System's POV
chapter-366-2

The Bird Man was resentfully glaring at the one responsible for his suffering when Metatron appeared in front of Thirteen and Camazotz with a smile on his face.

"Congratulations, Thirteen," Metatron stated. "You have just unlocked the Fourth Level of the Treasury. Is that the reason why you've come here?"

"It's one of the reasons, yes," Thirteen nodded. "I have a deal with Camazotz, and I need you to bear witness to it."

"Very well." Metatron made a gesture for the two to start their deal.

The Guardian of the Order of the Apocalypse listened to the details of the agreement and placed his mark on the armor.

The mark made it so that the armor would automatically return to Camazotz regardless of where it was once the agreement had reached its due date.

Thirteen knew that his Grandpa would definitely be reluctant to return the armor to him, so he decided that it would be best if he asked Metatron's help to retrieve it just in case Arthur refused to return it.

After the deal was sealed, Metatron then patted Thirteen's shoulder.

"Since the 4th Layer of the Treasury has been unlocked in the past, you will not be getting its First Clear Reward," Metatron stated. "But, you are the sixth person who has cleared the Fourth Layer, so you will get the consolation prize."

Metatron then snapped his fingers, making the first four layers of the Pyramid open, allowing Thirteen to access their inventory.

"You may take one item from each level of the Treasury," Metatron stated.

"For the First and Second Layer, I want a capture sphere as a reward," Thirteen said.

Metatron nodded and bestowed upon him the Capture Spheres, which had been responsible for bringing Albion and the Bird Man inside the treasury of the Apocalypse.

"I will take a pass on picking a reward on the Third Layer, but I want to check what it is inside the Fourth Layer," Thirteen commented.

Metatron nodded and clapped his hands, sending the boy inside the Treasury to pick his reward.

Since Thirteen could only use Pseudo-Divine and Divine Items, Metatron segregated the rewards and only showed him the things that were useful to him.

As he skimmed through the inventory, Thirteen's eyes widened in shock. He just saw something that wasn't supposed to exist in Solterra.

As if reading his thoughts, Metatron appeared beside him and chuckled.

"Didn't I tell you?" Metatron inquired. "The rewards you can get here don't only come from this world. It belongs to many worlds. However, only those who have unlocked the Fourth Layer of the Treasury could enjoy these artifacts."

Thirteen didn't hesitate to reach out his hand to the glowing green crystal orb with countless binary numbers floating around it like the rings of a planet.

The green orb originated from a highly advanced technological world that had colonized countless planets.

It was a Creation Sphere that could literally change the genetic and material make up of anything it was imbued to, allowing those who had it to create anything they wanted.

Naturally, there was a limitation to it.

It could only create things when there was enough information and data added to the sphere, allowing it to create whatever the user wanted.

The more detailed the information, the more complete the creation would be.

It was also a power source.

A nearly limitless power source that had the power equivalent to that of a star.

For example, if the Creation Sphere was used as Nautilus' power source instead of an Empyrium, it would never run out of power again.

Countless thoughts and possibilities swam inside Thirteen's head as he held onto the Creation Sphere in his hand.

"… Metatron, just tell me one thing," Thirteen said as he glanced at the Guardian of the Treasury of the Apocalypse. "Do you have more than one of these in the treasury?"

"No," Metatron replied in a heartbeat. "That's the only Creation Sphere that exists in the treasury."

"Then, how come the other members of the Apocalypse who opened the Fourth Layer didn't choose this?" Thirteen asked, his voice almost hoarse.

"It's because they don't know how to use it," Metatron replied. "They're unable to explore its countless possibilities because their knowledge is only limited to what they know from their Home World and the World of Solterra."

"Only someone like you, who understands its true potential, can appreciate it for what it truly is. For them, it's just a shiny glowing sphere. Picking something that will not be useful to them is a waste of reward, don't you think so?"

Thirteen held the Creation Sphere in his hand firmly and nodded. "I will be taking this with me."

"Excellent choice," Metatron replied as he rested his hand on the teenage boy's shoulder and whispered in his ear. "Since it's a Pseudo-Divine Artifact, your restrictions will not be able to do anything to it. Enjoy your reward, Zion. I look forward to the day when you finally open Pandora's Box."

With a snap of his finger, Metatron sent Thirteen back to the entrance of the Treasury, where Camazotz was waiting for him.

"So, are you done?" Camazotz asked.

"Not yet," Thirteen replied.

He had already hidden the Creation Sphere in his Dimensional Storage because he didn't want anyone to see it.

The teenage boy approached the Bird Man, who was still kneeling on the ground.

"Are you lonely here?" Thirteen asked as he showed the Bird Man the two Capture Spheres in his hand. "Tell me, who among your comrades would you like to be sent here with you?"

Thirteen smiled evilly as the Bird Man looked at him with a solemn expression on his face.

"It doesn't have to be a friend, you know?" Thirteen said in a teasing tone. "Do you have someone you hate the most among the seven Rank 8 Sovereigns in the Rigel Continent? I'm willing to listen to your request, you know? Since you're already suffering here, why don't you let them suffer with you?"

Camazotz subconsciously shuddered. The teenage boy was definitely more devious than him when it came to manipulating others.

"If you can't decide, why don't you tell me more about your comrades?" Thirteen inquired. "One or two of them would be joining you here. So, why don't we have a nice, long chat about them? What do you think?"

The Bird Man was starting to waver. The boy's words once again reminded him that he would probably be spending his lifetime in this place, never to return to his world.

Since that was the case, he would want to bring some of his "friends" with him. That way, he wouldn't be lonely spending his eternity in a world where even Death wouldn't be able to reach him.

The Bird Man, who goes by the name Zed, tried to resist Thirteen's questions at first.

Unfortunately, he was no match for the teenage boy who was a master interrogator and manipulator.

Analyzing the psyche of the Jinn as a means to break its defenses, Thirteen managed to pry the answers he wanted.

The Eight Kings who governed the Rigel Continent had split the continent into nine regions.

The three Rank 9 Earth Dragons controlled the biggest area, which was located at the center of the continent.

According to Zed, the two Sovereigns bordering those territories were a Majin Manticore and a Centipede Jinn.

These two would likely be the ones who'd take over Zed's territory, which had lost its ruler.

Surprisingly, Zed got along really well with the Majin Manticore. Perhaps it was because they shared the same ideals, and that was strength.

In their point of view, power transcended everything.

This was also why the Bird Man couldn't accept his defeat in Zion's hands. The latter hadn't defeated him in a fight.

No, the latter schemed against him. And as a warrior who only wished to fight strong opponents on the battlefield, he refused to accept it.

Thirteen apologized to Zed for not fighting him fair and square, and it somehow reduced the Bird Man's hate toward the boy.

After Thirteen's apology, the Jinn became more cooperative. He opened up and soon started talking about the other Kings of the Rigel Continent.

"The one I hate the most is the Brain Beetle, Kuga," Zed stated. "He's a schemer. The rank he has now isn't earned by his power but by manipulation.

"There are other more fitting candidates, who would have accompanied us in this invasion, but due to his eloquent words, our Great Master chose him to accompany us in our invasion."

Thirteen nodded. "I already know that only Rank 8 and Rank 9 Sovereigns are allowed to pass through the Dimensional Gates at this point in time. Tell me, did you come from Solterra, or did you come from Gomorra?"

Zed arched an eyebrow as he looked at the teenage boy who seemed to know more about them than most Wanderers.

Camazotz, who was also in the treasury with Thirteen, frowned after hearing the name of their homeworld, which he had never seen in his lifetime.