System's POV

Chapter 1168: The Rise Of The Destroyer [Part 1]

A few minutes after the explosion, Rocky resurfaced to check the extent of the damage.

The power of an Archon’s self-destruction was no laughing matter.

When it came to damage, it matched that of a tactical nuclear weapon.

While not so exaggerated as to wipe out an entire city, destroying everything within a kilometer was perfectly within its capabilities.

Rocky was met with the sight of black smoke oozing from the ground and scorched Earth. Seeing this, Zion was reminded of the previous battlefields he had seen alongside his former hosts.

After observing for a bit and ensuring everything was fine, Rocky spat out something, which crashed on the ground with a thud.

Prince Aurelion groaned, but he was relatively safe from any major injuries. Rocky had managed to pull him into the safety of its Mobile Fortress before making its escape underground.

The Hellfire Bal-Boa had high resistance against fire-based damage, so it successfully tanked the brunt of the explosion.

Although it was injured, it would fully recover if given an hour or two of rest.

“Is he dead?” Prince Aurelion asked.

He was still reeling from his near-death experience and couldn’t help but look at the center of the crater that was now molten earth.

“Yes,” Thirteen answered. “He’s dead.”

“Are you sure?” Prince Aurelion inquired as he propped himself up from the ground.

“Yes,” Thirteen replied. “At least I’m sure his body is completely destroyed. Then again, Lucan had a spare body, so there’s a chance that he’s still alive somewhere. But even if he had a clone, it can’t retain his original Rank.”

The Dragonkin Prince finally heaved a deep sigh of relief. Unlike the Weapon Master, he hadn’t had the chance to really go into campaigns and fight with his life on the line.

As the Crown Prince of the Dragon Empire, his life was very precious, so he always had retainers to save him whenever he was in danger.

More accurately, he did experience life-and-death battles before, but they couldn’t compare with his no-safety-net battle with Carl, who was a true expert.

“Thank you for helping me,” Prince Aurelion said. “Not only this time, but during the time that I first retreated. You gave me time to regenerate my arm.”

“As long as we are fighting on the same side, we are allies.” Thirteen held the Prince’s gaze. “This battle is far from over. Catch your breath first, and help others as soon as you’re ready.”

Prince Aurelion nodded. “With this, we now have the upper hand, right?”

“Not yet.” Thirteen shook his head. “My backup forces are currently dealing with the two Archons. If they don’t receive reinforcements soon, they might be defeated.”

The three Earth Dragons were dealing with Azoh’Karn, while Azoh’Dar, Erasmus, and the Undead Wyvern King, Vannaroth, were fighting with another Archon from the Artemian Army.

The most they could do was hold their enemies down.

Unless their opponent made an irreversible mistake or underestimated them too much, it was nearly impossible for them to win against an Archon—not even with a three-versus-one setup.

“I’m going now,” Thirteen said. “Take care, Your Highness.”

Rocky once again burrowed deep underground and navigated toward other allies who need help, leaving Prince Aurelion behind.

The Dragonkin Prince sighed internally, feeling complicated inside his heart.

Thirteen was on his way to reinforce Erasmus and Azoh’Dar when the sudden news hit him.

Commander Dravon of the Dragonkin Army was slain by his opponent!

The morale of the Dragonkin Army uncontrollably lowered at the death of their Commander..

If not for Princess Fiora holding the line and telling them to pull themselves together, the despair might have broken the spirit of the Dragon Race.

“Prince Aurelion has killed their Weapon Master!” Thirteen’s shout spread across the battlefield. “The Prince is victorious in battle!”

This time, it was the Artemians’ turn to falter.

Everyone had seen the loud explosion in the distance. Hearing the news of Carl’s death, the earlier victory that the Artemians had tasted suddenly melted away like it was a joke.

First, they lost their Genius Swordsman, Korrin.

While not many saw it, those who paid attention to her battle with Zapar had seen how the Majin Prince tossed the helpless warrior inside a portal, never to be seen ‌again.

Second, they had just learned of the death of their Pillars in battle. With this, the victorious feeling they initially had faded into obscurity.

Although Princess Fiora calmed everyone earlier, she also felt anxious. The one who killed Commander Dravon couldn’t be an ordinary warrior.

How could she not when she knew that the Commander was the strongest Dragonkin who crossed over to Pangea?

Not to mention, her opponent didn’t look too bothered after hearing of Carl’s death.

He even joked that it was about time the Weapon Master died because he was too arrogant for his own good.

The Royal Guard Captain, Roen, took a different fighting stance than the one he used earlier.

Princess Fiora’s eyes widened in shock as soon as she felt the pressure he was releasing.

’Don’t tell me he was still holding back?!’ Princess Fiora gritted her teeth as she summoned multiple blazing shields around her.

While she knew swordsmanship, she wasn’t an expert swordswoman, and her specialty lay in defensive battles and counterattacks.

Taking a deep breath, she raised the shield in her left hand and gripped the handle of her sword with her dominant right hand.

“I’m coming, Princess,” Roen sneered. “I hope you’re ready!”

Princess Fiora didn’t even have time to give a reply because the Guard Captain had moved as soon as he finished making his declaration.

The sound of a blade hitting a shield rang in the surroundings as both fighters engaged each other.

Each of Roen’s blows was so heavy that even with a shield, Princess Fiora was being pushed back.

To make matters worse, the Archon who had slain Commander Dravon was now charging in her direction!

’Damn!’ Princess Fiora was already at her wits’ end in fighting against Roen, so adding a new opponent into the mix would immediately put her at a great disadvantage.

She wanted to scream for help, but she realized it was pointless. No one around her was strong enough to help her against the Artemian Archon, who was wielding a halberd aimed at her head.

At her moment of desperation, she saw someone from the corner of her eye land between her and the Artemian General.

It was a Wanderer whom she had only seen once during one of the meetings where Zion Leventis was present.

All she could remember was that he was Zion’s right-hand man.

Checking his strength, she deemed that the Wanderer was merely at Master Rank.

It was impossible for someone that weak to face off against an Archon!

Still, Cristopher, who had served Thirteen loyally all these years, had his share of life and death battles.

Even when facing an Archon, he looked extremely calm, as if this was the norm for him.

The General brandished his halberd, intending to slice the weakling blocking his way in half.

Just as everyone thought that Cristopher would be killed in an instant, something emerged from the young man’s shadow and blocked the Halberd aimed at the young man.

“Seriously, you should be using me as a Trump Card to deal a surprise attack on your opponent.”

A voice filled with killing intent spoke behind the teenage boy who had summoned someone—a familiar face that made the warriors from the Valbarra Archipelago gasp in shock.

“Sorry, I didn’t have the time for a surprise attack,” Cristopher replied.

“Well, I guess it can’t be helped,” the four-meter-tall Majin Prince scoffed.

Cristopher then summoned a bastard sword as big as his body and wielded it with both hands.

“Let’s go, Arundel,” Cristopher ordered.

“I told you to stop ordering me around, Kid,” Arundel replied in annoyance. “But sure, I’ll help you kill this guy. But only because he looks ugly.”

The Majin Prince, who was once called the Destroyer, summoned a spear covered in flames.

His gaze, filled with killing intent, locked onto the Artemian General, who immediately distanced himself from the newcomer who was emitting a pressure that made him decide to take this battle seriously.

He, whom everyone in the Order of the Apocalypse thought to have already died, had once again appeared in the world as the Avatar of the Brute Tamer, Cristopher, the one who pierced his heart after the legendary battle many years ago.

Cristopher adjusted his stance beside him, raising his bastard sword.

He could feel the aura surging from the Majin Prince—violent, untamed, yet leashed to his will. The Brute Tamer’s bond made it possible, though only barely.

Thirteen had told him in the past to only summon Arundel when his life was in any danger.

The now-dead Majin Prince never had the chance to show up until now. Knowing their lack of powerhouses, Zion met Cristopher before the war and gave the latter the go signal to put the Majin Prince to good use.

Arundel still held a grudge against Zion, even now that he was an Avatar.

The Majin Prince had lost count of his attempts to urge Cristopher into killing his commander, promising that he would serve him faithfully in exchange.

However, Cristopher wouldn’t dare to do such a thing. Without Zion Leventis, he would still be the bullied retainer of Terence Leventis, who didn’t think much of him.

He had fought tooth and nail and even prepared himself for a beating when he pleaded with the Patriarch of the Leventis Family, Arthur, saying that he wished to serve a different Master, specifically Zion.

And now, Thirteen’s right-hand man stood tall, facing against the Artemian General with the Majin Prince who had once terrorized the entirety of the Valbarra Archipelago.