Despite the outbursts of the Jinns, Thirteen remained calm and allowed them to vent out their frustrations.
A few minutes later, he raised his hand in a gesture for everyone to stop talking. Having had their fill of complaints, everyone stopped and waited for the human boy’s reply.
"If I grant your request, will you follow me after all of you are defeated?" Thirteen asked.
"Yes," King Valtheron replied. "We will acknowledge our loss once you prove yourself."
"Very well. But on one condition," Thirteen raised a finger. "All of you will sign a magic contract. This contract will state that if you defeat Azrael, I will leave Antares and leave you all unharmed.
"But if you lose, all of you will become my soldiers for my war. Do we all have an understanding?"
King Valtheron and the other Jinn Leaders nodded in agreement.
A faint smile appeared on Thirteen’s face, having already anticipated this development.
In fact, he already had the magical contract that Metatron had forged with him.
Without another word, Thirteen tossed the magical contract towards King Valtheron, which the latter caught by reflex.
"Read it then sign it," Thirteen said. "After that, I will give you all three hours to prepare before fighting Azrael."
King Valtheron read the content of the magical contract, and it was exactly as Thirteen had stated.
If they defeated Cranky, all of them would be free and no longer have to worry about Thirteen.
But if they lost, they would obey Thirteen’s order and help him conquer the world of Artem.
It also stated in the magical contract that if they won the war against the Artemians, the Jinns would also receive lands and other rewards, depending on their contribution to the war.
King Valtheron thought that it was a "fair" contract. After reading it thrice to make sure that he didn’t miss anything, he pricked his right thumb, drawing blood and pressing it on the contract.
He then passed the contract to Bask, who was the other Majin Prince of their faction.
Just like King Valtheron, he read everything that was written there before using blood to sign it.
One by one, the leaders and their officers signed the contract after reading its contents.
Queen Xeres also signed it, albeit reluctantly.
When everyone saw that the Majin Queen wished to fight as well, all of them were emboldened. With her addition, they felt like they now had a chance to win!
The only one who didn’t need to sign was Kamrusepa, who was already part of Thirteen’s original Trinity with the Death Bat, Camazotz.
When everyone in the room had signed it, the contract flew back to Thirteen’s hand and disappeared inside his storage ring.
"I’ll give you all three hours to prepare," Thirteen said. "The battle will be held outside of Freesia City. All of you may use everything in your arsenal to fight against Azrael. Whether it be poison or other tricks, go ahead. That way, none of you will have any complaints when you lose."
After saying those words, Thirteen left with Pica, Pico, and Cranky, leaving everyone to strategize together.
"Queen Xeres, you will be the leader of this team battle," King Valtheron said respectfully. Since the gorgeous lady with long blonde hair and blue eyes was the strongest among them, it was only natural that she took control of their temporary alliance.
"Very well. But before that, I will need to correct your misconception about our opponent," Queen Xeres replied. "All of you think that Azrael is a Majin King, but you are wrong. He is not a Majin King. He is a Celestial."
"..." ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵※𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮※𝓷𝓮𝓽
The one who spoke the word "Sh*t" was none other than Rhovan, who almost fainted after hearing Queen Xeres’ statement.
He was only a Rank 8 Sovereign, and his specialty was in Shamanic Magic. However, even with his powers, he believed that he wouldn’t be able to do anything against a Celestial, who could seriously injure him with a sneeze.
"We’ve been tricked!"
"That human lied to us!"
"Damn it! I knew the deal was too good to be true!"
King Valtheron’s face turned beet red from shame and anger because he was so sure of their victory after Queen Xeres had agreed to join them in their fight.
Even a Majin King had to bow down to a Celestial, yet he was going to fight someone who was two ranks higher than him.
And those two ranks weren’t ordinary ranks.
They were akin to the difference between heaven and earth.
An insurmountable gap that couldn’t be overcome by simple willpower.
If Azrael were a Majin King, then they still had hope to win if they were to work together and fight him in a battle of attrition.
"Zion! You tricked us!" Rhovan shouted in anger. "Damn you!"
"I think you’re barking up the wrong tree," Thirteen replied in an amused tone. "I’m not the one who made this proposal. If you want to blame someone, blame King Valtheron. He was the one who challenged Azrael without asking his Rank."
The corner of King Valtheron’s lips twitched, unable to refute Thirteen’s statement.
He was the one who proposed to challenge Azrael, and Thirteen only agreed to accept his proposal.
"Y-You should have told us from the very start!" Bask shouted. "No one in their right mind would fight a Celestial willingly!"
Thirteen merely shrugged. "And yet, all of you signed the contract with your own blood. I never forced your hands. In fact, I even gave you three hours to prepare. I am very generous, you know?"
The teenage boy’s words made the veins on Bask’s forehead bulge.
Every Jinn Leader glared daggers at the boy seated casually on his throne, but none dared to lash out.
They all knew that if Thirteen willed it, the Great Killing Array could snuff out their entire Dominion before they even stepped onto the battlefield.
Left with no choice, they willed themselves to fight.
There was no turning back.
The only path left for them was victory or defeat.
None of them believed that they could win, but if they were to win through a miracle, all of them would be free and would no longer have to worry about becoming the human boy’s subordinate.
"Are all of you ready?" Cranky asked as he stood a mile away from his opponents, his voice booming like thunder.
His voice was calm, yet his presence spread across the battlefield, making it hard for the Jinns to even breathe.
Such was the power of a Celestial, and even Queen Xeres had to force herself to look at her foe, who was simply staring at them from far away.
"I’ll let you have the first move," Cranky declared.
Queen Xeres glanced at King Valtheron, who nodded at her with a pale face.
"Attack!" Queen Xeres shouted as she propelled herself upward and transformed into a giant golden snake that was hundreds of meters long.
King Valtheron and the rest of the Jinns also transformed into their true forms, raising their fighting prowess to the peak.
All of them were hell-bent on unleashing their strongest attacks at their opponents, hoping that it would be enough to create a miracle.
Half a minute later, an eruption that shook the land rippled across the battlefield.
When the dust settled, a giant crater that spanned for miles appeared, with Cranky at its center.
Around him, the defeated Jinns lay unconscious or groaning in pain from the attack they received from the Celestial, who only needed to stomp his foot on the ground, defeating them all without even breaking a sweat.