System's POV

Chapter 1465: A Stubborn Variable

"Damn it!" Arkael cursed out loud when the portal he’d been working so hard to rip wider closed right before his eyes.

His trusted Aide stood in the distance, his hands clasped on his back. He knew that if he spoke now, the Great Warlord might kill him out of anger, so he kept his silence.

It took a few minutes for Arkael to finally calm down and regain his composure.

"I underestimated Solterra," Arkael said. "I should have sent my entire army instead of a mere third."

"Worry not, Great Warlord," the Aide commented. "All is not lost. We still have another chance."

"Indeed." Arkael glanced over the horizon. "Gather the rest of the army. I will visit the Supreme Commander."

"Yes, My Lord." The Aide bowed before leaving in haste.

This might make him a laughingstock among his peers, but he still decided to visit the Supreme Commander of the Infernal Army.

"This time, I’ll make sure to personally torture you, Zion Leventis!" Arkael turned into a red comet and flew toward the star where their Supreme Commander resided.

When he arrived at his destination, he noticed that their Supreme Commander talking to a beautiful woman he was seeing for the first time.

He could tell who it was. After all, only Gods could release this kind of divinity in their surroundings.

The Gods and Infernals were neither enemies nor allies. There were Gods who liked war, destruction, and chaos.

And there were Gods who like peace, harmony, and tranquility.

The Goddess having a chat with the Supreme Commander seemed to be somewhere in between.

"Let me guess. You lost, Arkael." the Supreme Commander smirked. "And you have come here for help."

"Yes, My Lord," Arkael replied. "I humbly ask you to send your mighty army to trample those who dare to look down upon the Infernals!"

"That’s what he says," the Supreme Commander said before glancing at the beautiful Goddess who had come to him with a proposal. "What do you think? Should I help him?"

"Whether you help him or not is up to you, My Lord," the Goddess replied. "However, if you do, I will help you deal with the one who stands in your way."

The Goddess then glanced at Arkael and smiled. "You met him right? The human child named Zion Leventis."

"Yes," Arkael frowned. "Do you know him?"

"I do. He is a very... stubborn child." The Goddess sighed.

"He must be a really problematic child, huh?" the Supreme Warlord chuckled. "But tell me. If this child is dealt with, we can conquer Solterra, right?"

"Yes," the Goddess answered. "If you can eliminate him, Solterra and perhaps even Pangea will become yours, Supreme Commander."

The Supreme Commander of the Infernals played with his beard as he weighed the pros and cons of the Goddess’ offer.

Frankly, he couldn’t see any disadvantages in working with her to deal with a single human that stood in their way.

"I think it is an overkill to send the Main Army to crush a single world," the Supreme Commander stated. "But since they are probably bored, they need some exercise."

Arkael grinned evilly. If the Main Army of the Infernals joined with his own army, no world in the multiverse would be able to resist their might.

"Still, this child called Zion Leventis interests me very much." the Supreme Commander smiled. "I guess I’ll personally lead the army just to see this... stubborn variable that can get in the way of our grand vision."

The Supreme Commander of the Infernals, Azhuriel, the First Flame, picked up the bell by his side and rang it.

Countless red comets streaked past the Void and headed towards his palace.

It had been a while since the main army of the Infernals had started moving, and not once had they lost a battle when mobilized.

Countless Gods, Heroes, and Worlds had fallen under their rule in the multiverse, showing just how powerful their army was.

The Goddess smiled faintly after seeing such a scene. Her eyes glowed faintly, and whatever she thought at the moment, even the Supreme Commander of the Infernal Race didn’t notice, let alone know.

———

Back in Solterra.

"N-Nooooooooo!" Zaphiel shouted. "This can’t be! This is not happening!"

His only hope vanished right before his eyes.

The moment the red portal closed, the Infernal Army scattered like wild ducks that heard a gunshot.

It was no longer possible to win the battle, and the only thing they could do was to escape in order to survive.

Naturally, the Army of the Apocalypse didn’t allow them to escape easily and pursued them relentlessly.

While this was happening, the remaining Fiends and Celestials encircled Zaphiel, making sure that he had no place to run.

"Surrender, Zaphiel." Forneus grinned evilly. "If not, I’ll make you regret it!"

With no place to go, Zaphiel understood that this was the end of the road for him. His only choice was to surrender, or to continue fighting.

"Give me the keys, Zaphiel," Mammon ordered. "It’s time to return it to where it belonged."

The Celestial clenched his fists. He looked like he wanted to fight one last time, but understood it was useless.

In the end, he tossed a pouch to Mammon, containing all the keys he had gathered.

The Fiend of Greed double-checked and even counted the keys to make sure that Zaphiel didn’t hide anything.

Since Mammon was a neutral existence among the Fiends and Celestials, they thought letting him have the keys for safekeeping was not a bad choice.

The Fiend of Greed then glanced at Zion, who held the Key of Pride. The teenage boy was lying on the ground, resting his head on Stella’s lap.

The battle had pushed him to his limit, so he no longer had the strength to stand.

Everyone knew that if not for Zion, Arkael might have succeeded in crossing over to their world.

Never in their wildest dreams did they think that the key to winning this war was a Wanderer, who some of them saw for the first time in their lives.