Xander and Kyron didn’t care, or perhaps didn’t notice as Ruby fell down on her knees. Their eyes were still glued to the giant jewelry box.
"I was duped?!" Rubby muttered in a voice filled with grief.
For the last three years, she and her team have captured many gullible fools by the ’Knight In Shining Armor’ scheme. She has duped them and she never felt bad for she ultimately believed those men were attracted to her due to her beauty and not true love.
But today...
Ruby’s facial color became incomparably pale. She felt a lump rising in her throat and tears forming. Her condition was not any different with a person who has encountered a devil and lost everything.
"This ring..."
Ruby looked at the ring through her blurry vision. She recalled how Kiba took her left hand and put it on her fourth finger, and then stating how it was given to his mother by his father.
"My mother often used to say this finger had a vein that runs directly to the heart, the Vena Amoris, the Vein of Love."
Kiba’s words floated in her mind. She was just twenty-one years old female, and those words struck a part of her heart which was hopelessly romantic.
"Love."
Ruby has given Kiba something she could never give to another man. It was not just her virginity but her heart.
While it was true that her reasoning capability was severely affected when Kiba kissed her and shared his saliva containing the sedatives...the main reason she still consented to the lovemaking was due to the manner in which he expressed his love.
Ruby was touched by the words and the hope of true love. She trusted in him due to his conduct throughout the day. She believed he might be her first and her last love...
For him, she was even ready to abandon her plan no matter the consequences, but in the end, she realized she was the prey and not the hunter as she originally believed.
"I fell in his schemes..." Ruby thought as a tear fell down her cheek.
Once that first tear broke free from her eyes, the rest followed in an unbroken stream. She wanted to scream and roar, but all her body could do was suffocate under the torrent of emotions.
"Just why would you do this to me?" Ruby asked, her voice heavy.
"What exactly did I do? Did I scheme against you? No, I didn’t." Kiba further continued in a nonchalant voice, "It was you three who targetted me and not the other way around, so stop pretending to be a victim."
After the events at the first river stream, where he left the injured man as food to the savage wolves, he flew some miles away. Then he walked for some distance before facing a tree which was blocking his path. (Chapter 184).
When Kiba was standing in front of the tree and deciding his next course of action, he has suddenly sensed mutants spying on him. The mutants were using binoculars and advanced sensors to check on him, and in most cases, it was impossible for a person to even notice their presence from such a long distance.
But Kiba noticed their presence from the time they brought their vision on him. This was why his eyes radiated with excitement and he muttered, "How exciting."
Kiba changed his plans and continued on the path without using teleportation. He was really bored so he didn’t mind participating in their game.
Kiba has also decided to not spy on them to know what they have in mind. He wanted to be surprised so he didn’t use his abilities to know their detailed schemes.
When he encountered Ruby facing the wolves, he was startled. But it only took him seconds to contemplate their scheme on his own, without actually relying on his powers.
Most people, if not all, wouldn’t even realize it was a trap. This wasn’t just the matter of execution with the injuries and the blood stains on Ruby, or the corpses of wolves, or the desperate call for help and the rewards offered.
The main reason was the setting. In a place like Desolate Blood Forest, just who would expect to encounter such a trap in the beginning?
Perhaps some people might become suspicious if such a situation arrives in the core regions where only the strong and ruthless could survive, but definitely not at the outskirts. The three had ensured to add realism and logic in their fantasy setting.
Alas, they targetted the wrong person. If it was anyone else then he would definitely become a victim of their seductive trap, but not Kiba.
He was someone who has spent most of his time in seducing women. Not only did he knew the art of the seduction, but he was also an expert in the field.
If Daniel and Sarah ever came to know about Ruby and her companions trying to lure Kiba, the couple would mock them.
The couple would definitely call the trio as idiots for trying a low-level trick on the master of dirty tricks!
After all, the couple has experienced his dark schemes first hand. He has torn them apart through his mind games. Everything just to take revenge for Agatha. Perhaps, if not for Agatha’s interference, the couple would be truly broken.
"It is funny that you consider yourself as a victim." Kiba jumped from the bed and landed in front of Ruby. "If you are a victim, then I wonder what term do you use for people who fell in your traps earlier?"
Ruby continued to sob, her eyes red. She listened to his words but didn’t say anything to retort.
"I’m curious about one thing though," Kiba passed her a tissue paper, "What happened to your previous victims? Based on what I have seen so far, you don’t kill your target. You even try your best to ensure there are no injuries. So please do satisfy my curiosity."
"..."
Ruby didn’t answer. She took the tissue to wipe tears from her face.
Kiba stood up and turned around.
Xander and Kyron were taking out the jewelry from the box. There were far too many items but not enough space for them to store.
"Well, you guys are having fun," Kiba brought a hand on his chin, "But seems like your parents didn’t teach you basic manners. Stealing is morally wrong."
Bastard! You are the last person who should ever talk about morals!
Kyron and Xander cursed simultaneously. They were sure the pieces of the jewelry were stolen so why was he even talking about manners?!
"Anyways, could you answer my question?" Kiba walked towards them, "Just what happens to your victims?"
Xander and Kyron didn’t say anything but instead, they suddenly brought their guns out and fired at Kiba.
One of them aimed at his heart and the other at his head. It was like they have decided this set of action before and were waiting for the timing.
A red flash appeared in the barrels of the laser guns, and the next moment, two streams of red light shot forward.
The ground shook and the fabric above burned to ashes as the light rushed ahead. The temperature in the room was as high as a volcano and even breathing became difficult.
"Laser shots? Really?" Kiba shook his head in disappointment. He raised his right hand and brought it in front of the coming attacks.
The speed of the laser light was faster than sound but yet it didn’t reach Kiba as quickly.
CHI CHI
The red laser lights stopped in the air, just before his raised palm. He clenched his fist and like a broken mirror, the laser light broke apart into fragments.
"Hmm?" Kiba noticed Xander and Kyron backing away from the room. "You wanted to divert my attention to buy some time? For what exactly?"
Outside the camp, there was nothing but darkness and eerie silence.
Awoooo!
Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, the sound of wolves howling reverberated. Some distance away from the camp, a pack of ten Level 2 mutated wolves scuttled out of bushes.
Their eyes were filled with bloodlust as they rushed towards Kiba from all directions. They leaped up in the air and opened their ghastly mouths after closing into him.
The entire pack has sealed off all points of retreat, their claws striking down with the sound of air being sliced apart.
"Oho~ How nice of you to attack me like this," Kiba’s lips curved in a mocking smile, "I feel so frightened."
A golden destructive force surged out of his body like a tidal wave. The force concentrated into small threads, resembling a blooming flower, as it shot into the wolves.
HOWL!
The wolves wrathfully roared as the destructive force coursed into their bodies. Their entire bodies were engulfed by the annihilative force, and they could only scream helplessly as they were torn into pieces.
Xander, Kyron, and Ruby were struck on the spot, alarmed by the sight in front of them. Their eardrums were on the verge of splitting apart and they shut their ears tight, waiting for the screams to end.
In a few seconds, there were no more screams and the eerie silence once again took over the land. The ground was filled with nothing but blood and gore of the deceased wolves.
"H-how is this possible?" Xander backed away, his body trembling in fear.
He now chided himself for trying to take on a freak like Kiba on his own. He was sure what his fate would be if Kyron hasn’t stopped him.
A woman was important but not as important as his own life!
"What do we do?" Xander asked. He wanted to curse Kiba for hiding his powers and pretending to be an average mutant.
How the hell were they supposed to handle him without any prior warning?
Xander waited for his companion’s answer, but he swore to not agree if the latter asked him to face Kiba head-on.
He has no confidence in direct confrontation and he didn’t want to give away his life.
"No choice but to go all out," Kyron gritted his teeth before pressing a switch on his watch.
WOOSH
The water in the stream churned and two small fishes broke out. In no time, they morphed and transformed into Iron-scaled Fishes.
The fishes turned into a mirage as they rushed forward at Kiba. They viciously whipped out their tails, creating a strong gale.
The trees shook and the remaining camp rooms were rooted out.
"Oh please, I’m not in the mood to eat more fish," Kiba released a heavy sigh, "Can’t you just die without damaging the environment?"
Kiba raised his hand towards the sky.
Swoosh~!
The night sky was suddenly filled with a blood-red light in the form of an enormous sword.
Xander and Kyron’s pupils dilated the size of a needle. Their heart shook and they felt their blood flow turning opposite.
"What is going on?" Ruby fell down on her knees again. She felt pressure as heavy as a mountain from the sword.
The Iron-scaled Fishes stopped in the path as an enormous sense of crisis developed inside them.
"Have fun in afterlife," Kiba lowered his hand in a slashing motion, "And when you reincarnate, make sure you reincarnate into something truly delicious."
Sss
The sword struck out like a crescent moon, carrying a tremendous amount of killing intent with it.
CHA~
The Iron-scaled Fishes didn’t even get time to respond as the blade pierced through their bodies. They felt their insides contrasting and aging in quick succession, their vitality and blood sucked by the blade.
THUD
The fishes fell on the ground with a loud thud noise.
"What was that?!" Xander’s entire body was drenched in cold sweat as he saw the bodies of the fish. They were dry like an ancient corpse.
"That blade sucked the blood," Kyron muttered in horror. He noticed the blood-red glow of the sword intensifying.
"You mean that sword is made of blood?!" Xander asked.
Just how many people has he killed to form such a huge sword?!
"A few thousand," Kiba answered as he waved his hand. The sword dissipated into blood-red particles and disappeared.
Kiba rarely used these types of attack. The last time he used it was when he freed the slum dwellers from the oppression of the overlords and their subordinates.
"A few thousand?!" Ruby’s palms were soaked with sweat.
How can he mention such a huge number like it was nothing?!
She was now sure he was truly a monster in human skin. She couldn’t believe how bad her luck was to encounter a demon like him.
"Let’s end this before you bore me to death," Kiba said as his body turned into a series of afterimages.
He appeared right in front of Kyron and slammed a fist into his face.
Kyron didn’t even get time to notice the attack as his jaw bones and teeth instantly shattered into pieces. He flew out like an arrow and collided with the trunk of a tree.
Xander backed away, but then he felt an ominous presence behind. Before he could turn, a fierce kick landed on his back.
"AHHHH!"
Xander cried out in pain, his stomach caved out and his spine torn apart like frail glass. His face turned deathly pale and he fell on the ground.