Chapter 241 Checkmate 'H-How did this happen?!' Arundel, who had suffered serious injuries after getting punched twice by Mammon, stared in horror as the Fiend descended from the sky. He was certain that the Fiend of Wealth and Greed couldn't care less even if he were to conquer the Valbarra Archipelago. For the most part, Mammon only cared about wealth and treasures, so his invasion was not enough for him to make an appearance. Arundel had been very cautious from the start, and he even asked the Majin Princess, Kamrusepa, a favor to do a divination for him. Kamrusepa had assured him that Forneus wouldn't make an appearance, which was the only thing that worried Arundel in his grand design for the Valbarra Archipelago. The Majin Princess was spot on, and the Sea Monster was indeed nowhere in sight. However, someone else had come, which made the one who had the title of "The Destroyer" feel as if the one who was going to be destroyed was him. "It has been a while since someone dared to take what is mine." Mammon growled as he stepped on the body of the Majin Prince, crushing Arundel's right leg. "Do you have a death wish?" "N-No! Your Excellency!" Arundel replied. "I have no intention of taking what is yours!" "But you did." Mammon sneered. "All the Gold in the Valbarra Archipelago has been erased by you. Tell me, how do you plan to settle your debts?" Arundel's Army shuddered as Mammon's gaze swept through them all. Perhaps, not able to take the fear and pressure that was coming from the Fiend, one of the Hell Chargers decided to run away. This created a spark, prompting the rest of the Majin Prince's army to run toward the sea, where the Sea Monsters were waiting for their return. Mammon looked at these fleeing monsters in contempt. Since when did he allow those who owed him to escape and not pay their dues? A second later, a beam of light erupted from the Golden Giant's eyes and covered all the Jinns and Majins under Arundel's command. When the light receded, the formidable army, which had come to invade the Valbarra Archipelago, had been turned into gold statues. This made the armies of the Barbarians, Orcs, Tigerkins, Ogres, and Trolls stay where they were. They didn't dare make any move in fear that the next ones who would be turned into golden statues would be them. "Y-Your Excellency, please, let me explain!" Arundel pleaded. "I only defended myself." "So you're saying that your life is worth more than my gold?" Mammon said in disdain. "Since when was that the case? Even dozens of you will not amount to a single gold coin that belongs to me." Mammon crushed Arundel's left leg, crippling the Majin Prince. If Arundel really wanted to, he could turn his destroyed legs into flames, allowing him to stand once more. But he didn't dare to do it. He could feel that his life was only a moment away from being extinguished, so he shamelessly begged for mercy and pleaded to be spared. Seeing that there was no trace of mercy on the Fiend's expression, Arundel decided to shift the blame to someone else. "Your Excellency, I believe that boy is responsible for everything," Arundel said as he pointed at Thirteen, who was crying dozens of meters away from him. The chains that bound Arundel earlier had shattered the moment Mammon punched the Majin Prince. However, the formation that Thirteen created was still active, trapping the seriously injured Majin Prince in place. "And what of it?" Mammon asked in contempt. "So what if he is responsible for everything? A mere boy, not even a man, faced you in battle and used everything in his arsenal to win. And you, despite your advantage, still lost. You're a disgrace." Arundel clenched his fists tightly because he couldn't refute Mammon's words. If the members of the Order of the Apocalypse were to know that he was defeated by a child, who was not even of age, he would become the laughing stock of their organization. But he would rather be a laughing stock than be dead. Mammon snorted before giving the seven-year-old a sidelong glance. "But you're right," Mammon stated. "This boy used an underhanded means to forcefully summon me to this place. This is something that I do not find pleasing." The Beacon of Light was only supposed to make Mammon look in the direction of the Valbarra Archipelago to see what was happening. If he felt like it, then he would be able to instantly teleport to its location using the Beacon that he had given Arthas' ancestor. But Thirteen did him dirty. Thanks to the High-Level Rune added to the golden amulet, its effects were amplified, forcing Mammon to appear in the Valbarra Archipelago whether he liked it or not. Sensing that this was his only opportunity to survive, Arundel grabbed hold of the opportunity to gain Mammon's favor. "Please, allow me to deal with him for you, Your Excellency!" Arundel begged. "I will serve you and become your loyal servant, so please, spare me!" "Oh?" Mammon smiled evilly. "Very well. I will give you a chance. Kill him." "Yes!" Arundel turned his broken legs into flames, allowing him to stand up again. He then glared hatefully at the boy who was standing behind Anwir and Percival. The two Tigerkins had both taken a fighting stance, ready to fight. Thirteen, who had heard everything, wiped the tears in his eyes and looked at the Majin Prince, who had every intention of killing him. "It's too late," Thirteen replied softly. "This game of chess is already over. You've lost, Arundel." The Majin Prince ignored the boy's words and took a step forward in order to punch him to oblivion. But just as he was about to do the deed, a Bolt made from reinforced steel pierced his chest, making him stagger. Before Arundel could even realize what was happening, a second bolt descended upon his body, this time, piercing his waist. If it had been earlier, Arundel would have easily dealt with the injuries in his body. But after getting seriously injured by Mammon's punches, which was instilled with Fiendish Aura, he had lost a good chunk of his strength, making his Rank regress to that of a Rank 7 Sovereign. This made him unable to react to the two reinforced bolts filled with Thirteen's Rune Magic, whose only purpose was to hit the Majin Prince that was still at the center of the Magic Formation. Right now, Arundel was no longer the invincible Majin Prince. Even a reinforced bolt traveling at the speed of sound would be more than enough to pierce his body. "D-Don't mess with me!" Arundel roared in anger as he covered his body in flames. He couldn't believe that he was suffering so much because of a human child, whom he had only met for the first time. As his gaze landed on the boy, he saw Thirteen raise his right hand to give him the middle finger. "Checkmate." Thirteen's words reached the Majin Prince's ears. Not long after, two more bolts descended from the heavens and hit his Majin Core, making Arundel, who gained the title of "The Destroyer," howl in pain and desperation. "If I'm going to die, I'll take you with me!" Arundel's eyes glowed with power as he prepared to self-destruct. However, at that exact moment, the Devil-Horned Honey Badger, Cranky, emerged from the ground behind him and slashed Arundel's neck, severing it from his body. After absorbing the Fire Dragon's Core, the Honey Badger's Rank jumped from a Rank 7 Sovereign to a Rank 8 Sovereign. This made Cranky much stronger than the seriously injured Arundel, allowing his razor sharp claws to slice the Majin Prince's body, ending his life before he could even self-destruct. The Honey Badger felt so accomplished for killing a very strong enemy that it screeched loudly to assert its dominance. Right now, it was the strongest creature in the Valbarra Archipelago, making it a Guardian Deity of sorts. Cranky happily picked up Arundel's head from the ground with the intention to eat it. However, just as he was about to take a bite, someone tapped his shoulder, making the Honey Badger hiss in anger. But when he saw that the one that tapped him was Mammon, Cranky started purring like a cat, making the corner of Anwir's and Percival's lips twitch. Mammon then reverted to his peaceful and smiling face before extending his hand to the Honey Badger, gesturing to it to give him Arundel's head. Cranky looked at the Fiend's hand before shifting his gaze to Arundel's head. A look of unwillingness could be seen on the Honey Badger's face, but in the end, he did the right thing and surrendered the Majin Prince's head to Mammon. The moment Cranky placed Arundel's severed head on Mammon's palm, it immediately turned to gold, making the Honey Badger jump back in fear. Mammon then gazed in the direction where the reinforced bolts came from, but the only thing he saw were a few shooting stars that shot up towards the sky. The Fiend then shifted its attention to the seven-year-old, who was being protected by the two Tigerkins. "Your name?" Mammon asked. "Zion Leventis," Thirteen replied. Mammon then crouched down and smiled at the seven-year- old who had used him to fight his enemy. Without any warning, the Fiend flicked his finger on the seven- year-old boy, sending the latter flying thousands of meters in the air. A trail of blood escaped the boy's lips as he helplessly fell toward the ground. "If you manage to survive, I'll consider this incident even." Mammon growled. "No one can use me to fight their battles for them." The Fiend attacked Thirteen with the intention to kill. But instead of the boy turning into meat paste, the blow only sent the boy flying, making him suffer serious injuries. Due to how sudden it was, Anwir and Percival weren't able to react in time. Mammon didn't even bother to look at the outcome because he believed that the boy would die the moment he crashed on the ground. But even if he managed to survive, that was fine as well. Mammon disappeared alongside the Army of the Majin Prince, which had been transformed into gold. He then returned to the Main Continent, leaving the Valbarra Archipelago and the boy who was falling from the sky to their Fate. ------------------------ A/N: I will post 2 more chapters after an hour