Five hours had passed since Thirteen had appeared on the 12th Floor, and the flurry of activity among the Monkeys and Apes had intensified.
For the first time in a while, the two groups avoid clashing with each other, prioritizing the search for the invaders.
The Apes wanted to find Thirteen because their Lord had ordered it.
The Monkeys wanted to find Thirteen because they wanted to disrupt whatever the Apes wanted to do, out of spite.
Since both groups were like oil and water, the smallest spark could usually trigger a skirmish between the two parties.
But this time, both sides held themselves back and focused on looking for the intruders in their domain.
"There!" one of the Monkeys shouted, alerting his comrade.
Kesari, who was skidding across the ground at great speed, frowned when several Monkeys started to head in his direction.
However, the Ratman simply burrowed deep underground with its ability, Unblocked Passage, allowing it to pass through anything like walls and the ground, like a ghost.
The only downside was that in this state, any kind of magic or elemental attack would kill it instantly due to the skill's weakness.
Even so, it was one of the most used abilities among the members of the Parade of a Hundred Demons because of its flexibility.
"Damn! We lost it again!" another monkey complained.
"Just spread out and make sure to monitor their movements!" a Rank 6 Feral Monkey commanded. "They can't hide under the ground forever!"
The Monkeys and the Apes had already discovered that the invaders were dozens of Rank 1 Monsters, which didn't pose any threat to them.
However, they were nearly impossible to catch because they were fast and liked to hide under the ground whenever they were surrounded.
Out of annoyance, the Apes decided to no longer hold back and went for the kill.
This caused the deaths of dozens of Tiona's army.
But Thirteen could just summon them again anyway, so this was not a major concern.
However, their exploration of the 12th Floor was delayed since everyone seemed to be out for their heads.
A few hours later, the Monkeys and the Apes had reached their limit and started to fight against each other in order to vent out their frustrations.
This scene, which had been seen by Thirteen through the eyes of his subordinates, caught his attention.
'So the Monkeys and the Apes are not on good terms with each other...' Thirteen mused. 'I thought that they were on the same side.'
The teenage boy pondered for a bit as he watched the brutal battle between the two factions.
Both sides had casualties, but the monkeys suffered more compared to the Apes.
Harahon narrowed his eyes when he felt that the monster in front of him was of the same Rank as him.
Rocky and Harahon stared at each other for nearly half a minute before the Magma Bal-Boa opened its jaws.
At first, the leader of the Monkeys thought that the Magma Bal-Boa was going to attack, but when he saw a teenage boy emerge from the monster's mouth, the monkey's eyes widened in shock.
"My name is Zion Leventis," Thirteen introduced himself. "I believe that if we work together, we can do something about this Khan fellow. What do you think, Lord Harahon?"
The teenage boy looked at the Umbrafang with a faint smile on his face.
If the Monkeys of this floor joined hands with him, then the possibility of winning against the powerful Peak Rank 8 Sovereign wouldn't be as slim.
In fact, the chances to succeed were very high.
However, when the surprise on Harahon's face faded, it was replaced with a solemn look, which made Thirteen feel that something was wrong.
"We won't wage war against the Apes," Harahon declared. "Small skirmishes are fine, but an all-out war is out of the picture. If that monster is your strongest subordinate, then the chances of winning against Khan are just a pipe dream.
"Just go back to where you came from if you want to keep your life. You have no idea what kind of monster you are dealing with."
"Then please enlighten me?" Thirteen inquired. "With our forces working together, we have a possibility to win, but you are saying that it won't work. You must have a reason for saying this, yes?"
The Umbrafang chuckled before nodding.
"The reason I don't dare to burn bridges with Khan is because he isn't just an ordinary Grievefoot," Harahon stated. "He can actually raise his Rank and become a Peak Rank 9 Sovereign in an instant.
"He can maintain this form for an hour before regressing to his original Rank. However, the scary part is that there's no side-effect. Usually, if you are forced to raise your rank in that manner, you will suffer a backlash when the effect of the ability fades.
"But Khan has no problems with that. I only managed to escape because I had superior mobility compared to him. In a frontal battle, I'd be lucky if I can last for more than ten exchanges."
Thirteen quieted down after hearing the Umbrafang's words.
But instead of being deterred or intimidated, the teenage boy's desire to eliminate the threat to the Wanderers only grew.
"Thank you for the information," Thirteen said. "But I will still be fighting against Khan after a few days. I will send a messenger here to inform you about that battle, so feel free to watch from the sidelines."
After saying what he had to say, Rocky closed his mouth and started to burrow on the ground.
Kesari gave Harahon a brief nod before he, too, merged with the ground, vanishing from sight.
Harahon stared at the location where Thirteen had vanished before shaking his head helplessly.
'A foolish human,' Harahon thought. 'Retreat is an option, yet he still chose death.'
What Harahon didn't know was that, for Thirteen and his comrades, retreat wasn't an option.
If they couldn't even defeat the Boss Monster of the 12th Floor, it would be impossible for them to enter the 13th Floor, which would complete the trial that had been given to them by the God of Wanderers.