Invisible to ordinary people, ghostly arms stretched forth and precisely seized a meteor from beyond Earth's atmosphere.
Without hesitation, the spectral limbs yanked it down, forcibly altering the trajectory of a celestial body large enough to be considered a small asteroid. It was as if someone had plucked fruit from a tree and hurled it toward the earth with full force. This falling star lit up the entire sky like a descending sun, so bright it seared the eyes. Witches, sages, angels—even looters and those bullying the weak—all simultaneously looked up, gazing in awe and terror as the meteor screamed through the air like thunder.
Bayonetta leapt off the charred stone beneath her without hesitation.
With her black-purple wings flaring from her back, she shot into the sky like an obsidian arrow fired toward the incoming meteor.
Her cloud-like black hair writhed like a living creature, then twisted together and plunged into a dark portal. A moment later, the smiling face of Madame Butterfly emerged halfway through the portal. Though the massive demoness still seemed small compared to the burning meteor, she didn't care about such differences in scale. She clenched her fist and pulled her body back, taut as a spring wound to its absolute limit.
The meteor came closer—close enough that people on the ground had to close their eyes, shielding their faces to avoid blindness. Close enough for nightfall to come early, for all filth brought by darkness to evaporate in the rising heat, for dry twigs to ignite unbidden. At that moment, Madame Butterfly finally acted.
She leaned forward and smashed her forehead into the meteor.
The resulting shockwave leveled brick houses near the cliffside, sending heavy masonry flying like feathers—until they collided with someone's head or ribs, revealing their deadly weight. At the same time, the meteor shattered into dozens of smaller boulders. These burning fragments, like projectiles from a catapult, soared over mountain ridges and slammed into villages below, turning them into a sea of fire.
Solomon watched the scattered chunks of rock from afar, not out of fascination with the falling meteor, but with concern for Bayonetta, who had been flung by the blast. Before the impact, he had already cast his most proficient defensive spells, shielding her from the flames. A golden-red barrier deflected the first wave of fire and shock. Madame Butterfly, still present, shielded Bayonetta with her palm, absorbing the brunt of the deadly shockwave. She noticed Solomon's efforts and showed him the nearly unconscious witch she held, wordlessly assuring him that she would keep her safe.
Then she vanished with Bayonetta.
"You actually fall for that kind of woman in the future? I don't get it," the Sorcerer Supreme said, casting his disciple a look of pity. "Tell me you don't hit your wife, at least. Don't tell me I didn't try to talk you out of it?"
"You were quite supportive, actually..."
"Maybe that's because I already know about it now," the Sorcerer sighed.
Bayonetta and the Prophet's battle was temporarily over. Solomon circled the cliff's edge but saw no sign of the Prophet. The man had hidden himself. In theory, he shouldn't have gone far, yet even using True Seeing, Solomon couldn't detect him—until the Sorcerer activated the Time Stone within the Eye of Agamotto. Rippling green light shimmered in the air, revealing a past image: the hooded boy walking. The scene looped and stuttered, but it was enough for Solomon to deduce the direction he had taken.
"He's hiding in the flow of time," the Sorcerer explained. "More specifically, he's placed himself one second ahead. The light that reaches our eyes always comes from one second ago. A clever spell, more refined than his usual brutish attacks. But possessing such power could allow for much greater feats than simply hiding." The master's critique was sharp and unforgiving. To him, crude use of temporal magic was the mark of an amateur, a waste of potential.
When Bayonetta regained consciousness, Madame Butterfly had already returned to her original plane, her summoning time spent. Still, Bayonetta remembered her protection—and the golden-red shields that briefly shimmered over her. She knew those spells well. The witch smiled. She knew Solomon was watching, even if he chose not to appear to avoid disturbing the timeline.
Stretching, she looked around.
"Where... is this?"
She stood on a long-abandoned stone bridge, ancient statues lining its edges, Enochian runes carved into the ground. Thick mist swirled below, and the bridge curved toward a mountain shrouded in fog. A sense of familiarity and dread clenched her chest. She was sure she'd been here before.
Back when she sought to stop the Lagrila cult and the revival of Major God Jubileus, she had come here. This was once an altar of the witch clan. Though she didn't know why Madame Butterfly had placed her here, she trusted there was a purpose—Madame Butterfly had not been affected by time travel and remembered what was coming. Bayonetta trusted her. Even if Solomon didn't agree and bore a certain hostility toward the demoness who would one day claim her soul, that didn't change her faith.
As her lifelong contracted demon, Madame Butterfly was, aside from Jeanne, Bayonetta's closest friend.
Bayonetta soon understood the reason.
Just as she moved toward a familiar passage, a figure in white robes lunged at her with a golden spear. She glanced at Balder and recognized him. This place appeared frequently in her dreams—the place she had seen over and over even after losing her memories. She knew what the altar looked like, and she knew what would happen next. Holding onto a sliver of hope amid crushing despair, Bayonetta turned and ran into the passage without fighting back.
Balder didn't press the attack. Instead, both of them raced toward the door at the corridor's end. Balder kicked it open with all his strength—and froze.
There, in the center of the room, stood a boy holding a blood-soaked card. Rosa lay lifeless on the ground. Without hesitation, Balder swung his spear—but the boy sidestepped easily and vanished with a giggle. The sage ignored the fleeing murderer and rushed to Rosa, gently cradling her. But her body was already cold. In contrast, Balder's heart burned. He clenched his jaw, fury flooding his veins until his pulse thundered in his ears.
"Did you see the mark on his forehead?" Bayonetta asked emotionlessly. "That's your real enemy!"
"What?"
"Have you forgotten the crest on that so-called Prophet's head?" she snapped. Balder said nothing, only staring at Rosa's lifeless face. Bayonetta looked up at the altar. The full moon's silver light streamed through the circular skylight, gently bathing Rosa's body. Yet the moon's power, though it amplified witch magic, couldn't prevent her death.
Bayonetta gazed at her mother's corpse with profound affection. Even witnessing this scene again, she remained calm. The past was fixed—but the future could still be changed. The moonlight's power still gave her a chance to act. She had no time to lash out at her own father, the man responsible for the witches' destruction and her mother's death.
"We need to go back to the future and end this," she said. "If you want to kill the one responsible, then follow me!"
(End of Chapter)
[Get +20 Extra Chapters On — P@tr3on "Mutter"]
[Every 100 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop]
[Thanks for Reading!]