Everyone inside the room waited patiently for Beelzebub's return.
The treasures on the floors they had access to were already impressive. So, they understood that the new layer of the treasury was bound to have even more impressive items and that it would take a long time to go through them.
That said, they knew the First Seat of the Order would take his sweet time understanding everything before choosing the treasure that would benefit him the most.
Despite knowing this, it was simply difficult to contain their excitement and frustration.
They wished time would speed up a bit, so they could get their turn to enter the treasury.
As the last in line to enter the treasury, Thirteen excused himself from the Order. Instead of waiting aimlessly, it would be best if he first dealt with some things in Solterra.
Metatron already assured that there would be no time limit, and all of the members could take a look at the treasury once it was their turn.
When Thirteen returned to Pangea, only twenty minutes had passed since he locked himself in.
As soon as he stepped out of the Humvee, the faces of the soldiers eased up. Finally, their leader had returned.
"Why do all of you look so tense?" Thirteen asked in a teasing tone. "It's not like the sky is about to fall, right?"
As if on cue, another cracking sound was heard, and the fissure right above their camp reached its tipping point.
A part of the sky then fell—straight toward them.
To his surprise, he heard no scream. However, everyone was visibly panicking as they ran away in different directions.
Some summoned flying avatars, while some summoned their fastest land mount to escape.
Thirteen, on the other hand, simply crossed his arms over his chest and looked at the falling piece of the sky as if daring it to fall on him.
Perhaps intimidated by Zion's gaze, or it was simply meant to happen, the piece of the sky that had fallen disappeared into particles of light halfway through its fall.
When the light disappeared completely, Sherry took in a deep breath and looked at the sky with wonder.
Countless stars twinkled in the night sky, making her feel awe and fear at the same time.
Most of the Wanderers from Pangea had never seen it with a starry sky.
Only in Solterra could they see stars and the beauty they gave to the world.
"Beautiful…" Sherry said softly as she reached out to hold Zion's arm.
She was using the teenage boy as support as she felt overwhelmed by the fear of the unknown.
"Don't worry. It's going to be fine," Thirteen said. "Those stars have always been there since time immemorial. So, you don't have to feel afraid. I'm here."
"Un." Sherry nodded as she hugged Zion's arm tightly.
Suddenly, Zion's communicator rang.
When he saw the person who was calling him, he understood that the Central Government was panicking right now.
"Zion, are you seeing what I'm seeing?" Tristan asked, his voice filled with urgency.
"I don't know if we're seeing the same thing, Sir," Thirteen replied calmly. "What are you seeing?"
"Stars. I'm seeing stars."
"Then, we're indeed seeing the same thing, Sir. Actually, the place where the sky fell earlier was right above our camp. For a moment, I thought that I was going to get crushed. I felt so scared that I am now hugging Sherry in my arms.
The young lady reddened because what her lover was saying was a big fat lie.
Zion had not panicked or felt flustered when the sky was falling above their heads.
He simply stood there with his arms crossed over his chest as if he were looking at something amusing instead of a life-threatening event.
"Do you know what this means?" Tristan asked.
"Yes," Thirteen replied. "It means everyone here in the Cygni Continent can now try stargazing. Amazing, right?"
"Zion, this is no time for jokes. We have received information that several powerful fluctuations have been recorded from all over the continent. Do you have any idea what this is about?"
"Gate mutations," Thirteen answered without hesitation. "I believe some of the High-Tiered Gates had undergone a mutation."
When Tristan heard the teenage boy's words, his expression immediately turned grim.
One of the things Wanderers in Pangea feared the most was Gate Mutations.
Not only did it make them feel uncertain about what could happen, but they also knew they would have to deal with powerful monsters that would need a lot of manpower to defeat.
Although Tristan was feeling very anxious internally, Zion's calmness helped him clear his head, even just for a little bit.
"What should we do?" Tristan asked.
Since he had already recognized the teenage boy as the Supreme Strategist of the Central Government, he didn't hesitate to ask for his advice.
"For now, don't do anything," Thirteen replied. "Put every city under the Central Government in a state of emergency. Deploy scout drones to check the locations where the powerful fluctuations are felt.
"Tell the Hero Party to abandon their raids and to turtle up in one of the Fortress Cities. My battalion will remain in the field to scout the changes on the battlefield."
"Zion, it's very dangerous for you and your people to stay in the field during this time," Tristan commented. "Let's just send drones to check the situation."
"Commander, I know what you're worried about," Thirteen said calmly. "But it's for the same reason that we need someone on the ground to see what is happening.
"I will send you my coordinates, so please inform the Valkyries to meet us here instead. When they regroup with us, only then will we mobilize to explore the east."
Tristan still had misgivings, but he also had faith in Zion. If he couldn't do it, then no one else could do it.
"Understood," Tristan nodded reluctantly. "I will order the Valkyries to head to your coordinates. I'll give you an ETA after I talk to their Captain."
"Thank you, Sir," Thirteen replied. "I'll keep you updated if I see anything suspicious."
After the call ended, Thirteen pulled Sherry closer to him and gave her a hug.
He could tell that she was feeling fearful, so he decided to calm her down for the time being.
Those who had escaped earlier also returned with embarrassed looks on their faces.
Thirteen didn't nag at them or tell them that what they did was wrong. In fact, he even praised them for their swift, no-scream reaction during a dangerous situation when other people would've been rooted on the spot with fear.
But despite being praised by their Commander, they still felt embarrassed and guilty for leaving without his orders.
Those who escaped the fastest were mostly the spies of the Monarch Clans and Prestigious Families, who were all monitoring Zion's every move.
Those who had complete faith in their commander remained and were now teasing their comrades for feeling fearful when their Commander was as calm as a clam.
That night, everyone slept uneasily, while those who had night duty kept their eyes peeled to monitor their surroundings.
Thirteen was the only one who slept soundly because he had complete faith in Tiona and Rocky, who were also monitoring their surroundings.
If they sensed any form of danger, they would immediately wake him up, so he had nothing to worry about.
When morning came, everyone looked up at the cracked sky and realized it remained the same all throughout the night.
Since they were waiting for the Valkyries to arrive, they didn't leave their locations and simply watched the news being broadcast from the Cygni Continent.
They were looking for any strange events that might have happened after the sky fell, which everyone was paying close attention to.
While everyone was busy monitoring the news, Thirteen had once again returned to the Order of the Apocalypse.
Metatron had informed him that it was now his turn to pick a treasure, which made the teenage boy feel a little excited, as he was also curious about just how good the 7th layer of the treasury was.