System's POV

411  Judgment Day [End]

Lawrence patted Wendell's shoulder in order to help calm him down.

"The boy is right," Lawrence said. "Running after the Wyvern King now is not worth it. We need to prioritize our people's safety."

Wendell took a deep breath before nodding his head.

"I know—hot blood just got into my head a while ago," Wendell replied. "That Commander of yours is really fearless. If not for the fact that the operation is going smoothly, I would have definitely given him a good nagging."

Lawrence only chuckled before flying toward his Silver Dragon.

"As long as you don't smack his head and beat him up, you are free to give him a good nagging," Lawrence stated. "Right now, we need that brain of his, so make sure that it won't be damaged."

"We have Trevor here. I'm sure he can heal that kid easily, can't he?" Wendell glanced at his friend, who only responded with a faint smile.

"Don't risk it," Trevor replied. "Just like what the Grand Marshal said, we can't afford to damage Zion's brain right now. But enough talk. They're coming. Get into position."

"Good." Wendell raised his trident and summoned countless Water Spears above his head. "I'll vent out my anger on these bastards."

With the three Monarchs and the Thrones protecting their ground forces from the flying monsters, the most the army had suffered were moderate injuries.

None of the injuries were fatal, and all the injured were hurriedly taken back to the rear, where the 69th Battalion and the Medics tended to their injuries.

While his Army was dying to allow him to escape, Vannaroth flew desperately as his blood dripped on the ground ceaselessly.

With its severe injuries, its flight was erratic. But after flying for nearly twenty miles away from the front lines, its body finally gave in and crashed on the ground.

"I can't… die here," Vannaroth tried to prop itself up from the ground. "I can't die… in this place."

It had lofty ambitions of breaking through to the next rank and becoming a Rank 9 Sovereign.

Even if it had to crawl, it would do everything in its power to escape.

At that moment, it saw something moving in its direction. Due to its injuries, its sight was also blurry, so it was unable to identify whether the newcomer was a friend or foe. The Wyvern King no longer had the strength to fight, so it did the only thing it could do and that was to look at whoever was coming.

"Has the front lines been broken?" A familiar voice reached the Wyvern King's ears, making it sigh in relief.

"Erasmus, it's… you." Vannaroth felt as if it had finally gained salvation after hearing the Death Lord's voice.

"It is indeed I," Erasmus replied. "Now, tell me what happened on the battlefield."

The Wyvern King nodded and narrated everything that happened.

From the news of Nizana's death to Arym's escape, as well as its defeat against the Wanderer Army, the Wyvern King said it all.

"We can't beat them by ourselves," Vannaroth said. "We need to retreat to where the Earth Dragons are. As long as we regroup with them, we will be able to think of a plan on how to handle this situation."

Erasmus nodded. "You're right. I'll take it from here. You can now rest."

The Wyvern King, who thought that the Death Lord would carry its body back to safety, suddenly felt a searing pain in its chest.

"W-Why?!" Vannaroth asked in disbelief.

"It's because you are no longer needed," Erasmus replied as it pushed his Death Blade deeper, making the Wyvern King scream in pain.

A few seconds later, it collapsed on the ground, its blood dyeing the surroundings red.

The proud and arrogant Wyvern King died an unwilling death, and its eyes slowly lost their luster.

When its heart finally stopped beating, the Death Lord placed its hand on Vannaroth's head and chanted.

"Arise."

A few seconds later, the Wyvern King rose up from the ground and roared loudly.

The Death Lord jumped on its back with the intention of using its former comrade as its mount.

Erasmus glanced in the direction of the battlefield, where countless flashes of light illuminated the dark, cloudy sky.

"Go," Erasmus ordered.

The Undead Wyvern King flapped its tattered wings and rose toward the sky.

It didn't fly in the direction of the battlefield. Instead, it flew in the opposite direction, intending to regroup with its Undead Army.

Fighting against the Wanderers at this point in time was a foolish move. So it decided to order its army to retreat and return to the center of the Continent, where the Earth Dragons were currently at.

17:07

***

Deep underground…

The Wolf King fought tooth and nail against the Centipede King, but it was at a great disadvantage.

It relied heavily on its speed, but since the underground tunnels were cramped, it had no choice but to fight with a disadvantage against Jalrog in order to return to the surface.

Unfortunately, that was easier said than done. Arym literally had its back against the wall. As its injuries increased, its movements became a lot slower.

"Jalrog, what's the point of fighting against each other?!" Arym shouted in desperation. "We are allies! Have you really betrayed our Master?"

"Betrayed our Master?" Jalrog sneered. "I never recognized that person as MY Master. Because of him, I was forced into this god-forsaken place. But I guess I still need to thank him. Thanks to him, I will finally be able to achieve my goals out of his reach.

"Thank you, Arym. Because of you, I will grow stronger. You and Nizana finally became useful for once."

"Damn you, arrogant insect!" Arym roared as its entire body glowed in a greenish light. "Since you wish to kill me, let's die together!"

The Wolf King finally decided to burn its own life force in order to bring the traitor with him to the other life. However, Jalrog, who had already consumed the Broodmother, didn't back down and clashed against the Wolf King. It coiled its body around Arym's body and dug its razor-sharp legs into it, drawing blood.

Arym ignored its injuries and bit down on Jalrog's neck, drawing blood as well. Tiona's Army used that opportunity to lunge at the two Beast Kings, and detonate themselves, creating a blood mist that engulfed both of their bodies.

Jalrog sensed that the blood mist was poisonous, but instead of being afraid, it only laughed in its heart.

It had a very strong resistance against poison, so it wasn't worried in the slightest.

In fact, it even thanked the sacrifice of its "allies." Thanks to them, not only would the poison kill the Wolf King faster, but it would also allow him to leave the battlefield while it still could.

Five minutes later, the Wolf King's strength finally gave in, allowing the Centipede King to overpower it.

"Goodbye, Arym," Jalrog said as it bit on the Wolf King's neck. "Send my regards to Nizana in the afterlife."

The Wolf King, who no longer had the strength to resist, finally died.

Jalrog didn't hesitate to devour the Wolf King's body, tearing its flesh and drinking its blood.

Tiona, who saw everything from start to finish, slithered away and regrouped with Rocky. She had fulfilled her duty well, and it was now time for her to return to her Master's side.

Thirteen, who had been watching the battle unfold through Tiona's eyes, yawned briefly before taking a sip from the hot chocolate that was served to him a minute ago.

"Sir, all the enemies are retreating," one of the staff reported as tears streamed down the side of his face. "We are victorious! We won!"

The officer had lost his family when the Jinns and Majins invaded the Rigel Continent.

Because of this, he decided to dedicate his life to fighting against them. His only wish was to return to his hometown, where he would properly erect a grave for his family.

"Sir, please sound the horns of victory," Thirteen replied with a smile. "I'll give you the honor of informing the world that we have won."

"Yes, Sir!" The officer saluted.

All the Officers in the Command Center all stood up in unison and saluted their Supreme Commander before clapping their hands.

A few seconds later, a loud horn reverberated from the Dvalinn Port, passing through the speakers within the allied army, which reached even the front lines.

When the soldiers heard this, all of them shouted in joy and erupted in cheers.

"We have won!" the battlefield reporter shouted as tears streamed down his face. "Are you all seeing this?! We have won! The horn of victory has been blown! We have reclaimed the North of the Rigel Continent!"

From all over the world, sounds of cheering spread in every household.

Even in the distant Aldebaran and Cygni Continent, everyone was shouting in joy, spreading the good news to every corner of the world.

"They really did it!" Douglas Griffin laughed out loud after hearing the shouts of the people in his own command center.

Although there was still the threat of the other surviving Kings and the three Earth Dragons, it didn't stop everyone from celebrating.

Thirteen, who could hear the loud shouts from the window of his command center, smiled as he stood up. He then walked past Renz and patted the latter's waist.

"I'll wait to hear your answer until tomorrow," Thirteen replied. "I hope you make the right decision."

After saying those words, Thirteen left the Command Center in order to join his subordinates, who were busy treating the injured in the battle that had just ended. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Renz looked at the teenager's back and chuckled internally.

Zion had asked him to become his loyal subordinate who would serve as his double agent for the Dvalinn Federation.

The thought of acting as a spy for his own organization was something that hadn't crossed Renz's mind before.

But now, after seeing Thirteen's meticulous preparations, he felt that siding with him would bring him more benefits in the long run.

'I just hope he isn't a devil in disguise,' Renz thought as he shifted his gaze at the monitors, which were showing the soldiers on the battlefield, who were still celebrating their victory over the Jinns and Majins.

The strategist of the Dvalinn Federation knew that Zion didn't think that this was a hard battle.

He had observed how composed the teenage boy was from start to finish, and he couldn't help but think that everyone, whether they be Jinns or Wanderers, was just dancing at the palm of his hands.

***

Shana, who was tending to the wounded, noticed that the injured soldiers were smiling despite the pain that they were feeling.

She could feel it in her surroundings. She could taste it in the air.

This feeling of joy and jubilation was very infectious, making even her feel like humming as she treated the injured.

Suddenly, she saw a familiar teenage boy walking toward the 69th Battalion, looking like he had just woken up from his sleep.

Thirteen was yawning, and yet, everyone who saw him was still looking at him like he was their hero. After all, no matter what he looked like, he was still the one who had shown them the path to victory.

One by one, the soldiers he passed through saluted him. But Zion Leventis only waved his hand, telling them that everyone was exempted from saluting him right now.

However, that didn't stop them from paying their respects. They still saluted him despite him telling them not to do it.

At that moment, a giggle escaped Shana's lips as she raised her hand to playfully salute Zion, who was about to walk past her.

Seeing her salute him, Thirteen sighed before lightly patting Shana's head as he walked past her.

"You did well, Shana."

Thirteen's playful words reached the young lady's ears, making her pure and innocent heart skip a beat.