Reborn as the God-Emperor in Marvel

The Abyss is the most chaotic place in the entire universe, located at the lowest level of existence. Chaos signifies entropy, and one day, when the universe reaches its end, the Abyss will consume everything. Of course, this timeline is measured in billions of years and has nothing to do with Solomon's current concerns. 

The reason Solomon was thinking in terms of cents was simply because he was in New York, staying in Bayonetta's apartment. So, he decided to adapt to local customs.

What the hell? Aren't familiars supposed to be a wizard's little darlings? Why is it that his familiar is so attached to Bayonetta? As Solomon walked into the apartment, he saw Bayonetta placing a plate of fish on the dining table, while the Cheshire cat was perched on a chair, its round paws resting on the table, eagerly eyeing the fish.

Solomon scooped up the chubby cat and cradled it in his arms, walking toward the living room sofa. As the delicious salmon grew farther away, the cat let out pitiful meows. Through the magical contract, Solomon could sense its regret. The meowing wasn't just nonsense; only he could understand what it meant.

"You're not a real cat. You're a spirit with the form of a cat, so don't let appearances limit your behavior," Solomon said, weighing the familiar in his arms. "Besides, you're already fat enough. I'd say you weigh at least fifteen pounds."

"Meow! (That's slander!)"

"Are you ready to explore the secrets of the Queen of Sheba?" Jeanne asked, pushing her red-framed glasses up onto her forehead from the other end of the sofa. "I must warn you, the Queen of Sheba's existence is one of the highest secrets of the witch clan. If it weren't for Cereza awakening her Left Eye, we wouldn't have been able to summon her at all."

"And communication?" Solomon asked. "I asked Phoenix, but even it knows nothing about her."

"After the last summoning, the Queen of Sheba became a demon we can communicate with, though she's not as easy to talk to as Madame Butterfly," Bayonetta said as she entered the living room with the fish, retrieving the cat from Solomon's arms. "Little kitty, do you want to eat this?"

"Meow!"

Now Solomon understood why the Cheshire cat was so attached to Bayonetta. Witches have no limits when it comes to feeding their pets. As long as the fridge had fish, the cat had endless food. It had been a fish feast for days.

"So, where do you plan to conduct the summoning? I suggest using the mirror dimension," Solomon said. "By the way, Bayonetta, stop feeding it so much. This cat will get fat."

"Meow! (That's nonsense!)"

"This time, we're not summoning the full form of the Queen of Sheba. We only need a hand. The magic of the witch clan can handle that," Jeanne explained. "We're not foolish enough to summon such a powerful demon unless absolutely necessary."

To summon just a hand of the Queen of Sheba, Solomon opened the mirror dimension, while Bayonetta and Jeanne donned their combat attire. Even they weren't entirely sure if this summoning would succeed, as they weren't in the midst of battle with Jubileus. Whether the Queen of Sheba responded would depend entirely on her mood.

"TELOC VOVIM A GRAA ORS TABA ORD AVAVAGO."

"EMNA OL ADRPAN ADNA ZNRZA OXEX RACLIR."

As they chanted the incantation, Solomon turned away, choosing not to watch the summoning process out of courtesy. He knew their clothes would disappear during the ritual. Surprisingly, the summoning went smoothly. Their black and white hair twisted together and shot into the dark purple summoning circle, from which emerged a gigantic hand adorned with a large skull on the back.

Most surprisingly, the hand was holding a small silver cup filled with steaming black liquid. When the Queen of Sheba extended the hand toward Solomon, the rich aroma of coffee wafted over him. Her message was clear: she wanted Solomon to drink the coffee, or she would refuse to communicate.

"This is definitely payback," Solomon muttered under his breath. "But I'm really not King Solomon…"

According to legend, King Solomon fell in love with the Queen of Sheba at first sight. However, the queen valued her chastity, and only after Solomon swore not to touch her did she agree to stay in his palace. On the night before her departure from Jerusalem, Solomon threw a grand banquet to send her off. They made a deal: if she left without taking anything from his palace, he would let her go.

But Solomon played a trick, ordering the dishes to be delicious and full of salt. Late at night, the Queen of Sheba grew thirsty and sneaked into Solomon's room to drink water. Solomon, who had been waiting nearby, said, "You've broken your promise by taking something from my palace, so you must accept my love." Before parting, Solomon gave her a ring, saying, "I have a feeling that because of what happened last night, you'll give birth to a son. If so, have him bring this ring to me."

As the story goes, the Queen of Sheba returned to Ethiopia and bore Solomon's son, Menelik. When Menelik grew up, he visited his father in Jerusalem and was crowned the first emperor of Ethiopia.

Now, with the Queen of Sheba offering coffee to Solomon, he felt as though this was her ancient grudge crossing time and space. If she truly was the Queen from the South, it made sense that she would offer coffee. Solomon accepted the cup, blew on it to cool it down, and slowly drank.

Salty. It seemed the Queen of Sheba had mistaken salt for sugar, or maybe it was intentional. It was revenge, after all. Only after Solomon finished the terribly salty coffee did the Queen of Sheba snap her fingers in satisfaction, causing a massive halo to appear above their heads. This was the halo from Jubileus, a symbol of her rank and the reward Bayonetta and Jeanne had earned after their battle with her. The halo quickly shrank and fell into Bayonetta's hand.

Next, the Queen of Sheba gently poked Solomon with a fingernail, and a golden chest appeared before the mystic.

The chest was made of acacia wood overlaid with pure gold, with gold-trimmed corners and four gold rings on the sides. Two golden poles were inserted through the rings for carrying. The chest was about 68 centimeters tall, 68 centimeters wide, and 113 centimeters long. On its cover were two golden cherubim, their wings spread and faces turned toward each other.

It was the Ark of the Covenant. Legends told many stories about it, but all agreed on the three items inside. The first was two stone tablets engraved with the Ten Commandments; the second was a budding staff, once used by Moses' brother, Aaron; and the third was a golden jar containing hidden manna, symbolizing Christ. In the legends, those who touched the Ark would die, just like Uzzah, who tried to steady the Ark, or the Philistines who dared to gaze upon it.

The Ark had once been housed in the inner sanctuary of Solomon's temple in Jerusalem, until it mysteriously vanished in the sixth century B.C. Some say it was secretly taken to Ethiopia by Menelik before Jerusalem fell, which would explain why it now appeared in the Queen of Sheba's possession.

Now that the Ark stood before Solomon, he didn't dare touch it—who knew what kind of power it held? Better to have the Sorcerer Supreme take a look first. With a wave of his hand, a portal opened beneath the Ark, transporting it to his room. Seeing that Solomon didn't immediately open the Ark, the Queen of Sheba, now bored, waved dismissively, ending the summoning.

---

"So, this is what you received? A gift from the Queen of Sheba?" The Sorcerer Supreme showed great interest in the Ark, completely ignoring Jubileus' halo on the side. "Did your knowledge reveal anything about the Ark?"

"No," Solomon replied. "I haven't touched the chest. I thought it wise not to handle magical artifacts of unknown origin."

"A smart choice. You're of Israelite descent, and touching the Ark could have unexpected consequences," the Sorcerer Supreme said. "Even if you weren't, such a powerful magical object should be treated with caution."

"But I don't believe in God," Solomon said. "Does that mean I still can't open it? Is there no one in the world who can?"

"The power contained in the Ark doesn't care whether you believe. And I suspect it has some form of identity recognition to prevent unauthorized access," the Sorcerer Supreme explained. "Once you've fully mastered the Stigmata, you may attempt to open it. By then, you will be the Messiah, and the items within will be revealed. I imagine that budding staff could be quite useful to you."

"But I have no desire to become a priest. I see no point in it," Solomon said. "God isn't here. Why would a deity of such stature need human devotion? It seems like bureaucracy to me, making rules just to assert authority."

"You're only allowed to say things like that in Kamar-Taj," the Sorcerer Supreme laughed. "Our ultimate overlord is the Great God of Eternity. If you manage to gain the favor of the Great God, you could say that at Heaven's gates, and no one would dare lay a hand on you. So, do

 you want to be Sorcerer Supreme?"

"Master, why do you think I'd want your position?" Solomon spread his hands. "Wouldn't it be better to relax? There's no end to learning magic, and being Sorcerer Supreme would only slow me down."

"And cut into your gaming time."

"You really know everything, don't you, Master?"

"If you're not interested, then I'll choose the successor already selected. He was chosen by the Vishanti, and I only hope you don't clash with him," the Sorcerer Supreme said. "He lives in a world of science, so he may have trouble accepting magic."

"Who is it?" Solomon asked, pretending not to know.

"Him." The Sorcerer Supreme conjured an image.

"Oh, I know him," Solomon said. "Sherlock Holmes, London's most famous detective."

---

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