System's POV - Chapter 1435: Enjoy Life, Eat Good Food, And Sing A Song

Chapter 1435: Enjoy Life, Eat Good Food, And Sing A Song

Dantanian had stayed in Fractured Heaven for nearly a week.

He was the bait cast out to draw the attention of Zaphiel and his army. He’d been idle so far, but Zion had warned him that their enemies were not stupid.

In fact, they definitely knew Dantanian had what they needed. Two divine keys were in the same location and initially moved around the world with ridiculous speed. Who else could it be?

“Are you sure they’re coming my way, Zion?” Dantanian asked.

“They won’t charge in your location blindly,” Thirteen replied calmly. “They will definitely do something to prevent you from escaping. So as soon as you see them, immediately flee back to the Fortunate Isles.”

Dantanian was very confident in his speed. His fighting ability was average at most, but when it comes to running away, no one would claim first if he ranked himself second.

So the moment his trump card was taken away from him, he would not stand a chance against Zaphiel and his allies.

“If I can’t escape, what do I do then?” Dantanian asked.

“Surrender right away,” Thirteen answered without hesitation. “Zaphiel might spare your life if you do.”

“… Huh?!” Dantanian thought he had misheard the teenage boy’s words. “Surrender?”

“If you want to die, fight them.” Thirteen shrugged. “I’ll at least put a flower on your grave.”

The corner of Dantanian’s lips twitched, finding Zion’s words very harsh. He was risking his life to act as bait, so he believed that his idol could have been a little more gentle on his heart.

“This is not a game, Dantanian,” Thirteen’s words brought the Fiend out of his daze. “This is war. Right now, you are playing a crucial role in this war. Your life and death is in your hands.

“If you can’t escape, then just surrender. At most, Zaphiel will just tie you up and keep an eye on you for a while.”

The Fiend of Many Faces sighed deeply before accepting the teenage boy’s strategy. If there was really no place to run, he would just surrender and ask for mercy.

“What do I do if they ask me about the other keys?” Dantanian inquired. “Do I say something? You might not know this, but Belial has the ability to force the truth out of someone. If he used it on me, should I resist or not?”

“Don’t resist him,” Thirteen replied. “After all, how will they come to us if they don’t know where to go?”

“… Right. I forgot about that.” Dantanian scratched his head.

If he really didn’t tell the Celestials where the Key of Pride was, wouldn’t their strategy fail in the first place?

A moment later, he came to a realization.

“Zion, I have a question,” Dantanian said. “You sent me here knowing that Zaphiel and his gang would catch me, didn’t you?”

“Dantanian, don’t get the wrong idea,” Thirteen explained. “I don’t know what kind of trick Zaphiel will use to catch you. But as long as he isn’t stupid, he’ll do something to make you easier to catch. I’m sure he’s carefully headed to you.

“It might not be today, tomorrow, in a week, or a month from now. But he will find you and catch you. To prevent that from happening, you should also do your best to escape his pursuit.

“Tell you what, let’s do a simple test. A test of whether they have prepared something for you or not.”

Thirteen then told Dantanian what he needed to do, and after thinking about it, the Fiend of Many Faces thought that this idea had some merit.

He then took a single step forward which allowed him to travel for miles before taking a leap, increasing the distance he covered.

In the span of a few hours, Dantanian neared the center of the continent. But, just as he was about to pass over a mountain, he lost the strength in his legs, forcing him to stop his journey.

“Huh?” Dantanian frowned.

His body suddenly felt heavy, and just taking a step forward made him feel as if he was trapped in a quagmire.

Dantanian forced himself to back away, step by painful step.

After walking for a while, the pressure, and exhaustion he felt slowly disappeared.

“What just happened?” Dantanian wiped the sweat on his forehead with the back of his hand. “What happened to me?”

Just as he was trying to understand why he suddenly felt weak, space seemed to crack in the distance.

A moment later, four beings stepped out of it.

Zaphiel, Belial, Phazruph, and another Celestial who goes by the name, Rahab.

He was another Celestial whom Forneus had a beef with, and their battle had been legendary.

After seeing Dantanian, the four Celestials immediately spread out with the intention to capture him.

But the Fiend of Many Faces was three steps faster.

He didn’t hesitate to run back to Fractured Heaven, not giving his pursuers a second glance.

“He ran away,” Belial snorted.

“That’s the only thing he can do in this situation,” Pharzuph commented. “Now that he knows our strategy, what do we do?”

“What else?” Zaphiel smiled faintly. “We keep it up. You’ve seen how effective it is. He can still run away now, but we can rest assured. It will only be a matter of time before we catch that pesky runner.”

Rahab said nothing, and simply stood with his arms crossed over his chest. He had no grudge against Dantanian, so he kept silent. The only one he wished to fight was Forneus. As long as he won, that would settle their old score.

A few hours later, Dantanian stopped and panted for breath. He was back in Fractured Heaven, and the journey made him sweat a lot.

“Zion… hah… you’re right,” Dantanian said. “They… did something… to me.”

“Calm down and tell me what happened,” Zion replied through Tiona’s clone.

Dantanian immediately shared what happened. First, he felt a weird sensation. Then, he suddenly felt weak and heavy, rendering him incapable of running. He also told him that Rahab joined Zaphiel’s camp, which meant they were dealing with four Celestials instead of three.

“They might have used a magical formation against you,” Thirteen explained after the Fiend of Many Faces finished his tale. “In short, they are doing exactly what I think they’re doing. Eventually, they will be able to corner you. So when that happens, just surrender.”

“Is… there nothing I can do?” Dantanian asked, hoping that Zion would come up with a solution.

Thirteen didn’t reply right away. It took him exactly two minutes before asking Dantanian a question.

“Are you willing to risk everything to escape?” Thirteen asked. “Including your life?”

“… Not really.” Dantanian blinked.

As a pacifist by nature, he hoped that Zaphiel would show mercy on him.

“Then stay there and wait until they catch you,” Thirteen answered. “Don’t worry. Everything is still within my calculation. For now, just enjoy life. Eat good food, sing a song, and gaze at the stars in the sky.

“Think that everyday will be your last. As long as you do that, life will look magical in your eyes.”

The corner of Dantanian’s lips twitched because he felt like he was really about to die the moment their pursuers caught up to him.

When he took this mission, he was confident that he would make his pursuers puke blood as he baited them on a wild goose chase.

But now, all that confidence disappeared, replaced by the dread that, sooner or later, he would once again face the Celestials.

And at that time, escape was no longer possible.