Arthur's massive wings beat rhythmically, carrying me away from the dissipating cloud of black ash and back down toward the ruined cathedral. The torrential rain had finally begun to ease, leaving only a cold, heavy drizzle washing over the bloodstained stones of Blackwater Roost.
As Arthur touched down gently on the cathedral steps, the draconic scales receded from his skin. His wings folded into his back and vanished entirely. He shrank back into his human form, looking completely exhausted but triumphant.
I stumbled slightly as my boots hit the ground, clutching my ruined left shoulder. The spatial stasis I had applied earlier was the only thing keeping me from bleeding out, but the pain was agonizing.
"You okay, Luci?" Arthur asked, offering a steadying hand.
"I've been better," I groaned, leaning heavily against my silver cane. I looked down at my right hand, rolling the massive, dark-purple Tier 5 Ether crystal between my fingers. The sheer density of energy radiating from the gem was intoxicating.
"Hey! Over here!"
Isaac emerged from the shadows of the cathedral nave, waving his good arm. His coat was singed, and he was covered in demon blood, but he was grinning from ear to ear. "I saw the explosion from the courtyard! That was insane! Please tell me you guys actually killed it."
"Vaporized," I confirmed, tossing the heavy crystal into the air and catching it.
Isaac's golden eyes widened. "Is that... a Tier 5 core? Man, my captain is going to lose her mind when I tell her about this."
Suddenly, a soft golden light washed over the courtyard. Sera descended from the sky, landing silently beside us. He looked entirely pristine, as if he hadn't just been standing in a war zone.
"An excellent conclusion, Luci," Sera praised, his amber eyes calm and elegant once again. "Though, I must admit, weaponizing the creature's own shield against it was a rather unorthodox use of spatial magic."
"It worked, didn't it?" I smirked faintly under my broken Oni mask.
"Indeed." Sera stepped closer and raised a hand toward my mangled shoulder. "Now, allow me to reverse the damage. You have bled enough for one night. Release the Event Horizon."
I hesitated for a fraction of a second, then dropped the spatial lock.
Instantly, the searing pain returned as dark blood began to well up from the jagged spear wounds. But before it could even stain my coat, Sera's eyes glowed with a brilliant, temporal gold.
"Authority of Time: Regression," Sera murmured.
I watched in sheer fascination as the blood literally defied gravity, flowing backward into my veins. The torn flesh, shattered muscle, and broken bone physically rewound themselves, pulling backward through time until my shoulder was completely unblemished, exactly as it had been before the battle began.
I rolled my arm, stunned by the absolute power of a Tier 8 Angel. "Thanks, Sera."
"Do not mention it," Sera smiled, turning his attention to the group. "Now, we have business to conclude. The Stele has been consumed, and the Authority artifact is safely in my possession. But we still have an entire island to deal with."
"Actually," Arthur rumbled, crossing his massive arms, "we might not have to deal with them at all."
He pointed out toward the harbor. In the distance, beneath the breaking storm clouds, the sounds of shouting, breaking glass, and gunfire were drifting up from the slums.
"The time loop is broken, and the citizens are waking up," Sera noted. "Without the Demon Lord and the Admiral to protect them, this island is no longer a safe haven. The remaining pirate factions will immediately begin tearing each other apart to fill the power vacuum."
"The pirate era of Blackwater Roost is officially over," Isaac said, shaking his head.
"Which means we need to leave. Now," Arthur grunted. "Before the King's Guard arrives to 'clean up' the mess, or the Pirate Kings realize their territory has been compromised."
Kallisto, I called out internally as we watched the chaos unfold below. You said you were calculating rewards earlier. What exactly did I get for killing a Tier 5 Demon Lord as a Tier 3?
The crimson system screen flared to life in my mind.
[Rewards Calculated.] [Item Acquired: 1x Tier 5 Abyss Crystal.] [Notice: The eradication of a Tier 5 entity while operating at a lower Tier has triggered a High-Yield Anomaly Drop.] [Item Acquired: The Abyss Cloak (Tier 4 Artifact)] [Description: Forged from the conceptual remains of the Demon Lord's Domain of Despair. Grants the user 'Shadow Melding' for perfect stealth in darkness, and passively absorbs low-level kinetic impacts.] [Drawback: The cloak feeds on the user's emotional state. Feeling intense fear or despair will cause the cloak to suffocate the wearer.]
A stealth and defense artifact, I thought, a vicious smile spreading across my face. Between my Unique Skill (Yog-Sothoth), my Level 3 Event Horizon, and now this cloak, my arsenal had just expanded exponentially. As long as my Pride kept fear at bay, the drawback was completely irrelevant.
"So, what now?" Isaac asked, pulling me from my thoughts. "You guys heading back to London?"
I looked at Isaac. He was a chaotic, talkative idiot, but he had fought hard and pulled his weight against impossible odds. And more importantly, his captain possessed the book The Fallen Archangel. I needed to read that book.
"Isaac," I said, my voice cold but carrying a hint of finality. "You said your captain was anchored at a nearby island, right?"
Isaac paused, blinking in surprise. "Yeah. Just a day's sail from here. Why?"
"The time loop artifact blocking communications is in Sera's pocket now," I stated flatly. "The interference is gone. Contact her immediately. Tell her to bring her ship to a hidden cove on the north side of the island."
I turned my gaze out toward the dark, vast ocean, my mind set on the next destination.
"It's time I formally introduced myself to your captain," I declared. "And found out exactly what she knows about the Morning Star."