System's POV

Chapter 1161: Let There Be Light!

“They’re almost here.” Thirteen slowly opened his eyes as he looked toward the north.

The sun had just risen from the east, and yet, everyone was already geared up for battle.

Thirteen had sent his demons to scout ahead, making sure to check both under and above ground for any traces of the Azothralls.

Just as he expected, the Azothralls were moving under the ground, while the Artemians were on land and in the air, moving in a tight formation toward their direction.

He then tapped a few buttons on his communicator to connect to someone who was also paying close attention to what was happening at the moment.

“Are you in position?” Thirteen asked.

“Yes,” Azoh’Dar, the Golden Azothrall who had allied with Thirteen, replied. “Just don’t forget, we will not attack any of our kind. We will only target the Artemians.”

“I understand,” Thirteen answered. “Thank you for honoring your side of the agreement.”

“So you should honor yours as well,” Azoh’Dar stated.

“I will, don’t worry.” Thirteen promised. “I already informed the alliance about your existence, and they gave strict orders to their subordinates that they will not attack you if they see you on the battlefield. Also, the rewards I promised you for after the battle ends will be honored without fail.”

“Good. May fortune smile upon us all.”

“Be safe, Azoh’Dar. This is the first step for you and your people’s freedom.”

After ending the call, Thirteen took a deep breath before lightly tapping Cranky’s head.

He was currently sitting on top of the Honey Badger, whose gaze was fixed over the horizon.

Cranky could sense the Artemian King, whom it had fought in the past.

They were evenly matched back then, which it found very frustrating.

Thirteen warned the Honey Badger that King Astrion hadn’t shown his full strength during their battle.

“Remember, Cranky, don’t underestimate your opponent, okay?” Thirteen warned.

The Honey Badger let out a screech of affirmation as it readied itself to fight.

Thirteen then jumped off its head and landed on the back of a giant black raven, which was one of demons serving him.

The raven then flew to the front of the gathered army and landed on the head of the Hellfire Bal-Boa, Rocky, who had returned just in time to fight alongside its Master.

Thirteen stood straight and tall, holding the black banner that fluttered along the breeze.

Embedded at its center was the golden symbol of XIII, which represented his name.

“Wanderers and Jinns, today is the day where we fight as one…” Thirteen said, his voice being carried over through the entire allied army.

The soldiers fell silent as eyes, numbering in the hundreds of thousands, focused on the teenage boy standing atop Rocky’s massive head, framed against the rising sun.

His figure seemed small, yet the weight in his words made him tower above kings.

The black banner he held fluttered in the breeze, as if to tell everyone that he would be fighting at the frontline alongside them.

“For countless years, Wanderers and the Jinns have been sworn enemies. Blood has been spilled, grudges carved deep, and hatred passed down through generations. Yet today, before the shadow of the Artemians, all that no longer matters.”

Thirteen paused as he scanned the battlefield.

He saw their fear.

Their anxiety.

Their restlessness, and their wavering morale.

Knowing all that, his voice remained firm, strong, and filled with determination, reaching everyone who was fighting on his side on this day.

“Today, we cast aside the chains of the past,” Thirteen declared, his banner raised high. “Today, Wanderer and Jinns no longer stand apart. We are not enemies here. We are brothers and sisters in arms, bound by one purpose, one will, and one destiny!”

His words swept across the battlefield like a gust of wind, touching hearts that had long been hardened by hatred.

“Over there, do you see them?” Thirteen pointed over the horizon, where countless black specks had started to appear one by one.

Like a swarm of locusts that were traveling both air and on land, their presence told everyone that soon, a bloody battle would be fought.

“You know, I don’t want to admit it, but I want to thank the Artemians for coming to this world,” Thirteen said with a smile. “Because of them, we now have a reason to fight not as enemies, but as comrades at arms.”

Everyone watched as the teenage boy’s body was covered in black armor.

A green core with the symbol XIII glowed on his chest.

The black helmet fully covered his face, and yet, two green glows shone faintly from its eye sockets.

This was Thirteen’s Soul Eater Armor, which had been fully upgraded just for this day.

He understood how serious this battle would be, so he made sure to go all out. Cranky might be strong, but the King of Artem didn’t reach his position because he was a pushover.

Thirteen was certain that their enemy had many trump cards he could use to defeat Cranky in battle, so he decided to fight at the frontline. That way, he could assist the Honey Badger at any moment if it needed his help.

“Today, the Artemians will learn that we are not prey,” Thirteen roared, the green light in his eyes flaring bright through the visor of his helmet. “We are hunters! And this battlefield shall be their grave!”

The Hellfire Bal-Boa beneath him roared, flames flickering along its massive body.

The raven at his side spread its wings, releasing a piercing caw that echoed like thunder.

Cranky bared its fangs once more, its muscles coiled for the coming fight.

Thirteen lowered the black banner and pointed it forward, directly at the advancing enemy lines.

“Wanderers! Jinns! Today, we fight not for vengeance, but for survival. Not for pride, but for freedom! Fight with me! Fight with everything you have! Let our enemies break upon us like waves against stone, and let history remember this as the day we stood together as one!”

A roar erupted from the army, so loud it shook the air.

The Wanderers raised their weapons skyward.

The Jinns slammed their claws into the earth. The demons cried out in unison, answering their master’s call.

And from beyond the horizon, the swarm of Artemians drew closer, their black tide flooding the sky and darkening the sun.

The battlefield was set.

The world would soon tremble.

Countless glows shone over the horizon like stars, even though the sun had just risen.

The Artemians were about to unleash their long-range weapons in order to devastate their enemies, but Zion sneered, for they were about to do the same thing!

“Let there be light!” Thirteen roared.

A moment later, the beam cannons of both sides shot toward each other, covering the entire battlefield in a blinding light that signaled the start of the final battle—one that would decide the fate of the Cygni Continent.