Bayonetta

Salomon was about to faint. Seriously.

The thrill this woman brought him was simply too intense. Salomon suspected that the only reason he had become a mage was because he had still been a virgin at thirty in his previous life. Fortunately, he often underwent Athena's "training," so when those beautiful pale eyes stared at him, he could still barely keep his mind clear.

"Yes, I came looking for you." He leaned back as far as he could and nervously pulled a letter from his satchel. "This is a letter from the Sorcerer Supreme. I came to find a Grimoire. The Venerable One said you could help."

"Let me see." The Witch took the letter and read it. Before long, she tossed the parchment back. "It seems the Sorcerer Supreme knows about my past. If she didn't need my help now, she probably never would have told me. Boya, tell me, and I'll help you find the Darkhold."

"What do you mean?" Salomon could not help but feel deeply puzzled. Rodin chose that moment to explain that Bayonetta had awakened from a coffin at the bottom of a lake twenty years ago. Other than remembering that she was a Witch, she could not remember anything else. Hunting angels to feed demons was purely instinctive. If anyone knew Bayonetta's past best, it could only be Kamar-Taj. The Mystic Order, which had stood on Earth for a thousand years, surely had records concerning Witches.

"This is a fair trade, Boya~" The Witch stood before Salomon. "And Italy isn't far from Wigrid. There are plenty of winged bad guys lurking around there. A little brother like you really needs big sister's protection. Hmm?"

Bayonetta suddenly leaned in and sniffed with her pert nose. Salomon had no choice but to retreat half a step until his back hit the bar. Bayonetta's gaze sharpened, and one hand reached behind her back. "A faint scent of rosemary... Could you be..."

"No fighting is allowed here, Bayonetta." Rodin's tone remained as calm as ever, but it was enough to make Bayonetta abandon the idea of attacking. The bar owner kindly explained Salomon's identity, including the strange phenomenon at his birth, and Bayonetta's attitude changed once again.

"Oh?" She narrowed her eyes and carefully examined Salomon, including the Holy Marks on his hand. "I thought some Upper Angel had descended and was planning to head to New York. Is the Holy Child going to rebel against Heaven?"

"The Venerable One says I'm human, so I will always be human." Salomon regained his composure. "As for what the Upper Plane wants, that has nothing to do with me. Our goals are the same, Bayonetta. No Extra-dimensional Beings can set foot on Earth. It's just that the Planetary Defense System has recently detected Upper Plane Beings descending with increasing frequency, so the Venerable One asked me to help you with whatever small tasks I can."

"Looks like you can fight, too?"

Bayonetta's tone made Salomon straighten up involuntarily. He said indignantly, "Don't underestimate me, Witch! I've had training!"

"Fine, then let's go now." The Witch nodded, grabbed Salomon's hand, and pulled him outside.

"But I haven't eaten yet!"

"We'll eat at Enzo's place."

"Slow down, slow down, slow down! You're going too fast!" Salomon kept babbling. He was currently sitting on the back of Bayonetta's motorcycle, and the excessive speed forced him to cling tightly to the Witch's slender waist. But Salomon's pleas did not make Bayonetta slow down. Instead, she sped up even more.

After Bayonetta took him to Enzo's home for a delicious dinner, she immediately had Salomon open a portal to Florence, Italy. Angels had descended there, and it also happened to be one of Salomon's targets, since Paul of the Franciscan Order had once spent some time there.

So Bayonetta put Salomon on the back of her motorcycle and took him there with her.

If it had merely been a fast vehicle, Salomon would not have been so frightened. But Bayonetta's motorcycle was like it had been enchanted with the Spider-Walk Technique, capable of racing at high speed across any surface. For instance, right now, Bayonetta was speeding along the rocky wall of a mountain ravine with him in tow.

By the time they reached their destination, Salomon's legs had gone weak, and he could barely stand.

"Oh my? You can't handle this already, Boya?" Bayonetta curled her lips and mocked Salomon.

"Hmph!" Salomon snorted several times in dissatisfaction. "I just need time to get used to it. Kamar-Taj doesn't have activities like this. Next time, I definitely won't..."

"Then, Boya, can you still move?" The Witch's voice rose playfully at the end, making Salomon blush again.

"Of course I can!" the Arcanist said stubbornly. "Just let me walk a few more steps."

"Okay~ Then come watch how big sister fights monsters." An intricate purple spell circle appeared before Bayonetta. After she stepped into it, she vanished. Salomon took a deep breath, put on his Sling Ring, and recited a spell he had learned not long ago. A portal appeared before him, but the scene inside was no different from this place. Even so, he stepped through it.

This was the "Infernal Realm," at least that was what Bayonetta called it. As a Witch, Bayonetta could freely enter and leave this plane. This plane was a membrane between the Prime Material Plane and the Outer Planes. When Extra-dimensional Beings descended upon Earth, they first appeared here, then passed through the Infernal Realm to reach the Prime Material Plane.

This plane and the Prime Material Plane did not affect one another. Here, one could only see the transparent shadows of humans in the Prime Material Plane and could not come into contact with them. However, other inanimate matter could affect each other. Buildings and the like were identical to those in the Prime Material Plane. Destroying objects in the Infernal Realm would also cause destruction in the Prime Material Plane. Salomon believed this might be a plane unique to this world, because it did not match the planar knowledge he had learned.

The moment Salomon stepped inside, a Golden Spear tore through the air toward him.

The Arcanist calmly twisted aside and dodged the attack. Before him stood a snow-white creature with the head of a bird. Its head was covered by a red mask with golden trim.

This was an angel—or rather, an Angel Affinity that served Jubileus. If not for the halo above its head and the pure white wings behind its back, no one would have considered such a creature an angel. Besides its birdlike head, its hands and feet were also like avian talons. The Golden Spear was firmly clutched in its four claws.

Before the Arcanist had time to chant a spell, he threw a punch. The Ring of the Ragador struck heavily against the angel's mask, making it stagger back several steps. Salomon stepped forward, planted his right foot on the Golden Spear, and kicked out hard with his left leg, sending the Angel Affinity stumbling backward again. The Golden Spear fell to the ground as well.

Salomon bent down and picked up the spear. It was not particularly heavy. It looked like a cross-shaped lance, with an X-shaped blade added behind the spearhead, along with metal spikes of varying lengths. Though the weapon's design was not very good, it was still barely usable.

The unarmed angel could not hold out long against Salomon. When he casually drove the spearhead through the Angel Affinity's bird head, the angel dissolved into golden motes of light. Salomon turned and saw more angels surrounding Bayonetta. Yet their attacks could not touch her nimble figure. Instead, she seized the opportunity to kill several angels of differing shapes.

Well, it seemed the angel that had attacked Salomon was the sort that bullied the weak and feared the strong. The Arcanist resentfully hurled the spear. Thanks to Athena's training, he was fairly proficient in the technique. Carrying tremendous momentum, the spear precisely pierced an angel with a marble human face and tiny golden wings, viciously pinning it to the ground.

"Boya~ Hurry up and help big sister~" Bayonetta still had the leisure to call out to Salomon.

Salomon hmphed. This woman was teasing him again.

But this was also a rare opportunity, and Salomon could not let it pass. He could finally test out his Dark Magic properly.