System's POV

Chapter 1300: War Isn’t About Having No Casualties

Although the aftermath of the war wasn’t quite like Thirteen had envisioned, he still managed to achieve decent results.

Their strategy had annihilated a good portion of the enemy’s army was annihilated. By the time Thirteen’s side retreated, over a dozen of the enemy high-ranking warriors were either dead or seriously wounded.

However, their side also suffered a loss. When Cranky stalled for time, he was trapped inside Castor’s Legendary Relic. It had almost killed him, and although he managed to escape, he’d been seriously injured.

Recovering would take some time, putting more pressure on Rana.

“Are you sure they will not be able to teleport inside the city like last time?” Rana asked. “That is something that can seriously make our defenses fall apart.”

“I’m not a hundred percent sure,” Thirteen admitted. “At the least, I made sure they wouldn’t be able to do it again easily. I can’t tell what kind of relic Regulus had used to bypass the defenses of the city, but I believe that it will only work if certain conditions are met.”

Rana sighed. That sudden teleportation strategy from their enemies nearly put their plan in shambles. It was something that they didn’t see coming.

If not for the fact that they had some contingency plans, the number of casualties that they might have suffered would number in the thousands.

Fortunately, Thirteen had already made several contingency plans just in case the city’s defenses were compromised, allowing everyone to escape.

“I can’t defeat Castor and Regulus at the same time,” Rana said in a serious tone. “If the two of them gang up on me, I’ll have a slim chance of survival.”

“Don’t worry. Even if it comes to that, we have a backup plan prepared for that situation,” Thirteen assured her.

Rana and their enemy had yet to learn that Queen Miriamele would help defend Velgrande once the Celestials managed to invade the city.

In fact, they even thought that since Queen Miriamele hated King Astrion with every fiber of her being, she might even help the rebellion succeed and overthrow him.

Castor and Regulus had wanted to ask the Queen to join their cause. What a pity they had no way to breach through the heavily guarded Inner Palace to contact her.

During the planning phase of the rebellion, they had planned to reach out to Queen Miriamele and ask for her assistance.

Had they managed to reach out to her a few months ago, Queen Miriamele wouldn’t even need persuading to help them.

But now that Thirteen had appeared in Artem, the Queen would always side with her “son,” who was very dear to her.

“What are they doing right now?” Rana asked while she and Thirteen strolled the city, supervising their defenses.

“Repairing their airships and treating the wounded,” Thirteen answered. “I overheard their plans of attacking the city as soon as possible, but I also heard something interesting.”

“And that is?”

“It’s about their relics. Looks like they can’t use it consecutively. They have to wait for its cooldown.”

Rana frowned. “Does that mean they will hold off attacking the city while waiting for that cooldown period to end?”

“No.” Thirteen shook his head. “They plan to attack the city while waiting for the cooldown period to end.”

“I see. So we can’t afford to lower our guard, huh?”

“Of course. One slip up, and off with our heads.”

Rana’s face turned grim after hearing the reality they were about to face.

Zion had assured her that Velgrande wouldn’t fall as easily as Lyra City.

The capital city of Artem was built like a true fortress and had endured many wars thousands of years ago.

The two previous dynasties weren’t that peaceful. Brothers had fought to claim the throne, and the city of Velgrande had been the final line of defense of those wars.

“I feel like history is repeating itself,” Rana commented as she and Thirteen stood on top of the ramparts of the city. “But this time, instead of the royal family fighting against each other, a few greedy bastards thought they could do better.”

The beautiful woman’s tone reeked of contempt and disgust toward Castor and Regulus.

Clearly, she hated those two Celestials far more than what her expression showed.

The Guardian of Lyra City leaned on the cold stone of the battlements, her gaze fixed on the horizon where storm clouds gathered, both literal and metaphorical.

“Greed blinds even the wise,” Rana said softly. “And arrogance makes them believe the world owes them their vision.”

She then let out a short breath, and a bitter smile tugged at the corner of her lips. “If they expect Artem to kneel, they’re in for a rude awakening.”

Before Thirteen could reply, a familiar voice echoed behind them.

“You two look like you’re plotting someone’s demise again.”

They turned to see Queen Xeres walking toward them, her cloak fluttering lightly in the wind.

The Majin Queen had changed into her combat attire, a midnight blue armor engraved with intricate runes. She looked every bit the warrior monarch the history books described.

“Just discussing reality,” Thirteen answered. “How are the preparations?”

“Almost finished,” Queen Ceres replied. “The barracks are stocked, the artillery units are on standby, and the runic cannons have been tested. If Castor attacks today, we can return fire immediately.”

Rana nodded approvingly. “Good. The more layers of defense we establish, the harder it will be for them to find an opening.”

The main cannon that Castor’s flagship used posed a serious threat to their defenses, proved by how easily it had tore through the three-layered shield protecting the City of Lyra.

The only saving grace was that it couldn’t be fired consecutive times, giving the shields enough time to recover.

But this time, Thirteen believed that the moment the shields were broken, Castor, Regulus, and their Elite Forces would storm the city and unleash absolute chaos.

He then glanced down at the busy streets.

Citizens were being guided into evacuation shelters, while craftsmen delivered supplies for fortification. Soldiers trained in groups, drilling formation maneuvers and rotation sequences.

Every corner of Velgrande reeked of pressure.

“This city has endured for thousands of years,” Xeres said softly. “It will endure a few tyrants drunk on power.”

Thirteen remained silent for a moment. He could feel the pressure tightening around them, each day bringing Castor and Regulus closer.

“When the battle starts… there’s a chance that people will die.” His voice wasn’t loud, but the weight behind it was undeniable. “Even with all these preparations, we’re still outnumbered.”

Rana turned toward him, her expression steady.

“War isn’t about avoiding casualties. It’s about making sure the sacrifices aren’t in vain.”

Thirteen met her gaze. She was right. He knew she was right. But that didn’t make the burden lighter.

He was the System of Cannon Fodders, and making cold-hearted decisions should be his specialization.

And there was indeed a time when he didn’t care how many people died as long as his Hosts stayed alive.

But now, it was different.

He wished that not many people would die in the inevitable battle that would be waged in Velgrande.

If things were to really flip in their opponent’s favor, then he would use the trump card he had made after merging with the Chains of Heaven.