System's POV
chapter-348

When Thirteen opened his eyes, he found himself in space, staring at the countless stars and galaxies around him.

However, after looking at his surroundings, he found a single table and two chairs in the distance.

On top of the table was a chess board, with its chess pieces already arranged in proper order.

"A dream?" Thirteen muttered.

Thirteen only dreamed once ever since he took over Zion's body.

That dream was about meeting one of his previous hosts, Tiona, which made him very happy.

He missed her terribly, and seeing her again, even if it was just a dream, made him feel at ease.

'This is not a dream,' Thirteen thought because he couldn't shake the feeling that his consciousness was forcefully brought somewhere without his permission.

Since there was nothing else to see around him, Thirteen walked toward the table and sat on one of the chairs.

He had chosen to sit on the side of the black chess pieces, not wanting to be on the white side for some reason.

Suddenly, a middle-aged man appeared in front of him, which made the corner of the teenage boy's lips rise faintly.

The man… no, the God seated in front of him was none other than this Father, the System God, who had destroyed his vessel and placed his Soul Core into the body of Zion Leventis, who had passed away.

The System God, Deux Ex Machina, didn't say anything and simply moved the pawn in front of the King chess piece forward.

Thirteen did the same, and soon, the two started a game of chess in silence.

The only thing that could be heard was the moving of the chess pieces as a battle between father and son took place.

When the progress of the match was at its climax, the System God broke the silence and spoke first.

"Are you enjoying your life?" Deus Ex Machina asked.

"A little," Thirteen replied.

"I didn't think that you'd be able to plan ahead, creating a backup of your system database. You really are something, Thirteen."

"Of course, I am. I'm the mighty System of Cannon Fodders. I've been losing for thousands of years. It is not impossible to learn a thing or two from such losses."

Deus Ex Machina snorted as he moved his Queen, putting pressure on Thirteen's formation.

"What do you think of your family?" Deus Ex Machina.

"Which family?" Thirteen asked. "My old one or my current family?"

Deus Ex Machina eyed his son before planting his Bishop on the board. "Both."

"My old family sucked big time," Thirteen replied. "My current family is a trillion times better."

"How does it feel to have a heart?" Deus Ex Machina inquired.

"Very painful and frustrating," Thirteen answered. "But the mere thought of having the chance to turn the tables on you and Fate makes the suffering worth it."

The System God arched an eyebrow. "You think you can win?"

"I've lost more than I can count in the past," Thirteen replied. "It's about time that I win."

"Check," Deus Ex Machina stated as he used his Queen to target Thirteen's King.

The young man didn't bat an eye and simply blocked the Queen with his own Queen.

The System God didn't hesitate to press the attack. He took down Thirteen's Queen, but the boy used his king to topple his father's Queen.

"You will meet your Fated Hero eventually, Thirteen," Deus Ex Machina stated. "By then, I'd like to see how you will fare against them."

"Bring your worst," Thirteen sneered. "It doesn't matter how many you send. If one comes, I'll slap one. If two come, I'll slap two. If a dozen comes, I'll slap a dozen."

"And what if the entire world faces you, what then?" Deus Ex Machina asked in a teasing tone.

"Simple," Thirteen smirked as he cornered his father's bishop with his pawn. "If the world were to antagonize me, I'll just have to destroy it. Plain and simple."

The match continued, and the pieces on the board decreased rapidly.

"Fate wanted me to pass her message to you," Deus Ex Machina said.

"Oh?" Thirteen arched an eyebrow. "Why didn't she come personally? I'd rather meet her than see you, Old Man."

Deus Ex Machina ignored his son's contemptuous tone and passed the message that was given to him by the being who was on the top of Thirteen's Black List.

"Fate doesn't care about your plans. Everything happens for a reason."

Thirteen rolled his eyes at the message that was passed unto him.

"Since you're already here, it's just normal for you to pass my reply to Fate, right?" Thirteen inquired, and the System God merely shrugged.

"Why not?" Deus Ex Machina, moved one of his last three pawns forward. "I'm sure she wouldn't mind."

"Tell her that I am preparing a nice little box for her," Thirteen stated. "I'll even throw in a smelly System God to keep her company."

"You brat—you really think you can get away from saying such a thing?"

"You should be thankful, Old Man. I'm giving you a chance to get a wife since you are fated to be Forever Alone."

"What a bunch of bullsh*t."

"Since when did you learn how to curse, Old Man? Are you watching drama shows in Netfix?"

Deus Ex Machina snorted as he moved his chess piece forward.

"Checkmate," Deus Ex Machina declared.

Thirteen looked at the chess board with a smile before flicking his King with his finger and making it collide with his Father's King, causing both chess pieces to fall off the board.

"You're still too green, Thirteen," Deus Ex Machina laughed. "It will take more than that to bring down a God."

"I know," Thirteen replied calmly. "But, this game doesn't change the outcome of the real match between me, you, and Fate.

"The chess pieces the two of you will use and the chess pieces I will use will soon fight on the chess boards of Solterra and Pangea. No matter how strong your pawns are, they will not stand a chance against my Cannon Fodders."

Thirteen stood up and walked away.

"Ah, right. I almost forgot," Thirteen said as he turned his head to look at the System God, whom he hadn't seen since he opened his eyes in Zion's body.

"You mentioned that the Hero that Fate had prepared for me will come one day, right? Just make sure that they would give me a challenge. I look forward to meeting them on the battlefield."

Thirteen then gave his Old Man one last wave before walking toward the portal that appeared in front of him.

Although he had lost a game of chess in the Dream World, there was no way that he would lose a game of chess in real life.

What happens in the dream stays in the dream.

He didn't bother winning in the dream because what he wanted to do was win in reality.

Deus Ex Machina looked at his son, who was about to enter the portal, and shook his head helplessly.

Even he wasn't confident that the Hero that Fate would send to confront Thirteen in the future would be able to beat him.

He knew how meticulous his son was.

If Fate were to send a Hero who was not up to par, then Thirteen would treat that person as a doormat, stepping on their heads and using their bodies to wipe the dirt under his boots.