System's POV

Chapter 1484: Playing A Game Of Fate [Part 2]

The deadly game of chess continued.

Every single decision the teenage boy made held so much weight because a life was at stake.

He didn’t even notice the beads of sweat streaming down on the side of his face as he looked at the board.

Many of his pieces had already been eliminated. The outcome was expected as he had to balance the safety of his lovers with winning against his opponent.

The other party was not a pushover and knew full well how to attack and defend.

And now, Thirteen found himself stuck in a dilemma.

He had a way to checkmate the enemy, but it required him to sacrifice either Princess Xynalia or Sherry.

If he could only stop the timer, he would’ve done it just to cuss his opponent.

The positioning forced him to make a difficult choice. If he didn’t make the move inside of his head, he would be “checkmated” within two moves.

Just as Thirteen was desperately thinking of what to do, Sherry moved by herself. She took a step forward to the next tile, ending Thirteen’s turn.

Among his lovers, Sherry was the most proficient in chess. She understood that they would lose if she didn’t make this move.

She had finally stepped onto the last tile of the enemy’s board, which transformed a helpless pawn into a powerful Queen.

But that only lasted for a brief moment because the enemy’s Queen moved to smite her.

“No!” Thirteen shouted. “Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeerry!”

The young lady smiled at her lover and worded a mouth of apology to him. She apologized for being selfish and moving on her own accord.

A moment later, the Queen collided with her body, sending her flying off the board and into the darkness.

Her sisters screamed and called out her name. However, all they could do was watch their youngest get blown off the chessboard, blood spilling from her lips.

Sherry bit her lips tightly, holding back herself from screaming in pain. If she let her mouth move, it would break her lover’s heart.

“Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeerry!” Thirteen roared in anger and tried to move from his spot to save his fiancee.

But he was rooted on the spot, unable to move even when he used all his power.

Filled with anger, he ordered Shana to finally go for the kill and checkmate the enemy’s king.

Shana was so angry that after her move was made, she summoned her white banner and used it to hack the enemy’s king, shattering it to pieces.

The game of chess finally ended, and the gate leading to the next stage opened.

Erica hurriedly hugged the teenage boy. He knelt on the ground, tears spilling from his eyes like raindrops.

She had been with Zion for years and understood how hurt he must be feeling to break down and cry like this.

Princess Xynalia hugged her lover from behind, knowing how heartbroken Zion must be.

He had the same look on his face when he lost Kate and his unborn child to the whims of Fate, making him become a devil that almost destroyed an entire world out of anger.

“Zion, please calm down,” Erica said as she hugged him tighter. “Sherry should be safe, right? You said the Aurora Stone will teleport her away from danger. Please check it to confirm her current condition.”

What happened to Sherry clouded his judgment that he momentarily forgot about the Aurora Stone.

Thirteen took it out of his storage ring and checked the orange glow representing Sherry’s life force.

The color had dimmed a bit compared to the other colors right next to it. But it was still there. Sherry was alive.

Seeing this, Thirteen checked the thread of destiny on his pinky finger next, and the same thing happened as well.

The orange thread representing his connection to Sherry had also dimmed, but the connection was still there.

He could vaguely tell that she was injured, but her life was not in any danger.

Princess Aracelle wiped his tears with her handkerchief and assured him that Sherry was a strong girl and that they would see her soon.

With her encouragement and proof that Sherry hadn’t died, Thirteen finally calmed down.

It took him a few minutes to regain his composure. But once he did, he stood up on his own and stared at the gates that led to the next level of the castle.

Shana and Erica walked by his side, holding his hands. They wanted to make him understand that they would be there no matter what kind of challenges he had to face.

When they appeared in the next room, they found themselves staring at seven pedestals.

Each one held an item. They were all labeled, letting the participants know what they were.

————

Crown of Dawn

Crystal Dagger

Mirror Orb

Golden Feather

Silver Dice

Ruby Ring

Obsidian Coin

————

Hovering above these pedestals were words that faintly shone with magical power.

Thirteen’s face darkened after reading the rules of the next challenge that they had to face.

————

“Seven relics lie before you.”

“Three grant passage.”

“Four bring judgment.”

“Seek not the tools of greed nor the toys of chance.

For fate favors neither gamblers nor thieves.

Follow instead the symbols of rule, truth, and freedom.”

“The one who wears the light of dawn upon their head…

The one who rides the wind yet leaves no chain behind…

And the one who shows the world as it truly is.

These alone may pass unbroken.”

“The King shall decide the order.”

“Choose wisely… for leadership carries weight.”

————

Everyone understood that this was another kind of elimination game. Among the seven relics floating on the pedestals, only three were safe.

The remaining ones had traps installed in them, which would activate if someone chose the wrong pedestal.

However, instead of following the rules of the game, Thirteen decided to stop playing by the rules.

He charged at the pedestals while wielding a sword that he borrowed from Metatron. A sword named “Rule Breaker”.

A sword that when wielded, asked its owner to pay a corresponding price. But Thirteen didn’t care.

Fate was toying with him once more, and he had enough of her games.

He would never allow another one of his lovers, who held a piece of his heart, suffer right before his very eyes.