System's POV

Chapter 310 You Scratch My Back, I’ll Scratch Yours

Chapter 310 You Scratch My Back, I’ll Scratch Yours

??"Mother, Father, please return to Pangea for now," Thirteen said weakly.

Alessia and Gerald both nodded their heads and entered the Dimensional Gate directly linked to their home.

As soon as Thirteen's parents passed through it, Laplace Demon closed the gate and then pointed at Callie's corpse, summoning a fire that incinerated it until nothing was left.

'We will talk later,' Laplace Demon said to Thirteen via telepathy. 'We need to discuss the clause of our contract.'

Thirteen nodded in understanding, knowing that what the Demon said was right. He invoked the clause of the contract without any basis for it, which resulted in this current situation.

Faster than an eye could blink, the Demon disappeared in front of them and time flowed back to normal.

Uncle Boo's and Albion's bodies reverted into their natural forms and laid lifeless on the ground.

"Rocky, take them," Thirteen ordered.

The Magma Bal-Boa then emerged from the ground and swallowed the corpses of the two Rank 8 Sovereigns.

"What now, Zion?" Shasha asked as she supported her brother's body.

"Now, we just wrap things up," Thirteen replied. "You will pass through the Gate of the Moonlight and return to Pangea."

"You'll come with me, right?" Shasha asked.

Her brother had already been in Solterra for three years, so she wanted him to return with her to Pangea at the same time.

"… I will be back in a few days," Thirteen replied. "There are still things that I need to finish here. I need to return Taiga to his home, as well as deal with the aftermath. Overall, that will take me about a few days to finalize. But, once I'm done, I promise that I will be back without fail."

Shasha nodded in understanding because her brother always kept his word.

If he said that he would return in a few days, he would return in a few days, and not in a few years.

——————————

An hour later…

"… You really did it," Raon, who had stayed behind despite Thirteen's warning, said as he looked at the younger boy, who was seated on top of Giga.

"Hahaha! Of course, he did!" Kane said with a smug smile on his face. "That's my brother-in-law. I can't wait to brag about this adventure to my family."

"Who are you calling brother-in-law?" Thirteen glared at the teenage boy. "Taiga, toss that idiot through the Gate of the Moonlight!"

"With pleasure!" Taiga, who had long been itching to smack his love rival, didn't hesitate to follow Thirteen's orders and grappled the annoying teenage boy.

"You bastard, let me go!" Kane, who was overpowered by the Tigerkin, could only shout and curse as Taiga lifted him up.

"Go to hell!" Taiga roared as he threw Kane towards the Gate of the Moonlight, which made Raon, Rio, Herman, Phoebe, Miriam, and Lambert smirk. They had to admit, this free dog show was quite amusing.

"Go," Thirteen said to Shasha. "Make sure to tell everyone that I'll be back in a few days and that they shouldn't worry about me."

"Okay." Shasha nodded before hugging her brother and planting a kiss on his cheek. "I'll see you soon."

After bidding her farewell, Shasha ran toward the Gate of the Moonlight without looking back.

Only when his sister had finally passed through the Gate did Thirteen breathe a sigh of relief in his heart.

"See you later, Zion," Rio said. "And thank you for everything."

"I'll tell my friends what happened here," Lambert stated. "I'm sure they will feel envious because I met you during my first mission in Solterra."

"I'll tell Riana that I met you." Phoebe smiled sweetly. "I'm sure she'll be happy to hear news about you."

Herman pressed his closed fist on his chest and gave Thirteen a slight bow. "If we ever see each other in the future, I'll make sure to return this favor."

"As will I," Raon promised. "You have my word."

"Very well," Thirteen replied. "All of you owe me a favor. I won't be shy and will ask you to return it in the future. Now, go. There's no telling when that Gate will close. You don't want to get stranded here, right?"

After hearing Thirteen's reminder, the teenagers no longer hesitated and passed through the gate.

Truth be told, the Gate of the Moonlight wouldn't disappear until sunrise, so there was plenty of time left before it vanished completely, never to be seen again.

The good thing about this gate was that Thirteen no longer needed to ferry everyone back to their respective territories using Rocky's Mobile Fortress, just like how he brought his reinforcements to the island.

The only armies that he didn't bring with him were Camazotz's and Kamrusepa's Armies.

The Majin Prince and Majin Princess had their own means of travel and brought their forces alongside them.

And for that, Thirteen was very thankful. After all, it saved a lot of time.

"Zion, aren't you going home yet?" Lady Callista asked as she approached her grandson. "By the way, where is Alessia? I don't see her anywhere. Arthur was right beside her when she disappeared. Where did she go?"

"Mother is already back in Pangea, Grandma," Thirteen replied. "So, you and the rest should go back too. You can use this gate to return home."

"You should have told me that earlier," Arthur said in annoyance.

"Gramps, make sure to wait for me, okay?" Thirteen said with a smile, ignoring the Old Man's glare. "If you don't, you'll regret it for life."

Arthur scoffed, but he didn't say anything else.

"Will this gate really take us back to Pangea?" Michael asked as he adjusted the glasses on his face. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure," Thirteen replied.

The younger boy had asked Laplace Demon earlier if it was possible for everyone, aside from the Wanderers, to use the Gate of the Moonlight. The Demon confirmed that they could indeed use it without a problem.

So, aside from Taiga and his subordinates, who had followed Thirteen on his adventures, everyone else would return to their homeland.

Just as Arthur was about to ask another question, Camazotz descended beside the younger boy, making Arthur, Lady Callista, Michael, and Hans all take a fighting stance.

"Zion, where are the goods?" Camazotz rubbed his palms excitedly. "You said that you would give it to me after the cleanup was finished. Now, give them to me."

"You're too impatient," Thirteen frowned. "It's not like I'll just run away, you know?"

"Hehehe. I wouldn't put it past you to do that." Camazotz smirked as he eyed the Wanderers, who were looking at him with a wary gaze. "I mean, I might be a happy-go-lucky guy, but if you do me dirty, I can still turn these Wanderers into breakfast, you know?"

Thirteen arched an eyebrow as he looked at the Death Bat, who had a devilish smile plastered on his face.

"Later," Thirteen said firmly. "You and Kamrusepa already have the highest gains in this mission, and you still think that I will run away? Are you kidding me? Who do you think convinced her to lend you that artifact so that you could get some new subordinates?"

The ten-year-old looked at the Death Bat in contempt, which made the latter chuckle and lightly pat Thirteen's shoulder.

"I'm just joking!" Camazotz replied. "Aren't we best friends for life? You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours. It's that simple, right?"

Thirteen ignored the Death Bat's chummy attitude and glanced at the members of the Leventis Family.

"Keep everything that you saw and heard here on the island a secret," Thirteen stated in a serious tone. "If you don't, things will become complicated in Pangea."

Lady Callista, Arthur, Michael, and Hans nodded in understanding.

"Rocky, let's go," Thirteen ordered.

Rocky then swallowed up Thirteen and Giga before submerging itself to the ground like a fish in water.

Camazotz smirked before flying toward the place where Kamrusepa was waiting for him.

"Arthur…" Lady Callista glanced at her husband worriedly.

"Let's not talk about it here," Arthur replied. "We should return to Pangea first."

Arthur held Lady Callista's hand and walked toward the Gate with her.

Hans followed after them, while Michael stayed behind.

The retainers of the Leventis Family were still not finished collecting their spoils of war. Frankly, they gained a lot from this expedition in more ways than one.

'My nephew sure is capable,' Michael thought as he adjusted his glasses. 'But, why do I have a feeling that the future doesn't look too bright?'

The second-in-command of the Leventis Family couldn't shake the feeling that Thirteen would start causing trouble after he returned to Pangea.

Michael hoped that he was just overthinking things. He soon brushed the thought off and went back to supervising his people and forming connections with the Order of Raziel, who was very influential in the Human Kingdoms of Solterra.