System's POV

Chapter 1471: I Knew It Was Too Good To Be True!

“Hah! I should have seen this coming,” Belial scoffed. “That greedy pig really can’t hold back his greed.”

“He wouldn’t be called the Fiend of Greed if he wasn’t greedy.” Pharzuph sighed. “And here I thought we finally got a break from all that fighting. Looks like we merely had an appetizer, and now, the main course is looming upon us.”

“But, can this information be trusted?” Belial asked half in doubt.

“Yes,” Dantanian replied. “Since this information came from Zion, it’s certainly credible.”

“I see…” Belial rubbed his chin.

He could still remember how Zion’s clone targeted his chin multiple times during their battle. Sometimes, he would feel phantom pains on his chin. The flare-ups were random, appearing without any rhyme or reason.

“Anyway, I’ll go back to meet up with Forneus and the others,” Dantanian said. “You are the last ones I informed. If you plan to go to Godfall Cradle, we will be there.”

Dantanian then took a single step before disappearing from their sight. He had already contacted all the Fiends and Celestials, excluding Mammon. It wasn’t like he needed to be informed, and Thirteen also mentioned that it was dangerous to meet Mammon right now.

As for why, Dantanian had no idea. But since Zion advised him not to go, he would not go no matter how curious he was to check out the Fiend of Greed’s plot.

———

Godfall Cradle…

Mammon finally arrived at his destination after traveling for a few days.

He was tired from his long journey, but after jumping into what seemed to be a bottomless pit and seeing the great floating castle shining faintly within the darkness, his exhaustion vanished completely.

“Godfall Cradle,” Mammon muttered. “And within it lies Pandora’s Treasury.”

Mammon observed the castle from a distance before fishing out a pouch from his pocket.

This pouch contained the divine keys that would help him open Pandora’s treasury.

Right now, he couldn’t see anything but the floating castle. But Mammon knew that this place was riddled with traps that couldn’t be seen with the naked eye.

If someone were to accidentally stumble upon this place and decided to head to the castle, they would instantly turn to ash after activating one of the traps protecting Pandora’s Treasury.

The first key that Mammon took out was the Key of Sloth.

He then activated its effect, and a ripple of divine power spread in his surroundings, reaching the entrance of the castle.

Immediately, the emptiness in the surroundings disappeared, and countless laser beams that crisscrossed from every direction manifested.

Even a Celestial or Fiend would be seriously injured if they tried to pass through this without the keys in their possession.

Simply put, it was almost impossible to get to the castle using brute force, tricks, or any abilities. No matter how hard someone tried to look for a loophole, they couldn’t bypass a gate without its respective key.

Mammon flew to the rightmost-edge of the first formation, where a small keyhole glowed faintly in the darkness.

The Fiend inserted the key and turned it, creating a crisp, clicking sound as something unlocked.

Immediately, the countless laser beams on the first layer disappeared, granting passage to the next layer.

Key of Wrath, Key of Gluttony, and Key of Envy.

Mammon entered one key after the other, unlocking the gates barring him from his destination.

His excitement grew with every layer he unlocked, making him laugh internally at the stupidity of his colleagues.

By the time he arrived at the last layer, which required the Key of Pride, Mammon was already panting for breath.

He wasn’t panting from exhaustion but from the uncontrollable excitement he was feeling. Just thinking of the Divine Treasures he would soon acquire fanned the flames in his greedy heart.

“Finally, it will be mine,” Mammon said as he inserted the Key of Pride. However, when he tried to turn it to unlock the last gate, the key didn’t turn.

Mammon frowned and tried to re-insert the key over and over, but the lock refused to turn.

At his sixth attempt, the laser beams suddenly moved like live snakes, attacking him for trying to bypass their security.

Mammon wasn’t prepared for the backlash of using the wrong key repeatedly and was hit by the laser beams, making him cry out in pain.

The Fiend of Greed hastily retreated, but his entire golden body was now covered with red marks oozing with golden blood.

Had he stayed behind for a few more seconds, he might have suffered fatal injuries that would have killed him even if he managed to escape.

“What the hell happened?!” Mammon shouted, his voice echoing across the darkness. “What’s going on?!”

Of course, it didn’t take him long to understand what had happened.

“I knew that it was too good to be true!” Mammon gritted his teeth in frustration. “That damned brat. He tricked me!”

The last key needed to be inserted was the Key of Pride. It didn’t matter if Mammon had the other keys in his possession. As long as the last key wasn’t there, it was impossible for anyone to enter Pandora’s Treasury.

Mammon was unwilling to let go of this chance, so he decided to take a risk. He summoned a giant golden coin and tossed it toward the final line of defense.

The fiend hoped that his strongest attack would be able to break the last hurdle that blocked his way.

The golden coin flared up like a golden sun as it smashed against the final layer.

A moment later, the golden sun dispersed, and countless laser beams fired in Mammon’s direction, forcing him to escape.

He managed to dodge a few of them, but the laser beams were like living creatures—they changed direction and hunted him down.

Mammon hurriedly tried to fly upward to escape the pursuit of the laser beams, but he wasn’t able to leave unscathed.

His left arm was gone, and his entire body oozed with golden blood.

Mammon’s furious roar reverberated in the surroundings, cursing Zion’s name out loud for tricking him!

The Fiend of Greed wasn’t aware that Zion was watching everything unfold from within Rocky’s Mobile Fortress.

The Key of Pride that Mammon possessed was a replica made by Metatron.

It allowed Zion to see what was happening in the key’s surroundings. Seeing Mammon’s suffering made him feel a little better, especially after what he had been through with his lovers.

It would still take them a week to arrive at Godfall Cradle, giving him some time to formulate a strategy for what was about to come.