System's POV

Arthur, Erica, and Shana were supposed to travel with Thirteen but had to change plans at the last minute.

Joshua, Derek, Diana, and Mildred already left for the Cygni Continent a few days ago. That said, Lawrence thought it would be best if the last two members of the Hero Party joined their group, citing that the morale of the soldiers on the battlefield would be raised if they saw all the members of the Hero Party together.

At first, Erica and Shana felt conflicted since they preferred to travel with Zion.

But the teenage boy didn't say anything and simply waited for them to make a decision.

He wanted them to make their own choices, just like how he chose to fight against Fate. This would also help them become more independent whenever he wasn't around.

Not to mention, it wouldn't be long until they had to deal with a large-scale invasion. When the time came, he didn't want to see the strong-willed Erica and the determined Shana feeling helpless because they were unable to decide by themselves.

In the end, the two young ladies decided to discuss it with Zion.

They didn't ask if he also wanted them to travel with him—only where he planned to go after he arrived at the Cygni Continent.

"I will take my men with me and head deep into enemy territory."

That was what he had said back then, and after hearing his reply, Erica and Sherry knew that their fiance wasn't going to the Cygni Continent to play.

He was going there to do his job as the commander of the 69th Battalion.

After exchanging hugs and kisses, the two young ladies left and decided to go to the battlefield first, along with the Patriarch of the Leventis Family.

Since their man wished to fight for humanity, they would also do their role to raise the morale of the ones fighting at the front lines.

After Alcapone and the soldiers who had accompanied him for the past six months boarded the ship, Thirteen and his men went to take over their position.

He then met up with the six other Squad Captains stationed in Palisade City.

"It's an honor to meet you here on the battlefield, Zion Leventis," said a middle-aged man, who had a scar on the side of his face, with a smile. "My name is Nick Havoc. I am one of the Captains from the Cygni Coalition tasked to defend Palisade City.

"Of course, now that you have arrived in the City, I am under order to follow your command. Would you like a report on the general situation of the battlefield?"

"Yes, please." Thirteen offered his hand for a handshake. "It's also an honor to meet you and the Captains defending Palisade City."

Many believed that he was only being polite, but being acknowledged by the Supreme Commander of the Alliance still made them feel proud. After all, they managed to meet and interact with the young man in real life.

After shaking Thirteen's hand, Nick proceeded to report the latest updates in the area surrounding Palisade City.

"Palisade City is periodically attacked by Spiderlings," Nick reported. "They come in swarms, usually numbering in the thousands. The smallest are the size of an adult husky, while the largest… well, they are as big as a car."

"Their Ranks range from Rank 1 to Rank 3, though I have also confirmed the presence of a Rank 4 Sovereign Red-Skull Spider. So far, we have been able to thin their numbers using artillery and live ammunition."

"Any that breach the perimeter are engaged and eliminated by our Wanderers. Current casualty count stands at ten."

Thirteen remained calm after hearing Nick's report.

Each squad stationed in Palisade City had three to four hundred members. With six Squad Captains, excluding Zion, the number of defenders of the city was estimated to be a little over two thousand.

Not a single member of the 69th Battalion was part of those ten casualties, thanks to their military clothes that rendered them nearly invisible to the color-blind Jinns.

Since the military uniforms that were specially designed by Zion using the latest technology also prevented heat and life signatures from leaking out of the soldier's body, it was very hard for the Jinns to distinguish them from living and non-living creatures as long as they remained completely still.

The soldiers had also been trained to tuck themselves in and roll up like a boulder in case they were surrounded by monsters, increasing their chances of survival.

As Thirteen listened to Nick's report, he noticed a pattern.

The Spiderlings attacked every two weeks, and the teenage boy inferred that they only attacked the city a few days after the Spiders' eggs hatch.

"There must be a few Broodmothers located somewhere," Thirteen commented. "Have you tried to locate them using the Military Drones?"

"We did." Nick nodded. "Bring me the map of the area."

One of Nick's subordinates placed the map on the table, which showed some marked areas four miles north of Palisade City.

"We identified dozens of burrows in this region, and Spiderlings were seen coming out of those holes," Nick explained. "We asked for it to be carpet bombed last week while they were still preparing to attack us.

"The strike incinerated a significant number of critters, but we failed to kill the Broodmothers hiding deep underground."

Thirteen nodded in understanding. Since the aerial bombing couldn't penetrate deep enough to kill the Broodmothers, the Spiderling Army would not be stopped.

The Red Skull Spider, who was also in command of the spider invasion, was also seen a few days ago by the military drone that was tasked to survey the area.

This meant that the moment they managed to regain their numbers, they would once again attack Palisade City.

After Nick finished his explanation, he told the Squad Captains his plan, which took them all by surprise.

"… You're going to take your men and head deep into enemy territory?" Nick asked in disbelief. "How many soldiers will accompany you?"

"Nearly two hundred," Thirteen answered. "Don't worry. I will take care of the Spiderlings. You guys should stay here to protect the city in case another group of monsters suddenly decides to attack it.

"Contact me through my military number. I will return right away if you guys are in danger of being overrun by the enemy."

Nick looked like he was going to say something, but after opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of water, the middle-aged man scratched his head in frustration.

"Sir Douglas ordered me to become your escort here in Palisade City," Nick said helplessly. "I will get an earful if he hears that I let you go into dangerous places without us as escorts."

"Feel free to come with me then," Thirteen replied. "Problem solved, right?"

The corner of Nick's lips twitched after hearing the teenage boy's casual reply.

They were only able to repel the Spiderling Army because they had all taken the strategic locations in the city that gave them a high vantage point.

Using that to their advantage, they were able to rain a bombardment on the enemy from a safe distance.

They thought that once Zion Leventis arrived, the latter would stay put in the city and help them defend it from the enemies.

They didn't expect the teenage boy to bring the fight to the territory of the Spiderlings, leaving the safety of the city behind.

"Sir, do you have suicidal tendencies?" Nick couldn't help but ask because this was the only logical reason he could think of at the moment.

Sherry, who was standing beside the teenage boy, couldn't help but cover her lips to prevent anyone from seeing the smile on her face.

"Rest assured, Captain," Thirteen replied. "I don't have suicidal tendencies. So, if you want to accompany us in taking a stroll to see the countryside of the Cygni Continent, now is your chance to do so."

The pitiful middle-aged man was having an internal battle of whether he should accompany Zion or stay in the city where it was safe.

But in the end, he decided to bite the bullet, believing the legendary stories surrounding the boy.

"Sir, I have orders to follow you," Nick said through gritted teeth. "So I hope you're not bringing me to my death. I have a family waiting for me back home."

Thirteen smiled faintly and lightly patted the middle-aged man's shoulder.

"Rest assured, Captain," Thirteen replied. "I'll make sure to bring you back safely, so you can take care of them for many more years to come."

After an hour of discussion, it was decided that only Nick's Squad, which numbered a little over three hundred, would accompany Zion in "sight-seeing" the countryside.

The rest would remain to defend the city, which had high strategic value, and was part of the main defensive line of the Cygni Coalition.