System's POV

379  The Great Escape [Part 2]

As Thirteen, Viola, Sharon, and Louise dashed toward the Brain Beetle, the four of them staggered after being hit by a psychic attack meant to put them under its control.

However, Thirteen was someone who had very strong mental power. Even without the Brain Beetle's attack didn't really affect him too much.

Viola, Sharon, and Louise were all under hypnosis, so they recovered immediately after the Brain Beetle's preemptive strike.

Seeing that its attack didn't work on them, it switched to a different tactic, which was telekinesis.

The giant stalactites that were hanging over the cavern broke free and flew toward the four humans with vengeance.

Viola, who had the Rank of Grandmaster, raised her hands and conjured a spear, which she used to smash the stalactite thrown at her and Thirteen.

Sharon, on the other hand, waved her hand and erected a barrier made of light, which tanked the impact of the giant projectile, smashing it completely.

Louise, on the other hand, used her uncanny agility and dexterity to dodge the stalactite that was aimed at her, making it pierce the ground half a meter away from her foot.

Seeing that its attack failed to neutralize its opponent, the Brain Beetle then unleashed an acid spray, forcing Thirteen and the three Valkyries to evade.

A sizzling sound echoed inside the cavern as the ground that was hit by the acid melted with white smoke rising over it.

A putrid smell also spread in the cavern, making Thirteen and the three Valkyries change their tactic.

"Plan B!" Thirteen shouted.

As soon as he shouted out the order, the three Valkyries ran in different directions, attempting to encircle the monster with Zion.

However, just as they were about to launch their long-range attacks at the Brain Beetle, the ground behind the beetle collapsed, and a giant centipede emerged from it.

Thirteen's eyes widened in shock because he didn't expect that the King of Centipedes, who was supposed to be in the Northwest of the Rigel Continent, would suddenly appear in the territory of the Brain Beetle.

"Retreat!" Thirteen ordered without hesitation.

They were only planning to deal with the Brain Beetle, which Viola and the three Valkyries could take down on their own.

However, a Rank 8 King Centipede was a different story.

It was a true predator and could only be defeated if Arthur or Lawrence were with him.

But the reason why he wasn't able to bring either of them was due to the fact that they didn't have the ability to overcome the Brain Beetle's mind-control powers.

Thirteen had placed a seal on Arthur's body using Rune Magic, so he couldn't give him any abilities that would've allowed him to resist the Brain Beetle's mind control.

The Patriarch of the Leventis Family was too important for his plans, and he couldn't take the risk of bringing him with him.

As Thirteen and his forces backed away, the Brain Beetle thanked the newcomer for coming.

"Thank you, Jalrog," Evuvug said through telepathy. "I owe you one."

The King Centipede eyed the Wanderers first before shifting its gaze to the Brain Beetle.

"Don't mention it," Jalrog replied. "I didn't come here to help you."

Evuvug, who immediately sensed that something was wrong, ordered the Larvae to attack Jalrog before moving toward the cocoon hanging at the corner of the cavern.

Seeing its movements, Thirteen suddenly thought of something, which made him hesitate.

The King of Centipede, who was mobbed by four Rank 6 Sovereigns and a Rank 7 Sovereign, unleashed a screech before sinking its fangs on the head of a Larva and injecting its very potent poison into its body.

It then used its body to coil around the Rank 7 Sovereign, immobilizing it completely before using its razor-sharp legs to hack its body, sending green blood spurting like a fountain.

This unexpected betrayal didn't catch the Brain Beetle by surprise.

It had already anticipated that something like this might happen, which was the reason why it decided to hide deep underground.

It only needed a month to fully recover from its pregnancy, but the King of Centipede might have sensed that one of its comrades was ripe for the picking.

Although they were supposed to work together to conquer the human continent, that didn't mean that they were friends.

The King Centipede, Jalrog, initially didn't plan to attack Evuvug.

However, it sensed the changes that were happening in the North.

It had been paying close attention to the Manticore King's territory, but after confirming that it couldn't be found anywhere, it knew that the balance in the continent had been broken due to Zed's disappearance.

Since that was the case, Jalrog decided to increase its strength and breakthrough to become a Rank 9 Sovereign, giving it absolute power to destroy its enemies.

The Larvae, whom Thirteen's Monster Team wasn't able to defeat easily, were easily taken down one by one by the Centipede King.

Perhaps, knowing that it was only a matter of time before it was devoured by its former comrade, the Brain Beetle decided to gamble.

While grabbing the cocoon, it ran in Thirteen's direction.

Since the Wanderers were able to reach its location deep underground, it meant that they also had a way to escape to the surface. Evuvug knew that it couldn't outrun Jalrog because it could dig faster than it.

Also, it was in a weakened state, so it really couldn't do much at this point in time.

"Take my child and run!" Evuvug stated as it gently placed the cocoon on the ground. "I'll hold Jalrog back. Now go!"

Thirteen looked at the cocoon then back at the Brain Beetle, with a conflicted look on his face. He had come here to kill Evuvug, but due to this unexpected turn of events, he got to witness the unity of the Kings of the Rigel Continent beginning to crumble.

It was a sign that they weren't united, and this could work in his favor.

In less than five seconds, Thirteen revised the plans he had in mind.

Before Evuvug could even join the Larvae in fighting against the Centipede King, the teenage boy threw a capture sphere at Evuvug's back, taking it by surprise.

The moment its giant body was absorbed by the capture sphere, it disappeared leaving nothing behind.

"Rocky, get the cocoon!" Thirteen ordered. "We're getting out of here now!"

Rocky didn't hesitate to obey his Master's command and devoured everyone before making its escape.

"I won't let you!" Jalrog screeched before charging toward the Magma Balboa.

But two of the Larvae, who were still alive, rammed the Centipede's body and unleashed an acid spray at its face from point-blank range.

Jalrog, who was faster than the Larvae, twisted its body and used its tough exoskeleton to block the acid spray aimed at its head.

When the acid spray finally ended, it used its tail to make a slashing motion, cutting the body of one of the Larvae in two while its poisonous fangs sank into the last larva.

Not caring whether the two larvae lived or died, it hastily ran after the Magma Bal-Boa, who was desperately moving toward the surface as fast as it could.

"You won't get away!" Jalrog screeched angrily as it slowly closed the gap between it and Rocky.

When the King Centipede was only a hundred meters away from Rocky's tail, the Magma Bal-Boa finally broke through the surface and crawled on land to continue to escape.

Jalrog also surfaced after a few seconds. It was about to continue chasing after its prey when, suddenly, two people blocked its path.

"That's one giant centipede," Lawrence commented.

"It doesn't matter how big it is," Arthur stated. "We mustn't let it catch up with the brat."

"Exactly what I'm thinking," Lawrence smirked as he and Arthur both summoned their weapons and prepared to clash with the Centipede King.

However, the ground around them suddenly started shaking, making the two's expressions turn grim.

As if waiting for that moment, countless giant centipedes rose up from the ground and screeched loudly.

Arthur and Lawrence exchanged a glance with each other before summoning their Flying Mounts to escape as fast as they could. They knew that the moment they got encircled by their enemies, it would be over for them.

Now that the two pests had left, the Centipede King resumed its pursuit of the fleeing Magma Bal-Boa, who was heading toward the sea.

Cristopher, who noticed that his Young Master was in danger, didn't hesitate to order his Roc to dive toward the ground and headed in front of the Centipede King, who was pursuing Zion.

"Give him a taste of hell!" Cristopher ordered, and his Blaze Skunk immediately unleashed a flaming spray that bathed the Centipede King's head, making it screech in anger and irritation.

Just like earlier, it twisted its body to prevent its head from getting hit by the Blaze Skunk's trump card.

But even if it was safe, it didn't change the fact that it was now starting to get pissed due to the annoying humans, who kept on getting in his way.

Arthur's Winged Serpent, who had finally caught up to Thirteen, flew alongside the Magma Bal-Boa.

Rocky, who already knew what to do, spat his Master toward Arthur, who caught him without much effort.

"Everyone, retreat!" Thirteen shouted through his communicator. "Return to the ships now and fly as high as you can! Gramps, don't go upward. Just head to the sea while flying low!"

"Understood," Arthur replied. After Rocky passed Thirteen to his Grandfather, it immediately moved in the opposite direction in order to redirect the Centipede King's attention to him.

Since the Magma Bal-Boa was Thirteen's Beast Companion like Tiona, he would be able to summon Rocky without any problems.

He just needed to distance himself from the Centipede King before doing so. That way, they would be able to successfully escape its pursuit, which was their top priority at the moment.

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