System's POV

After viewing everything in the treasury, including the armor section, Thirteen finally made his decision.

"Tell me, Metatron. Did you add this weapon just for me?" Thirteen asked the God of the Apocalypse after choosing the weapon that seemed to fit him perfectly.

A weapon that resonated with his goal to defy Fate.

A weapon assimilating the shackles that bound his entire being, preventing him from becoming the strongest in Pangea and Solterra.

"I'll leave the answer to your imagination," Metatron replied. "But let me just ask one thing. The weapon you chose, do you plan to use it to fight Deus Ex Machina?"

"I'll leave the answer to your imagination," Thirteen replied with a smirk.

"Touche."

"You're the one who started it."

The two shared a knowing smile with each other before Thirteen opened the portal to return to Pangea.

However, he hesitated a bit before going to the portal. He glanced at Metatron, who was curious as to why the teenage boy suddenly stopped.

"Is there something else you want to tell me?" Metatron inquired.

"Do you like kids?" Thirteen asked.

"I don't hate them," Metatron answered.

Thirteen nodded before leaving the domain of the apocalypse.

Metatron stood in silence as he stared at the space where the portal disappeared completely, wondering why Thirteen asked such an unusual question.

****

"Welcome back, Sir," Cristopher greeted Thirteen as soon as he emerged from his Humvee.

"How long have I been away?" Thirteen asked.

"Just an hour, Sir," Cristopher answered. "Is everything alright? You look a little pale."

Thirteen took out a mirror from his dimensional storage and took a good look at himself.

Just like Cristopher had said, he did look slightly pale.

Thirteen believed this was the side-effect of the Divine Weapon currently merging with his body.

"I'll be fine after a few days of rest," Thirteen said, assuring Cristopher so the latter wouldn't worry about him. "I'm just a little under the weather."

The young man nodded and no longer pried about his Young Master's condition.

If Thirteen told him that he was healthy, then he was healthy.

If he said that the sun would rise from the west tomorrow, Cristopher would believe it without batting an eye.

That was how much the young man respected his Young Master, who had changed his fate for the better.

"Where is Hugo?" Thirteen inquired.

"He's with Penny right now," Cristopher replied.

Thirteen blinked once, then twice, before shaking his head helplessly.

"Advise him to not get too close with Penny and Vincent in the future," Thirteen ordered. "It would be a shame if he was dragged to the dark side."

"But Sir, I thought we're already on the dark side?"

"Cristopher, even the dark side has places that you won't want to go. The last thing you want to happen is to wake up with Penny sleeping beside you. By then, it would already be too late."

"Too late?" Cristopher tilted his head in confusion.

"Never mind. I forgot you're still pure." Thirteen waved his hand as if telling Cristopher to forget whatever he said earlier. "Where's Sherry?"

"She's with her parents," Cristopher answered. "Should I call for her, Sir?"

"No need. I'm not in a hurry. Thank you for guarding me. You can now return to your duties, Cristopher."

"Yes, Sir!"

Thirteen looked up at the sky above him to see if anything had changed while he was away.

Even though it was already daytime, and the sun was shining brightly, cracks could still be seen in the sky.

The part where the sky fell looked perfectly normal, showing a clear blue sky without any clouds in sight.

Suddenly, his communicator rang, prompting him to check who the caller was.

When he saw a familiar name, he couldn't help but smile. After all, this was one of the people who had fought alongside him in the Rigel Continent.

"Hello, Viola," Thirteen said as Viola's projection appeared before him.

"Hello, Zion," the lady with shoulder-length blonde hair replied with a smile. "Did you miss me?"

"I did," Thirteen replied. "Are Sharon and Louise still alive?"

"Hey! Don't kill us off yet!"

"That's right! We're still alive, you know?!?"

Two pretty ladies appeared beside Viola and gave Zion a look filled with injustice.

"I was just joking, you know?" Thirteen smirked. "If any of you girls died after drinking my juice, I will go look for your graves and piss on them."

"Wow! We haven't seen each other for years, and that's the first thing you've said to us?" Louise face-palmed. "You really have no delicacy when it comes to ladies, Zion."

"Now that you've grown up, I want to drink a different kind of juice from you," Sharon said with a smirk. "Should we ask your two fiancees for permission first? I hope they don't mind. I've been waiting for you to grow up, you know?"

"Hey! The two of you stop it!" Viola pushed the two ladies away so that she could talk to Zion properly. "Ignore these two girls. They've been very excited ever since they got the news that we will be collaborating again.

"Commander Marion is also very happy to work with you again. I just called to tell you that we will reach your location by tomorrow morning. Of course, we didn't hurry because you are waiting for us. Don't get the wrong idea, okay?"

Thirteen nodded in understanding. "Thank you for coming on such short notice. I've been learning how to give massages as of late. I'll give you girls a session when we have some free time on our hands."

"A massage? That's perfect!" Sharon said. "We will also give you a massage. Look forward to it!"

While the four were happily chatting with each other, the three girls suddenly saw a young lady hug Zion from the side.

She was none other than Sherry, who had returned from her talk with her parents.

"Am I disturbing you?" Sherry asked, while still clinging to Zion.

"No," Thirteen replied. "This is a perfect opportunity. Let me introduce the three members of the Valkyries who helped me fight against Evuvug in the Rigel Continent. This is Viola, Sharon, and Louise.

"Girls, this is my fiancee, Sherry. I hope the four of you get along. After all, we'll soon be roaming around as a single team."

The three girls looked at the young and innocent-looking beauty beside Zion. They already knew that he was engaged to Erica and Sherry.

They have seen the Sorceress many times already, but this was the first time they were seeing Sherry.

"I see. So you are weak against this kind of girl, Zion," Viola commented. "Even if I'm a girl, just looking at Sherry makes me want to protect her."

"I get that feeling, too." Loraine nodded.

"Don't be fooled, girls," Sharon said. "Although she looks innocent, I confidently bet she had already eaten the forbidden fruit."

"You mean, she has already eaten Zion's ding ding dong?" Louise's eyes widened in shock. "I guess she's a wolf in sheep's clothing."

Sherry's face turned beet red after hearing the comment of the older girls, who seemed very close to her fiancé.

Seeing her blush, the three couldn't help but say "awww" at the same time because Sherry was truly adorable when she blushed like this.

"Okay. Stop bullying my future wife," Thirteen said as he hugged Sherry with one hand and pulled her close to his embrace. "As you can see, she gets embarrassed very easily."

The three ladies giggled before continuing to chat with Zion and Sherry. This lasted for five more minutes before their commander, Marion, called them so that they could continue traveling.

"They seem really close to you, Zion," Sherry said after the call ended.

"Yes," Thirteen replied. "After all, they sacrificed their bodies to atone for their mistakes."

"Sacrificed their bodies?"

"Mmm."

Viola, Sharon, and Louise may still look like humans on the surface, but a quarter of their genetic make-up was now made up of Jinn Cells.

In return for shedding a part of their humanity, they've become super soldiers, stronger than the Wanderers of the same Rank.

Thirteen planned to modify their bodies again, so when time came, they could still give birth to perfectly normal humans without defects.

But just to be on the safe side, he temporarily disabled their fertility so that they wouldn't give birth to mutants that were half human and half jinn in nature.

Back then, all Viola wanted was to atone, not caring for her life.

Her friends, Sharon and Louise, decided to take the same path as her, so they could avenge their comrades who died in the Rigel Continent because of their mistake.

When Thirteen modified their bodies, he was still thinking as a "system," not as a human.

Only after spending time with Sherry and Erica did he develop a more humane side to him.

This was what made him reconsider modifying the three Valkyries' bodies once more, so they could enjoy the privileges of being mothers and continuing their bloodlines in the coming future.