System's POV

Chapter 1468: The Place Where Everything Began And Where Everything Will End

"You’re finally awake!" Forneus complained. "I swear! You’re the only mortal who dares to make the Great Forneus wait for you!"

"... Should I go back to sleep?" Thirteen blinked.

"You dare?!" Forneus grabbed the young man’s collar and shook him.

Stella and Tiona looked anxious, believing that their lover was still hurt. Fortunately, Forneus didn’t shake Zion that hard and put him down after a few seconds.

"Well, then. What’s the plan?" Forneus asked with his arms crossed over his chest. "Since you asked us to stay, that must mean this whole incident is not yet over. Am I right?"

"Not by a long shot," Thirteen replied. "What you’re about to experience next will put the Marineford Arc in One P*ece to shame."

"Pardon?" Dantanian blinked, clueless about what the heck Thirteen was talking about.

"I mean, the next battle will make the last battle we fought seem like a joke," Thirteen corrected himself. "Have you all felt true despair during your long lifetimes? Congratulations, that’s exactly what you will experience next."

Forneus wanted to ask the teenage boy to stop speaking nonsense. But Thirteen’s gaze was calm, and that attitude spoke volumes.

The calmness of an entity who had seen world-ending events throughout his thousand-years of being the System of Cannon Fodders.

"W-What is going to happen next, Zion?" Dantanian asked. "You mean something worse than Zaphiel’s betrayal?"

"Yes," Thirteen replied before glancing at Cranky.

The handsome man nodded back to him. After all, he was the one who handed the Divine Key to Mammon.

"Forneus, Wormwood, it’s time for us to head at the very center of the main continent," Thirteen stated. "Dantanian, go and speak to Cahethal and ask him to take Zaphiel with him to the center of the world."

"Wait, you mean you plan to go to that place?!" Forneus’ eyes widened in shock.

"Of course," Thirteen replied. "The center of the Main Continent of Solterra where Pandora’s Treasury had been locked away. Now that Mammon has the keys, he will definitely go there to take the Divine Artifacts Zaphiel had worked so hard to attain."

""Mammon?!"" Forneus, and Dantanian gasped at the same time.

Wormwood let out a low growl, not expecting Mammon to betray the Fiends.

"I mean, you should have seen this coming," Thirteen explained. "Mammon is the Fiend of Greed. The Key Zaphiel couldn’t find was the Key of Greed and the Key of Pride. Since I have the Key of Pride, who do you think had the Key of Greed?

"No. Let me correct the question. Who among the beings in the world is fit to be the Key of Greed’s chosen one? Does it take a genius to answer that? In fact, it’s obvious from the start. I’m sure Zaphiel also believes that Mammon has the last key that he is looking for."

"Damn it!" Forneus clenched his fists in anger. "That greedy pig!"

"Oh, please." Thirteen scoffed lightly. "You’re insulting pigs."

Forneus glared at him. "This is not the time for jokes!"

"Calm down, Forneus," Thirteen replied calmly. "This scenario was meant to happen no matter what. Do you know why? Because it was FATED to happen. No one could’ve stopped the Treasury of Pandora from being opened."

Silence fell.

Even the wind seemed to still.

"Mammon didn’t just betray you," Thirteen continued. "He betrayed everyone. Celestials and Fiends alike. He might be laughing right now, calling everyone fools for letting him become the biggest winner in the battle."

"And he isn’t?" Dantanian asked in a low voice.

Thirteen smiled. "Not by a long shot."

The teenage boy opened the palm of his hand, and from it, a key rose with a faint glow.

"Wait, that’s the..." Dantanian gasped.

"The Divine Key of Pride," Thirteen smirked. "Mammon only has a well-made Replica. Even if he uses all the keys in his possession, the last gate that guards the treasury will not open."

"You son of a b*tch!" Forneus cursed. "You almost gave me a heart attack."

———

Somewhere in Pangea, Zion’s mother, Alessia, sneezed.

———

"Even if you die from a heart attack, you’ll just be revived again," Thirteen said in disdain. "Alright. I’m sure Mammon is nearing the Godfall Cradle. We need to go now if we want to be there to watch Mammon burst a blood vessel."

Thirteen then glanced at Dantanian to give him a few more reminders. "After you talk to Cahethal, look for the other Celestials and Fiends. Tell them Mammon is trying to open Pandora’s Vault in the Godfall Cradle. Also, tell them that the Infernals are going to return, and they’re bringing their Big Daddy with them."

"Are you talking about that giant that tried to cross over to this side?" Cranky asked.

"No, that’s not the Big Daddy of the Infernals." Thirteen shook his head. "That’s just a big baby who managed to conquer many worlds. They grow exponentially stronger and bigger every time they bind a world core to their own Origin Cores."

Everyone looked at the teenage boy with solemn gazes. If someone more powerful than the giant crossed over to their world, no one would be able to stop such a powerhouse.

Even if all the Fiends and Celestials were to unseal their powers, the chances of winning was extremely small.

"Relax," Thireten said. "Everything will work out in the end."

"You still have trump cards left?" Dantanian asked in a hopeful tone.

"None of those Trump Cards is enough to defeat the Big Daddy of the Infernals," Thirteen answered. "At most, it can just eliminate the small babies."

He then glanced at the people around him.

"I’ll give you all some time to think about what to do," Thirteen stated. "You can hide or spend the last days doing things that will make you not regret anything in this world. Once your hearts are at peace, head to the Godfall Cradle. I will wait for you there."

After saying what he had to say, Rocky appeared behind Zion and swallowed him, Tiona, and Stella whole.

The Hell Lord Bal-Boa then gave everyone a brief nod before burrowing deep underground.

Their destination was none other than the Godsfall Cradle, the place where everything began and where everything would end.