Athol was lying on the floor looking at the man in front of him with complete disbelief. His forehead was covered with cold sweat and his entire body was trembling.
Earlier he had the confidence to defeat Zed but now the confidence has deflated like a balloon seeing the presence of this new man.
Kiba!
He didn’t find him an impossible target just due to his reputation as one of the strongest mutants but also because of personal experience!
"How could you replace Zed?" Athol asked trying to regain his lost strength. He knew he couldn’t afford to lose his composure at such a crucial moment.
"Zed is me and I’m him," Kiba answered with his right palm on the chest.
A flash of white light manifested from his hand and the next moment, the flesh wound on his chest rapidly healed with new tissues and fibers being regenerated.
In few seconds his body was completely healed like there was no injury, to begin with along with the disappearance of the traces of blood.
"Impossible," Athol didn’t believe Zed and Kiba were one and the same.
Zed and Kiba’s abilities were different so how could they be one? How is it possible for a single person to have so many abilities?!
What further terrified him was with ease the flesh wound was healed like nothing. He knew the laser wound has a poisonous nature which should stop regenerative abilities but yet it was totally ineffective against Kiba.
Kiba didn’t say anything and instead took a seat on the dining table looking at Athol. Claudia and he has already made enough preparations to ensure Athol couldn’t contact outside for help.
"You’re still the same," Athol stood up from the floor, "Looking at me as if I don’t matter."
"We have met?" Kiba was startled by Athol’s words.
"You don’t remember?" Athol’s hands formed into tight fists.
"I don’t," Kiba answered truthfully, "I’m not some computer able to recall every encounter from my life."
"Haha," Athol gave a laugh mixed with anger and desperation, "You ruined me and now you don’t even remember that?!"
"Ah!" Kiba has an expression of realization, "Is your wife perhaps a beneficiary of my service?"
Athol’s eyes turned bloodshot and the veins on his forehead protruded out at the words. He brought his hands forward and aimed the gun at Kiba.
Three laser shots fired from the gun at rapid speed. Even before one could blink their eye, the laser bullets were at Kiba’s forehead.
Kiba didn’t take any action as the red laser bullets struck on his forehead.
Ssss
The energy from the laser shots dissipated into nothingness the moment they touched his forehead. Much less a scratch, there was no trace of any swelling.
"I take that as a yes to my question," Kiba said with a smile, "So who is your wife?"
Kiba didn’t really study Athol’s history before coming here. If it was something important then Claudia would have informed him but since she didn’t, he wasn’t aware of Athol’s wife.
So naturally, he enquired Athol about his wife. He never forgets any women with whom he has shared intimacy so he was sure he could remember the details if her name was mentioned.
"Y-you," Athol’s blood was boiling from anger.
How could the man in front of him be so insensitive?
"My bad," There was a flicker of understanding in Kiba’s eyes, "I mean who is your ex-wife?"
Alas, Kiba’s understanding only incensed Athol further as memories from the past flashed before his eyes.
------
A little over two years ago~
Athol was attending a party at the police chief’s house after the annual fundraiser for Delta Police.
There were people from various fields in the party who have made generous contributions to the police fund.
Athol was in a joyous mood as he has recently become a father for the second time. The life couldn’t get better for him with the promotion and the extra he made from his ’side activities’.
"Cheers~"
Athol clinked his glass of alcohol with his friends. As he drank, he noticed the absence of his wife in the room.
"Where is Saskia?" Athol asked GIlly, the wife of police chief.
"S-she should be upstairs with your child," Gilly stammered as she answered.
"Hmm," Athol didn’t notice the nervous expression on her face.
"Have another drink," Gilly tried to make him have fun.
"No, we would be leaving soon," Athol said after which he moved upstairs to join his wife and their child.
As he walked forward, he suddenly stopped.
"We didn’t bring our child to the party!" Athol was drunk so it took him a while to clear his thoughts.
He dashed on the stairs and he arrived on the second floor.
"Yes, suck them."
He heard a faint sound from one of the room. He was able to judge the voice belonged to his wife after he arrived in front of the door.
He tried to open the door but it was locked. He crouched down such that his eyes were on the doorknob.
From the slight gap, he could see the activities in the room.
Inside, his wife, Saskia, has her blouse open. She was sitting on a bed with a man on the floor.
The man’s face was on her naked breasts with his hands on her back. The man’s face was not fully visible but his golden hairs stood out.
Athol clenched his fists tightly as he saw the man sucking on his wife’s nipples. He could see droplets of milk on the man’s face.
"Son of a bitch!" Athol stood up and waved his hand. A green orb manifested from his palm and struck the door.
BANG!
The door blasted open and Athol rushed inside. Saskia was shocked by the events and she hurriedly backed away.
"Dear, this is not what it looks like," Saskia muttered as she covered her breasts with her hands.
"You think I can’t see you were being fucked by him?" Athol’s fist was surrounded by a green current of light.
"You’re gravely mistaken," The golden-haired man was rather composed, "She was just breastfeeding me."
Mistaken?!
Breastfeeding!?
Athol was struck on the spot. Even Saskia was shocked in silence by the words.
The golden-haired man pointed at the droplets of milk on his face and then at Saskia.
"Her breasts were overflowing and your newborn was not here," The golden-haired man continued in a sage-like voice, "So I decided to help her out of sheer goodwill."
"Goodwill?" Athol muttered in rage, "Sucking on my wife’s breasts is your definition of goodwill?!"
The green light on his hand manifested into a menacing tiger-head.
"The anger has blinded your senses but please think for a moment," The golden-haired man was still calm, "Would you be fine to let the highly nutritious milk go to waste? I’m sure you wouldn’t, and this is why I helped her."
The tiger-head phantom on Athol’s hand roared in anger.
"Sucking on my wife’s nipples to ensure the milk doesn’t go waste?"
What type of logic is this?!
"Obviously, I wouldn’t agree!"
Athol was in the middle of saying this when he noticed the golden-haired man walking towards the exit.
He is leaving just like this?! So easily after what he has done?!
"Motherfucker!" Athol lost his senses and lunged on the golden-haired man.
"Athol, don’t!" Saskia shouted from the bed.
The tiger-head phantom viciously opened its mouth to rip apart the golden-haired man’s back. The other hand of Athol released a green orb on the golden-haired man’s neck.
"Bitch, there is no saving of your lover!" Athol roared with his eyes full of menacing light at the care shown by Saskia towards her lover.
"I’m worried about you and not him!" Saskia shouted back.
"Wh---?"
RIPPP~!
Athol’s pupils dilated the size of a needle as the sound of ripping apart reverberated in the room.
The tiger-head shattered into fragments of green energy like pieces of mirror. The green orb dissipated into oblivion as a pressure of mountain manifested on it.
Before Athol could process further, an elbow fiercely struck on his stomach. His back bent out while his stomach caved in as the terrifying force invaded his body.
He flew backward like a kite with its string cut.
THUD!
As he struck on a wall behind, his mouth opened to spray blood like a fountain.
"That’s not the way to appreciate someone’s efforts for your well being," The golden-haired man’s voice entered Athol’s ears.
Athol turned his head above and saw the golden-haired man looking at him like he was nothing. There was complete disregard in those half-golden and half-blue eyes.
-----
In the present, Athol saw the same eyes with the same disregard for him. The eyes were looking at him as if he was nothing but an ant not deserving to live.
Athol hated those eyes and hated the man in front of him. He was helpless back then for he has learned later the golden-haired man was named Kiba - a rising star in the city.
His reputation was anything but good with episodes of his tryst shocking the top echelons of the city. All Athol could do was suppress his hatred and move on with his life.
Now, he met this hated enemy again by a twist of fate. He never thought trying to frame Zed would make him meet this man.
"You seduced Saskia," Athol muttered in a voice mixed with anger and hate, "But you don’t even remember it."
"Saskia?" Kiba contemplated with his chin resting on his hands, "You’re the guy who didn’t appreciate my help for your wife!"
"Help?!" Athol’s expression twisted.
"Obviously help by feeding in her breast milk!"