The low hum of the magical projections undercut the silence that gripped the room as Father Ithris finished describing the battle. Every eye was on him, every aura tensed with shock and disbelief. The silence stretched, thin and brittle, before the Pope finally broke it.
"They really slew the arbiter?" he asked.
"I'm certain. My vantage of the battle was limited, but after the blast faded, only hostiles remained."
"They turned the Omega Cannon against us," a general mused, rubbing his chin. "However, could they have discovered it? That skyship was meant to be kept secret, no? And it was escorted by a High Inquisitor, no less."
Father Ithris shrugged helplessly. "All I can be sure of is that the Justice Hero broke the Heart Crest, and that there was someone skilled enough to use the Aetherial Prism upon the ship. Given every variable was accounted for, save the Oracle, it must be her doing."
