System's POV

Chapter 1428: Celestial’s Flames, and Immortal’s Rage [Part 1]

"What kind of keys do you have?" asked Dantanian, who had finally resolved himself to fight Zaphiel for real.

"I hold the Key of Pride," Thirteen showed the palm of his hand, and a golden key rose from it. "Stella here holds the Key of Lust. Don’t ask how she got it. We should respect her privacy."

The young lady immediately turned beet red while giving Thirteen a glare. The Key of Lust wasn’t particularly easy to get since she had to endure embarrassment and shame to obtain it.

Dantanian and Forneus nodded in understanding, but deep inside, they must have thought that Stella was a lewd lady by nature.

After all, the Key of Lust wouldn’t just choose anyone. It would only choose someone who had the capacity to handle its divinity.

Fortunately, she was unaware of the branding the two Fiends had mentally stamped on her. Otherwise, she might have hid herself in one of the wooden cabins in the distance.

"How long do you think it would take before Zaphiel gained all the five keys?" Thirteen asked.

"A month or two," Dantanian replied. "Moving an army, even if they can fly, is not an easy thing to do."

Zaphiel’s army consisted of angels.

Yes, they were angels. However, they were artificially created by his powers.

Anyone who wished to serve him would be blessed by his Celestial Powers, transforming them into "superior" beings like their Master.

This was also why they could travel great distances in such a short period of time.

Forneus thought about ambushing them in the sea, his domain. However, since they could fly high in the sky, this tactic would not necessarily work against them... at least, that was what he thought.

"I think Zaphiel knowing where the locations of the keys will be to our advantage," Thirteen said calmly. "If we hide deep under the sea, even Zaphiel’s Army will not be able to reach us safely. They would have to deal with Forneus first."

Hearing this plan, the great Sea Serpent smirked, confident that he was undefeatable in the sea. Also, all the monsters that lived in it would answer to his call, allowing him to raise his own army without too much effort.

"I’m sure Zaphiel will be troubled at first, but he will find a way," Dantanian commented. "He always finds a way."

Even Forneus had to admit that Zaphiel was the most resourceful among the Celestials and the Fiends.

They had been enemies for a long time, so he wouldn’t be surprised if the Celestial had prepared a means to fight against the Immortal Fiend in his home turf.

Just as the three were about to discuss more, a cracking sound reached Forneus ears.

He looked at the shell necklace he was wearing, and looked at the broken shell at its center.

His face immediately changed to that of anger before a blood-curdling roar escaped his lips.

"Dantanian! Take me to where Wormwood is!" Forneus ordered. "Hurry!"

"Huh?!" Dantanian gasped in shock after Forneus yelled at him.

He knew that Forneus and Wormwood were best friends, and the Plague Bearer was the only one whom the Immortal Fiend trusted.

"Are you deaf?!" Forneus grabbed hold of Dantanian’s neck, almost choking him. "Take me to where Wormwood is right now!"

Sensing that something was terribly wrong, Thirteen ordered Rocky to expel them from the mobile fortress immediately.

He watched as Forneus jumped on Dantanian’s back, piggy riding on the Fiend of Many Faces.

"Go now!" Forneus demanded. "Wormwood is in danger!"

Dantanian finally took a step and disappeared in an instant.

He could travel dozens of miles with a single step, and hundreds of miles with a single leap.

As long as he had a clear grasp on where he wanted to be, and it was within the main continent of Solterra, he could arrive in that location in less than a minute.

Thirteen frowned, clueless about what had just happened. Because of this, he opened the portal that led to the Domain of the Apocalypse to ask Metatron on what was happening to Wormwood.

When he arrived at the Domain, he saw a projection in front of him.

The Fiend Wormwood, who earned the title as the Plague Bearer, was currently facing off against countless angels.

But that wasn’t all. Among them floated an Angel with three pairs of wings, throwing giant fireballs at Wormwood non-stop.

These fireballs were as big as hills, and the destructive power they possessed was nothing to scoff at.

Wormwood was a Treant, so he was naturally weak against fire. However, no ordinary flames could hurt him.

Only the flames a Celestial wielded could hurt him, making Zaphiel his nemesis.

"Give it up, Wormwood!" Zaphiel shouted. "Give me the key, and I’ll spare your miserable life!"

The Treant only roared in anger. Clearly, it had no intention of letting Zaphiel get in his way.

A distance away from them, the sound of rumbling could be heard.

Mammon was currently fighting against two Celestials, namely Belial and Pharzuph. They were preventing Mammon from coming to Wormwood’s aid, stalling for time until Zaphiel overwhelmed the Plague Bearer.

Wormwood was a Fiend that represented Nature. Although it had become corrupted, and its power now focused on spreading plagues and diseases, it still sensed that a great calamity would befall upon the world.

Pushed by its instinct to preserve the status quo, Wormwood traveled to the location of one of the Divine Keys in order to protect it.

And that Divine Key was none other than the Key of Sloth.

Right now, Wormwood was its owner. Unless he gave it up willingly or perished from the battle, Zaphiel would not be able to obtain the Divine Key.

"Don’t test my patience, Wormwood!" Zaphiel roared before hurling another Fireball at the Treant whose body was now starting to catch fire. "Give it to me, or I’ll take it from your corpse!"

Once again, the Plague Bearer roared in defiance, making Zaphiel angrier.

"Fine!" Zaphiel raised both of his arms, creating a giant fireball about three times the size of the ones he had unleashed so far. "Since you don’t want to yield, I will kill you!"

But before the Giant Fireball fully formed, Zaphiel saw something move at the corner of his eye.

Just as he was trying to make sense of what was happening, Forneus’ fist smashed the side of the Celestial’s face, sending him flying.

"Bastard!" Forneus growled in anger. "You dare to hurt Wormwood?! I’ll kill you!"

Thirteen watched the Immortal Fiend lunge at the Celestial who led the Army of Heaven. His killing intent was so strong, Thirteen could feel it from where he watched.