System's POV

Chapter 691: Leave The Rest To The Adults



Norman and Claude, who were busy dealing with the Warlord Pangolin, weren't aware of Zion's Banditry.

They were also not aware of the fact that two more Rank 7 Sovereigns and their bodyguards were already on their way to their location.

Right now, they were at a stalemate against the Warlord Pangolin, who was being protected by four Rank 5 Pangolin Sovereigns and two Rank 6 Alpha Pangolins.

There were also the Rank 3 and Rank 4 Monsters that served as mobs, which made things harder for them.

Norman tried to bulldoze his way and annihilated all the small fries in his path.

However, when he faced the combined Assault of the Rank 7 and Rank 6 Monsters, even he had to be cautious. In this kind of large-scale battle, being isolated from his allies would be a bad thing.

Thirteen, who was paying attention to this battle, had tasked Athena to record the battle from start to end.

He would then ask her to dissect Norman's and Claude's fighting style so that he would be able to counter them in the future.

Thirteen was also gathering the data of all the Elite forces of the Ashford Clan to have a better grasp of their fighting strength.

His only regret was that Aaron Ashford wasn't around.

He was the subject of Thirteen's and Erasmus' vengeance.

The two of them wished nothing more than to chop him to pieces and feed him to the fish. However, both of them decided to hold back for the time being for the bigger picture.

Currently, Pangea only had Six Monarchs, including the Grand Marshal of the Central

Government.

Even with them taking the lead, the human race had suffered losses time and time again. Just like how the other Monarchs were waiting to see the outcome of the invasion in the Cygni Continent, Thirteen and Erasmus were also waiting.

After the battle in the Cygni Continent was over, it was time for all the forces in the continent to once again set their sights on each other.

Old alliances might get broken, but new alliances would be made.

The Monarch Clans might start to target the aspiring families who wished to become part of the Prestigious Families.

There was also a possibility that Monarchs would fight against Monarchs, and the Thrones would fight against Thrones.

Only the upcoming invasion of the Cygni Continent prevented them from targeting each other because the first one to do such a thing would become public enemy number one.

Even the Central Government would move to deal with them because humanity couldn't afford to stand divided at this difficult time.

Just as Norman and Claude were able to bring down the Rank 5 Sovereigns, the roar of the Minotaur King reached their ears, making their faces turn grim.

"Retreat!" Norman commanded his own private army to make a strategic retreat.

All of them were people whom he had carefully nurtured over the years until they stepped into the Champion and Grandmaster Ranks.

Losing any of them would be a huge blow to his power, so he didn't hesitate to order them to leave while he bought them some time.

Claude gritted his teeth in frustration after hearing Norman's orders.

He wanted to tell him that they could still handle the current situation. However, a deafening screech spread in the surroundings, making his face turn grim.

The Hercules Beetle was charging right behind their backs, leaving no other path for Claude and his forces but to follow the members of the Stallard Clan, who had decisively run to the Eastern side of the city.

Claude knew that staying would mean death, so despite his misgivings, he also gave the order to retreat.

"Retreat to the east!" Claude ordered. "Head to Glory Academy!"

With a destination in mind, the Ashford Troops left the scene in haste.

Norman also didn't bother to stay because fighting against three Rank 7 Sovereigns and their bodyguards was something that he couldn't do alone.

He came because he had a deal with Claude. However, with the current situation at hand, it seemed that he had to eat a loss for this expedition.

However, deep inside, he was secretly feeling happy.

Now that he had an excuse to retreat, the Ashford Clan wouldn't be able to say that he didn't do his part as a member of their alliance.

'You could only blame yourself for not being here when your city needs you the most,' Norman sneered in his heart as he thought of Aaron, whose whereabouts were currently unknown.

Thirteen, who were watching this scene, weren't surprised by their actions.

Self-preservation was important, which was also the reason why the Antares and the Rigel Continent fell.

Even if the Wanderers stayed and fought with everything they had, the Monarchs would probably leave them behind once they deemed that the situation no longer had any chance of being overturned.

Once the strongest warriors of the human race decide to retreat, what could the lower- ranking Wanderers possibly do?

Fighting a horde of monsters led by Rank 8 and Rank 9 Sovereigns by themselves was like throwing an egg on a boulder.

No matter how many eggs you throw, the one that was going to break would always be the

eggs.

Thirteen asked Athena for the possible routes that the Monsters would take and made his plan according to her calculations.

"It's almost time," Thirteen muttered before making a hand gesture for his bandits to return to the Leventis Property to dump their hard-earned loot.

Now that the Stallard and Ashford Clans had left the scene, it was now time for him to take

-center stage.

The teenage boy then used his communicator to order Roland to take the Wanderers to the South of the City, where it was still relatively safe, and protect the second shelter from

wandering monsters.

He shared that three Rank 7 Sovereigns had appeared, accompanied by their lackeys and that the place they were headed to was east, not south.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

If it were only a Rank 7 Sovereign, he was certain that Roland would try to challenge it with his

Hero Party.

With the Divine Martial Techniques that Zion had imparted to them and the months of training they received in the Rigel Continent, the possibility of them pulling it off was high. However, this was on the condition that it was a one versus the entire Hero Party scenario. If the Rank 7 Monsters have bodyguards, then it would be harder for them to win. "You guys have already done your best," Thirteen said. "Now, leave the rest to the adults. Focus on protecting the civilians in the shelter located in the South. I will send my people

there as well."

After saying those words, Thirteen cut off his connection and ordered his Bandits to head to the South, where another Shelter for the civilians was located, and to regroup with the Hero

Party.

He ordered them to protect the place for the time being because the Low-Ranking Monsters were starting to expand outward of the city.

With their strength, he was confident that they would be able to handle the small fries of the

Monster Army.

Lastly, he wanted these Wanderers to gain merits so that the Ashford Clan would reward them for protecting the civilians.

At the end of the day, Thirteen couldn't abandon the helpless people who were currently hiding in the shelters, unaware that the Monster Outbreak that they thought would be easily dealt with had already evolved into something that was already outside of the Ashford Clan's

control.