy and ordered him bluntly. Solomon, surprised to see Frigga, dropped any questions when he spotted the Sorcerer Supreme. He obediently complied. Frigga examined his wounds, then took out some herbs from her satchel. Chanting softly, she crushed the glowing plants and applied them to the gash made by Nightfall.
The enchanted herbs slowly expelled the sword's necrotic power, allowing an inflammatory response to take hold—the wound reddened and swelled, a necessary step for healing.
Solomon pulled out a dose of antibiotics from his armor and gave himself another injection.
"About a week and you'll be healed. Faster if we use some extra spells," Frigga remarked, glancing at Solomon's pale face and polite smile, then looking to the Sorcerer Supreme. "I can't give you a definitive answer now. This gamble is too big—too dangerous. Odin once had that kind of courage, but there are powers in this universe even stronger than him. We must be realistic."
"For both humanity and Asgardians, this is the only chance," the Sorcerer Supreme said flatly. "There will never be a better moment than this."
"I understand. But this involves too much. I need time to consider it carefully."
After Frigga left, Solomon raised an eyebrow at his teacher.
"You told her everything," he said. "Is that really wise? The Aesir have abandoned rebellion. I wouldn't call them cowards, but they believe in fate now, don't they?"
"Don't be fooled by Odin's current facade. He fought against the Celestials. That kind of ruler doesn't go quietly. You really think Asgard's 'Valhalla,' that empty Hall of Heroes, is the real one? Odin would never put his true resistance in plain sight."
"Helheim... or rather, Hela's domain," Solomon murmured. "I used to think that place was filled with 'dying like grass' corpses, until I saw those warrior remains and the Iron Tree Forest. That had to be Odin's doing. There's no way Hela brought that many dead and armaments in with her."
"Exactly. The cunning Grimnir hedged his bets. In all his calculations, Asgard always wins. But he didn't foresee your birth. That's why I'm one step ahead," the Sorcerer Supreme smiled. "Let me see that wound again. If the witch finds out you came home from a mission covered in injuries, those two troublesome women will storm the sanctum screaming. When are you going to tell them the truth? Your mission—your duty—leaves no room for error."
Even with his height and the imposing frame of the armor, Solomon approached the Sorcerer Supreme obediently, like a student before a stern master. "I think they already know, Master. My artificial human has already told them everything," he said softly. "Bayonetta doesn't agree with everything I do, but she's no bleeding-heart saint. She's a ruthless witch—she understands the necessity. We just don't talk about it. That place is our safe harbor. Nothing from the outside matters there."
"You've always longed for the warmth of a home. I'm glad the witch can give you that," the Sorcerer Supreme nodded, checking the herbal poultice Frigga had applied. "Go see Wu Guiyue. She has alchemical potions in her vault that'll speed up recovery. Add that to your stigmata's healing, and soon you'll be left with nothing but a scar."
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I Am Zeus, KING OF GODS (Chapter 79)
Fairy Tail: Igneel's Eldest Son (Chapter 391)
I Am Thalos, Odin's Older Brother (Chapter 471)
Reborn in America's Anti-Terror Unit (Chapter 677)
Solomon in Marvel (Chapter 1059)
Becoming the Wealthiest Tycoon on the Planet (Chapter 1418)
Surgical Fruit in the American Comics Universe (Chapter 1422)
American Detective: From TV Rookie to Seasoned Cop (Chapter 1452)
American TV Writer (Chapter 1504)
I Am Hades, The Supreme GOD of the Underworld!(Chapter 570)
Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 703)
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