System's POV

Azothralls were meticulously created to become the perfect killing machine.

So, Azoh'Karn had full confidence that no one of the same rank would ever beat it in battle. And this mindset was further cemented by his performance in the war against the Jinns, where it fought tooth and nail against the Commander of the Dragonkin Army, Commander Dravon.

While Azoh'Karn was constantly pushed back, it was still proud of itself, thinking that if it weren't for the difference in their rank, it wouldn't be losing.

After all, it was just a Rank 9 Sovereign at that time, while its opponent was a Majin Prince. Their gap had been simply too big, so losing was only natural.

Azoh'Karn's mindset was different from Cranky's, who faced off against a Majin King despite being weaker rank-wise.

Cranky fought not because it wasn't afraid, but because its friends were fighting.

It knew that the Ancient Eight-Headed Snake was truly powerful, but after meeting Zion, it realized that Rank wasn't everything.

Since the teenage boy, who was many times weaker than the Honey Badger was fighting, how could Cranky possibly run away?

It fought and protected Zion until it almost died, not complaining in the slightest.

Cranky made no excuse—like it was only defeated because its opponent was strong.

This difference in mindset was what made Cranky become a true powerhouse in its own right.

Azoh'Karn dared to face Zia because it thought that the Succubus Princess was weak.

Although the chains that were about to collide with it looked imposing, it believed that it could easily break it—no different from snapping a small wooden branch.

But it didn't take long for Azoh'Karn to realize that it was wrong.

Very wrong.

The Golden Azothralls were birthed by the High Priestesses of Chandrea.

These were blessed with divine powers, which they had passed on to the Golden Azothralls.

Simply put, if one had enough holy or divine powers in their bodies, they would be able to give birth to a Golden Azothrall.

This was why they had purposely targeted Shana and Princess Aracelle in the past—both ladies had enough powers to birth their kind.

And what were the Chains of Heaven strong against?

Divinity.

Even if Azoh'Karn only possessed a small fraction of it, divinity was still divinity.

The golden chains coiled themselves onto its body tightly.

At first, the Golden Azothrall didn't panic or feel anxious and simply exerted its strength, intending to break the chains that bound it.

It let out a mighty roar and unleashed an explosive strength that made the chains rattle.

But they held firm, binding the alien-like monster completely.

Azoh'Karn was surprised at his failure to break free, so it tried again, and again, and again.

But it was of no use.

"You know, everyone has a plan," Zia said. "That is until they met me."

Her voice was calm.

Too calm—as if she wasn't just binding a golden terror capable of toppling entire armies.

Azoh'Karn glared at her with glowing eyes, its body still writhing violently under the Chains of Heaven.

It struggled as much as it could, trying its best to break free from the puny chains that it thought it could snap easily.

But no matter how much force it exerted, the golden chains remained firm, as if drawing strength from the very divinity it was trying to resist.

"I will not be held by a lesser creature!" Azoh'Karn bellowed, its voice echoing like a thunderstorm.

Zia didn't flinch.

With a flick of her wrist, the chains tightened once more and sent the Golden Azothrall high up in the air.

"That's the funny thing," Zia said, her wings slowly unfurling as her pupils glowed in a golden light. "You're not chained because you're weak."

The young lady then slashed her hand downward, sending Azothrall hurtling toward the ground at great speed.

"You're chained because you're strong," Zia added before her foe slammed onto the ground face first, creating a crater that was nearly a hundred-meter wide.

Lucan and Prince Aurelion, who were both paying close attention to Zia while it fought against the Golden Azothrall, couldn't help but distance themselves from each other to take a better look at the result of the young lady's clash with the alien-looking monster.

'H-How is this possible?!' Lucan firmly believed that Azoh'Karn would be able to easily capture Zia while he dealt with Prince Aurelion, so he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

On the other hand, Prince Aurelion didn't think that he could fall in love with a lady more than he already did.

But he was wrong.

He was someone who loved beauty and strength at the same time.

Since Zia had both, his feelings for her intensified.

'I want her more than ever!' Prince Aurelion stared at the young lady, bordering fanaticism that he was feeling for the first time in his life.

Zia had no idea what Lucan and Prince Aurelion were thinking, nor did she care about it. The only thing on her mind was to break her opponent and eliminate the immediate threat in front of her.

"Heaven Slaying Arts… Third Form," Zia said as she raised her left hand to once again send Azoh'Karn's body flying into the air.

She then moved her right hand, summoning a single golden chain that blazed in golden flames.

"By this chain, I sever heaven's lies—Celestial Guillotine!"

With a slash motion as if she was cutting the sky in half, Zia sent the blazing chain towards Azoh'Karn, who was unable to break free from its bindings.

"Noooo!" Azoh'Karn used everything in its power to dodge the incoming attack, barely evading it.

The Celestial Guillotine cut three of the Golden Azothrall's arms, resulting in a shower of blood that rained down from the sky.

Azoh'Karn screamed, not just from the pain, but from the fear it felt after seeing that single golden chain almost slice its body in half.

It twisted mid-air, its remaining limbs flailing as it plummeted toward the earth.

The divine blood that rained from its severed arms sizzled upon touching the ground, carving steam and light into the battlefield like molten fire from the heavens themselves.

Zia's chains snapped taut again, catching Azoh'Karn just before it could hit the ground.

The Golden Azothrall hung suspended in the air, its body limp. Three of its arms missing, and golden blood gushed from its wounds. Its aura flickered and dimmed, like a god's dying breath.

"You're starting to understand now, aren't you?" Zia said softly. Her voice was barely above a whisper as she looked up into the heavens.

Looking at the Gods, who may or may not be watching her battle right now.

"Chains of Heaven do not bind the weak," Zia stated as she continued to look at the sky. "They judge the arrogant, and those who think that they can play with the lives of mortals as if they were their toys."

High up in the Celestial Realm, the System God looked at his no-good son, whom he believed was talking to him.

Deus Ex Machina was busy analyzing the Chains of Heaven, but he couldn't get any information from it.

The reason?

It was because Thirteen had bound it with his soul core, which meant that the Chains were one with him.

He was the Chains of Heaven.

The Chains of Heaven was him.

The chains that would one day hang around the System God's neck and make him understand what it meant to be dragged down from the heavens and into the world of mortals, where Thirteen was currently at.