Chapter 739 - Loophole
"So it's really you! After so long, I'm talking to you again. Brings back the memories. It's been over thirty years, but it still seems like it was just yesterday when I met a Warlock that widened my horizons, that there is always a taller mountain."
Hearing the response of Jestor, Lucifer was even more stunned. These were exactly the same words that were spoken by him before as well. It was as if he had forgotten what had happened.
"Is it our first time talking after I left you on the ship? Or did we talk a few minutes ago too?"
"A few minutes ago? I don't think so. It's our first time talking."
"Ah, right. Anyways, I am doing something really important at the movement. I'll talk to you later."
"I can understand. Take your time. We can talk later. In the meantime, I'll give the stone to the lady since you need it."
Jestor returned the phone to Milena. Lucifer disconnected the call.
"What's the time right now?" he asked as if talking to himself.
A screen popped before him through his glasses.
[07:01:39 am]
He kept the glasses back, wondering what was happening. Thinking of it as a one time anomaly, he turned to leave when his phone started ringing again.
He wore the glasses, becoming surprised that it was Milena again.
"Yeah?"
"There you are. Look, I am near the stone you needed, but it's with someone named Jestor. He claims to know you. He says he'll only give me the stone if you talk to him."
Lucifer didn't respond. This was the third time this happened. Something was really wrong. He had two theories of why this was happening now.
One theory was that a Warlock was erasing the memories of Milena from a few minutes ago every time she called as a prank. He really hoped that it was true since the other theory was much worse.
His other theory was that it was because of his Law of Time evolution, and it was exactly what Eve had warned him against. He was trapped in something akin to a time prison loop.
That was also why he checked the time before to verify this theory.
He checked the time once again.
[06:59:59 am]
Seeing the time, he understood the truth. The worst thing became true. He was stuck in a loop.
He scratched the back of his head, trying to find a way to get out of this loop, but he didn't have any ideas on how to do it.
He didn't get any advanced understanding of the skill like he did with the Lightning Evolution. He was completely blind to what he could do with this skill and how to control its newer aspects.
"It must be because I evolved a skill that wasn't originally mine. Her words did have some merits," he muttered.
"What?" Milena asked. "Can you repeat that?"
"Nothing. I wasn't talking to you," Lucifer let out. "Give the phone to Jestor."
He talked to Jestor, but this time, instead of finishing the conversation fast, he stretched it to see if the time was going to reset in the middle.
He talked for ten minutes, but the time didn't reset. "Alright, I'll talk to you later."
He disconnected the call. Instead of keeping the glasses back in his pocket, he kept wearing them as he walked away.
The time once again reset as the call again came.
"It's indeed a loop with this call, but initially, the loop only affects me when I'm alone. When I'm talking to someone, or someone is linked with me, it doesn't reset it seems. This is a real mess."
He wanted to test this more to find all the loopholes that he could utilize to keep himself immune from the Time Loop.
Instead of picking up the call, he ignored it and continued flying away.
He only flew for one minute when everything turned white. When things returned to normal, he found himself back at the beach. Time was once again 06:59:59 am.
The call once again came.
"So I can't ignore the call, and I can't disconnect it if I want to be free, but I can't keep talking to someone all my life? I need a way out," he muttered, frowning.
"This evolution came at a really big cost and no advantage..."
"If it's going to be like this, I don't need time control. But I can't really control it to go back in time to stop me from evolving it. What should I do? Take it all out?"
As he didn't pick up the call, the ringing stopped. After a minute, the reset happened once again. He was back where he started.
"I will go crazy if this keeps happening."
This time the phone rang again. He picked up the call.
"Don't speak! I know where you are and why you want to talk to me. Listen to me carefully; I'm in trouble. I'm stuck in a time loop. This same call has already happened over five times already. I don't want to hear the same sentence again! You understand?"
"Ah..." Milena didn't know how to react.
"Listen, I can stay out of the loop as long as you keep talking to me. So I want you to talk to me until I remove the Time Core to free myself from this loop. You understand?" he asked.
"I understand. I'll keep talking to you. But what is it about removing the core?"
"It's the ability core. The Time Core that I stole from Julien is messing up again. I need to get it out or destroy it. That should stop it," he told Milena.
"Can you even do it?" Milena asked. "I heard taking out a core is impossible."
"I don't care if it's impossible. I need to destroy it. I can't stay in this prison all my life."
While talking, Lucifer took off his shorts and cloak, leaving himself bare chested.
His right hand turned into a claw as he prepared to stab himself to decay the core itself if possible or Teleport it outside where it was going to disperse.
"Don't go silent. I don't want the time to repeat again. Talk."
"Ah, I don't know what I should talk about."
"You can just talk nonsense. Just keep me engaged, so time doesn't reset. Alright, tell me about yourself. What are your hobbies, your likes, and dislikes? That should keep you talking."
"Ah, my hobbies? I don't think there are many, but I do like reading pieces of literature and history. And...."
Milena kept talking. At the same time, Lucifer stabbed his chest.
A light grunt left his lips.