Reborn as the God-Emperor in Marvel

Solomon stopped his spellcasting and did not attempt to attack the Destroyer with another scorching ray, as he knew such attacks would barely slow down the armor. This armor, once wielded by Odin in his prime to repel the Celestials, contained the combined powers of many Earth deities. If not for Loki using Gungnir to forcibly suppress its power to control the Destroyer, the armor's full might would be far more terrifying.

The arcanist understood that this was never about him. His task was to follow the Sorcerer Supreme's orders, weakening the Destroyer enough to ensure Thor wouldn't die by accident and that the events would unfold according to the Sorcerer Supreme's vision. Whether Thor could lift Mjolnir again or not was something the Sorcerer had already seen through the Eye of Agamotto. Even if Thor failed and died, how to explain it to Asgard wasn't something Solomon needed to worry about.

While the Warriors Three and Sif engaged the temporarily stalled Destroyer armor, Tony Stark took the opportunity to approach Solomon. Close combat wasn't Tony's strength, and he was concerned his weapons might harm allies. Plus, he saw someone he could banter with.

"If you ask me, the Asgardians are pretty clueless," Tony said. "They mistake technology for magic. Or, are magic and technology the same in Asgard? Where's your laser emitter? Is it portable? What's your power source?"

"Asgard is a land of both magic and technology," Solomon replied stiffly. As he watched the Warriors Three struggle to hack at the Destroyer, which was slowly regenerating, he pulled a small candle from his dimensional bag and lit it with a simple cantrip.

"What are you doing?" Tony asked curiously, but Solomon ignored him, muttering incantations. Tony tried to blow out the candle, forgetting he was still wearing his helmet. He then attempted to wave his hand, but Solomon's spell was already complete.

Two massive six-legged ants, each as large as a Shetland pony, appeared at Solomon's side. Following his orders, they quickly rushed to the Destroyer, startling both the Warriors Three and Tony Stark. However, Sif recognized the summoned creatures. The ants clamped their giant mandibles around the Destroyer's arms and pulled in opposite directions. Each ant could lift objects 1,700 times its own weight, and these massive ants, though incapable of damaging the armor, could at least hold it in place, especially given the limits imposed on the Destroyer's power.

Only Tony Stark was left speechless. He opened his mouth to say something but was at a loss for words. To the Asgardians, this was already a victory, as they now had plenty of time to deal with the Destroyer.

"This isn't bad at all," Fandral laughed, patting one of the giant ants beside him. "It's a fine mount, just like a goat. Thank you for your help, Midgardian sorcerer; you've honored your ancestors."

"Where's Thor?" Solomon asked Sif. He needed to resolve this quickly, as his illusion wouldn't last forever, and he didn't want to stay any longer than necessary.

"He's at the rear…" Sif began to answer, but then noticed the sky darkening and the wind picking up. She turned around to see a blond man in a checkered shirt, panting as he ran toward them. "There he is!" she proudly shouted. "Thor, son of Odin, the bravest among us! Even as weak as a mortal, he still comes to the battlefield!"

"This story will be told in taverns," Volstagg bellowed, banging on the Destroyer's head. "It will be another epic of Thor, son of Odin!" He failed to notice the orange-red glow emanating from the cracks in the Destroyer's armor.

"Am I the only one who doesn't know what's going on?" Tony Stark angrily flipped up his faceplate. "Aren't you supposed to be a young scientist? When did you start doing magic? Or are these giant ants your latest invention? When did you begin researching biochemistry? Where did you hide them?"

Everyone else ignored Tony's ramblings. Hogun, the ever-silent warrior, simply patted Tony on the shoulder and muttered, "You've honored your ancestors."

"Uh, thanks…" Tony Stark's eyes widened, unsure of how to respond.

"Brave mortal warriors and noble sorcerer," Sif declared proudly, "we are about to return to Asgard. But before we go, please tell me your names, for as part of this adventure, your names will be sung by poets. Thousands of years from now, when your souls ascend to Valhalla, people will still remember your deeds. Then, we shall drink mead together and fight for Odin!"

She first pointed to Tony Stark, then to Solomon. Though her tone carried the arrogance of an Asgardian addressing a vassal, what she said was true. As long as someone knew their names, they would be remembered for millennia. After all, Asgardians were immortal. As for how the battle played out, or whether Thor shined, that hardly mattered.

Ever since Odin had placed Thor in military service, not all of Thor's battles had gone smoothly. But under Odin's instructions, every bard in Asgard praised Thor's bravery. Even if Thor tripped and fell, they could spin it as a minor misstep by a great hero. And with enough alcohol, these became grand celebrations of Thor's and Asgard's many victories.

Solomon glanced at Thor, who was still running toward them, then turned back to Sif. "I have a document here that requires the All-Father's attention." He pulled a fire-sealed parchment from his dimensional bag. It was a diplomatic letter between Kamar-Taj and Asgard—a mere formality that neither the Sorcerer Supreme nor Odin truly cared about. However, on the diplomatic front, appearances mattered. The Sorcerer Supreme had instructed Solomon to deliver the letter to the Asgardians, but to whom he gave it was up to him.

Compared to the newly humbled Thor, Solomon preferred to hand it to Sif, who seemed to have more sense.

Sif glanced at the red wax seal, then silently accepted the parchment. Solomon stole a quick look at the slowly recovering Destroyer. He performed an Asgardian gesture of respect and prepared to leave. By then, Thor had finally reached them, gasping for breath.

"My friends," Thor said between gasps, "this is my fight…"

"The fight is over, Thor," Volstagg said cheerfully. "The Warriors Three have defeated the Destroyer!"

"No… it's not that simple…"

Boom!

Before Thor could finish, a violent explosion obliterated one of the giant ants, while the Destroyer smashed the head of the other with its fist, tearing the creature in two. The explosion threw the Warriors Three to the ground again, while Tony Stark, startled, quickly took off into the air.

The time they had wasted talking had allowed the Destroyer to repair the damage Solomon had caused, and Loki's connection to it had been reestablished. Although Loki didn't know who had stalled the Destroyer, he knew the person must have appeared after the link was broken. Without hesitation, Loki commanded the Destroyer to unleash a torrent of flames toward Solomon. But a massive orange-red shield materialized, blocking all the fire and protecting Solomon, Hogun, and the others behind it.

It was the Seraphim Shield, a highly effective defensive spell that Solomon had cast when he first descended.

"Well done, sorcerer!" Volstagg shouted as he got to his feet. "Now the epic truly begins!"

"No one can defeat the Destroyer armor," Thor said, shaking his head as he stood. "Not even the bravest warrior."

"What should we do now?" Sif asked anxiously. Until now, their efforts had been almost in vain. They all knew that their boasting at the banquet would mean little. She watched as Solomon, drenched in sweat, retreated behind his flickering orange-red shield, which was beginning to overheat from the high-energy particles bombarding it. Even standing behind it, they could feel the intense heat.

"We will die as warriors today, Thor," Sif said. "I have no regrets."

"Neither do I!"

"No, you must survive, my friends," Thor replied. "You've done all you could. Live, return to Asgard, and stop Loki. Tell these stories yourselves."

"This is my fight, sorcerer." Thor patted Solomon's sweat-soaked shoulder, his voice firm yet gentle. "I don't know where you came from, but this is my responsibility. No one else should have to suffer. Thank you for everything."

Solomon glanced at Thor. It wasn't hard to see why Thor had so many followers. His sunny disposition, eager to take responsibility, was endearing. Even if Thor weren't the prince of Asgard, he would still have many friends. While Tony Stark distracted Loki by using another laser generator to slice at the Destroyer, Solomon stopped casting and stepped behind Thor.

"Thank you, unknown friend," Thor said as he strode forward. He called out, "Loki!"

Fifteen hundred years of brotherhood was a strange thing. The moment Thor stepped forward, Loki commanded the Destroyer to stop attacking. "Whatever I did to you, whatever wrong I caused that made you do this, I'm sorry. But this has nothing to do with Midgard." He stepped closer and closer to the Destroyer. "Take my life. End this."

The flames in the Destroyer's helmet extinguished. Just as Thor thought Loki had given up, the Destroyer leaped forward

 and struck him square in the chest.

Solomon covered his face.

What happened next no longer required his intervention.

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Bayonetta was lounging on the couch, dressed in black, shiny silk pajamas, loosely tied at the front, revealing a perfect curve. She hooked her pale foot around Solomon's collar, her dancer's flexibility pulling him from the far end of the couch to right in front of her. Her long, warm legs wrapped around his neck and waist, drawing the arcanist closer until he could feel her sweet breath.

"And so, Thor lifted Mjolnir again, defeated the wicked Loki, returned to Asgard, and foiled the plan to destroy the world… He was also rewarded by the All-Father and named the heir to Asgard…"

"Today's story is a bit dull," she drawled, elongating her words. "Like a run-of-the-mill fairy tale."

"Clichés often become classics," Solomon struggled to keep a straight face, but Bayonetta could still see him blush involuntarily—this was still a bit too much for him. To avoid further embarrassment, Solomon tried to change the subject. "I'm sure the Asgardians are happy to sing about the All-Father teaching his son a lesson, how the prince connected with mortals and what wisdom he imparted—it's just a political tool to bolster the prince's image."

"And what about our protagonist?"

"He left as soon as things were over. Leaving behind a mortal infatuated with gods and an egomaniac."

"After hearing this story, big sister feels it's time to teach you a lesson as well. You've been out all night, after all."

"A lesson?"

"Mmm-hmm. A punishment, actually, so you don't grow up to chase after sneaky cats…" Bayonetta licked her lips with her pink tongue.

"Meow?" The Cheshire Cat looked up from its food bowl, confused.

"Maybe someone with equal standing…" 

"Boya, are your eyes bigger than your stomach?"

Her hand, which had been hanging off the couch, moved to push a book deeper beneath it. Bayonetta had been reading it before Solomon returned. When he had arrived through the portal, she had quickly hidden it—not because it was something she couldn't show, but because the title was just too embarrassing.

French Kissing Techniques.

Bayonetta swore it belonged to Jeanne.

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