System's POV

Lucan frowned as he gazed at the creatures who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

He was unable to gauge their Ranks, confusing him.

There were only two explanations for this. First, the creatures protecting Zia were far stronger than him. Second, they were using some other kind of ranking system very different from that of the Jinns and Wanderers.

Lucan was more inclined to believe the latter, thinking the former was simply impossible.

How could these creatures be stronger than him?

The limit of Pangea only allowed the appearance of Archons and Majin Princes.

Anything above that would destroy the balance, which was why he believed that these creatures couldn't possibly be High Archons.

A Rank higher than his own.

"Azoh'Karn, bring the princess to me!" Lucan ordered.

He would use the Azothralls to test the waters and see just how strong these creatures were.

The Golden Azothrall glanced at its Master before making a gesture, ordering the ten Rank 8 Azothralls to fight alongside it.

After a brief standoff, the Golden Azothrall charged, transforming its arms into golden blades.

The other Azothralls followed suit, transforming their arms into weapons like spears, halberds, bows, as well as other weapons that were meant for close and long-distance battles.

The Shadow Spider, Herfjotur, who was in charge of protecting Zion, jumped back, distancing herself from the inevitable clash between the Azothralls and her sisters.

The Celestial Lion, Brynhildr, roared and transformed into a Valkyrie, imitating Brynhildr's original features.

Holding a flaming sword and a shield in her hands, she flew toward Azoh'Karn in order to fight it one-on-one.

The other Valkyries also took their Valkyrie forms and engaged the Azothralls in battle.

When the two forces collided, Lucan immediately noticed that the Valkyries were actually stronger than the Azothralls!

"Archons!" Lucan hissed. However, a moment later, a crazed expression flashed across his face.

He flew in the Shadow Spider's direction. Lucan decided to take a gamble and fight against the Shadow Spider while the Azothralls buy him some time.

While he understood that he only had a minute or two before the Azothralls were wiped out, he decided to go all in for the sake of his future!

The reason why he took a risk was because it was very hard to fight while protecting someone.

Since the Shadow Spider would be too busy protecting Zia, Lucan believed that an opening would appear, on which he could seize victory!

Herfjotur, unleashed a spray of silk threads at the incoming Artemian, who used his sword to hack it to pieces.

The moment he closed the gap between them, Lucan didn't hesitate to attack Zia, believing that the Shadow Spider would protect her no matter what.

And he was right.

The Shadow Spider used her front legs to parry and block, Lucan's furious sword strikes, sending sparks flying with every clash.

"You're mine!" Lucan shouted the moment he saw an opening to grab Zia from the Shadow Spider's back.

But at that moment, a black flag appeared in his vision, covering the young lady whom he was about to grab.

A second later, Lucan roared in anger. He failed to capture his target, for Tiona had appeared to take her beloved.

The Artemian Commander locked his gaze at the retreating figure carrying Zia like a princess.

Tiona was being carried away by her demons, who merged together to transform into a giant black snake that slithered away from the battlefield.

Lucan ignored the Shadow Spider and flew toward Tiona. However, how could Herfjotur allow him to do what he wanted?

Silken threads that were harder than steel wrapped around the Artemian's foot, preventing him from pursuing Tiona.

Herfjotur had already transformed into her valkyrie form and fought against Lucan, wielding her dual blades that were darker than black.

Free from the burden of protecting Thirteen, the Valkyrie fought with great tenacity, forcing Lucan to back away due to her flurry of blows.

Just as Lucan was thinking on how to pursue Tiona, he saw something from the corner of his eye.

It was none other than a flaming spear that was only a few meters away from his face!

Using every bit of strength and willpower he had, Lucan looked to his right side, making the spear fly past his cheek, grazing him with blazing flames.

The Valkyries had already defeated the Azothralls and had decided to murder him next.

Faced with the thirteen Valkyries with the strength of Archons, Lucan did the only thing that he could do.

And what was that?

He broke his teleportation crystal, sending him a hundred miles away from where he was earlier.

The Valkyries' priority was to protect Zion, so they headed in the direction where Tiona had escaped earlier.

With their speed, they were able to catch up to Tiona in mere minutes.

Knowing that they were her Master's companions, Tiona stopped running away and faced them.

The Valkyries looked at Zia, who was sleeping peacefully in Tiona's arms with gentle gazes.

"It seems that the two of us share a destiny," Hildr, who was the Blade Serpent, said with a smile. "Hand her over to my sisters, and I will impart to you a part of my power. I believe you can use this power to protect him."

"I'll take him!" Mist replied happily and reached out to hold the sleeping Zia in her arms.

The valkyrie then kissed Zia's left cheek once, then twice, and was planning to kiss her a third time when Brynhildr covered her sister's mouth to stop her from taking advantage of their sleeping Master.

Tiona, who saw this, frowned. But knowing that they truly meant no harm to her Master, she decided to trust them for the time being.

"Close your eyes," Hildr said softly. "And do not resist."

The Valkyrie then pressed her forehead over Tiona's and passed her Dancing Blade Arts to her.

A moment later, Tiona also heard the sound of a chain breaking.

Without any warning, she felt a surge of strength wash over her body.

Tiona felt as if she had turned into light itself, slamming into countless barriers that prevented her from taking the next step in her evolution.

Rookie, Adept, Apostle, Elite, Initiate, Master, Grandmaster, Champion, Throne.

Thrones were called Kings and Queens.

And right now, Tiona had truly reached the rank of a Queen.

While it was still weaker compared to a Monarch, this drastic rise in strength was something that Tiona welcomed with open arms.

The stronger she was, the more she would be able to protect Zion.

"I have modified your genetics to transform you into a mutant variant that can increase Ranks," Hildr said as she took a step back. "You have now become a Gladius Domini Mortis. Please, use this power to protect Thirteen."

Hildr then moved closer to kiss Tiona's forehead before the Valkyrie transformed into particles of light.

She then flew back toward the Vault of Heaven as Thirteen's restrictions were slowly being reinforced once more.

Mist, who was holding Zia in her arms, sighed sadly. She then handed Zia back to Tiona and smiled faintly.

"Protect her," Mist stated. "Because she had done her best to protect all of us."

Tiona nodded in understanding because she knew what Mist was talking about.

Hildr didn't only give her a part of her powers.

She had also given Tiona a part of her memories.

And in that memory, she saw Thirteen fighting against the Systems and the System God in order to change the fate of the Cannon Fodders he held sacred.

One by one, the Valkyries bid their goodbyes as they turned into particles of light.

The Thirteenth Vault of Heaven had finally reached its limit and would disappear from the world.

Tiona watched it disappear from a distance and sighed in her heart.

But before she could even think of what to do next, she suddenly sensed the approach of an Archon, whom she thought had already escaped for his life.

"Play time's over," Lucan said with a sneer as he appeared hundreds of meters away from Tiona. "Now, no one will save you from me!"

The Artemian Commander was unwilling to leave, so he stayed as near as possible to Zia, who was being protected by the Valkyries.

He observed them from afar, and when he saw Hildr disappear, he understood that the Valkyries couldn't remain long in this world.

This made him very happy, so he waited until all of them were gone.

Of course, he didn't make his appearance right away.

He waited until the Vault of Heaven truly disappeared before making his move.

"Now, let's see where you can run, little girl," Lucan smirked as he walked towards Tiona, who had summoned countless blades, as well as the demons, in order to fight the Archon, who believed that he had finally won.