In the end, Solomon never got the tacos Coulson promised him. Not only because Coulson's beloved car, Laura, faced major repairs after the unfortunate detour into the ditch, but also because, as president of the Captain America Fan Club, Coulson could not tolerate anyone spreading baseless rumors about his idol.
Agent Coulson declared he was "breaking up" with Solomon and would maintain a month-long "cool-off" period following the return of the magical book. Solomon had no objections to this as long as SHIELD returned those pages of the Book of Eibon. Whether they were friends or not was irrelevant.
"Well?" Mordo asked Solomon, his expression severe. They stood on the vast plains of Texas. The open landscape let the cold night wind sweep through unimpeded, rustling the cacti under the pale moonlight and pushing tumbleweeds crashing into the gathered crowd. Behind Mordo stood a group of Kamar-Taj sorcerers. Among them were the temple stewards assigned to capture the prince of Hell tonight, including Kaecilius.
Kaecilius winked at Solomon upon seeing him, then gestured toward Mordo with a zip-the-lips motion. Solomon returned a look, understanding perfectly—Mordo was even more strict and intense when on duty. All the temple stewards wore serious expressions, mirroring their leader's stoic demeanor. Not wanting to stir up trouble, Solomon answered his senior brother's question swiftly.
"All clear," he said. "SHIELD will hold off Ghost Rider. We only need to focus on Wuxinmo."
"He's no ordinary foe, Solomon," Mordo warned, casting a sharp glance at his youngest junior. Then, he pulled out a weapon Solomon had custom-ordered from Rodin: a pair of transforming blades. "I don't understand why you didn't go with the Staff of the Living Tribunal and instead chose these. I sense dark magic on them. Use them carefully—can you do that?"
Solomon discreetly rolled his eyes. The Ancient One had been right; Mordo was getting more naggy lately. He'd even considered banning sugary snacks and honeyed tea for the Sorcerer Supreme on grounds of "health." Ridiculous.
"Of course, of course," Solomon replied dismissively, accepting the dual blades, named Luoyang. The weapon's Victorian silver engravings and the mix of Gothic spires with Renaissance-style twisted patterns were stunning, and Solomon, guided by his "style first" principle, had chosen it precisely for this mission. Mordo saw through his perfunctory response and shot him a glare but said nothing more.
The mission took precedence, and Mordo would have plenty of time to lecture later.
"The lower-plane water elemental confirmed that the devil from the Hell Dimension is Mephisto's son, Wuxinmo. His target is a contract," Mordo explained to the temple stewards. "A contract bearing a thousand souls, known as the San Venganza Contract. Whether the King of Hell can reclaim this contract depends on this mission. We must not let Wuxinmo get his hands on it. Hell must gain not a single soul. This contract will be turned over to Vishanti for purification. Another group of sorcerers led by Master Hamir is already heading to the contract's supposed location."
Mordo's speech was dry and perfunctory, much like his personality. He didn't aim to inspire; he believed sorcerers needed calm minds, free from hot-headedness. "Wuxinmo has kidnapped Ghost Rider's girlfriend and is waiting for him at San Venganza. But we're not going to leave this to an evil spirit. As we move to eliminate Wuxinmo, remember to rescue the civilian—that's our secondary objective. The contract is the primary. If it comes to it, prioritize the first objective. Move out!"
When Wuxinmo descended to Earth, he summoned three elemental creatures, two of which—the earth and air elementals—had already been killed by Ghost Rider, while the water elemental had been captured by Mordo in a bar. Currently, Wuxinmo was isolated and without allies. The reason he didn't dare to summon more helpers was likely out of fear of alerting the Sorcerer Supreme. Wuxinmo knew he couldn't defy the Sorcerer Supreme until he had the thousand souls from the San Venganza Contract. Yet, the truth was that even if he did, it wouldn't matter; a single strike from the Ancient One would still be enough to defeat him. If the situation were more serious, the Ancient One herself would have joined the mission.
In fact, Solomon was only permitted to join because the Ancient One was monitoring the mission. Ever since Mephisto's avatar appeared at Eton, Kamar-Taj had lost track of him. His appearance there had gone mostly unnoticed by other sorcerers. This mission, however, was connected to Mephisto's old grudges and to a client the King of Hell was still fixated on—someone we all know. So, naturally, the Sorcerer Supreme saw this as a prime opportunity to capture Mephisto's avatar. If the avatar were killed, its soul would return to Hell, where Mephisto would have to reforge it into another avatar.
Thus, Solomon, as the youngest apprentice, was not only an offensive member of this mission but also bait to lure Mephisto out. Solomon was entirely on board with the plan; if Mephisto dared to show himself, the Sorcerer Supreme would seal the demon lord's avatar as swiftly as possible, depriving Mephisto of a fragment of his soul forever.
Mordo opened a portal, and the sorcerers filed through in an orderly line. Having learned spells Solomon had transcribed, they all cast Darkvision, which allowed them to see the dilapidated town in the shallow valley below, illuminated by faint moonlight filtered through the clouds. Perhaps sensing the demon's presence, the desert sands gusted hastily across the town, as if unwilling to linger.
"Summon your Pact Blades," Mordo commanded, gesturing for those who had mastered the spell to step forward as the vanguard. Those who specialized in Mana Burst spells and empowered Mana Burst Invocations stood behind them, ready to provide backup.
After discussions between the Sorcerer Supreme and Vishanti, the modified Sword of Vishanti spell now allowed for the summoning of a white weapon with three large, marble-like faces as its form. Any hint of light made it gleam brilliantly. Most sorcerers who chose the Pact Blade spell selected either a long blade or staff, the familiar and favored forms of Kamar-Taj's weapons.
Kaecilius, who chose a long blade, walked alongside Solomon toward the town. "This blade of yours has the feel of vampire magic," he murmured, eyeing Solomon's ornate Luoyang twin blades. "These aren't the kind of vampires we typically deal with. Colin Town, perhaps?"
"That's right," Solomon replied. "I traded some enchanted items with a fallen angel craftsman for these weapons. They have dark magic for life drain and blood manipulation. Unfortunately, I can't use these as Pact Blades—Vishanti's power would crush those two souls into dust. But tell me, why'd you choose Pact Blade? Didn't I tell you Mana Burst is more effective? My transcription didn't include much to empower Pact Blade."
"Don't worry; just watch," Kaecilius said proudly. "I'm the best on the training field, remember?"
As the group moved closer to the abandoned town, the faint, eerie glow from their weapons cast long shadows across the dirt roads and crumbling buildings. The night air grew colder, filled with tension as they prepared to confront Wuxinmo.
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