Angel Monarch

As the firestorm died down, a lone bright star rose into the sky. It illuminated the dark great forest, sending monsters reeling for somewhere to hide.

The bright star flew around in an irregular pattern, like a bird regaining its freedom after a long imprisonment.

Eventually, though, the star turned towards the Village, and within less than a second, Sera appeared in the skies above. Her six wings spread wide, her skin glowing like a newborn star.

She gently floated down, aiming for the room with her son and daughter. The regular humans just watched in awe as seemingly a Goddess entered one of the hospital rooms.

Sera stepped inside with a wide smile, nearly scaring Amayeta to death. Vicky still held Sera's newborn son, gently caressing him while he peacefully slept.

Faith just breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of her Goddess. It seemed everything turned out fine in the end!

"Oh… Sorry Amayeta! I forgot to tell you! I can resurrect once a day, but I never done it while pregnant. I didn't want to risk losing the baby… Anyway, since you helped me a lot during these months, I have a gift for you! Could you please give me your bracelet!"

Confused, surprised, curious, and outright speechless, that's how Amayeta felt. She handed over the bracelet without hesitation or any form of acknowledgement.

The Angel snatched it out of her hand with unnatural quickness. She closed her eyes and began concentrating on the small greenish-white gemstone.

Energy coalesced around Sera and began pouring into the crystal, making its inner glow more prominent. The gemstone also grew larger until it became too big for a bracelet.

When the gemstone was ready, Sera made a necklace from Angelic Metal and placed the glowing crystal inside.

"Here you go, doctor!" Said Sera while tossing the necklace to Amayeta. She immediately felt some change going through her body slowly.

"It should heal you in a day or two, then you'll be able to walk again! I suggest you give the necklace to other people afterward, so everyone can heal their injuries!"

Amayeta couldn't even make a sound. She was way too shocked, with tears running down her face.

The doctor was certain Sera wasn't lying, since after nearly two decades, she felt a prickling on her toes. She still couldn't move them, but gradually she began feeling the shoes on her feet.

"Thank you!… Thank you so much!…"

She continued sobbing until Sera bent down and gently hugged her friend. With one hand, she patted her head, while the other caressed her back.

"We wouldn't have made it this far without your help. It's only fair to repay the kindness you showed me… Now go home! Tell the good news to your family! Celebrate with them and take some time off until you fully heal!"

Amayeta continued silently crying, but she hadn't left the room, seemingly worried about either Sera or the baby.

The Angel just shook her head at Amayeta's affection. With a small giggle, she took a step closer to Vicky, but her vision began turning red and bloodlust filled her soul.

"Fuck!… Not now! Not yet!… Dammit! I can't hold on much longer!… Okay, Faith, let's go! I'll get back your essence! In the meantime, Vicky, watch your brother!"

The meek, worried girl nodded without a word, while her mother grabbed Faith's hand. A second later they were already out the door and in the sky, heading towards east… Towards the Abomination!

"My Lady! Can you kill an Abomination?" Asked Faith, while Sera carried her through the night sky.

"Well, we're about to find out! I haven't tested my true strength as a Transcended after resurrection! But that's why I brought you along!…"

Sera quickly leaned in and whispered a few words to Faith. She could barely hear her Goddess through the strong winds, but she got the gist of her words.

"I know it'll suck, but otherwise I probably won't win. And if I won't win, we'll never recover your essence!"

Faith just nodded solemnly, without saying a word. Soon Sera placed her on a great tree near the cliff where they camped more than eight months ago.

She then flew into the sky, and let her body burn as brightly as possible. It seemed like a new sun rose above the Appalachian Mountains, and immediately after the new star appeared, a loud shriek shook the forest below.

The great trees groaned and broke as something huge moved through the foliage. The creature was only a few kilometers away, and it quickly closed the distance.

From so high, Sera could barely glance at the monster. It looked large with black skin, or maybe fur, covering its massive body.

She saw two arms and legs. It ran on all fours, though, and there was something strange in its movements. A weird ambiguity to each step. No matter how much Sera concentrated, she couldn't predict the Abomination's movements.

It felt both random and a mix of many different movement styles.

When it was only a kilometer away, it suddenly stopped. With both hands, it reached and grasped a great tree, then while constricting its muscles, the monster pulled it cleanly out of the ground.

As Sera blinked, she saw the monster toss the enormous tree like a spear. It flew towards Sera with so much power, all the branches immediately broke off.

However, instead of evading the tree with ease, Sera simply increased the heat around her body. Before the tree could've even come close, it burst into flames, then quickly vaporized into a cloud of smoke.

The Abomination seemed unphased by the display. It just shrieked once more, and suddenly its body began changing.

The black, furry skin turned even darker and scaly. Behind its back, two pairs of giant bat-like wings appeared, and its arms also multiplied by two.

With a bone-shaking growl, the dark creature took flight, straight towards the bright star shining above.

"I guess the fun is over! Let's hope I won't kill myself while bloodlusted! That would be quite awkward minutes after giving birth!"

Gradually, while the Abomination closed the distance, Sera's eyes turned blood-red. A pair of silver gauntlet appeared on her hands, but this time, long claws also grew from her fingertips.

Her weapons burst into golden, purifying flames, burning much hotter than the surface of the sun.

The monster continued screaming, as Sera laughed madly, then surprising the beast, she didn't run away… No; she did the opposite!

The three pairs of wings beat once, sending her flying towards the Abomination like a flaming rocket.

She squeezed her fist tight, while three silver spikes grew out from between her knuckles. Mad laughter continued echoing from her lips, as she prepared to punch the Abomination.

As the distance disappeared between them, Sera finally saw the creature's head and face. It was strange, both alien and human-like, a mix of creatures if she had to guess.

It had to giant, bug-like eyes which provided 360 degree vision. Multiple rows of razor-sharp teeth glistened in its mouth, but its jaw seemed a bit detached, like a snake's.

The monster's nose stood out, with a pair of large nostrils, similar to a dog's. Its pointed, large ears stood perpendicular compared to its head, making the beast look ridiculous.

The look on the Abomination's face resembled utter shock, as the Angel's fist connected with its sizeable chest.

Nothing happened for a moment. The entire forest turned silent, and even Sera's light went out. However, suddenly the sound of an explosion shook everything.

A pure, golden, fiery cone consumed the Abomination, sending it towards the ground with so much force that a minor earthquake shook the area.

The shockwave sent the great trees flying around a hundred meter radius, and where the Abomination fell, a massive crater appeared.

A cloud of dust and dirt rose into the sky, and for a few seconds, the noise of falling debris echoed. However, soon another sound could be heard… Sera's mad laughter…

She gradually floated towards the crater, prepared to finish off the Abomination. Her punch would've vaporized any normal Horror, but since she never fought an Abomination, she wasn't certain what to expect.

As she slowly descended towards the ground, suddenly, dozens, or hundreds, of yellow spots began glowing.

Sera's eyes went wide as her sense of danger began screaming. She couldn't even react as the lasers shot at her, but luckily, Clear Mind stayed activated always!

Just before any of the lasers could've hit her body, Sera's Angelic Metal wings shielded her. Her wings absorbed some of the lasers, but most of them got deflected or dispersed.

The Angelic Metal's shiny surface, combined with her wings' toughness, easily dealt with the sudden attack.

The laser fractured and spread over the surrounding area. It hit more great trees, breaking them apart and lighting them on fire. Earth went up flying as the laser carved into the ground.

The bright light soon disappeared, leaving Sera alone in the sky. She glanced down at the ground, while the dust settled, but the Abomination disappeared.

Suddenly, Sera sensed danger once more, and quickly began flying in an irregular pattern. Her body slowly started glowing with extreme brightness, which illuminated the world around.

The night's shadows followed her, like arms trying to grab a firefly. As she glanced at the approaching darkness, a small chuckle escaped the Angel's mouth, finally realizing the Abomination's actual power…

"Oh! So you don't just steal other people's essence!… You also steal their abilities!"

A wide grin appeared across Sera's face, as with a quick maneuver she turned around, and began violently slashing through the shadows!