System's POV-Chapter 1497: That’s One Way To Court Death

Thirteen and Deus Ex Machina were glaring at each other when a loud explosion reached their ears.

Noticing the distraction of the Supreme Commander of the Infernals, Metatron had launched a sneak attack and sent him hurtling to the sky.

The God of the Apocalypse looked similar to the ruler named Ainz, who held the title of The Overlord.

He didn’t give a flying f*ck to Thirteen and his Father’s family feud. All he wanted to do was to beat the crap out of the bastard who tried to bully "The One".

Seeing Metatron act like a brute, the beautiful woman shook her head helplessly before she, too, took to the heavens.

She understood her lover’s intentions. He planned to bring the battle to outer space, preventing the denizens of her world from being harmed by the battle between Gods.

(A/N: Nani?!)

As if waiting for that moment, Thirteen and his no-good father both took a step forward and clashed with each other.

Usually, Gods couldn’t interfere in the affairs of mortals.

But a special rule exempted Deus Ex-Machina from this restriction. His interference could be excused since he was only fighting his son, and he’d reduced his power to an acceptable level.

The father and son now had the same rank, which the law reluctantly considered fair.

Sun Wukong looked up at the sky before shifting his attention to the remaining Pseudo-Gods.

He couldn’t be certain that they would keep away from his friend’s one-on-one battle, so he raised his guard to the fullest.

The briefly paused battle between the Infernals finally resumed.

This time, new figures joined the war.

After escaping from her home arrest, Siri crossed the portal to Solterra. Upon spotting Stella and the rest of Thirteen’s lovers, she started fighting alongside them, forcing Kamrusepa to join the fray.

Meanwhile, Erica found herself surrounded by several Rank 7 Infernals.

"You can’t run, little girl," a two-horned Infernal said in a teasing tone. "If you surrender, we might consider making you our pet."

"That’s right!" another Infernal commented. "Being a pet is better than dying, no?"

"Shut up!" Erica shouted before covering her entire body in flames.

"Fire Nova!"

The young lady unleashed one of her strongest attacks, hoping it would be enough to kill her enemies.

Unfortunately, her opponents had strong elemental resistance, for the void was akin to a literal hell.

"I like me a fiery lady," an Infernal chuckled. "Hey, I’m keeping this hot chick with me."

"Finders keepers," another stated. "I saw her first, so she’s mine."

"Don’t fight." A third Infernal mediated. "Whoever subdues and captures her gets to keep her as their pet. Deal?"

""Deal!""

The Infernals lunged at the Sorceress with malicious intentions. But before they could come near her, their bodies were cleanly sliced half by Cristopher’s blade.

The young man had once again merged with Arundel the Destroyer. Thirteen had tasked him to watch over his lovers and protect them when in danger.

Colbert had received the same order, so he stuck close to Shana, who was busy healing everyone around her.

"I’ll take it from here," Cristopher said. "Please help the others."

"Will you be fine on your own?" Erica asked anxiously. "I know you’re strong when merged with Arundel, but you can’t remain in that form for a long time."

"He’s not alone," Princess Fiora of the Dragonkin arrived by Cristopher’s side. "I’ll look after him, so don’t worry."

Erica stared at the Majin Princess then back at Cristopher. There were rumors of them dating after the war in the Cygni Continent.

Seeing them stick together, Erica couldn’t help but give Cristopher a thumbs up in her heart. Good for him. He managed to catch the attention of the beautiful princess.

"Okay, thank you!" Erica replied and flew away.

Princess Fiora watched her go before shifting her attention to Cristopher. "Don’t push yourself to hard. We both know that form won’t last more than fifteen minutes."

"I know," Cristopher replied before canceling the effect of Arundel’s possession. "I’ll use it sparingly."

Princess Fiora nodded before following the young man to battle once more.

Somewhere in the battlefield, Roland’s holy sword shone brightly.

"Grand Cross!" Roland shouted, and the world around him were bathed in radiant light.

All the low-ranking Infernals touched by this light were instantly turned into ashes, leaving nothing else behind.

Princess Laventia, the hero’s lover, commanded the succubi nearby, making sure to keep an eye out for the man fighting at the front lines.

The Hero Party was back, working together as the vanguard of the army of the Wanderers.

For some reason, they could feel their strength rising, surprising them greatly.

This was the so-called Heroes’ Blessing, which the chosen ones often experienced whenever they were up against opponents with higher ranks.

Suddenly, a portal opened near them. Warriors from the Valbarra Archipelago poured out of it.

"What are you doing here, Taiga?!" Roland asked the moment he caught sight of the White Tigerkin fighting enemies with his bare fists that glowed golden.

"What else?" Taiga, also known as Percival by his family, replied. "It’s to score some brownie points for Remi! I can’t let myself fall short of her brother!"

"Wow... that’s one way on how to court death," Derek muttered.

"Shhh... he might hear you," Mildred said.

"Let him be. If he doesn’t die here, Zion will definitely kill him for sure," Derek replied.

"So he moved on from Shasha to Remi?" Joshua smirked. "I guess he understood his place."

Shana didn’t make any comments and simply prayed for the Tigerkin in her heart.

Whether Remi would give him a chance or not would ultimately depend on Zion’s decision.

As a chaotic battle raged across the lands of the Godfall Cradle, Thirteen and his father traded blows like there was no tomorrow.

Thirteen had still not recovered from using his Skip Abilities, so he couldn’t get an upper hand in his clash with his father.

Both calculated at a high speed. They dodged, parried, and countered each other both in their simulations and in reality.

Thirteen’s chains were meant to bind Gods. As long as he could latch it onto his father, the latter wouldn’t be able to escape his grasp.

However, Deus Ex Machina already knew that, so he deliberately wielded not a divine weapon, but an artifact he personally created to counter Thirteen’s heavenly chains.

As long as the tip of his key pierced Thirteen’s chest, he could forcefully reset his no-good son, ending his rebellion at once.

Both were careful not to be hit by the other’s weapon, but their clash seemed unending.

In fact, it was becoming more fervent with each passing minute. They fought with so much intensity, no one would think they were family!

Then it happened.

While Thirteen was fighting in close quarters with his father, a single arrow flew in his direction.

Time seemed to stand still as Thirteen noticed its presence.

If he dodged the arrow, his father’s key-like weapon would hit him without fail.

If he didn’t dodge, the arrow would hit his back!

Faced with such a dilemma, Thirteen roared as he moved his body slightly to the side and focused all of his attention on his father’s deadly attack.

The arrow pierced through his right arm. His father’s attack also blew him away just as planned. Although he was hurt, the distance bought him time to better understand the situation.

Deus Ex Machina didn’t make any follow up attacks, also surprised that someone managed to land a surprise attack at his son.

Both of them stared wordlessly at the young lady hovering in the sky with a bow in her hand.

A pair of angelic wings fluttered behind her back, and her long black hair swayed along the breeze.

Stella nocked another magical arrow in her bow and took aim at Zion. Her eyes were vacant. It was like she had lost her soul, manipulated like a marionette.

Just as Thirteen was about to call out her name, the young lady unleashed a single arrow that split itself to tens of thousands, all headed to Thirteen like countless shooting stars that were meant to bring him down.