System's POV

Chapter 547: Night Of The Monster Stampede [Part 1]

"Just how did he find out about these tunnels?" David asked Erica as the wagons slowly entered a tunnel that was several meters wide. "It's like a giant Earthworm has passed this place."

Erica couldn't help but giggle because she knew that if Rocky heard that David had called him an Earthworm, the Magma Bal-Boa might have slapped the Apostle with its tail to send him flying.

"Well, Zion is Zion," Erica replied after she finished laughing. "By now, we should just accept whatever he does as something normal."

"… Isn't that way of thinking completely abnormal?"

"You'll get used to it."

Erica then walked towards the back of the procession of wagons to make sure that everything was in order.

They were headed towards a natural cavern that Rocky had discovered.

It had an underground river, which would provide them with water.

This was also the reason why Thirteen didn't ask them to store water, and only used the jars they had for storing the meat jerkies that they had made.

Of course, Rocky did a bit of remodeling, so that it would easily accommodate thousands of people

The Magma Bal-Boa had created, and connected two stadium-sized caverns to the natural cavern he discovered, allowing enough living space for thousands of people.

Since they only numbered a little over nine hundred, there was more than enough space for everyone, making them live comfortably underground.

Thirteen had designed natural ventilations so that air would pass through even though they were deep underground, allowing everyone to breathe easily.

He had also asked Rocky to create dozens of emergency exits, just in case the Wanderers would need to escape above ground.

He even made sure to use glowing ink that lit up in the dark as markers, which allowed the Wanderers to know where they were going.

Each wagon possessed a glowing crystal lamp that lit the way because using torches would make the temperature too hot for comfort.

After traveling for several hours, they finally arrived at their destination.

"Wow," Sherry couldn't help but look at the picturesque scene in front of her with wonder.

A cavern, filled with glowing crystals that illuminated the surroundings appeared before their eyes.

The light of these crystals were then reflected on the river's surface, making the scene look surreal.

"Leaders of each squad, you are free to choose which location you want to stay, and remain there with your team members," Thirteen ordered. "There are still a few hours before sunset, so I want everyone to use this time to find their own areas to rest.

"Don't worry. There are plenty of spaces for everyone. There are even restrooms designed for the use of men and women. Lastly, anyone who will disrupt the peace will be punished accordingly. Do I make myself clear?"

""Yes!""

The Wanderers replied firmly, which made Thirteen nod his head in acknowledgment.

After giving his orders, he met with the officers that he had handpicked and started a meeting with them.

"Remember, no matter what happens, you must not allow anyone to go to the surface," Thirteen said in a solemn tone. "Assign guards to every exit, and make sure they are trustworthy. Tonight is a very dangerous night, so we must prevent any accidents from happening.

"I cannot stress how important the next few days will be, so if you guys don't want to have dozens of Jinns rampaging through the underground tunnels, make sure that everyone doesn't break any rule. Got it?"

Erica, Sherry, Diana, Ratatoskr, Drazzat, David, and a few others nodded in understanding.

"How about you?" David asked. "Can you really finish this mission alone?"

"Yes," Thirteen replied. "This is not the first time I faced something like this. I already know what to do."

After a few more reminders, Thirteen disbanded the meeting, leaving only Erica, and Sherry with him.

"Are you sure you don't need our help?" Erica asked. "We can always stay with Rocky if you're worried about our safety."

"You guys should stay here," Thirteen replied firmly. "Don't worry, I will return safely. I promise."

Sherry, who also wished to accompany Thirteen, decided to trust him and agreed to stay behind.

They knew that Thirteen did things for a reason, and since he didn't want them to join him, he must surely have his reasons.

A few hours later, the teenage boy left the underground cavern to head to the surface.

The sun had almost set, and the first stars had appeared in the sky.

"You're finally here."

A voice filled with arrogance reached Thirteen's ears, making him glance at the City Gates in the distance. ????????.???

The teenage boy was standing right beside the Wall, and although it was a mile away from the city, the voice of King Xanmara still reached his ears.

"Yes," Thirteen replied. "Missed me?"

"Not at all," King Xanmara smiled. "But, I am very curious on how you're going to break that wall, which even I cannot break using my full powers."

"You sound confident that I cannot break this wall," Thirteen commented. "But, what will you do once I break it? Wouldn't your city be in danger once that happens?"

"My city will not be in danger because you will not be able to break it," King Xanmara declared. "Just because you want to destroy that wall, doesn't mean it will happen. Your bluff is entertaining, but no one here believes your words."

Thirteen smirked as he pressed his palm over the wall, while still looking at the city in the distance.

Although he couldn't see King Xanmara, he knew that the Monarch was staring directly at him from somewhere in the city.

"King Xanmra, I'll give you one last chance," Thirteen said. "Cancel your Summoning Ceremony, and we can still get along together."

"Get along with a Filthy Lowborn?" King Xanmara snorted. "I'd rather die than get along with a lowly insect like you."

Thirteen chuckled before glancing at the full moon of Chandrea in the heavens.

"I guess you'll be dying then," Thirteen stated.

"In your dreams, Lowborn," King Xanmara replied.

Thirteen took a deep breath as he resolved himself to do what he was going to do.

He had already prepared many contingency plans just in case something went wrong.

So, right now, he could only do what he had set out to do.

High above the sky, a Giant Bird hovered in the air.

The young lady's long black hair fluttered in the breeze as she looked down on the young man, who was planning to do something outrageous.

Truth be told, she didn't know how Zion would be able to break down the wall behind him, which was imbued by the Ancient Technology of the Absolute.

King Xanmara, who was standing on top of the city walls, looked at the teenage boy with a sneer.

From the very start, he never believed that the human boy could break the wall because King Xanmara and his people had already tried to break it many times in the past.

He was very confident in his strength, so if he wasn't able to do it, he believed that no one would be able to do it.

But, just as he was looking down on the Lowborn, whom he had chatted with during the past few days, he saw the corner of the young man's lips rise up into a smirk.

A few seconds later, he spoke a single word that was carried to him by the breeze.

"Disintegrator."

Suddenly, the King of the Kingdom of Seneros heard a loud cracking sound that reverberated in the quiet night.

A moment later, the wall behind the boy crumbled, and like a domino effect, the walls adjacent to it turned into dust in a heartbeat.

The King of Xanmara looked at the place where the wall was standing earlier in disbelief.

The entire wall that separated the Fractured Heaven from the rest of the world was nowhere to be found, and with its disappearance, something took its place.

Countless roars filled with surprise, excitement, hunger, and bloodlust, reached the King's ears, which made his entire body shudder.

Only when he heard Thirteen's words filled with ridicule and contempt did the King of Seneros break out from his daze.

"What's wrong?" Thirteen asked. "Cat got your tongue?"

After saying those words, the young man chuckled before spreading his arms wide.

Right behind him, a dust cloud was headed in the direction of the City, where the purple pillar of light was shining towards the heavens.

The ground trembled as countless Jinns made a mad dash towards the City, which had caught their attention.

Thirteen chuckled and even waved at King Xanmara goodbye before disappearing from where he stood.

"Protect the city!" King Xanmara shouted in anger and disbelief. "Guards to your posts!"

He still needed a few days to complete the Summoning Ritual, which would allow him to summon a monster, who could help them reclaim the lands of the Absolute Heaven.

But now, the only thing that was on his mind was to prevent the ritual from failing, as he gathered his subjects to prepare for the Monster Stampede that was about to come knocking on their doorstep.