The evening sky was a sight to behold. Sadly neither Ronnie or his subordinates were in any state to admire the sky.
Their faces were unsightly as they emptied the treasured stones and metals in the cardboard boxes. It was with blood and sweat that they acquired the items, and yet, they were now forced to discard them for their own ’good’.
"I almost died in the cave while extracting adamantine," Ronnie wept as he placed the adamantine chunk inside a box.
Adamantine was one of the hardest and durable metals known to the human race. It was mainly used in implanting artificial enhancements in mutants through experiments and also for preparing strong armors.
"Thank you for cooperating with us," Kiba’s voice entered his ears, making him shudder. His cheek was still swollen and the pain from his missing teeth burned like fire.
In normal times, he would rather die than ’cooperate’. But after taking the ’attack’ from the racket on his cheek, he believed Kiba was not someone he could face in his current state.
He didn’t even see Kiba’s movements so he was not really confident in dealing with him. A smart man knows when to admit defeat, and that’s what he did.
"If only I was not exhausted and tired from exploring the cave," Ronnie gritted his teeth and threw away his empty storage bag.
Kiba studied Ronnie’s facial expression and he could pretty much guess the thoughts running in his mind. If it was in the city, he would have killed Ronnie to save himself from future troubles, but now, he didn’t. He needed to spare the lives of his opponents so that they could enter the core region and help him.
In fact, this was one of the main reason why he suggested this scheme to Ashlyn. After all, if the mutants acquired enough resources here, there was a strong probability they would not want to visit the core region and risk their lives. Now, having their fortunes stolen, they would have no choice but take more risks.
"I’m first!" A young voice came from the rectangular hole that formed the entrance of the cave.
"Damn! You cheated!" Another young voice followed from behind.
A few seconds later, the scions from Eleanor and Hodge Families appeared. The first to appear was Shane Eleanor and the second was Roy Hodge.
Kiba’s eyes sparkled as he saw the heavy bags they were carrying.
"Fat fish," Kiba rubbed his hands in excitement.
He usually didn’t bother stealing from others, this was rather evident from how he took nothing from the corpses of Amir or others whom he has killed so far.
The reason was simple - he was pretty rich. He had everything he needed thanks to generous corporate owners and government officers from whom he ’borrowed’ most of his lab equipment and other fortunes.
In the last three years, he hasn’t stolen any materialistic treasure from anyone. He could not even be considered a thief if one could ignore his habit of stealing wives for a short affair.
Now that he robbed Ronnie of his fortunes, the inner thief that was in long slumber has awakened.
~tap~
Kiba leaped from the boulder with and landed in front of the young scions.
"Nice to meet you," Kiba greeted with a smile while his eyes sparkled like stars.
Shane and Roy looked at him with frowning expressions.
"Get lost," Roy said with contempt.
He was from an aristocrat house with noble blood coursing in his veins. He believed Kiba has realized their identities as noble scions given how his eyes were sparkling, and most likely, he was here to fawn over them to earn their favor.
But why would he care about the thoughts of a servant?
People from non-aristocrat families were no less than servants. After all, the word government ruled over the people under the watch of nine aristocrat families. In a way, it was the aristocrat families which governed the world.
Roy was a ruler while those with pitful bloodlines were subjects. They only deserved scorn to let them know their true position as servants.
Kiba’s smile didn’t fade and he gripped the racket in his hand.
"Seems like you lack manners," Kiba said as he pressed the switch on the handle to activate electric discharge usually used to kill mosquitoes. He then swept the racket towards Roy.
"What are---"
Even before Roy could complete his words or take a step back to evade, the racket came crashing down on his face.
The racket fell on him like a thunderous slap. Bolts of current surged out of the strings and swept in Roy’s skin.
"AHHHH!" Roy was sent rolling through the air for ten meters before he fell down.
The ground was formed of limestone and the hard surface greeted him as he crashed on it. He sprawled on the ground with his limbs spread out. His entire face was scorched black while smoke emitting out of his pores.
Shane panicked as he saw the body of his nemesis. He refused to believe such a state was created by a flyswatter. And even if it was true, it only angered him. They were competitive but they were still acquaintances as fellow Level II mutants.
"Do you know who is he?" Shane turned towards Kiba and asked in an incensed tone. His body, in the meantime, morphed as tree-like scales developed on his skin like armor.
In place of his fingers, there were root-like structures, waving in the air.
"I don’t," Kiba answered in a nonchalant manner.
"He is of noble blood, and yet, you, a common-born dare attack him!" Shane shouted angrily. "Even death could not absolve you of your sins!"
Kiba tilted his head back and swept his hand over his hair after which he started laughing loudly. His laughter was filled with joy as if he has heard the funniest joke in this world.
"You dare laugh?!" Shane’s eyes burned with fury. He swore to torture this common-born and make him weep for the crime that he has committed.
"Oh god, it has been such a long time," Kiba controlled his laughter. "I truly missed this holier-than-thou attitude."
Usually, none of his opponents in the city flaunted their background. They knew his personality so they were more than sure that such talks would only infuriate him further.
Even Lisa Ray, a rank four scientist, didn’t dare warn Kiba with her background when he was about to kill her in the wasteland.
"You really don’t know what is good for you!" Shane had enough of this common-born nonsense. A servant with such recklessness didn’t deserve to live.
"Really?" Kiba asked while pointing a finger at Roy.
"You defeated Roy because you caught him off guards when he was exhausted, but don’t expect such luck now," Shane shouted as the roots in his hands swept out like arrows at Kiba. Meanwhile, the ground split apart and a thick tree trunk came out, shooting towards Kiba.
"How frightening," Kiba was amused. He felt a familiar presence from Shane’s powers which intrigued him.
Kiba took a step back and then leaped high in the air. He gripped the racket in his hand and then disappeared in thin air.
"Teleportation?!" Shane was alarmed. Just then, he felt cold air behind him.
He hastily turned around, but alas, he instantly regretted his decision. The racket crashed on his scale-covered right cheek.
The scales were smashed to pieces. A buzzing sound of current greeted his ears as electricity swept over him.
"URGH!"
Shane fell on the floor, his body violently shaking as the current coursed through his veins. Slowly the current faded and the pain subsidized but he was charred black.
Shane gritted his teeth so hard that they almost shattered. He was from an aristocrat family with a powerful background, and yet he was defeated by some common born, and that too with the help of a racket!
If it was some terrifying weapon or artifact, he could still accept his fate. But a racket?! This was like a punch in his heart, shattering his ego and pride.
The humiliation and insult he felt paled in comparison to the pain his body was suffering.
Far away, Ronnie witnessed the state of Shane and Roy. His downcast face was instantly filled with happiness.
"Those young masters are in a far worse state than me!" Ronnie wept out of sheer joy.
Misery loves company!
Ronnie was delighted for now there were more sufferers of the pain he was feeling. No, people with far worse pain than him!
"My family wouldn’t let you live!" Shane warned as he saw Kiba stepping towards him.
"Aww, you are making me feel terrified," Kiba said before placing a foot on Shane’s left knee.
CRUNCH
The clear sound of a bone crunching into pieces came out.
"Ahhh!" Shane let out a scream. His eyes were instantly filled with tears and he stared at Kiba with deep hatred.
"Oops! Sorry!" Kiba retraced his leg back. His voice and body language denoted he placed his foot by mistake.
Sadly, no one believed him, not even Ashlyn who was observing everything from the boulder. She let out a faint sigh and shook her head. She felt he was far different than the impression he has given earlier.
Kiba heard her soft sigh and he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.
"It was a genuine mistake," Kiba muttered as he collected the storage bags from Shane and Roy.
"No!" Roy has just gained his consciousness back, and when he saw Kiba taking his hard-earned fortunes, he screamed.
Due to his background, he knew many secrets of the underground cave. Thanks to this, he was able to extract more resources than others. He believed the metals he has collected would even surprise his family members, much less ordinary adventurists and treasure seekers.
Now, someone else was enjoying the fruits of his labor. Just the thought of this made it hard for him to breathe.
"Thank you," Kiba said in gratitude.
Alas, the words of thanks gave neither Shane nor Roy any joy. If anything, it made their blood boil in anger.
Kiba ignored them and threw the bags at Ashyln. She caught the bags and then opened them one after another to check out the loot.
When Ashlyn looked at the items from Roy’s bag, even her eyes have a slight surprise. In Roy’s bag, there were glass containers filled with glittering golden sand.
The sand was swirling like a galaxy... It was Spatial Golden Sand!
Supposedly, it existed at the center of a galaxy as the granular particles. When the meteorites and debris crashed on Earth, they brought the sand particles they acquired during the journey.
Shane’s bag also had rare stones and metals, but Ashlyn didn’t care much about them. She needed Adamantine and Spatial Golden Sand, and now she has gained both of them, albeit the quantity of the former was low.
Nevertheless, Ashlyn was happy. She got so much without sweating or wasting any efforts.
"I owe him one," Ashlyn remembered the favor.
***
"Muahaha!"
Suddenly, strange laughter resounded from the cave, breaking the silence in the outside area.
Kiba and Ashlyn focused their eyes on the entrance, waiting for the owner of the laughter to arrive. Even Shane and Roy concentrated their vision while praying that the newly arrived person would take revenge for them.
A strong-looking male leaped out of the entrance. He was middle-aged with a knife scar on his face. His clothes were stained with blood, and it was pretty evident the blood was not his given lack of any injuries.
"Cold-blooded Mercenary... Issac Piers!" Roy muttered, his back drenched in sweat.
Even in aristocrat circle, Issac was a name to reckon. He was a wanted criminal with a bounty of twenty million!
His criminal records were full of murder, r#pe, robbery, and kidnapping charges. He was someone not even the young scions of the aristocrat families would want to offend. After all, he was a psycho who thought nothing of the government or its rules.
What’s more, he was a Level IV mutant with just a single step away from touching Level V! A madman with such power was not someone any sane person could dare offend!
"They are now dead for sure!" Roy thought with a sinister smile.
Kiba didn’t know the identity of Issac nor did he sensed his level. With a smile, he started walking towards him.
~tap~
"Hmm?" Kiba was startled as he felt a hand tapping over his shoulder. He looked at his right and noticed Ashyln.
"You want to handle him?" Kiba asked.
Ashlyn nodded. She didn’t want him to do all the work when they were both a team.
"Sure," Kiba didn’t mind. Ashlyn nodded and she stepped forward.
Issac was stretching out his body when he noticed the strange environment in the surrounding. His eyes scrutinized the fallen scions and the boxes.
"How interesting," Issac’s lips curled up in a smirk. It was then he heard the stepping sound. He turned around and looked on as Ashlyn walked towards him.
"Such a beauty!" Issac was pleasantly surprised.
In all his life, he has never seen a woman more beautiful than Ashlyn. He now thought the women he has slept with were donkeys.
~step~
Ashlyn’s expression was cold as ever as she moved ahead.
"Come to my arms, baby!" Issac opened his arms wide as if giving her an opportunity to embrace him. "You need a true man to rock your world!"
He obviously noticed the discs clad on her wrists like bracelets, but he was confident that he could overpower her the moment she tries to take out those discs.
Ashlyn was just some five meters away from him, and she showed no signs of using discs. This startled even Kiba who was observing her actions.
"How would she attack with discs at such close distance?" Kiba was slightly worried.
He prepared himself to use his powers if the situation turned worse. Streams of golden light converged in his hand, and he was ready to shoot energy beam on Issac.
Much to his disbelief, Ashlyn continued to walk. She only stopped after coming right in front of Issac!
"What is she thinking?! There is no way she could wield the discs at such close distance!" Kiba narrowed his eyes. He didn’t think she was stupid to take such risks but he couldn’t understand her motives.
Issac was also surprised. He started laughing and then brought his arms to lock her into a close embrace.
Just then, something happened which Issac, Kiba, or anyone else never expected even in their wildest dreams. Ashlyn stretched her right leg, and with terrifying speed & an unbreakable momentum, she fiercely kicked out.
CRACK
Issac’s face turned pale-white then purple just as a loud cracking sound came out from the lower part of his body. His eyes turned listless and he collapsed on the floor with a loud thud.
His strong and well-framed arms quickly swept between his thighs to hold his most treasured twin jewels!
Ashyln’s expression remained the same as she lowered her leg.
Issac was in no state to think about Ashlyn or care about anything else. His mind was only filled with the thoughts of the unspeakable sharp pain he was feeling from his broken jewels.
He might be a mutant close to Level V, but this pain brought him not only on his knees but also to tears.
He felt suffocated and hard to breathe as the pain amplified. It was a type of pain which only men could understand!
No, not even males could grasp the severity of this pain unless someone viciously kicks them in their crotch with full strength!
Roy and Shane shuddered as they looked at the condition of infamous Cold-blooded Mercenary. They felt butterflies running in their stomachs, and unconsciously, they closed their hands on their treasured jewels.
"I was lucky!"
This was the only thought that ran in Roy, Shane, and Ronnie’s mind. Earlier, they believed their luck was very poor when they faced Kiba and suffered defeat under a racket.
But compared to this beautiful demoness and her evil methods, Kiba was a kind man with honest means!
Now, they were thanking gods for giving them such a kind and generous opponent, unlike poor Issac.
On the boulder, Kiba was staring at Ashyln and Issac with his eyes wide open. He felt a chill down his spine as he imagined the pain suffered by Issac.
He placed a hand on his face and felt his skin drained with cold sweat. Unknowingly, he was also trembling.
Just then, Ashlyn turned towards him. Her cold eyes locked on him as she said, "You were truly right."
"Right about what?" Kiba was bewildered.
"Work smart, not hard," Ashlyn repeated the words he has spoken to her earlier.
"........................"