System's POV
chapter-431

"Cristopher, it might get dangerous from this point. Stay with Rocky for the time being," Thirteen ordered. "I'll make sure to inform him once my meeting with the Earth Dragons is over."

"Yes, Young Master," Cristopher replied.

A moment later, Rocky rose up from the ground and opened his mouth, allowing his Master's right-hand man to enter his mobile fortress.

"Hide deep underground for now, Rocky," Thirteen said. "I'll call for you once I'm done."

The Magma Bal-Boa nodded in response before submerging back to the ground.

Once Thirteen was certain that there were no military drones following them, he activated his Soul Armor, instantly covering his entire body in a black suit of armor.

The Demonic Helm on his head had two horns and exposed the green glow of his eyes, making him look quite sinister.

The creation sphere, which was embedded in his chest, glowed bright green.

"Where's the cape?" Erasmus asked in a teasing tone. "Heroes and Villains must always have a cape."

"That's the trend three hundred years ago," Thirteen replied. "Times have changed. Besides, I am no Hero or Villain. I'm just a Cannon Fodder."

Erasmus chuckled and patted Thirteen's shoulder. "Fine. But you should at least wear a cape. You have these pointy horns, so you might as well play the part of a Demon Lord or something."

"You just want the two of us to match, right? Since you're wearing Valefor's Mane," Thirteen pointed out.

"Of course," Erasmus admitted. "Even when I was still Human, I always wore capes. You know that, right?"

The Death lord then patted then pointed at the cape on his back.

"Valefor's Mane serves as a defensive and offensive cursed artifact. The only downside is that it takes away your sense of touch. But since I'm an Undead, this curse is negated. The same is true for other Cursed Items since they're a set meant to be worn by an Undead.

"I have taken all the Cursed Artifacts I have hidden here in the Rigel Continent, except Soul Eater. I might be an Undead now, but I still have a soul, so I can't use that artifact. Fortunately, Evuvug wasn't stupid and kept it locked up in its chest."

"Good thing you didn't take it," Thirteen replied. "You know, the armor I'm wearing right now is Soul Eater."

Erasmus looked at the teenage boy with an amused smile on his face.

"Thirteen, you really think I'm gullible, huh?" Erasmus smirked. "Anyone who wears that armor will be dominated by it. There's no one who can control Soul Eater."

"Correction, it can only dominate those who have a soul," Thirteen replied. "I don't have a Soul—only a Soul Core, so its side effect is useless against me. Also, this is no longer a cursed Artifact, I already modified it so that it won't eat anyone's soul ever again."

Erasmus was still half in doubt, but he knew that Thirteen wouldn't lie to him, especially when it came to the Soul Eater.

"The Soul Eater has the ability to increase the strength of its wearer," Erasmus stated. "How strong are you right now?"

"I'm still not finished with the modifications," Thirteen replied. "I still need three things to make this armor truly powerful."

The things he would need could be obtained from Kamrusepa's 6th Layer Treasury.

However, Thirteen couldn't possibly ask the Majin Princess to give them to him for free.

Besides, she could only get one artifact once a year, so the chances of him obtaining those items from her anytime soon were non-existent.

For the time being, he could only make do with the treasures that he could obtain from his treasury.

Unfortunately, since he had already used up his quota for the next year because of the Cloning Sphere, he would have to wait for two years before he could once again access his Treasury.

"Even without the modifications you're talking about, how strong are you, really?" Erasmus asked as he eyed the teenage boy. "Others may not know, but I am someone who could see the power residing inside your body."

The Death Lord rubbed his chin. "I've been paying close attention to you since the time that we met, and I can tell that you didn't take the normal route before crossing over to the Rookie Rank.

"Did you absorb a Rank 5 Sovereign Core before becoming a Rookie? But this power doesn't belong to a Rank 5 Sovereign. It seems stronger than that. However, anything higher than Rank 5 will make a Wanderer without a Rank implode."

"I didn't get a Rank 5 Sovereign," Thirteen stated. "I absorbed the Core of a Majin Prince."

"Sure, and I am a Celestial." Erasmus chuckled. "I already told you earlier that I am not a gullible child. How can the core inside your body belong to a Majin Prince? It's simply not possible…"

However, Erasmus wasn't able to say whatever he was going to say next because Thirteen removed his armor and looked up to him.

"Enter my Sea of Consciousness then," Thirteen said. "You will know the truth once you see it for yourself."

"You sure are fearless." Erasmus nodded. "Very well. Let's see what really happened."

The Death Lord tapped the teenage boy's forehead with his finger and looked through his memories.

Thirteen guided him to the battle against Arundel the Destroyer, allowing his former Host to see everything that happened.

The Death Lord was shocked. These memories couldn't have been forged. With this, he finally understood that his former System was telling the truth.

The teenage boy also showed Erasmus his journey to Solterra and introduced him to his current family.

Finally, when his memories touched the Order of the Apocalypse, Erasmus saw how Metatron gave Thirteen the Majin Prince's Soul Core.

When everything finally ended, a sigh escaped the Death Lord's lips before patting the teenage boy's head.

"You've been through a lot," Erasmus said. "Also, you have a loving family. Cherish them well, Thirteen. Maybe it's about time you know how to truly live."

"Maybe after our revenge is over," Thirteen replied. "Until then, I don't think I can truly be happy."

"Indeed." Erasmus nodded. "As long as that scum is alive, I won't be resting anytime soon. I clawed my way out of Gomorra to come back here to Pangea. But, I won't be satisfied with just killing him. I will destroy everything he has until he begs me to kill him."

Flames erupted from Erasmus' eye sockets, showing how much he truly despised Aaron Ashford.

"One step at a time," Thirteen commented. "Even if he is a scum, he is still needed at this point in time."

Erasmus reigned down his anger before nodding his head.

"Let's go," Erasmus looked in the direction where the Earth Dragons were located. "Wear your armor and make sure to add a cape."

"Fine," Thirteen shook his head helplessly. "It all goes back to the cape."

Thirteen walked forward, and a black cape materialized behind his back, making him look like a Demon Lord made up of black steel.

"Do you think you can convince them?" Erasmus asked as he summoned Jalrog so that Thirteen could ride on the Centipede King's back.

"It's just three Rank 9 Sovereigns," Thirteen replied. "They're not a big deal."

A chuckle escaped Erasmus' lips before he nodded his head in agreement.

After seeing what the boy had faced during his three years in Solterra, Erasmus no longer doubted Thirteen's words.

There was only one Rookie in both Pangea and Solterra, who could say those words, and that was none other than his old friend who had reunited with him after three hundred years.