System's POV
chapter-556-4

Thirteen looked at the sleeping monster in front of him, who was easily forty meters long and ten meters tall.

Once Cranky stood up from his slumber, he would be at least five to eight meters taller. Such a figure was undoubtedly imposing.

'Did Cranky undergo a mutation in the three years that I didn't see him?' Thirteen thought as he looked at the imposing monster in front of him.

He last saw the Devil-Horned Honey Badger during the battle in the Arcadia Archipelago. At that time, the latter was only a Rank 8 Sovereign.

But now, Cranky had mutated into a Colossal Demonic Honey Badger, which was a Peak Rank 9 Sovereign.

"Oi! Cranky, wake up," Thirteen said as he lightly poked the nose of the Colossal Honey Badger, who was drooling on the teenage boy's statue.

Thirteen ignored the admiring looks of the people and monsters who had come to pay homage to the Statue of Heroes, which was a very popular attraction within the Valbarra Archipelago.

Perhaps, feeling annoyed that someone was daring enough to poke its nose, Cranky opened its eyes and glared at the bold creature whom it decided to eat for lunch.

But realizing that the one poking him was none other than Zion, Cranky dismissed that notion and reached out for the human boy, pressing him against its chest before closing its eyes to sleep.

"Ugh…" Thirteen, who had become the Colossal Demonic Honey Badger's hug pillow, couldn't help but grimace.

Cranky had controlled its strength so that he wouldn't be crushed by its hug, but he was still unable to break free due to how strong the monster had become.

In the end, Thirteen decided to give up and asked Rocky to take him and Cranky inside his Mobile Fortress.

Since Cranky was considered Thirteen's ally, Rocky didn't have any problems in kidnapping the sleeping Honey Badger, whom they planned to take back to the Absolute Heaven.

The three Earth Dragons, who were still in their human forms, couldn't help but chuckle when they saw Thirteen's helpless expression as he was hugged by the monster who seemed to be having a good dream.

Zed, who was also inside the Mobile Fortress, looked at the Honey Badger with his arms crossed over his chest.

Although he was calm on the surface, deep inside, he was actually very surprised. Not only did the boy manage to get the help of the three Earth Dragons whom he served in the past, but he was also able to take another strong helper, which looked very imposing.

But his surprise was nowhere near the level of Erica, Sherry, and Ratatoskr, whose heads were feeling light as they looked at the Rank 8 and Rank 9 Sovereigns that had suddenly appeared inside Rocky's Mobile Fortress.

Erica and Sherry recognized Zed. After all, he was a very famous monster that the Dvalinn Federation had fought countless times.

However, they didn't recognize the three Earth Dragons who were in their human form.

If not for the fact that Thirteen had introduced them to the two girls before he went to talk to Cranky, they would have no idea that they were actually looking at the three Rank 9 Sovereigns whom the Allied Forces didn't dare to fight head-on.

"With this lineup, do you think we stand a chance?" Sherry asked Erica.

"I don't know," Erica replied. "But our situation doesn't feel as hopeless as before."

"It's still not enough," Thirteen, who overheard the conversation of the two girls, answered. "At most, we will only be able to take a defensive stance. But ultimately, we will lose in the end. If we are fighting against a Majin Prince, then we might still have a chance of winning. Unfortunately, a Majin King is a different kind of monster."

To put matters into perspective, a Majin Prince was like a tank that could destroy almost anything in its path.

A Majin King, on the other hand, was an Aircraft Carrier.

In terms of size and raw power, a Majin Prince couldn't even compare to the other's strength.

This was the reason why Camazotz decided to escape before Thirteen was able to rope him into helping him face the Majin King, which even Kamrusepa didn't want to deal with.

Suddenly, Cranky opened its eyes and looked at its surroundings.

A few seconds later, the drowsiness in its face disappeared when he sensed that there were also other strong monsters in the vicinity.

The Colossal Savage Honey Badger screeched as it stood up on its two hind legs, holding Thirteen like a baby.

Standing at nearly forty meters tall, it was almost half the size of an adult Earth Dragon, who was a hundred meters tall.

"Cranky, calm down for a bit," Thirteen, who was still being cuddled by the Honey Badger, said. "They're friends of mine."

The Honey Badger narrowed its eyes before placing the teenage boy on the ground and once again stood on four legs.

A quick glance at its surroundings made it realize that it was no longer in the Valbarra Archipelago but inside Rocky's Mobile Fortress.

This wasn't the first time that Cranky had been taken by Thirteen to help in battle. Because of this, it simply glared at the Earth Dragons who were looking at the Honey Badger with solemn expressions on their faces.

"Not bad," Rogg commented. "This monster is really strong."

"Right," Endi nodded.

"But not enough to defeat Orochi," Brazzom stated.

The three Earth Dragons watched as Thirteen explained the current situation to the Honey Badger, who now busied itself with eating the body of the Camouflage Spider that Thirteen had taken after it was defeated.

Cranky listened from start to finish without saying a word. It simply ate until the spider was no more before lying on the ground.

Once again, it grabbed hold of Thirteen as a hug pillow before yawning and going back to sleep.

It was Cranky's way of telling Thirteen that he would help the teenage boy despite the fact that the enemy was stronger than him by two realms.

After evolving as a mutant monster, Cranky could be considered a Pseudo-Majin Prince.

Although it wasn't truly a Majin Prince, it was as strong as one, which made Thirteen wonder how strong the Honey Badger would be once it stepped into the Rank of a Majin Prince.

'We still lack offensive power,' Thirteen thought. 'Zed is fast, the three Earth Dragons are defensive fighters, and Cranky is an all-rounder. I need a strong offensive fighter to deal damage to Orochi.'

Since the teenage boy couldn't escape from Cranky's hold, he simply formulated a strategy on how they could get the upper hand against the Majin King.

At the same time, he suddenly felt drowsy.

When he regained his senses, he found himself in the Celestial Realm, looking at the being who had been talking to him in passing as of late.

"I already told you this, but I will say it again," the being in front of Thirteen said before sipping the cup of wine in his hand. "Since it has been a while since we saw each other, I'll lend you my strength once. This is the least I can do for my old partner."

Thirteen nodded. "Thank you, but your help is like a trump card. If possible, I don't want to use it against a Majin King."

"Kakaka!" the Being laughed out loud because he was very happy that his former System thought highly of him. "Thirteen, sometimes, it's more important to look at the present than the future. After all, we exist in the present. Both of us have many regrets, and we often wonder what would have happened if we had done things differently.

"Don't have any regrets, and don't hesitate. You will only have a future if you manage to grab hold of the present. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Thirteen replied. "Thank you, Old Friend."

The being smiled faintly before waving goodbye at the System who allowed him to stand at the top of the world and bring the heavens to its knees.