381 The Great Escape [Part 4] "This thing is at least five tons," Arthur complained. "If I were someone who doesn't specialize in strength, this would have been a problem." "You can do it, Gramp," Thirteen replied. "Also, Mr. Flying Serpent, do your best as well!" The Flying Serpent screeched as if telling the teenage boy to shut up or it would toss him to the ground. After Arthur caught the Cocoon, the speed of the Flying Serpent's flight decreased drastically because of how heavy it was. "Just fly higher!" Thirteen stated. "You don't need to fly farther, just higher! Make sure that the Centipede King's attacks won't reach us!" Finding the boy's advice good, the Flying Serpent no longer pushed itself to speed to the sea, and just focused on flying as high as it could. Seeing Arthur struggle, Lawrence ordered his Silver Dragon to fly beside the other party so that he could help him carry the Cocoon using his telekinesis ability. "Just what are you carrying, Arthur?" Lawrence asked as he activated his ability, which made the Patriarch of the Leventis Family and his flying serpent feel like a great burden had been relieved from their shoulders. Feeling the weight decreased drastically, the Flying Serpent soared toward the sky just in time to escape the Centipede King's desperate lunge which sent it soaring for over a hundred meters above the ground. Its fangs were only two meters away from the Flying Serpent's neck, which made it screech in frustration as it fell back down on the ground. A few seconds later, a barrage of cannon fire descended on its body, but its tough exoskeleton protected it from the brunt of these attacks. It hatefully glared at the Flying Serpent in the sky. But it didn't give up, extending its tail to grab one of its subordinates and hurling it toward the Wanderers who had denied it the chance to break through to the next Rank. Cristopher, who was flying close to his Young Master, ordered his Roc to deal with the Giant Centipede that was tossed in their direction. The Roc didn't hesitate to use its sharp claws to slice off the Centipede's body in half, making it fall helplessly back to the ground. Another angry screech reverberated in the surroundings before the Centipede King decided that there was no use in staying anymore. It wanted to vent its frustration on Rocky, but the Magma Bal-Boa had already dug far too deep into the ground and activated its stealth abilities, preventing the Centipede King from knowing its whereabouts. "Zion, what is inside this Cocoon?" Lawrence asked in a serious tone. "It's just a monster egg I happened to pick up on my way back to the surface," Thirteen replied in an innocent tone. "Just a monster egg?" Lawrence chuckled. "Boy, do you really think I'm stupid? That Centipede King would not have targeted you if this was an ordinary Monster Egg." "I know it's not an ordinary egg," Thirteen stated. "That's why I decided to take it." Lawrence glanced at Arthur, but the latter just shrugged. Both of them had been fighting alongside the Wanderers at first and only went down to help the Magma Bal-Boa, who was being chased by the Centipede King. "Then, just tell me this," Lawrence decided to compromise. "Is this the egg of the Brain Beetle?" "No," Thirteen replied. "It's the Centipede King's egg." Lawrence had the strong urge to flick the forehead of the lying brat, but in the end, he decided to just accept that Zion didn't plan on telling him anything. "How about the Brain Beetle?" Lawrence asked. "The Brain Beetle was eaten by the Centipede King," Thirteen answered. "It seems that the balance of power between the Kings has been broken." Lawrence frowned. "Then, how can you prove to the Dvalinn Federation that the Brain Beetle is dead?" "Don't worry. I have that covered as well," Thirteen stated. "But we can't return to the ship carrying this thing. I don't want any rumors flying around that I have a Brain Beetle's egg in my possession—it's completely not true. "But we can't stop people from gossiping either. It will be so annoying handling the aftermath. Let's drop it somewhere safe first." Thirteen then checked his communicator to look for the Nautilus' whereabouts. After confirming its location, he asked his Grandfather and the Grand Marshal to fly in the direction where his submarine was currently at. Far out into the sea, Nautilus rose up and opened a hatch, allowing them to deposit the egg on the submarine. "I'll be staying here for a while, but I'll return in the evening," Thirteen stated after confirming that the egg was very much alive. "Tell everyone that I am safe, and we have accomplished our mission. When I return, I will show everyone the evidence that the Brain Beetle has died." "Okay," Arthur, who knew that his grandson was up to something, patted Lawrence's shoulder and signaled for him to follow him back to his Aircraft Carrier. The Grand Marshal was reluctant to go, but seeing that the teenage boy was not planning on spilling the beans, he decided to wait and have a private talk with him later. When the two old men finally left, the hatch closed and the submarine submerged itself in the sea. Thirteen breathed a sigh of relief before placing his hand over the Cocoon and activating his Ring of the Apocalypse. The scenery around him changed, and he found himself standing in front of the treasury with the cocoon by his side. "My child!" The Brain Beetle immediately charged in the direction of the Cocoon, but when it was only a few meters away from it, the beetle's body froze, unable to move even by a millimeter. "You're finally here, Thirteen," Metatron appeared beside the boy with a smile. "You've sent some interesting things here in the treasury, especially this egg. Are you planning to exchange it for some Apocalypse Points?" "Not this time, Metatron," Thirteen replied. "I will need this egg to help me grow stronger." Metatron nodded. "A good choice." "By the way, can I ask you for a simple favor?" Thirteen inquired. "You've been asking favors from me every time you visit," Metatron smirked. "So what is it this time?" "I need Evuvug to die once," Thirteen said as he gazed at the Brain Beetle, who was frozen in place. "But I still need him alive. I just need his body since I need to present the evidence that he is already dead." The Brain Beetle, who heard Thirteen's words, started to panic. Its legs moved erratically as if trying to break free from the invisible shackles that bound it. The Bird Man, Zed, looked at the Brain Beetle with a pitiful gaze. He had tried to die many times, but each time he died, he would find himself fully healed as if nothing had happened. "Easy peasy," Metatron said before clapping his hand once. The struggling Brain Beetle suddenly stopped moving. Metatron raised his hand, and the Brain Beetle's Core popped out of Evuvug's body. He then snapped his fingers, and the core spun around, sending threads of silk around it. Half a minute later, Evuvug once again reappeared, but with a new body. It had reverted to its previous state before giving birth to its egg, which was its peak condition. "Thank you," Thirteen said before shifting his gaze to the Evuvug, who was in a state of complete disbelief after being revived so easily. "There are still things I need to do outside, so I'll be leaving the egg in your care for now, Evuvug. But don't do anything funny. If you do, I'll make sure that you will never see your egg again as you rot in this place for eternity." After saying those words, Thirteen stored Evuvug's dead body inside his storage ring and returned to Nautilus. When he was safely back in the submarine, the first thing he did was summon Rocky. The container unit of the Nautilus was large enough to house Thirteen's monster army, so summoning the Magma Bal-Boa there wasn't a problem. Rocky had received some injuries during its desperate escape from the Centipede King. However, his body's regeneration ability would heal its wounds completely as long as he focused on resting for a few days. "Thank you, Rocky," Thirteen said as he patted the Magma Bal-Boa's head. "You're the MVP this time around." Rocky let out a low roar of appreciation before spitting Hans and the three Valkyries out of his Mobile Fortress. The Magma Bal-Boa then closed its eyes to rest—it was truly exhausted after its near-death encounter with the Centipede King, who was currently on its way back to its territory in the North of the Rigel Continent.