System's POV
chapter-300-2

Alessia's face turned extremely pale when she saw her daughter trapped inside the Golden Orb alongside a girl named Callie.

The two of them were facing each other, and both of them seemed to be in a trance.

Suddenly, a beam of purple light and a beam of golden light emerged from the tips of the two pyramids, both aimed at the golden orb in the distance.

The Pyramids served as the bridge that allowed Callie to merge with her new vessel, without suffering from the backlash of forcefully taking over a body that didn't have the bloodline of the Royal Family of Chandrea.

At the same time, the blood of the Artemians, as well as the monsters that they had killed rose up from the ground and also flew in the direction of the Golden Orb.

The blood was so thick that it covered the Golden Orb entirely, blocking anyone from seeing anything from within.

A moment later, the sound of two girls singing reverberated in the surroundings.

It was a sad yet beautiful melody, signaling the beginning of the ritual that the Artemians wished to see.

Within the Golden Orb, Shasha and Callie reached out to each other. The moment their hands touched, both of them performed a dance.

It was the Dance of the Moonlight, making their bodies glow faintly as the powers they possessed mingled with each other.

The King of Artem, who was seated on his throne, was able to see what was happening inside the Golden Orb.

A faint smile hung on his face because he knew that when the day came to a close, he would have the power he needed to make the breakthrough to the Celestial Rank.

This was the same rank as the Seven Celestials and the Seven Fiends of Solterra, making him one of those who would stand at the Apex of the world.

As the singing and dancing came to a close, Callie reached out to cup Shasha's face.

The ceremony always ended with a kiss on the lips then, after that, the merger would begin.

Shasha's body would become Callie's new vessel.

Her body would transform to become the exact replica of the Moon Princess, never to be seen again.

"I'm sorry," Callie said softly as she moved closer to Shasha.

Tears streamed down the side of her face because she knew that after she kissed the beautiful girl in front of her, Shasha would cease to exist.

Callie was not in control of her body and was simply moving due to the power of the ritual.

Shasha never responded to her words, still stuck in a trance.

Her lips slightly parted, as she waited for Callie to take her first and last kiss.

"I'm sorry," Callie repeated when her lips were only a few inches from Shasha's own. "Forgive me."

At that moment, words that she never thought she would hear, reach her ears.

"I forgive you."

Two lips connected, and with it, the sound of a tolling bell reverberated in the surroundings.

Zazriel and Kalaziel smiled victoriously, ecstatic they had accomplished their mission.

All the Artemians began cheering, and shouted, "Praise the King!" repeatedly.

Alessia, Taiga, and Kane looked at the bloodied orb in the distance with pale expressions on their faces.

Although they couldn't see anything, the reactions of the Artemians made them feel as if something very important to them had been taken away.

Camazotz arched an eyebrow as he crossed his arms over his chest.

He couldn't really see what was happening in the bloodied orb, but regardless of the result, he had already gained massively in this mission.

Anything more would just be a bonus for him.

After the bell tolled thirteen times, it finally came to a stop.

Colorful lights danced around the bloodied orb, signaling that the merger was about to finish.

Suddenly, a cracking sound reverberated in the surroundings, making the seriously injured Uncle Boo and Albion tear up. Having witnessed the same scene multiple times, they already knew what it signified.

The Beholder wailed as he forced himself to fly toward the person he cared for.

Blood trailed across the sky as he endured the pain from his injuries and the heartbreak, knowing that this would be the last time that he would see Callie again.

Albion slowly propped himself up from the ground.

If Zazriel hadn't held back, he would have already died then and there.

But the High Archon didn't kill Albion right away because of one reason.

He wanted to see him despair as he watched the person he loved and cared for disappear right in front of his eyes.

It was at this moment that the first batch of the Wanderers reached the Gate of the Moonlight.

Some of them looked back to see what was happening, but since there was still a chance that the monsters would catch up to them, the majority of them chose to enter the Gate.

Herman, Raon, Lambert, Phoebe, Rio, and Miriam stayed and looked in the distance, wanting to see everything until the very last moment.

Thirteen had kept his promise that he would allow them to return to Pangea, and miraculously, aside from suffering some injuries, none of the Wanderers died.

Amidst the cheering of the Artemians, Uncle Boo's pain-filled wails could still be heard, making the Team Leaders of the Wanderers understand the outcome of the battle.

"Does this mean that Shasha has…" Raon didn't have the strength to finish the rest of his words because this was something that he didn't want to happen.

Truth be told, he felt relieved when his sister, Rio, didn't become the Moon Princess Candidate.

But that didn't mean that he didn't feel pity for Shasha.

He wished that it could have been some nameless Wanderer who was chosen as the vessel of the Moon Princess.

That way, even if they were to be sacrificed, the majority of them would be able to survive.

Death was a normal thing among Wanderers, especially for those who had been Spirited Away for the first time.

They had already prepared themselves for the worst, so knowing that they would be able to survive this ordeal made them happy.

Still, the result didn't sit well with them, making them wonder if there was something that they could have done to change the outcome.

Suddenly, all sounds disappeared from the Island as a ripple of power spread outward.

Everyone's gaze landed on the colorful sphere in the sky, which was glowing brighter with each passing second.

Then it happened.

The Orb shattered, allowing everyone to see the outcome of the ritual.

Zazriel's and Kalaziel's eyes widened in shock as they stared at the figure hovering in the sky in disbelief.

Camazotz, on the other hand, laughed out loud as he looked at the ten-year-old who was holding a young lady in his arms in a princess carry.

Thirteen's eyes glowed faintly in a greenish color as he looked down at the young lady, whose skin had started to wrinkle as her age slowly caught up to her.

Albion appeared right beside them, and tapped Thirteen's shoulder, teleporting him to the ground safely.

"Take care of her," Thirteen said as he passed Callie to the Unicorn who had taken his Demi-Human form. "She's very fragile, and she can die from the slightest impact, so take her somewhere far away from this place."

"What happened?" Albion asked as he held Callie tenderly, treating her as the most precious treasure.

"I'll tell you later," Thirteen replied. "Go now. They're coming. We don't want her dying now, do we?"

Albion no longer asked and teleported away from the battlefield.

Zazriel and Kalaziel roared in anger as they flew toward Thirteen with bloodshot eyes.

Both of them were so confident that no one would be able to destroy the golden orb and infiltrate it under their watch.

However, someone was able to do it, and now they didn't know if the ceremony had succeeded or not.

Thirteen, on the other hand, glanced in the direction of the Death Bat, who was looking down on him with an amused look on his face.

"Hello? A little help here?" Thirteen said. "I'm about to get pinched to death by two High Archons. Aren't you going to help?"

Camazotz laughed before descending from the sky to scoop up the ten-year-old, who had successfully pissed off all the Artemians in the Arcadia Archipelago.