System's POV

“How did Aaron react after he found out you were the person he killed three hundred years ago?” Thirteen asked Erasmus.

After the latter had called to him to report that he had already dealt with Aaron Ashford and Norman Stallard, he immediately went for the most interesting part.

“You should have seen his face,” Erasmus replied, the scorching flames in his eyes dancing with satisfaction. “He didn’t believe it at first, but when he realized that it was really me, the terror he felt was second to none.”

“I wish I were there.” Thirteen sighed in regret. “It must have felt good to break their mind, body, and spirit.”

“It was the best.” Erasmus nodded. “Thank you for giving me the opportunity to take revenge.”

“You’re welcome.” Thirteen smiled evilly. “So, did you take their souls?”

“Of course,” Erasmus replied. “I planned to let them recover a bit, then torture them again and again and again… for eternity.”

“… Let me play with them once they recover.” Thirteen said.

“Okay.” Erasmus nodded. “I’ll even plant their souls on temporary bodies to ensure that they will feel pain.”

“Perfect.” Thirteen clapped. “I want to hear them scream.”

“Can I watch when you torture them? I want to see what you can do.”

“Of course, you can.”

The two chuckled evilly, knowing their revenge was far from over.

After exchanging some information, Thirteen finally explained the current situation in the Cygni Continent.

“Are those Azothralls strong?” Erasmus inquired.

“I believe you can fight the black Azothralls,” Thirteen replied after careful consideration. “But the golden one might pose a problem for you. Unfortunately, Laplace Demon and The One only allowed you to make a round trip from the Rigel Continent to the Aldebaran Continent.”

“Quite unfortunate,” Erasmus commented. “The Earth Dragons also wanted to have a piece of action. They feel bored after decades of being cooped up in the Rigel Continent.”

The teenage boy could only smile wryly. Actually, he had already tried to ask Laplace Demon and The One to allow the Earth Dragons to help him in the Cygni Continent.

However, they forced Zion to make a choice.

Either let Erasmus travel freely to the Aldebaran Continent or let the Earth Dragons go to the Cygni Continent.

Since Thirteen prioritized the safety of his family, he decided to choose the first option.

This allowed Erasmus to go to the Aldebaran Continent, boosting the defenses of the Leventis Family, which proved to be the right thing to do.

With his help, Lady Callista and his parents were able to survive the calamity that had befallen them.

“So, what do you intend to do?” Erasmus asked. “Those Azothralls sounded like a real pain.”

Thirteen nodded because this was indeed the case.

The other factions didn’t know how strong the Azothralls were. But as someone who had fought against one of them in the past, Thirteen understood how dangerous they truly were.

“I’ll work with the Jinns to defeat them,” Thirteen answered. “It is the only way that I can think of. Nautilus is now heading back to the Cygni Continent, but it will take them a week to get there.

“Many things can happen at that time, so I need all the help that I can get. Also, I have carefully selected the factions for this task.”

Erasmus nodded. “It seems you already have a plan. However, Zion, don’t forget—there are always unexpected variables in war.”

“I know,” Thirteen replied. “These Azothralls might have learned from my fight against their predecessor and found ways to counter Rocky. I am not underestimating them.”

“But you plan to use them as well, right?” Erasmus chuckled. “They are like a double-edged sword. If they attack the Jinns, then the Wanderers will be able to have some breathing time.

“But if they attacked the Wanderers alongside the Jinn Army, the Wanderers would be defeated very easily. They would likely temporarily ally with your enemies. If that happens, what would you do?”

“What else?” Thirteen smirked before raising his finger to point upwards.

Erasmus nodded in understanding.

Thirteen’s strongest trump card, Athena, wasn’t just for show.

It had been lying dormant in space for many years, continuously absorbing solar energy from the sun.

With a command from the teenage boy, the Sentient Weapon from space could unleash a devastating beam attack that would vaporize anything it hit.

The only downside was that he could only use it three times, and it dealt an area of effect damage.

Athena’s single beam attack was equivalent to a nuclear strike that could obliterate anything within a five-hundred-meter radius.

Of course, this wasn’t its only means of attack.

Instead of a single beam, it could disperse the attack from space, making smaller laser beams descend like shooting stars from the sky, and deal wider area damage.

The only downside was that it was less potent than the concentrated beam.

Thirteen couldn’t possibly use Athena’s main beam strike if he was forced to use it at point-blank range against a stronger enemy.

He would also be vaporized by the impact if he were within the striking range of the attack, so he made an alternative option for emergency purposes.

“But if you wish to do it, can’t you wipe out the three main factions right now?” Erasmus inquired. “Why are you not using it to decrease the number of your enemies?”

“That’s because not all High-Tier Gates have opened,” Thirteen replied. “Athena has been monitoring six more gates. If my theory is correct, we might not only be facing attacks from Gomorra and the Artemian Kingdom.

“Other worlds might also join this battle once everyone thinks that the war is over. Since there are still uncertain variables, I cannot use Athena until all the players have gathered on the battlefield.”

“… There are still six gates that haven’t opened?” Erasmus was truly surprised by this piece of information. “What class are these gates?”

“Genocide Class,” Thirteen replied. “This is why I still haven’t used Athena.”

Erasmus pondered for a while before making a guess.

“They might be from factions in Gomorra who are late to the party,” Erasmus stated. “Or they can also come from Solterra.”

“Both are possible,” Thirteen replied. “I guess we’ll just have to wait until the gates fully open.”

“And when will they open?” Erasmus inquired.

“A month from now,” Thirteen answered. “Within that month, I need to crush the Azothralls and wipe out the other Jinn Factions that will not align with my goals.”

“Can you do it?” Erasmus had full faith when it came to Thirteen.

However, even he felt that this mission would be extremely difficult, especially since Zion’s hands were tied by several variables on the battlefield.

That was also the reason why he moved his plan ahead of time and allowed the Church of Destruction to make contact with Princess Aracelle’s faction.

Thirteen were even looking forward to meeting with them personally and seeing their reactions.

Especially Prince Valen, the Crown Prince of House Pavareth.

With the Skavari becoming the leader of the second faction, Zion now gained indirect control over it.

Only the Garuda Faction under Prince Zepharion was outside of his sphere of influence.

Frankly, the Jinns weren’t Thirteen’s main target right now.

He was more worried about the Azothralls than the entire Jinn Faction combined.

With their ability to adapt and evolve, those twenty-one Azothralls, excluding the golden one, had the strong possibility of evolving and becoming Rank 9 Sovereigns.

Their attacks on the Jinn Factions, leaving no survivors behind, were proof that they were devouring their bodies to rapidly increase their strength, allowing faster break through to the next Rank.

If all twenty-one of them became Golden Azothralls, Thirteen wasn’t confident about being able to stop them all.

“I’ll do what I need to do,” Thirteen replied. “In any case, I have no other choice.”

Erasmus nodded in understanding. As long as there was a chance, he believed that Thirteen would be able to pull through.

His only regret was that he was unable to help the teenage boy because he was not allowed to travel to the Cygni Continent.

A few minutes later, Thirteen finally ended his call and sighed while looking out from the window of his office.

He had already taken everyone back to Casimir City in preparation for the next round of battle against the Jinns.

“Why are you sighing?” Shasha hugged her brother from behind and kissed his cheek. “Are you worried about the war?”

“A little bit.” Thirteen admitted. “You should get some rest while you can.”

“Maybe later,” Shasha replied. “It has been a while since we spent some time together because you’re always with Sherry, Erica, and Shana.”

Thirteen smiled faintly and allowed his sister to hug, pamper him, and pat his head.

It had truly been a while since they had been together and spent some time like this.

Back then, Thirteen would always spare time to train his brother and sisters, ensuring that they were on the right path to become strong warriors.

This was also the reason why his brother and sisters think of him as their pillar and role model, despite the fact that he wasn’t the oldest among them.

Mikhail, Shasha, Remi, and Rhia respected and loved Zion very much.

His parents, Gerald and Alessia, loved all of their children. But even they paid more attention to Zion, as he was the most special of them all.

Shasha then led Thirteen to the couch and made him rest his head on her lap, and continued to lightly pat his head.

“Zion, Mom and Dad called me and Mikhail today to inform us on what happened at the Leventis Residence,” Shasha said softly. “Thank you for protecting our family. Things might have ended differently without the arrangements you have prepared in advance.”

“You don’t need to thank me, Sis,” Thirteen replied. “That is what being family is all about, right? At least, that’s what they say on TV.”

A faint smile appeared on Shasha’s beautiful face because she knew that her brother wasn’t someone to show his emotions so readily.

When they were still young, she had to admit that she was intimidated by her little brother.

He was a wall that they couldn’t break.

He was the mountain that they couldn’t conquer.

However, this also made them feel safe. They always felt that as long as he was around, they would be protected.

Shasha never felt this as strongly as she did when she was sent to the Arcadia Archipelago.

There, her little brother fought tooth and nail for her sake, allowing Shasha to survive the calamity that befell her.

“I’m really glad we’re family, Zion,” Shasha said with a smile as she placed her hand on Thirteen’s chest, where his heart was located. “Thank you for being my little brother, and thank you for being born in this world.”

Thirteen suddenly felt a lump in his throat after hearing Shasha’s words.

Technically, he wasn’t really born in the world of Pangea.

His Soul Core was placed inside Zion Leventis’ body the moment he drew his last breath.

This was a secret that Thirteen would bring to his grave.

The teenage boy then rested his hand over Shasha’s hand.

“I’m also glad I was given a chance to be human,” Thirteen replied. “I experienced things I never experienced before. Felt things that I never felt before.”

He then paused to close his eyes and embrace the warmth that was spreading on his chest.

Being loved, loving other people, and falling in love were things that he never thought were possible.

Of course, he still hadn’t experienced the falling-in-love part, but he felt something similar to it.

Although he was a very slow learner, Zion had started to care more about his lovers, more than he initially expected.

While he still didn’t know if these feelings were love, he believed that he would find the answer as he continued to live his life, and gain firsthand experience about everything that this world had to offer.

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A/N: Only one long chapter today. Regular chapters will resume tomorrow.

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