System's POV - Chapter 1312: The War That Would End All Wars [Part 2]
Chapter 1312: The War That Would End All Wars [Part 2]
As Queen Miriamele softly landed on the ground, her eyes scanned the devastation she had caused.
Her face showed calmness, but it only made her more intimidating as she raised her chin with the dignity of the Queen of Artem and the High Priestess of Chandrea.
A ripple of power suddenly expanded through the city, sending all the rubble flying in every direction.
Castor stood up from the wreckage and locked his gaze on the beautiful woman whom he had secretly admired for many years.
“Your Majesty, why are you joining their side in this war?” Castor asked, still feeling the stinging pain on his cheek. “I thought that you had no love for this empire? If you don’t interfere, I promise to personally kill Astrion in front of you so you’ll regain your freedom.”
“You’re right,” Queen Miriamele replied. “I have no love for this empire. However, I will not allow anyone to hurt my son.”
“Son?” Castor frowned. “Your Majesty, you don’t have a son. You only have a daughter.”
The Celestial’s gaze then landed on the teenage boy, whom Queen Miriamele had protected just now.
“Brat, just what are you trying to do here?” Castor glared. “Trying to masquerade as the Queen’s son? Such blasphemy!”
Thirteen blinked before looking at the Queen with a face filled with injustice. For the first time, he looked like a cute, pitiful teenage kid.
“Mom, he’s bullying me,” Thirteen said in a hurt tone that made Rhavon and the Naga Patriarch give him a thumbs up in their hearts, thinking that Zion’s skin was really thick.
Queen Miriamele couldn’t help but be amused by her son’s reaction. Despite knowing that Zion was merely messing around, she didn’t mind playing along with his tune.
“You senile old man, how dare you scare my son?” Queen Miriamele shouted. “I’ll kill you painfully!”
Being called a senile old man by the person he liked made Castor’s blood boil in embarrassment and shame.
However, he quickly regained his bearings and decided to first neutralize Queen Miriamele, then deal with her “son” later.
“What are you waiting for, Regulus?!” Castor shouted. “Do your job!”
Regulus finally remembered his part and flew toward the Royal Palace with the majority of their forces.
Ten Azothralls with golden markings on their bodies stayed with Castor, surrounding the Celestial as their formation.
Each of them had the strength of a High Archon, more than enough to handle anything their enemies could throw at them.
“Don’t worry. I won’t kill you, Your Majesty,” Castor declared. “After this war ends, you will remain the Queen of this empire, ruling it by my side.”
Thirteen, Rhavon, and the Naga Patriarch looked at Castor from head to foot. All three of them thought of him as a frog who wished to eat swan flesh.
Queen Miriamele looked at the old man in disdain.
She wore a veil that covered half of her face, yet everyone could still see the devastating beauty she hid beneath the fabric.
After making up his mind, Castor used his relic to trap Queen Miriamele inside Dark Paradise.
Seven of the Azothralls accompanied him inside that domain, while the remaining three charged at Thirteen, intending to kill him as per their Master’s order.
At that moment, several flower petals materialized in the air, forming a blade that forced the Azothralls to evade.
Their instincts told them that getting hit by one of those flower petal blades would lead to serious injuries, so they stopped their charge and gazed at the opponent who stood in their way.
Queen Xeres and Zen stood in front of Zion, protecting their Supreme Commander from the three Azothralls.
They knew that as long as the teenage boy, Rhovan, and the Naga Patriarch remained safe, the Shields protecting the city and the Great Killing Array would continue to protect everyone.
“Queen Xeres, Sir Zen, please fight one-on-one with those Azothralls,” Thirteen stated.
“One on one?” Queen Ceres arched an eyebrow. “Did you forget to count Zion? There are three of them, and there are only two of us who can fight them here.”
Before Thirteen could reply, a voice brimming with fighting intent reached their ears.
“I’ll be the third.”
A Golden Azothrall emerged from the ground, and it was none other than Azoh’Dar.
The named Azothrall, who had decided to become Thirteen’s subordinate, had also become a High Archon.
And that wasn’t all. He was also equipped with a high-tech armor that Thirteen had especially made just for him.
“Let’s kill our opponents as fast as possible, and help the others,” Zen declared.
As if they had fought together for years, the Golden Azothrall, the Majin Queen, and the High Archon of Lyra City clashed with their respective opponents.
Knowing that their battle would devastate the city, Thirteen’s allies pushed their opponents away from their command center.
“Are you sure that the King of Artem will be fine?” Rhovan asked. “The bulk of the enemy’s army is headed to the palace.”
“He’ll be fine,” Thirteen answered.
What the majority of the teenage boy’s allies didn’t know was that Erasmus had temporarily returned to his original body and hid the body of the King of Artem inside the Domain of the Apocalypse.
———
Inside the Royal Palace…
Tiona’s clone that hung on the Lord of Death’s neck hissed, informing him that Regulus and his army were now headed in their direction.
To prepare for this battle, Erasmus had asked everyone in the palace to vacate, leaving only him and Cranky inside.
The Lord of Death slowly rose from his throne and summoned his staff.
He was only a Rank 9 Sovereign and was not a match against the Celestial planning to kill the King of Artem as a means to put an immediate stop to the war.
Castor and Regulus believed that if they showed King Astrion’s severed head to the Defenders of the city, all of them would simply surrender.
After all, what was the use of fighting when the King was already dead?
Erasmus waved his hand, and Norton, whom he had revived as an Undead, appeared before him.
The man was once the proud Guard Captain in the Royal Palace, but now, he’d been reduced to one of Erasmus’ subordinates, reluctantly following his master’s order.
“Did you summon me as cannon fodder against Regulus?” Norton asked with contempt.
“Yes, you are cannon fodder,” Erasmus replied. “Just like me.”
“Excuse me?”
“You’re excused.”
The corner of Norton’s lips twitched as he gazed at the Undead, who had forced him into eternal servitude.
“Someday, I will kill you,” Norton said with hate. “No. Just die already!”
“What’s the point of cursing an Undead to die when they are already dead?” Erasmus chuckled. “Norton, you’re a strange one.”
At that moment, a loud explosion shook the entire palace.
“They’re trying to break the gates of the palace.” Norton frowned. “Hey, if you die, will I die too?”
“Yes, you will,” Erasmus replied. “But worry not. I won’t die today. The odds of you dying are higher than mine.”
Norton didn’t know if he should be happy or not after hearing the words of his new Master.
When he and Erasmus had fought back then, the Lord of Death didn’t hesitate to use corpse explosions on his own summons to bring him down.
Knowing he could be used as cannon fodder at any time made him feel uneasy.
Perhaps this was what Erasmus was hoping to see, so he looked at his Undead Guard, who visibly grew more anxious as the explosions outside the palace grew louder and louder.
