Chapter 338 Purgatory - Eclipse
Kiba continued to bask in sunlight. The smell of blood and gore didn"t affect him the slightest.
A few minutes later.
Ten blurry shadows appeared some hundred meters away from him. They were connected to Seema and others who died not so long ago.
Just like Seema and her group, they were also trying to find Kiba. When they saw the helicopter cras.h.i.+ng down and the smoke sweeping from this area, they rushed here.
They were startled to see the headless corpse of Seema.
"She is dead?"
"And that too by action of rotor blade?!"
"How is that possible?!"
There were more bodies but they were in pieces so it was difficult to identify them. The newly arrived group knew one thing for sure - the corpses belonged to their former companions.
The group looked at Kiba whose attention was still on the sky. He found the bright, clear sky really attractive.
"You killed my companions?" The leader named Collier asked.
Collier has pale skin upon which bubbles constantly popped and reformed. When a bubble popped, a blackish fog would surge out and wrap around his body.
Collier was a poison-type mutant. The fog carried a lethal poison that could not only kill but also disrupts senses.
Kiba didn"t answer; it was like he didn"t hear the question or sensed the presence of newly arrived. He continued to enjoy the bright sunlight and the fresh winds.
"Answer him!" Another mutant demanded, his hands flaring with yellowish bolts.
As the team shouted at him for an answer, a loud bang sound came from behind. Surprised, they looked around and noticed another team.
"Blair!" Collier"s face fell.
"Collier, he is ours," Blair, the leader of the newly arrived team declared while pointing at Kiba.
"Like h.e.l.l!" Collier wasn"t afraid of engaging in a battle. He was a Beta just like Collier and he has confidence in his own ability.
Crystalline energy particles appeared around Blair and transformed into crystalline spikes. Even the ground below him crystallized, ready to shoot a trail of crystalline needles.
The others in his team got ready to take action as well.
"We saw him first!" Collier reminded him while the black fog turned thicker.
He no longer cared about his lost companions. They were strong but not like him or his entire group. Now, the main problem was this new team rather than Kiba.
"So what?" Blair asked with a smirk.
He has heard about Kiba having Body Molding Ore so there was no way he could allow others to have him. That treasure was far too precious for him to let it go.
"Sorry to disappoint you boys, but we are having him," A voice came from the sky. The next moment, a woman named Silvya landed on the ground.
"I only want the ore, you both can have other treasures he owns," Silvya stated her intentions. She was accompanied by a team of her own which was armed to the teeth.
The newly arrived three teams were lead by Beta-rank mutants! In any city, just the mention of Beta-rank mutant could lead to a commotion. They were capable of wreaking havoc, killing countless.
Now, there was not one, but three Beta-rank mutants!
The chasing mob in The Fair was afraid of their intervention which was why they did their best to stop Kiba. After all, Betas were the strongest as far as the world was concerned.
The three of them didn"t partic.i.p.ate in the pre-core region auction as those items wouldn"t have much use to them. They were resting in Garrick Angel Inn and pa.s.sing time. But learning about Kiba successfully stealing and escaping from The Fair due to help from others, they couldn"t help but get into action.
In The Fair, they wouldn"t have partic.i.p.ated as they have to respect the laws. They didn"t fear Dark Stars but fighting them would only result in a disadvantage so they held back.
But now, in the forest, there were no laws except for the law of the jungle.
The three Betas stood some distance away from each other, forming a triangle with Kiba in the middle.
Their respective teams silently waited while ensuring Kiba doesn"t flee. But much to their surprise, he showed no such intention. He was doing the same thing he has been doing from the start.
"So what do you think of my suggestion?" Silvya"s hands were clad in black gauntlets. Her arms expanded like a giant and the gauntlets also grew in size.
"You think I would let you have the ore?" Collier scoffed in disdain. "You two can divide the garbage treasures."
The three Betas started chaotic bargaining. Not a single one of them wanted to give the ore to others. It was far too unique and precious to trade-off.
"Hahahahaha!"
Suddenly, a burst of laughter ringed in the area. The Betas were startled and stopped their discussion. They brought their eyes on Kiba who was laughing as if he has heard the funniest joke.
"Why are you laughing?" Collier was p.i.s.sed by his laughter.
He was only bargaining with other Betas about the ore but Kiba"s fate was already set.
Kiba would be killed so that he couldn"t disclose any information to Dark Stars. As such, Betas have pretty much decided on his execution.
In response to his question, Kiba placed a hand over his face and chuckled coldly.
"Has the fear of death turned him insane?" Blair wondered aloud.
"Seems so," Silvya nodded.
Just then, a gust of cold wind swept by.
The autumn leaves that floated along with the wind stopped in their path, ice crystals forming on their surface.
The ice crystals were red in color like blood!
At the same time, the land under Beta-rank mutants began to rupture. Dust and sand particles drew in air, instantly freezing in crimson ice cubes.
"What?!" Everyone was greatly alarmed and looked in front with shocked expressions.
A frightening power erupted from Kiba"s body like a violent sun. His golden hair danced in the tempest of his raging aura while his eyes flashed with a sharp glint.
"Such powerful aura!" Silvya felt a chill crawl up her spine. It was like a sharp metal was piercing her heart, making it difficult for her to breathe.
Fierce winds swept out while cracks snaked out over the ground that targetted the trees nearby. The t.i.tanic trees instantly collapsed and crumbled to pieces.
Every part of Kiba radiated its dominance through his stifling aura.
Over thirty subordinates of the three Beta-rank mutants were swept by the fierce aura. They were sent tumbling backward, cras.h.i.+ng far away.
Even Beta-rank mutants were pushed back by a few steps. None of them could believe this scene.
When have they ever met opponents who could push them back just by the virtue of aura? That was not something possible, at least not from Kiba.
They have heard about him running away with help from others. If he has such strong powers why would he be chased?
This didn"t make a sense.
Alas, they were not aware of Anamarie"s fight with Kiba. Otherwise, they would have thought twice before targetting him.
"He must be using some aura amplifier device!" Collier snapped his teeth and shouted. "He is using it as a means to avoid his fate!"
There were high-tech devices which could be used to give a false strong demeanor. Collier reasoned Kiba was using one such device so that they would be frightened and let him escape. It was a nice tactic but thankfully, he and the others were smart.
"Right!" Blair agreed.
There was no way Kiba could be as strong as them. Even in the worst case, he could not be as strong as three of them, much less the combined might of there entire teams.
"Let him learn the price of trying to deceive us!" Silvya"s eyes flared.
She hated herself for being frightened by his false aura.
The three Betas nodded to each other. They would decide later on who would get the Body Molding Ore, but for now, they combinedly decided to kill this deceiver.
On a cue, every single mutant jumped in action. None of them wanted to take a risk in case he has other items. So they decided to go all out from the start.
Silva stretcher her arms and slammed her gauntlets towards him. The air sliced open as explosive force surged forward, creating visible sonic booms.
Blair shouted domain and the region transformed into a crystalline block. The entire crystalline ma.s.s was his ammunition! With a single command, crystalline shards and spikes shot out.
Every single bubble on Collier"s body popped and poisonous fog surged out. The fog was like a vicious sprit as it pounced on Kiba.
The subordinates of the Betas weren"t behind. They launched their abilities and weapons on Kiba.
All attacks were launched at a single moment. The entire area was engulfed in extraordinary radiance like fireworks.
It was beautiful and yet deadly.
In front of these deathly attacks, Kiba didn"t show any emotions. Time seemed to be at a standstill as hundreds of strikes came at him, ready to kill him.
"Annoying ants."
Kiba stretched his right hand in the air. On the tip of his index finger, a golden glow flashed.
As soon as the glow appeared, the sky instantly dimmed, as if every source of light in this region had been blocked.
Blair"s expression turned unsightly and his eyes nearly popped out. Silvya"s face turned as white as a paper as her very idea of reality was s.n.a.t.c.hed away.
Collier broke out in a cold sweat. The total lack of light and the golden glow left his heart pounding and his mind spinning. He instantly realized he and the others have made the greatest mistake they ever could!
At the same time, inside The Fair.
Thousands of people shuddered. Almost instinctively, they looked in the sky outside The Fair and noticed pitch-black darkness.
There were no clouds, sun, or anything.
Just a gigantic dark patch in the bright sky that shrouded everything else.
"What"s that?" Myiesha noticed the dark sky outside.
Madison, Lillian, and others stopped their fights and looked in that direction. Every single eye was on the dark sky.
Just then, a streak of golden light flew across the darkness, bisecting it. A crack, as thick as a hair, appeared throughout the vibrant golden streak.
"Purgatory - Eclipse."
Kiba said coldly. The moment he spoke, every sound disappeared.
The winds stopped flowing, air froze, and living beings stopped moving. Temporarily, people even lost the right to breathe.
Within the tiny crack, multicolored energy stripes were visible. It was like myriad patterns when seen through a kaleidoscope tube
Bottomless depth with countless colors flowing in a twisted manner.
Yet, they were no simple colors.
The colors fluctuated with chaotic and turbulent ma.s.s. Vague shadows floated in this chaotic ma.s.s like demons. Howling winds swept out as if they contained screaming ghosts, inviting the living.
Mutants and beasts from all around were looking at the crack. Thousands of them instantly lost their eyesight. The patterns in the crack imprinted on their eyes, and their eyeb.a.l.l.s instantly imploded.
"What"s going on?!" This was the only question running in their minds.
Everything took a long time to describe, but in fact, it has been only a second since the golden streak appeared.
Collier, Blair, Silvya, and others were frozen alongside their attacks. Their pupils dilated while their hearts thumped violently as they felt an intense sense of crisis.
Their scalps turned numb from fright, and every single part of their body pained as if they were sliced.
If they could go back in time and change things, they would leave the forest the moment they learned about Kiba. Alas, it was too late for regrets.
Neither they nor their deadly attacks have any might left. The flashy attacks were not even emitting colors, much less their former radiance.
The golden streak superimposed on their bodies, despite the fact that the streak was in sky while they were on ground.
It was like the very concept of s.p.a.ce around them was twisted, and even before they could blink or scream, they vanished.
Their large bodies were sucked into the tiny crack alongside their vicious attacks. There was not a single trace of their existence left, not even their aura.
The next moment, through the tiny crack, a crimson liquid splashed down.
From a distance, it appeared as if a waterfall was flowing down in night sky. The only eerie difference was that it was not water but blood.
Fresh, hot crimson blood that has undergone purification. Blood that was free from sins that corroded their masters.
The souls and bodies of Collier and others, on the other hand, were erased; their impurities melted to oblivion.
In The Fair, everyone sucked in a breath of cold air. They were stupefied by the scene they were witnessing, unable to believe the crimson fall. Many of them collapsed while a few threw up.
Swoosh~!
Five seconds after its appearance, the golden streak disappeared and the sky instantly brightened like before.
There was no trace of the golden streak but everyone knew it was real and not their collective imagination. The blind mutants and their own sweating bodies were the best proofs they could ever get...