System's POV
chapter-299-1

Camazotz glanced at the Rank 9 Sovereigns, who were right beside the High Archon, with a greedy look.

Zion had promised him that if he agreed to help him, not only would the Death Bat gain a Rank 9 Sovereign as a subordinate, but he would also be able to accumulate some Apocalypse Points.

This was an opportunity that Camazotz wouldn't dare to miss, for it benefited him in more ways than one.

"Give that girl to us or else…" one of the Rank 9 Sovereigns demanded.

"Oh? You want this girl?" Camazotz chuckled as he glanced at the beautiful teenage girl in his arms. "What can you give me in return?"

"Your life," the Rank 9 Sovereign sneered.

He wasn't worried about talking down on the creature who was more powerful than him because he had the High Archon, Kalaziel, with him.

"I'm so scared~" Camazotz chuckled. "I guess you don't want her then?"

After saying those words, Camazotz turned into a blur as he flew away at a speed that was three times faster than the speed of sound.

He had created a barrier to protect Shasha from any side effects of his extreme speed, keeping her safe in his arms.

Camazotz was so fast that, in the blink of an eye, he was already a thousand meters away from where he was earlier.

This caught Kalaziel and his subordinates off-guard. Upon realization, they roared in anger and tried to pursue the fleeing Camazotz, who was flying in the opposite direction of the Gate of the Moonlight.

Zazriel, who was guarding Callie, was alarmed by Camazotz's astounding speed.

In that brief moment, he understood that if Camazotz wanted to flee with the vessel of their Moon Princess, no one among them would be able to catch them.

But, to his surprise and relief, Camazotz stopped at the edge of the Second Island and looked at Zazriel with a smug look on his face.

"I'll ask you one last time," Camazotz said with a devilish smirk. "What can you give me in return for this girl? You only have one chance, buddy, so make sure you say the words I want to hear."

Zazriel reigned in his emotions, for this was the first time that a lowly creature dared to threaten him.

But since this was an important occasion, he decided to yield for the sake of their mission's success.

Kalaziel and his subordinates had also arrived at the scene, but none of them dared to make a move because the Death Bat had shown them that if he wished to leave, none of them had the power to stop him.

"What do you want in exchange for that girl?" Zazriel asked.

"I want those four Rank 9 Sovereigns to become my subordinates," Camazotz replied. "This is the first time I've encountered your race, so I've decided to take a few of your people and make them my retainers."

Kalaziel's subordinates all glared at the arrogant Death Bat, but none of them dared to voice their complaints.

If this deal fell through, and the Death Bat escaped with the Moon Princess' Vessel, their King would personally smash their heads into pieces.

Zazriel and Kalaziel exchanged a glance with each other and nodded their heads at the same time.

"Very well, we agree with this condition," Zazriel stated. "But, what is our insurance that you will not renege on our agreement?"

"I am an upright and righteous Death Bat," Camazotz said with a smirk. "I have never lied in my life, and I am a very fair person. Since this is a proper trade, I will not renege on my promise. Of course, if you doubt me, there is nothing I can do about it.

"I'll just head home, and make this girl my maid or something. So, what will it be? Deal or no deal?"

The Artemians understood that the one who held the power in this negotiation was none other than the Death Bat, but they didn't really care.

Rank 9 Sovereigns weren't easy to subjugate, and even if they pledged their loyalty to the Death Bat right now, they could always renege on the agreement later if they wished.

"How do we make our exchange?" Zazriel inquired.

"Now you're talking!" Camazotz laughed out loud because he hit the jackpot. "Since you guys can fly away anytime you want, I need to make sure that you won't run away. That's what we're going to fix first.

"I will create a portal, and those four will enter it without any complaint. Once they have all passed through the portal, I will give you this girl as promised."

Kalaziel glanced at the Lunar Eclipse and knew that they couldn't afford to delay the ceremony.

Because of this, he made a gesture for his subordinates to calmly enter the portal that the Death Bat had created.

'Don't worry,' Kalaziel said through telepathy. 'I will come to find all of you. The four of you will become the pillars of our Empire, so make sure to escape as soon as you confirm that the ceremony has ended.'

The four Sovereigns nodded and walked toward the portal while glaring at Camazotz.

They didn't know what lay on the other side of the portal, but they were confident that with four of them working together, no one would be able to stop them.

Once the last Sovereign had safely passed through the gate, the smile on Camazotz's face deepened before casually tossing Shasha to Kalaziel to complete the deal.

"I don't know what you're going to do with that girl, but since you honored your part of the deal, I will also honor mine," Camazotz stated. "See? I am an upright, and righteous Death Bat. I've never lied in my entire life."

Kalaziel gave the Death Bat one last glance before flying toward the Golden Orb with Shasha.

Shasha was awake, but she was still in a trance.

The High Archon opened his hand, allowing the teenage girl to hover in front of him.

Without a second thought, she reached out toward the Golden Orb, slowly passing through it.

Zazriel and Kalaziel both sighed in relief because they had succeeded in their mission.

The Golden Orb was a Divine Artifact that could withstand any attack, no matter how strong it was.

It would take over a dozen Majin Princes and Princesses to break it, and even then, it would take them half an hour to do so.

Once done, the two High Archons nodded at each other before parting ways and heading to each of the pyramids.

There they would conduct the ceremony, which would make Callie and Shasha merge into one entity.

Camazotz watched this scene with amusement.

If he wanted to escape, he would have already done it, and no one would be able to stop him.

But this was such a good opportunity to gain four Rank 9 Sovereigns without too much effort on his part.

The portal that he had created led directly to the Treasury of the Apocalypse, where Metatron was waiting.

Kamrusepa had led him to the artifact that allowed him to temporarily create a bridge that would take the Artemians to one of its saved locations, allowing him to trap them in a place where they wouldn't be able to escape no matter what.

'100 Apocalypse Points received!' Camazotz wanted to laugh out loud, but he refrained from doing so.

His gaze then landed on the spot directly under the golden orb in the sky.

He didn't know what Zion was planning, but no matter what it was, he wanted to be there and see for himself just how the ten-year-old would be able to turn this situation around.