System's POV

380  The Great Escape [Part 3]

Thirteen originally didn't plan to use the Capture Spheres to catch the Brain Beetle.

Because if he used it, he wouldn't become their Master or anything.

At most, it would only increase his Apocalypse Points since it counts as him completing his mission from the Order of the Apocalypse.

The stronger the monster, the higher the points that he would get.

It was also a life-saving item that could help Thirteen survive a battle against Rank 8 Monsters and below.

Unfortunately, the Capture Spheres he had weren't strong enough to capture Rank 9 Monsters. It seemed that Metatron knew that Thirteen would abuse them if he could get away with it. The only saving grace was that he could ask for an item once a year and would be given the chance to get more as long as he managed to open another layer in the treasury.

But he had just opened the Fourth Layer. It would take him a few years to open the Fifth Layer of the Treasury of the Apocalypse, which would let him claim bigger rewards.

Thirteen only changed his mind because the Brain Beetle decisively surrendered its egg to him when the Centipede King arrived.

Its actions allowed him to understand that the Kings of the Rigel Continent weren't united and that they had their own ambitions.

Not to mention that Thirteen would need the Brain Beetle's knowledge on properly raising an egg, which the teenager believed would be a good addition to his forces.

A Brain Beetle would only give birth to one special egg in its lifetime.

This egg would have a great potential that could surpass its parent.

Evuvug was a Rank 8 Sovereign. Despite that, it took a risk and gave birth to an egg, which it believed had the potential to become a Rank 9 Sovereign.

If it were lucky, there was even a chance for it to step into the Majin Prince Rank, which was something that Thirteen was willing to gamble for.

Thirteen believed that it could train the Brain Beetle that would be born from the egg to be loyal only to him, which would make the use of one of his two Capture Spheres worth it.

But that wasn't something he'd have to worry about now. After all, he had a bigger problem at hand.

The Centipede King was currently chasing after Rocky, who was carrying the Brain Beetle's Egg inside his Mobile Fortress.

If Thirteen wanted to, he could escape safely with Arthur since he had a flying mount that could fly high in the sky.

But if he were to do that, Rocky would certainly perish under the hands of the Centipede King, making the teenage boy lose one of his Trump Cards.

Thirteen could summon Rocky anytime and anywhere, but he couldn't summon him high in the sky because if he did that, Rocky would fall to his death.

He couldn't summon the Magma Bal-Boa on the sea either. The moment he did that, Rocky would drown.

This left him with only one choice.

Go in the opposite direction of where Rocky was going while flying low on the ground so that he could summon him safely.

This would allow him to distance himself from the crazed Centipede King, who wished to make a breakthrough and become a Rank 9 Sovereign.

The surroundings were currently in complete pandemonium.

Countless Centipedes had risen up from the ground, and they were trying to encircle Rocky so that he would have nowhere to run.

The Beetle Army, on the other hand, had caught the scent of the flesh and blood of their brethren on the Centipede King's body.

This thoroughly infuriated them, so instead of running after the Wanderers, they switched targets and started to attack the Centipede Army.

An all-out insect brawl took place, which allowed Rocky to get some breathing space.

Perhaps the beetles had sensed that one of their kind was inside the Magma Bal-Boa, so they didn't hesitate to risk their lives in order to allow it to escape.

But before Rocky could feel relieved, the Centipede King increased its speed and cut past the beetles blocking its path.

It had raised its head and a quarter of its body in order to deal with the insects who were attacking it with complete disregard for their lives. The Centipede King wasn't fazed and used its razor-sharp claws to slice the annoying insects, while its other legs increased their pace, shortening the gap between it and its target once more.

"On my signal!" Thirteen said through his communicator.

He was paying close attention to Rocky. Seeing that the Centipede King was only seconds away from catching up to him, Thirteen summoned his Beast Companion before shouting to his communicator.

"Open fire!" Thirteen roared as soon as Rocky appeared beside the Flying Serpent, who was only flying a few meters above ground.

A few seconds later, the sound of countless explosions reverberated in the surroundings as the Main Cannons of the Battleships stationed far out in the sea, roared to life.

Thirteen had ordered them to specifically target the Centipede King so that it would at least get injured by their attacks.

However, after getting hit twice by the cannon fire of the battleships, the Centipede King and its subordinates immediately burrowed into the ground, leaving behind the beetles that were now being bathed with cannon fire.

Tiona, who was coiled around Thirteen's neck, hissed to inform her Master that the Centipede King was now headed in their direction alongside its Monster Army.

They were only two miles away from the sea, and if they continued to travel at their current speed, they would reach it in less than a minute.

But here lies the problem.

Rocky couldn't swim in the sea!

As the precious seconds passed by, Thirteen decided to take a gamble. n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

"Rocky, spit the Cocoon to the sky, then run away in another direction!" Thirteen ordered.

The Magma Bal-Boa didn't hesitate to do as its Master commanded and spat the cocoon high up in the air before running away in haste.

The moment the Cocoon appeared, the Centipede King immediately changed directions and ran after it.

Having sensed the presence of their Master's egg, the beetles suddenly entered a frenzied state and flew toward it like a raging tide.

"Gramps!" "I know!"

The Flying Serpent was already soaring upward in order to catch up to the cocoon.

Arthur was able to catch it mid-air, and he even grunted due to how heavy it was.

Rocky gave his Master one last glance before burrowing deep underground, intending to head to the deepest part of the Rigel Continent in order to escape the Centipede King, who almost ended his life.