System's POV

Chapter 1470: What Love Really Was

After living in the world of Pangea, Thirteen and Little Thirteen had faced many battles together.

Majority of those battles were truly beyond their league, but they did their best and persevered every time.

Unfortunately, the recent battle they faced together was bound to fail. No matter how hard they tried, no matter how much they endured, Little Thirteen was squeezed dry until it could no longer stand up and surrendered.

“Ugh…” Thirteen groaned as he tried to move his body. However, the slightest movement made him flinch, feeling like his hips had been broken.

His arms and thighs also felt numb, especially since Erica and Shana were using his arms as their pillow.

Stella’s head rested on his abdomen. It didn’t look like it, but she was one of the main culprits who made his hips give way. When pushed into a corner, her shyness disappeared. The more her competitive spirit had been challenged, the more boldly and actively she had acted.

To think that the mighty System of Cannon Fodders was defeated so easily by his lovers. If the Infernal Army who feared him could see his current weakened state, they might have laughed at him in ridicule. His stamina simply wasn’t up to par!

’I hope Shana heals me later,’ Thirteen thought as he glanced at the Saintess, sleeping peacefully by his side.

Just like Stella, the Saintess was usually kind and gentle. But the moment her switch was flipped, she would become an unstoppable force.

She could practically use the skill restore on herself over and over, raising her performance to the peak. Shana was a moving cheat, and even if she fought Little Thirteen one on one, the chances of him winning against her were extremely low.

Princess Aracalle and Princess Xynalia were both Jinns.

One was a Phoenix, the other a Succubus.

Their recovery was out of this world, and just like Shana, winning against them in a one-on-one battle would be a challenge.

Erica was also very feisty, the same as Tiona.

As much as Thirteen didn’t want to admit it, winning against the two of them was just a fifty-fifty chance.

It was truly sad to say, but the only one he could beat was Sherry. Unfortunately, this wasn’t a one-on-one battle.

He fought them all at once, so this result was inevitable.

Even Little Thirteen might not be able to recover for a few days after the great battle he fought a few hours ago.

’I regret bullying Stella,’ Thirteen sighed. ’She holds grudges and takes revenge so easily. I guess this is what they call karma.’

The world of Solterra might face its end in a few days, but Thirteen was too worried about his hips and his little brother’s recovery to care about what would happen next.

’They might really get pregnant at this point,’ Thirteen sighed. ’These girls really didn’t hold back.’

Another sigh escaped Thirteen’s lips as he remembered a very sad memory from the past. About the time when he could have also become a father and grown a family with Kate.

Now that a similar thing might happen in his current lifetime, Thirteen decided that it would be different this time.

His lovers, his unborn children, his family, his friends, and everyone he cared for… things would be different this time around.

’Bring it on, Fate,’ Thirteen narrowed his eyes. ’I’m not letting you take anything from me this time around.’

He knew that the next battle would be truly dangerous, to the point that countless lives would be lost.

But since this was a game that Fate had conceived, even she couldn’t break the rules so easily.

Thirteen wasn’t a Hero.

He was also not an Extra.

He was the System of Cannon Fodders.

Whenever a great threat dawned upon the world, the Heroes would come to protect it.

The Heroes of both Solterra, and Pangea, whoever they were, would finally appear on the grand stage that Fate had prepared for them.

He could still remember the words of the Goddess.

She had prepared a Hero just for him.

As to who that Hero would be, Thirteen didn’t give a damn. Since they were Heroes, he would make them clear up the mess that their Goddess had made, for that was the role they were meant to play in the multiverse.

Even Fate couldn’t defy the rules that she had set herself, for she was no exception as their maker.

But Thirteen now understood that his actions had consequences that went past defying fate.

The being whom he had gotten a brief glimpse of in that dream made him feel alarmed.

It was a primordial existence that might have been as old as the universe itself.

A being of absolute importance whom even the Goddess of Fate felt anxious about.

’There’s no use thinking about these things,’ Thirteen thought. ’If that thing really comes out, there will be others who will deal with it. Maybe even that no-good system father of mine would be useful for a change.’

Had Deus Ex Machina known what his no-good son was thinking at that time, he might have already given Thirteen the middle finger from the Celestial Realm.

While Thirteen was deep in thought, Stella, who was resting on his abdomen, suddenly moved.

Thirteen flinched as the young lady muttered something.

“I can’t eat anymore… don’t force me,” Stella muttered before she opened her mouth and ate something.

Thirteen’s body shuddered as Stella gently “nibbled” Little Thirteen that had still not fully recovered.

If not for the fact that it had truly no strength left, the little guy might have lashed out and slapped Stella’s cheek in retaliation.

Still, since he couldn’t do anything else, he decided to just remain as he was to protect the peace, sacrificing his little brother for the greater good.

If this kind of sacrifice could protect everyone, Thirteen wouldn’t mind one bit.

But he wasn’t naive. The sacrifice they needed to bear in order to defeat whatever would appear in Godfall Cradle, as well as to put a stop to Mammon’s Greed, would be enormous.

His lovers promised that they would also appear in the final battle, regardless of Thirteen’s wishes.

Since that was the case, he would respect their decision.

After all, they were the ladies tied to him by destiny… and all of them had already bound his once… ice cold heart and melted it until he started to understand what love really was.

—————

A/N: I am attending the wedding of my friend, so I can only post one Chapter right now due to wedding preparations. As you may already know, we are nearing the end. It has been a long journey to be here, and I’m glad that all of you have become part of it.

This would also probably be the last intimate moment between Thirteen and his lovers. I just want to give a little closure to them before the novel ends.

Thank you for your continuous support, and I promise you that you will get the ending that all of you deserve.