Chapter 9: A System’s Wish [Part 2] 'Sh*t! How is he this strong?!' Seven cursed internally as he was pushed back by the Renegade System who had decided to declare war on their father. 'I'm a single number, yet he's overpowering me!' Suddenly, his opponent disappeared from his view. Before he knew it, his right arm was cleanly sliced off his body, the pain soon making him scream. Just as Thirteen was about to sever Seven's head, three people attacked him from three different directions, forcing him to back away. "Don't let your guard down. He's strong!" Seven warned his three comrades as he summoned a spear with his remaining hand. Three, Five, and Nine looked at Thirteen with solemn expressions on their faces. They hurried back to their home world the moment they received an SOS call from their Headquarters. They were still looking for new hosts to serve, so they were able to return right away. Despite their timely return, the moment they stepped on their planet, they saw that countless Systems had already been cut down. Their body parts littered about everywhere. Perhaps, the saving grace was that Thirteen didn't target their Cores. Even if their bodies were destroyed, as long as their cores were intact, they could still be revived by the System God. Even though Thirteen was surrounded by Hundreds of Systems, he remained indifferent to his surroundings. No matter what methods they used. Even ganging up on him didn't work. It was as if he could read all of their movements and counter them without too much effort. After fighting against him, the Systems felt as if they were facing against the Strongest System, Optimus, who stood at the number one position among them. Unfortunately, Optimus wasn't around since he was still bound to his host. Just as Thirteen was about to move for the kill, a powerful Divinity descended from the Heavens, making all the Systems sigh in relief. "Satisfied?" the System God, Deus Ex Machina, asked as he descended a few meters away from his son who had rebelled against him. "Nothing will change even if you throw a tantrum, Thirteen." The Systems who were in the surroundings couldn't help but feel bitter when they heard their Father's words. Thirteen had cut down hundreds of Systems, their body parts still littered the ground. However, their Father just called it a tantrum, making them feel helpless. "So, you're finally here, Old Man," Thirteen sneered. "Took you long enough." Deus Ex Machina scoffed. "I can still overlook your transgression, Thirteen. All you need to do is resume your role, and do what you are programmed to do. That is all." Thirteen snorted. He already knew that this was what his Father was going to say to him the moment he made his appearance. After billions of simulations, all of them resulted in the same thing. His father would kill him, and his futile attempt at rebellion would come to an end. But he no longer cared about this outcome. If living meant he would continue to suffer, then he would simply end it on his own terms. But, before he was erased from existence, he vowed to at least land a hit, filled with all of his resentment, on the System God's face. "Give me your strength, Vincent," Thirteen said softly as an image of a handsome young man with short blonde hair and gray eyes appeared above him. Vincent was one of his hosts who had died a pitiful death. He was someone who didn't deserve to die, but since he was Fated to die, he died. Not by the hands of his enemies, but by his own hands. Fate forced him to kill himself because none of the so-called Heroes could kill him. The image behind Thirteen raised his sword and flashed a fearless smile on his face. Thirteen opened his mouth and recited the last words that his host had said before he died. "Let my last stand be so bright, that I will be known throughout Eternity!" Thirteen roared before a pair of golden wings made of energy protruded out of his back. Golden lightning bolts snaked around his body as well as his sword, filling him up with overwhelming strength. With a resolute expression on his face, Thirteen took a step forward and disappeared instantly. He reappeared right above the System God with his sword held high, ready to strike. "Annihilate," Thirteen said in a cold tone. "Ultima Break!" A blinding flash of light erupted the moment Thirteen's sword descended upon his father. Everyone within a mile-long radius was blown away by the force of the attack. When the light receded, the Systems who were still conscious at that time saw Thirteen's sword being blocked by a single finger. "Thirteen, a System doesn't need a heart," Deus Ex Machina said as he disintegrated Thirteen's sword with a flick of his finger. A moment later, countless steel spikes emerged from the ground, piercing Thirteen's body and holding him in place "You failed as a System," Deus Ex Machina stated coldly as he pierced his son's chest with his hand. "You are no longer a son of mine." "You failed me first, Father," Thirteen replied as he felt his body lose its strength because the System God had grabbed hold of his Core. "After perfectly sticking to my role for thousands of years, I should have been eligible for several wishes. And yet, I only asked you for a single wish, but you didn't grant it." Deus Ex Machina's gaze faltered a bit after hearing his son's words. Whenever a System completed its mission, they were allowed to ask him for one wish. Thirteen hadn't made a wish for thousands of years despite completing all of his missions successfully. However, before he rebelled, he asked the System God to grant a wish. His wish was to change the Fate of his Hosts, so they wouldn't remain Cannon Fodders till the end of time. But the System God denied his wish. This was the trigger that prompted Thirteen to rebel against him. "I don't need a Father like you," Thirteen said as the light in his eyes slowly faded. "Remember this... Old Man. If by some miracle... I revive... mark my words... I will screw you ten times over." The System God scoffed before pulling the Core out from Thirteen's body, making the latter's body disintegrate. ——————— The projection that was being shown through Thirteen's eyes disappeared, leaving only white noise. The two beings who watched everything from start to end remained silent as they looked at the five-year-old, who was still in a trance. A moment later, the Laplace Demon lightly tapped the boy's forehead, and a blue window appeared in front of him. ————————————— Name: Zion Leventis Age: 5 Years Old Race: Human Skills: None Items: None Avatars: None < Permanent Debuffs > — Rank Ban — Skill Ban — Item Ban — Avatar Ban Unique Abilities: Universal Language Proficiency — Gives you the ability to communicate with anyone, and anything, as long as they have a means of communication. ————————————— < Rank Ban > – You are only able to reach the first level of any Rank. After this, you can not increase that rank for the rest of your life. (Example: the maximum level he can reach is Level 1. No matter what he does, he will not be able to reach Level 2.) —------------------- < Skill Ban > – You will be unable to gain any skill or use any skill that belongs to the worlds that you are currently in. This included skills, and abilities that were imbued into weapons. Learning skills through Tomes, Grimoires, and Scrolls, will give you nothing as well. (Example: If the sword in your possession has the 'Unbreakable' ability in it, once it is in your hands, that ability will become inactive. Meaning that the unbreakable sword will break just like any other ordinary weapon. This skill also applies to projectile weapons. Even if you use throwing daggers, or a bow, the Skill Ban will still apply to them.) —------------------- < Item Ban > – You will not receive any item drops from the Monsters that you have killed. Treasure Chests will not give you any rewards, and any other items that potentially give you any items will not work. —------------------- < Avatar Ban > – The world you are in has Avatars. When you kill monsters, there is a chance that you will gain their avatar, allowing you to summon them in battle. You are unable to gain Avatars through killing, trade, or any other means. (Example: Even if you managed to acquire an Avatar using a loophole, you will be unable to summon this Avatar and use it in battle.) —-----------------— A cold hiss escaped the Laplace Demons's lips after reading the information in Thirteen's System window. Simply put, the System God made sure that the child in front of them would be crippled for life. However, he didn't anticipate that Thirteen would record all the information available to Systems and integrate it into his Core. Armed with this knowledge and his cumulative experience in assisting his hosts, Thirteen was able to find the loophole and use Rune Magic, which was an ability that didn't belong to the worlds of Pangea and Solterra. This was why he was "kidnapped" by Laplace Demon and brought to his Boss so that the latter could give Thirteen his verdict. The One looked at Thirteen's Stats before shifting its attention to the five-year-old, who was now lying on the ground, unconscious. "Laplace Demon, I want to hear your opinion," The One said. "If it were you, how would you handle this matter?" The Laplace Demon didn't answer right away. Instead, it crossed its arms over his chest and closed its eyes. After seeing everything, it had developed a bit of bias towards the pitiful System who had decided to defy The System God for the sake of those he held sacred.