System's POV

Chapter 1384: Pride Before The Fall [Part 1]

"I asked Roland and Derek to lead their team to Mount Othrys," Thirteen said once he and his lovers moved into the privacy of Rocky’s Mobile Fortress.

When the girls had first seen Stella inside, they were a little surprised.

But after thinking for a bit, they thought it made sense. After all, she was the older sister of Maple and Cinnamon, and the little twins had a knack of finding Zion wherever he was.

"Why Mount Othry? And where is it even located?" Shana asked. "I’ve never heard of it before."

"That’s normal. Not just anyone could access that place," Thirteen replied. "Even Fiends and the Celestials can’t enter it without the Divine Keys."

Thirteen then took out a map he had drawn during his free time. This wasn’t the only copy, and he already gave Roland one before he left to look for the Fallen Angel, Apollyon.

"It’s surrounded by mountain ranges on all sides huh?" Erica commented after seeing the map. "That explains why no one’s ever heard of it."

Thirteen nodded. "That place was once a fortress. It served as the final bastion of Solterra if it faced a danger that not even the Fiends and Celestials could handle.

"Simply put, this mountain range holds unknown mystery behind it. Behind it, there might be dangerous and powerful beings who aren’t less imposing than the Celestials and Fiends."

"And... we’re going to that place, aren’t we?" Sherry eyed the map with a serious expression. "You mean to say—we should ignore the missions given to us on the way and just focus on reaching that place, right?"

"Right," Thirteen replied. "That’s where the final battle will be held."

Everyone could feel the silent tension in the air after hearing the teenage boy’s words, which sounded like a prophecy.

A prophecy that would come to pass regardless of what anyone thought or did about it.

"Will you accompany us until we reach Mount Othrys?" Erica asked as she grabbed hold of Zion’s arm and nestled it close to her chest.

Stella paid close attention to the teenage boy’s reactions to his lovers’ advances and noticed that while he didn’t react to them the way men usually did, he looked at the ladies that loved him with a soft, tender gaze.

For some reason, she felt a slight ache in her chest, which made her wonder if she caught an illness or something.

For a brief moment, a thought crossed her mind.

How would Zion react once she used the key in her hands to unlock his heart?

But before she could entertain this thought, the teenage boy’s reply reached her ears.

"I will move separately from all of you," Thirteen replied. "I plan to get one more key before the other Celestials find it."

He also explained that he would meet with Forneus soon, shocking the three ladies.

Stella couldn’t help but smile at this sight. In her eyes, meeting a Fiend of Solterra wasn’t such a big deal since she was always surrounded by much more powerful beings who could make the Fiends and Celestials look cute in comparison.

But this was also one of Stella’s shortcomings.

As someone who lived in that kind of environment, her sense of danger wasn’t equivalent to that of Sherry, Erica, and Shana.

While she was strong for her age, that didn’t mean she could move unhindered across the land the way her little sisters, Maple and Cinnamon, did.

If it were those two adorable gluttons, they could practically go anywhere and escape if they came face to face with a foe they couldn’t defeat.

Seeing his lovers look a little disappointed by his answer, he promised to stay with them for three days to fully recharge their Zion Battery.

Of course, this meant that Stella had to stay away from their cottage or risk hearing things she shouldn’t hear by choice.

Three days later, Sahard soared to the sky with Zion and Stella sitting on his back.

The young lady said that being inside the mobile fortress all the time was boring, so she asked Zion to let her ride on Sahard’s back as they headed to their next destination.

As someone who was used to riding on her Giant Wren’s back, Stella felt more at ease in the skies than inside the mobile fortress.

Their next destination was The Island of Aeaea, which was located on the eastern seas of the main continent.

It was also the place where he planned to meet with Forneus after he finished going to the Death Valley.

The Island of Aeaea was similar to the Fortunate Isles.

It was too remote for an army to reach with normal means.

Thirteen believed that getting the key in that location would, without a doubt, help him get the upper hand in this battle for the treasury of Pandora.

For him, it really didn’t matter if Zaphiel and his allies managed to get all the keys.

As long as he had a key or two in his hand, they wouldn’t be able to do anything even if they stomp their feet or roar in anger.

Sahard had already seen Forneus through the projection that Metatron had shared with them in the domain.

He was also unaware that Thirteen had only bluffed his way to getting the help of such a powerful being.

In his eyes, having Forneus as an ally made his Master truly great, and although he was still quite anxious about being hunted down by the Fallen Angel, Apollyon, having the Immortal Fiend nearby would be of great help to them.

This journey lasted for nearly nine days before they safely arrived at their destination.

Forneus was still not around, so Thirteen decided to look for the entrance that led to where the key of Pride was located.

With the information stored inside his Soul Core, it didn’t take him long to find the place he was looking for.

"It’s hidden quite well," Thirteen muttered.

The entrance was located behind a wall of vines that was draped over the mouth of a cave.

Thirteen had already asked Sahard to stay outside, and lead Forneus to the entrance once he arrived.

Stella accompanied him in exploring the underground cave, which seemed to lead them deeper in the ground, to a place that had not been visited for thousands of years.