System's POV

The next day, dozens of Humvees and transportation vehicles left Palisade City.

The 69th Battalion and Nick's Squad traveled together as they started their travel to Runestone City, an estimated three-hour drive from their location.

Along the way, they passed by abandoned villages and towns, which used to thrive with people.

The Central Government and the Cygni Coalition knew that they couldn't possibly defend every town as that would stretch their manpower too thinly.

Not to mention, the reinforcements from the Monarch Clans and Prestigious Families from the Sirius, Aldebaran, and Dvalinn Federation would only arrive after three months.

With that put into consideration, the two factions had no choice but to make compromises if they wanted to retain the defensive lines they had agreed upon.

While Thirteen and his entourage headed to their destination, Clark traveled with Char, who was a scion of the Lotte Family.

Despite being kicked out from the Ashford Clan, the Lotte Family still treated him like a VIP guest. Regardless of his status now, the young man's father was still the Patriarch of his clan.

At first, they even thought Clark and Char had something going on between them, though it was quickly disproved by the two teenagers who adamantly denied it.

"Zion sent a message. He wants us to go to Runestone City," Char said. "It will take several hours by car, so let's use my family's helicopter to get there."

"Understood." Clark looked at the young lady who barged into his room without knocking.

He had just finished bathing, and the only thing covering the lower part of his body was a towel.

A few years ago, he was hailed as the strongest Wanderer of the current generation. However, after his defeat in the League of Dragons and Phoenixes, his reputation took a hit.

This was also why he was kicked out of the Ashford Clan.

But during the two years that he was in Solterra, he, alongside Char and Vincent, trained under the guidance of the war veterans of the Valbarra Archipelago.

They also fought against the moody Cranky once a week, which boosted their battle experience. The Honey Badger never held back and almost always fought them until they were on the brink of death.

After suffering together for two years while making sure Vincent wouldn't have any opportunity to slide under Char's skirt, the two developed a strong bond with each other.

This was why, even though he was only wearing a towel covering his lower half, the young man didn't feel embarrassed.

Char had already seen all of him.

And he had already seen all of her.

"Can you guess what he is planning to do?" Clark asked as he continued to dry his hair with a hand towel.

"What else?" Char answered as she walked toward Clark's closet to choose what clothes he would wear. "He will definitely do something crazy again. What do you want? Black or white?"

"Black," Clark answered.

"Sorry, you get light green." Char smirked and handed the military uniform the Central Government had provided for the young man. "Seriously, even if the Jinns are color blind to this color, I will never wear anything with this ugly color."

"Well, Thirteen is currently my superior, employer, and sponsor," Clark replied before taking off the bath towel covering his lower half. "Beggars can't be choosers, right?"

"Mmm." Char nodded as she gazed at the handsome young man, who was now only in his birthday suit.

She watched as Clark wore the military uniform and even helped him crease out the crumpled parts like a wife attending to her husband's needs.

"Well, then. Are you ready to be treated like a slave with overtime pay?" Char asked in a teasing tone.

"Do I have a choice?" Clark replied before sighing.

"No." Char shook her head. "But who said we can't have fun while joining Zion's band of merry men and women?"

"I like that part about you being an optimist," Clark commented.

The young lady smiled and wrapped her arms around Clark's neck before standing on tiptoe.

"Smile," Char said seriously. "The world is not ending just yet."

The two then shared three quick pecks on the lips before the young lady reluctantly pulled back.

"Let's go," Char stated as she approached the door. "I don't want to hear him complaining if we arrive late."

"Yes, Ma'am," Clark answered as he followed behind the pretty lady who helped him start his day in a good mood.

Two hours later, the helicopter of the Lotte Family landed on the helipad on one of the buildings in the city.

Since the Lotte Family was one of the Prestigious Families of the Cygni Continent, they received VIP treatment everywhere, including the front lines.

When Clark and Char arrived, they immediately asked if Zion Leventis and the 69th Battalion had arrived.

To their surprise, it seemed the defenders of Runestone City weren't informed that Zion Leventis was coming to their city.

"Are you sure about this information?" the Commander, who oversaw the operations of the city, asked.

"Yes," Char replied. "He contacted me through special channels and told me he would be arriving here shortly."

Just as the Commander was about to reply, he heard a loud howl in the distance, making his expression turn solemn.

"Let's talk about this later," the Commander stated before hurrying to his command station to give orders to the soldiers, who were now preparing to intercept the wolf horde headed in their direction.

Just as everyone prepared to unleash a bombardment at the approaching enemy, they heard a loud screech from the skies.

Over a hundred flying monsters emerged on the horizon, sending a wave of unease through the defenders as they feared that their enemies had received aerial reinforcements.

Then, without warning, streaks of red mist erupted among the wolves as the soldiers mounted on top of the Gyrfalcons unleashed a barrage of plasma bullets from the sky.

Colbert led the charge, raining death upon the monsters on their path.

As the defenders struggled to grasp what was happening, a wave of flames rained down upon the battlefield. Perched atop his Blaze Skunk, which in turn sat on his Roc, Cristopher ordered a serving of Giga Destroyer, turning the pitiful wolves' ranks into chaos.

Their formation shattered instantly. The wolves scattered in all directions, desperate to escape not just the scorching inferno but also the overpowering stench invading their senses.

Using the cover of the black smoke that was now spreading on the battlefield due to the flames, Tiona and her subordinates started to massacre the wolves as fast as they could.

Some of the clones even detonated themselves to spread poison at the location where a lot of wolves had gathered.

At that moment, several Humvees appeared on the battlefield.

The one leading them had a giant light-green flag mounted on it, showing the number 69 written in white letters.

"He sure knows how to make an entrance," Char said with pursed lips.

"He is making a statement," Clark commented as he stood beside her.

As someone who liked to use mind games against his opponents, Clark understood that Zion wanted to make his presence known.

The young man also noticed a familiar Bee Bee Cee Reporter reporting on the rooftop beside their building.

The cameraman had a good shot of the battlefield from his vantage point and focused the camera on the Humvee that showcased the flag of the 69th Battalion.

"Reporting live from Runestone City,," Rein, the reporter of Bee Bee Cee stated. "Are you seeing this everyone? Just a few minutes ago, a horde of wolves was on the verge of attacking this city.

"But out of nowhere, reinforcements from the Central Government arrived to save the day! If you look closely at that light-green flag, you can see the number 69.

"I believe these soldiers are from the 69th Battalion, led by the young Supreme Commander, Zion Leventis! Just look at them tearing through that monster army like it's nothing. It's really amazing!"

While the cameraman shifted his attention back to the battlefield, Rein glanced at her smartphone and saw that the person she was talking to earlier had sent a reply.

"Good job," the person who goes by the name Mr. Zion, replied. "I'll make sure you get a pay raise by getting my exclusive interview later."

"Thank you!" Rein replied before hiding the smartphone back in her pocket.

Thirteen had asked Joshua for Rein's number, so he could collaborate with the reporter to film his exploits on the battlefield.

Rein happily agreed to this collaboration. Not only would she be in the front row of such an exciting scoop, but she would also get an exclusive interview with Zion Leventis.

Although many influential people didn't want to admit it, they believed that the Commander of the 69th Battalion actually held the key to preventing another continent from falling into the hands of mankind's greatest enemy.