System's POV

The human boy then approached me with a faint smile on his damnable face.

'Good, come closer,' I thought as I prepared to strike the arrogant boy as soon as he came within my range.

But when he was just a step away from my reach, he stopped.

I thought he was going to say something, but he simply stared at me with that same damnable smile plastered on his face.

I waited, and waited still.

Hoping.

Praying.

Wishing that he would take one more step.

The old man who fought me was only a few meters away from the boy, so if I acted now, the chances of him escaping my sneak attack were very high.

"I see your will to kill me through your eyes," Zion said in a teasing tone. "One more step, and I'll be in your strike range. But what if I don't take that step? What will you do?"

The confidence in his voice didn't contain contempt, disdain, or ridicule.

He was merely stating a fact.

A fact that even I could understand perfectly.

Still, how did he know what I was planning to do?

Could he read my mind?

As if wanting to toy with me, he said the words that made me grit my teeth in frustration.

"I can't read your mind. But your expression says it all. Minotaurs are very straightforward by nature, so it's very easy to read what you're thinking."

Knowing that my plan had already been seen through, I once again gathered my strength for one last strike.

I could still remember that moment very clearly.

That human boy didn't dodge or move away from his spot.

He merely stood in place with that same damned smile, as if to say everything was under his control.

I didn't remember anything past then because my vision suddenly darkened halfway during my strike.

When I finally regained my senses, I didn't open my eyes right away.

Instead, I tried to feel my surroundings with my sense of hearing and touch.

It didn't take long for me to notice that my hands and feet were tied.

As for sounds, I could hear people talking beside me.

In order to get a better understanding of what was happening, I raised my eyelids slightly to take a peek at my chest, where I could hear the chatter was coming from.

"Hey, did you see that big guy with the horns stomping through the jungle yesterday?" Pica asked.

Pico nodded. "Oh yeah. The walking steak with anger issues? That was a minotaur!"

"Minotaur?" Pica tilted its head. "I thought it was a cow that took CrossFit way too seriously."

"Right? I asked him if he wanted a moo-difier for his attitude," Pico replied.

"What did he say in return?" Pica inquired.

"It said, 'You talk too much for a feather duster,'" Pico answered. "Then it tried to bench-press a boulder."

"Aiyoh! That's sick!"

"I know, right?"

"I tried to mimic his roar… my beak's still rattling!" Pico stated.

Pica laughed. "That Minotaur roared so hard a coconut fell off the tree and hit its head. It was so funny."

The two dumb birds then laughed at the same time, making me wonder what in the minotaur hells they were talking about?

'What's a coconut?' I thought. 'What's a steak and a moo-difier? What the hell happened to me?'

No longer feigning unconsciousness, I opened my eyes and tried to move my body.

"Oh, look. The steak moved," Pica said.

"Sister, it's not a steak. It's a minotaur," Pico stated. "You only call it a steak when it's cooked."

"Where am I?!" I demanded. "What have you done to my people?"

"Before asking questions, shouldn't you introduce yourself first?" Pica asked back, not even fazed that a Rank 7 Sovereign was shouting at it.

The Minotaur was tied up properly with adamantium chains, so even if it tried to break free by force, nothing would happen.

"I am Titanus, son of Primeus!" I answered. "Now speak, where am I, and where are my people?!"

"My name is Pica," Pica replied, not giving a hoot about my questions. "This is my brother, Pico."

"It's spelled Pee I See Oh! Pico!" Pico commented. "Don't forget it, okay?"

"Answer my questions, Birds!"

"Mr. Steak, how old are you?"

"My man has anger issues. Mad respect, mad respect!"

I roared.

I raged.

I thrashed in frustration.

But the two birds kept asking me nonsensical questions and refused to answer any of my questions.

"You two birdbrains! I'll eat you and your parents!" I howled in anger.

"What? You are going to eat my Ma?" Pica glared.

"You're going to eat my Pa?" Pico scoffed.

"Yes!" I answered. "What about it?!"

I didn't know if talking to the two birds made me dumb, but I was starting to feel like I should lower myself to their level, so that we could communicate properly.

"Uncle, this guy is bullying us!" Pica called out to someone in the distance.

"Uncle, this Minotaur said that you suck!" Pico shouted.

A Death Bat suddenly descended from the sky and looked at the tied-up Minotaur with a smirk.

"What seems to be the trouble here?" Camazotz asked in a dignified tone.

"Uncle Camazotz, he said he'd roast half of you over a fire pit!" Pica sniffled.

"And the rest to bat nuggets!" Pico added dramatically.

I blinked. "Look, I was just—wait. No. This is ridiculous. You two started it!"

All my earlier bravado disappeared when I realized that the being standing before me was actually a Majin Prince.

I have interacted with them long enough in the past, so I am certain that the Death Bat in front of me exuded a similar strong presence.

I could also tell that he was stronger than the Majin Princes I had met in the past.

Camazotz tilted his head. "Are you telling me that you, a full-grown minotaur, threatened to roast me over a pit and turn me into bat nuggets?"

"I-I never said that!" I stated. "These two birds are just making it up!"

"Uncle, he is lying and trying to frame us," Pica said with a face filled with injustice.

"Pocopocos never lie, you know?" Pico stated. "We are built differently!"

"You lying pricks!" I shouted in desperation. "What do you mean Pocopocos never lie? You lying birds!"

Pica flapped onto my shoulder. "Aww, don't be mad, Horny."

Pico joined in. "Yeah, cheer up! Want a cracker?"

"Horny?" Camazotz chuckled. "Is that going to be his nickname? I thought you were planning to call him Mr. Steak."

"Horny sounds better," Pica argued.

"I feel the same." Pico nodded.

Feeling aggrieved and wronged, I once again lost consciousness from anger.

I just hoped that when I opened my eyes, everything that happened would turn out to be a mere bad dream.

Something as ridiculous as this should just be a dream…

Right?