As the seraph plummeted, its red-and-white mosaic ceramic skin shattered into pieces. The angelic blood, bright crimson, condensed midair into jagged ruby-like shards—only to be pulverized into a fine red mist as the magus trailing above it collided with the debris at high speed. The heat from his jet thrusters either re-melted or instantly vaporized the blood, leaving behind a trail of dazzling golden sparks stretching behind Solomon and the witch like a stream of stardust in the shadows of the mountains.
Even at high altitude, the witch remained agile as ever. With effortless grace, she twisted her body in ways impossible for ordinary humans. Her serpentine legs wrapped around Solomon's arm as she shifted position, sitting sidesaddle on his shoulder armor like a proper lady riding a horse. From there, Bayonetta drew an M202 four-barreled 66mm rocket launcher and fired a volley of four modified M72A1 HEAT rounds at the still-falling seraph. The weapons, upgraded by Rodin, were devastating. For this mission, Bayonetta had commissioned an entire batch of munitions tailored for upper-plane entities—Solomon had provided the materials, and Rodin the enhancements. The M72A1s she now used were one such creation.
According to Bayonetta, these weapons were just as "hot" as she was.
But Solomon didn't laugh. His eyes were fixed on the town below. The impact of the seraph's fall, combined with the explosions from the HEAT rounds, obliterated a small section of Noahduun's streets. A towering cloud of dust and smoke rose into the sky, completely obscuring the seraph's corpse. At that moment, Solomon was deeply grateful he had spent a fortune evacuating the residents ahead of time—otherwise, the casualties would've been catastrophic.
"I hope the gems on that angel didn't get destroyed," Solomon muttered, surveying the rubble of brick and stone. Embedded in the seraph's forehead was a large, shield-shaped ruby, and set into the top of its marble chest was an even rarer round amethyst. He had planned to retrieve both before the angel died—perhaps to craft jewelry for Bayonetta or Jeanne—but Madame Butterfly's furious blows hadn't exactly been gentle on precious stones.
"There's something there, Boya!" Bayonetta leapt from his shoulder, pointing toward a bright yellow object amidst the wreckage.
Solomon zoomed in with his HUD and ran a scan. It was... a person.
According to the scan, it was either a minor or a dwarf. Solomon shared the findings with Bayonetta. The witch had intended to approach the figure and help, but he stopped her. With a sharp mechanical click, his grenade rifle chambered a round—the automated targeting system locking firmly onto the mysterious figure.
Despite Bayonetta's extensive combat experience, she was unfamiliar with battlefield rescue protocols or threat assessment procedures. After recruiting both SHIELD and HYDRA agents, Solomon had studied these processes carefully. He knew that an unknown presence on the battlefield always carried risks—especially one that had miraculously survived the fall of a seraph. The residents had already been evacuated. No local civilian should've even been able to enter the shallow ethereal plane, let alone survive such a crash with only minor bruises. The very fact that this figure had done so was... suspicious.
Once he confirmed no immediate threat, Solomon approached, grabbing the figure by the collar and hauling him from the rubble. Throughout the entire process, his left arm's grenade rifle remained trained squarely on the figure's skull. If the person made even the slightest move, the weapon would fire instantly.
"A little thing," Solomon muttered. Despite the crude handling, he scanned the target's body and ran a full diagnostic. The boy had simply passed out from the shockwave. His long white hair was tied into dreadlocks—something Solomon visibly disdained. He gently, as much as the power armor allowed, laid the boy onto a flat spot free of rubble, then retrieved a canister of pain-relief spray from his utility pouch and applied it to the boy's bruised arm. The icy blast jolted the boy awake—he sprang up instantly with inhuman speed and vitality.
Then, just as quickly, Solomon grabbed him by the neck and pinned him in place. The slender throat could snap at any moment.
"This is the first time I've seen a 'normal person' recover from a concussion that fast," Solomon remarked, clearly aiming the jab at Bayonetta's earlier recklessness. In response, the witch kicked him hard on the leg armor.
"If you don't want to drop dead from exhaustion, you'll sit right there. Or don't—do whatever the hell you want," the magus said to the boy. "But I have questions. I think you can answer them. For example, how did you enter this plane? Did you come on your own, or did someone send you?"
The boy stared back defiantly. "Who are you?"
"Don't answer a question with a question, you little snot," Solomon snapped. "Next one: Who gave you that thing hanging from your neck? Do you even know what that necklace is?"
"Why should I answer you? You planning to snap my neck?"
"Is your hair color natural or dyed? What about your eye color? It's weird."
"Go on, do it! Snap it, you bastard!"
Bayonetta watched them bicker with an amused smile. Despite Solomon's constant threats, he didn't hurt the boy—no matter how rude he got. Instead, he kept up a bluffing front, trying to intimidate him into cooperation. The boy, meanwhile, showed unusual courage and refused to reveal anything. Neither would yield. The comical standoff finally ended when Bayonetta returned from a nearby, intact store carrying triple-strength hot drinks. She ordered both of them to sit down and take a break.
The death of a high-ranking seraph was no trivial matter—especially after Jubileus's demise. When Jubileus had been resurrected, nearly all upper angels had sacrificed their souls for the cause, only for it to end in disaster when the witches united to destroy the goddess for good. Now, only a handful of upper angels remained, and the one who commanded them received the news instantly.
"That's the place. It was him, wasn't it?"
"Yes... I'll never forget that face..." A man wearing a golden mask and white robes stared intently at the image rendered by detection magic. Though his eyes were hidden, it was clear that his gaze followed Bayonetta's every move. He watched as she waved Solomon and the boy toward a bench to sit and talk, idly twirling the long spear in his hand.
"Who is that man? The one in gold armor with the long black hair?" The masked figure stared at Solomon. "And that sword... I've seen it before."
(End of Chapter)
[Get +20 Extra Chapters On — P@tr3on "Mutter"]
[Every 50 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop]
[Thanks for Reading!]