System's POV

Chapter 1485: Thirteen’s Second Host [Part 1]

The moment Thirteen had enough of the trial’s bullsh*t and made a move, the pedestals shattered like broken glass.

With the Rule Breaker’s power, he had successfully erased the law binding the room with force.

The gate in the distance creaked open, proving that the teenage boy had cleared the trial with brute force. Beyond the gateway lay their next trial.

“Let’s go.” Thirteen kept the sword in hand but relaxed his arm.

“Z-Zion, are you alright?” Shana hurried to his side, sensing something wrong with her lover.

Seeing Zion’s face, the Saintess flinched. Her lover’s left eye had blood streaming from it, and its pupils had grayed. Her hand rose, instantaneously casting a healing skill.

His eye no longer bled, but his eye color hadn’t reverted. Even without asking, Shana knew he had gone blind in the eye. It must’ve been the price he had to pay for clearing the trial the way he wanted.

“I’m fine,” Thirteen assured as soon as he noticed Shana’s worried look. “This isn’t a big deal.”

Losing vision in one eye was infinitely better than letting more than half his lovers get hurt like Sherry. Even if the mysterious law had taken both his eyes, he still wouldn’t regret his decision.

Controlling their worries, the ladies followed Thirteen as he crossed to the third trial. Just like the previous trial, the challenge required the elimination of another while the rest proceeded to the next stage.

Thirteen once again used Rule Breaker. The price this time was his sense of touch.

On the fourth trial, he lost his sense of taste.

The fifth, he lost his hearing on his left ear.

In the sixth trial, Thirteen lost his voice.

No matter what he lost and regardless of what he knew he would lose, Thirteen kept pushing forward. It didn’t matter what the next challenge would be. He’d act as usual.

But his lovers had had enough. They were unwilling to let him sacrifice any more for their sake.

Not only did they feel their hearts breaking, but their lover also had an important role to play later. If he lost any more senses, he might die.

Thirteen wanted to reassure them, but he could no longer speak.

The seventh trial had nothing but white.

Before Thirteen and his lovers could figure what the last test might be, six bright flashes erupted in front of them in rapid succession, forcing them to shield their eyes from its radiance.

When the light receded, Thirteen found himself alone in that vast white world.

Unable to sense his lovers, he hurriedly took out the Aurora Stone to check their condition.

The colors representing Erica, Shana, Princess Aracelle, Princess Xynalia, Stella, and Tiona had all dimmed, just like what happened with Sherry’s.

Thirteen let out a silent roar, raising his sword to destroy the world around him. But the moment he swung his sword, two fingers clipped his sword in place.

“It’s been a while, Thirteen. The years have not been kind to you.”

The teenage boy stared at a beautiful lady standing right in front of him.

She looked young, no more than twenty.

There was something about her presence that made the vast white world around them feel smaller, as if reality itself bent around her existence.

Her long golden hair cascaded down her shoulder, strands of pale silver shimmering within like faint starlight. The contrast made her seem both ancient and timeless.

The most striking feature was her eyes.

They glowed bright and golden, as if they could see through the soul of anyone they laid their eyes on. As if they could see through the deepest, darkest secret anyone hid inside their minds, and hearts.

She wore a simple white dress that flowed around her like drifting mist. Although simple, the fabric was embroidered with faint symbols and runes that pulsed softly as if they were alive.

Thirteen called out her name, his voice no longer present. And this act made the young lady smile sadly as she lowered the sword she just blocked.

Without any ounce of fear on her face, she took a step forward and pulled the teenage boy into her embrace, holding him tightly.

“Yes. It’s me, Thirteen,” the beautiful lady. “I am the fool who didn’t listen to you back then.”

She was none other than Pandora. The foolish girl the Gods had used as an instrument to punish mankind without dirtying their hands.

This young lady was Thirteen’s second host, the one he personally chose right after he left Sun Wukong.

After giving him a hug, Pandora reluctantly pulled back and rested her hands on his shoulders.

Her golden eyes carried a deep sorrow seemingly carved in her soul for years. Many had already forgotten her, yet many still mock her for the mistake she had made out of curiosity.

Thirteen tried to say something, but he failed to make a sound. But Pandora nodded, perfectly understanding what he tried to tell her.

“What you see here is my Will who carried the guilt of making humanity suffer until the end of time,” Pandora said softly. “You don’t have to worry about where my true soul has gone… because I’m sure she’s very happy to be by your side.”

The young lady’s revelation made the teenage boy’s body shudder, as if hit by a lightning bolt.

Seeing his reaction, Pandora couldn’t stop herself from giggling. His reaction was truly priceless.

“Thirteen, you know very well that the Pandora’s Box is not really a box but a large jar,” Pandora said calmly. “After I opened it, releasing the evils, misfortunes, and sins to the world, one thing remained. It’s Hope.”

“Hope took pity on me back then. She promised me that, someday, I will receive enough happiness that will make me think that my mistake isn’t really a mistake.

“That it was meant to happen to help humanity prosper and thrive. She also promised me that I will meet you again. It might take a day, a year, hundreds of years, even thousands of years.

“But we will definitely meet, and together… we will break the endless cycle of sadness and suffering by people who are like me. People who were branded as cannon fodders for eternity.”

The young lady’s voice was firm as she looked at Thirteen’s eyes, which had teared up after seeing her again.

Pandora gently wiped away Thirteen’s tears, unable to bear the sight of her dearest friend cry because of her.