The destructive cloud above slowly vanished, and the rays of the sun fell on my face as dawn arose, washing away the night sky.

"Alert! 5% Soulforce remaining!"

"Huff... huff..."

My vision blurred, everything felt distant, and my body began to free-fall.

While in mid-air, a warm hug embraced me, and the speed of my fall significantly slowed.

"You have done well. I'm proud of you," Ume whispered, gently brushing my head.

I wrapped my hands around her, rested my chin on her shoulder, and murmured with my eyes closing, "I'm tired, Ume. Can we stay like this for some time?"

"Hmm."

After more than ten minutes, my feet finally touched the land. I opened my eyes and found myself standing on top of the city wall with Ume beside me, while Jambavan and Vyaghra stood just behind us.

Before me, inside the city, the entire population was bowing with their heads touching the ground.

"What are they doing?" I asked, confused.

"It would be more strange if they didn't bow before you after that last move you unleashed," Ume chuckled.

"I still don't understand why they are bowing."

"Causing nature to bend to your will—like summoning clouds, stopping rain, creating spatial dimensions, or turning day into night—is something only gods could do," she explained, her voice laced with a proud smile. "I'm now completely sure that you are a reincarnation of some god."

"That can't be true, Ume," I denied. "The last move wasn't my skill but the skill of this weapon."

I pointed at the Vajra in my hand.

"I can't unleash that skill without the help of this weapon."

Ume gave me a faint smile and replied with a gentle laugh, "Oh, I understand."

She clearly gave me a look an adult would give a foolish child. I wanted to ask her the reason, but I was too tired to bother.

"Here, take this," Vyaghra said, handing me a ring.

"What is it?"

"This contains the belongings we found with Nyx and her companions."

"Oh, I totally forgot about that. What happened to Nyx and her hidden army?" I asked, obviously curious.

"They are all dead," Vyaghra declared.

"Huh! You three killed all of them?"

"When ya can fight an army of thousands alone, can't we handle a few hundreds by ourselves?" Jambavan scoffed, giving me side-eyes as if warning me not to underestimate them.

"So this is where the three of them went when I was fighting the army at the front," I thought inwardly before grabbing the ring from Vyaghra's hand.

Turning toward the bowing crowd, I announced, "We have won the war and avenged our hero, Edrick."

The crowd erupted in rejoicing at my announcement and began chanting:

"Long live Sir Morningstar!"

"Long live Sir Morningstar!"

.

.

When the people calmed down, I made another declaration that sent waves of awe and surprise through the gathering.

"El Dorado is no more. From now on, I, Lucifer Morningstar, am the new ruler of the Abandoned Lands."

"H-he wiped out El Dorado!"

"That fearsome Nyx is dead?"

"Doesn't that mean we can freely leave the city and travel outside?"

"He is truly a god. There is no human capable of fighting so many people without a scratch on the body."

The crowd's exaggerated gasps didn't stop for several minutes. So, to shift their focus from me, I declared a banquet of seven days.

"Raj, what do you intend to do with them?" Vyaghra asked, pointing at the unconscious army outside the city.

Out of the thousands of people, I had crippled several hundred, and fewer than ten had died. Most were only lightly injured and unconscious.

"I have a use for them. Ume, can you seal their Soulforce?" I asked, turning to Ume.

"I will do it," she replied without a single question, then continued, "but first, let me take you to the castle. You must rest and stabilise your Soulforce. It's very chaotic due to successive breakthroughs."

"As you command, my lady," I replied, leaning on her.

She waved her hand, and several plum blossoms bloomed into existence. Their petals spun in a graceful spiral around us, enclosing us in a whirling veil of pink. As the blossoms slowly faded from sight, I was already standing inside Ume's room.

"Whoah, I didn't even feel being teleported," I gasped. "Your teleportation ability is way more awesome than Vyaghra's."

"Stop with your sweet tongue and move to the bed."

A playful smile curled on my face as I realised I was inside Ume's room.

"Hmm, instead of mine, you brought me to your room."

I moved closer to her and whispered in a seductive tone into her ear, "Should I take it as a hint?"

"Y-you scoundrel," she murmured, averting her eyes. "There is no bed in your room. I will teleport you there if you wish to sleep on the floor."

"I would still sleep here even if I had a bed in my room," I replied, my hand resting on her curvy waist.

"Aiyaa! Stop teasing me and move to rest," she blurted, pushing me toward the bed.

However, being the scoundrel she said I was, I didn't let go of her waist, and the both of us fell onto the bed, with her on top of me.

Her ethereal pink eyes met my crimson one as we both silently looked at each other.

Without saying anything, she moved her hands to my neck and removed my mask.

"You really don't like that appearance of mine, huh?" I asked.

"Dummy, I will like every appearance as long as I know that you are the person inside it. However—"

She traced her hand along my cheek and continued, "I want to see the real you without any mask when the both of us are alone."

Moving my hand from her waist to her face, I requested, giving her puppy eyes, "Can we sleep together?"

She pinched my nose softly and replied, "You are the one who gave me the task to seal the Soulforce of so many people. I don't have time."

"B-but can't you do it later?"

Her head shook in disagreement, making me frown like a child. Seeing me getting all sad, she gently kissed my forehead and whispered, "I will return within an hour. So don't be sad, hmm?"

My eyes gleamed in excitement hearing her words, and I nodded so hard my vision wobbled. "I'll wait," I whispered, unable to hide the smile tugging at my lips.

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