System's POV

Chapter 297 A Very Fine Vessel

"I am never going to join this kind of mission again," the Slave Master, Norris, commented as he forcefully enslaved a Rank 6 Artemian, which had been knocked unconscious by Adira and her team.

"Stop complaining and start enslaving!" Adira, who was busy providing cover for the Slave Master, replied.

"Done!" Norris shouted as he gave the fallen Artemian a slap on his face. "Wake up, and protect me at all costs!"

The Artemian tried to fight off the enslavement magic, but it was of no use.

The enslavement seal Norris had used on the captured warrior wasn't the same seal he used on the monsters that he sold other people.

It was a slave seal made by Norris' Master, a Throne who specialized in enslaving magic.

Any monster Rank 7 and below would not be able to break free from it.

The other Slave Masters, who were also fighting on the island, had several ready-made seals like Norris.

Their goal in this war was to capture as many High-Ranking Artemians as possible and use them as their organization's personal slaves.

Norris' Master was also on the battlefield, happily collecting one slave after the other.

He even wanted to thank Lady Ouriel for inviting him to such a bountiful harvest, where he managed to acquire slaves that didn't belong in Solterra.

The Order of Raziel didn't help Thirteen out of charity.

All of them had their own reasons for coming.

Only Lady Ouriel was genuinely helping the ten-year-old because the Domini Mortis had chosen him to become her Master.

Thirteen had also been honest with her and warned her of the dangers that might happen as the Lunar Eclipse progressed.

He also shared this information with the other Branch Leaders, who decided to join the fight in the Arcadia Archipelago.

They knew the risk involved, so they specially made contingency plans just in case the worst-case scenario happened.

In fact, all of them would not hesitate to sprint toward the Gate of the Moonlight if things suddenly turned south, running off with the gains they acquired during the battle.

Thirteen was paying close attention to the war, as well as the progress of the Lunar Eclipse in the heavens.

When the eclipse finally reached the halfway mark, a bright light appeared hundreds of meters above the purple gate that belonged to the Artemians.

Uncle Boo and Albion looked at that light, knowing what it signified.

When the light receded, a transparent golden orb appeared, and inside it was a young lady who seemed to be around fifteen or sixteen years old.

This teenage girl was none other than Callie. With her appearance, Albion instantly disappeared from where he stood.

The Unicorn teleported consecutively in order to reach the person whom he cared about the most.

Uncle Boo also wanted to go, but he knew that he wouldn't be able to travel as fast as the Unicorn. It might even drag them down if he accompanied Albion in his attempt to rescue Callie.

Thirteen's and Alessia's gazes turned solemn when the Moon Princess finally made her appearance.

The ten-year-old knew that the Artemians had already met one of the conditions to conduct the ceremony, but it was not the one they expected.

In order to make Callie appear and make the ceremony successful, they needed to offer blood sacrifices from powerful monsters.

However, the monsters who had been offered as sacrifices weren't the Monsters on the island but the Artemians themselves.

Thirteen's strategy caught them completely by surprise. Although his allies suffered serious injuries, none of them had died yet because the preparations they made prevented the Artemians from getting an advantage over them.

Simply put, the Artemians were ill-prepared for their current circumstances.

They were used to being the Hunters, not the ones being hunted by their foes.

All of them thought that the only threat they would be facing was Albion and Uncle Boo, whom they had already battled many times in the past.

They had prepared more than enough warriors to deal with the two Beasts, but not enough manpower against the fierce welcome they received after they descended on the Arcadia Archipelago.

"Callie!" Albion shouted as he teleported dozens of meters away from the transparent golden orb that served as the Moon Princess prison.

A sad smile appeared on her face the moment her gaze landed on the Unicorn, whom she missed dearly.

But, just as Albion was about to reach her, something blocked his path.

"This farce needs to end."

An Artemian with two gray angelic wings on his back stated in a cold tone before punching the Unicorn's face, sending Albion crashing towards the ground.

The ongoing battles came to a brief pause when everyone sensed a powerful presence appear on the island.

'Sh*t.' Lady Ourelia cursed internally after seeing the newcomer on the battlefield. 'Zion said that there was a small chance that this was going to happen, but it really did happen.'

The other Branch Managers immediately ordered their subordinates to regroup as they glanced at the High Archon, whose presence would affect the outcome of the battlefield.

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A/N: High Archon is the counterpart of a Majin Prince or Princess. This only applies to Monsters of the same Rank.

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"Well, you can treat this as a form of victory. After all, you succeeded in forcing our hand," another High Archon stepped out of the Purple Gate with a sneer on his face. "We weren't supposed to come here, but since we can't afford to let this ceremony fail, our King sent us to handle the rest.

"Just think of it as having bad luck. The only thing you can do now is hope that in your next life, you will not suffer the same fate. Even so, all of you should be honored, for I, Kalaziel, had personally come to kill all of you. No need to thank me, Isn't that right, Your Excellency, Zazriel?"

Kalaziel made an exaggerated bow to the High Archon who had punched Albion away from the Golden Orb that served as the Moon Princess' prison.

"Yes," Zazriel, who served as the King of Artem's right-hand man, replied. "Anyone who dares to defy our Empire will face the consequences of their actions."

The purple gate glowed once again, and with it, four Rank 9 Sovereigns appeared.

Eremiel, who was the Commander of the Invading Force, was also a Rank 9 Sovereign.

With the addition of two High Archons, and four more Rank 9 Powerhouses, the balance of the battle immediately tilted in the Artemian's favor.

Zazriel's gaze then landed on the beautiful young lady, whose body was glowing faintly in the distance.

"A very fine vessel," Zazriel said with a smile. "Maybe you will last more than a decade before you wither away like the other Moon Princess Candidates who had come before you."

After saying those words, the High Archon of Artem touched the golden orb and used his authority over it.

Callie's body shuddered, and her eyes suddenly went blank.

A moment later, she started to sing.

A sad song that made Shasha, who was fighting with everything she had, suddenly fall into a trance.

Her shadow clones all dispersed as her connection with them disappeared.

Alessia, who noticed what had happened to her daughter, was suddenly pushed back by the Artemians, whom she was holding back earlier.

Now that the deadly bombardment's effectiveness was reduced by half, they no longer had anything to fear because no one would be able to stop the inevitable.

Shasha's body slowly rose up from the ground as if she were being pulled toward the singing girl, who would soon take over her body and use it as her new vessel.