"We are screwed."
That was a common thought among the surviving revolutionaries.
If even a battle tank with the ability to kill a Beta rank mutant was useless then what were the chances of surviving against this monster?! They didn’t fear death but they didn’t want to die.
Even Viper felt his hopes being crushed. The only thing which relieved him was his trump card which was lying in his storage ring.
Meanwhile, above the crater, Kiba continued to float in mid-air. He lowered his hand as the minor injury on his knuckles healed automatically. The bloodstains on his sleeves disappeared thanks to the self-cleaning mechanism of the nanofibers which made his clothes.
His body turned transparent and he disappeared in thin air. There were no motion fluctuations in the air so the revolutionaries were sure he has teleported instead of moving at a speed which eyes could not detect.
"Where did he go?!" The revolutionaries were terrified. If he can even use teleportation then just what were the chances of leaving this place?
"He is not coming near us, right?" A middle-aged man asked.
The others were startled by the possibility. They quickly started looking around themselves. They were on guards but they knew they would be as helpless as pigs to be slaughtered by a butcher.
Seconds passed but there was no sign of Kiba. This state of waiting for the dreadful inevitable frightened them more than actually facing Kiba.
"Has he left?"
"Seems so."
"No! He is there!" A revolutionary pointed towards the battle tank that has launched the attack which resulted in Kiba losing a few drops of blood.
There were two operators inside the tank and when they looked at the monitor screen, they started trembling in fear. The tank was now in cooling period and they could not launch another strike for a few minutes.
"He should not be able to barge inside...so we are safe." An operator muttered. He wiped the sweat from his forehead while thinking he was worried for nothing.
The tank was reinforced with layers of mutated minerals with strong defense properties. Not even a head-on attack from a missile can make a dent on the tank. Then there were electromagnetic waves flowing through the outer layers which would ensure a teleporter could not teleport directly inside. The tanks were supposed to as a trump card so their defense was given far too much care.
"You are right," The other operator sighed in relief. "We just have to wait for the cooling period to pass and we will launch another attack."
The two operators smiled in unison. They clapped their hands eagerly before bringing their eyes on the monitor.
Much to their amazement, Kiba was nowhere on the screen.
"What?!"
The operators started checking other screens to find out Kiba but didn’t find a single trace of him.
"Where did he go this time?!" The operators were having a bad premonition. They then thought of the only place where the cameras could not detect him.
They gulped down heavily before slowly turning their chairs to look behind. A chill passed through their spines as they confirmed their worst fear becoming true.
Kiba was sitting on a spare chair. His head was resting on his hands and there was a smile on his lips.
The operators wanted to curse the gods. How can he enter inside despite the protection of electromagnetic waves?!
They could accept if he has entered after launching some attacks. But they knew the truth. He has entered the tank as it was an abandoned house.
What truly frightened and angered them at the same time was his attitude. He was sitting as if he owned this tank!
"I have always wanted to own a tank," Kiba confirmed their suspicions. "And this tank is to my liking."
"S-sir," One of the operator pointed at a virtual console. "This is the command panel."
"Ailo!" The other operator was shocked.
How can a soldier of revolution betray so easily?! They would not open their mouth even under extreme torture and yet Ailo was easily sharing details without undergoing any torture.
Ailo didn’t stop and he explained the controls. Kiba remained silent and listened to Ailo.
The other operator was incensed but he didn’t dare interject in between. Ailo stopped after a minute, and a look of satisfaction appeared on his face. He was sure he has impressed Kiba and his life would be spared.
"Are you done?" Kiba asked without any emotions in his voice.
"Yes!" Ailo nodded his head.
Kiba raised two fingers and flash of light appeared on fingertips. The next second, sound of blood spluttering filled the tank as two energy blades pierced the necks of Ailo and the other operator.
Ailo looked at Kiba with wide eyes as he gasped for the final breath. He couldn’t understand why he was not spared despite him sharing information so openly.
"I already gave you all a chance to escape but you didn’t appreciate it," Kiba said coldly. "And I never spare those who try to kill me."
By the time Ailo’s body fell down, Kiba was already gone from the tank.
***
Outside.
Viper was surrounded by his team as they rushed away from the destroyed camp house. He gripped his ring while praying the worst situation could be avoided.
"If I use it now then the plans would be spoiled," Viper thought. "But that man is an Alpha so.."
His elliptical pupils glinted while his forked tongue made a seething sound as he conversed with his subordinates. His scales protruded throughout his body into an armor of curved blades.
He was in the middle of passing instructions when the space in front of him twisted. Viper was startled and he leaped twenty meters back.
Kiba appeared at Viper’s former spot. The revolutionaries were stunned and terrified by such close proximity with him.
A few of the weaker ones collapsed on the ground. Their faces turned ghastly pale as if the blood inside them was knocked out by a giant hammer.
"Damn! The soldiers of revolution would not accept defeat till their final breath!"
A revolutionary named Ellie gritted her teeth and pounced on Kiba. She opened her mouth wide and waves of energy concentrated in her mouth into a ball.
"I would buy a few seconds for Count Viper!" Ellie was not afraid of death. She believed she was helping the cause of revolution by providing aid to a greater general like Viper.
Th1s chapter is updated by n)ovel/\bin/\
Viper was important for the revolution. She wanted him to survive and spread the flames of revolution around the world. She would not be able to look at the liberated world but she was sure her sacrifice would be remembered.
"Everything for the revolution!" Ellie thought as she launched the ball of energy on Kiba.
Kiba shook his head in slight frustration. He could sense her emotions and understand her intentions. He decided to respect her so-called sacrifice so he allowed her attack to strike him.
Her strike was strong but against someone like Kiba, it was futile. It was like a plastic ball was striking against a steel wall. The outcome was set.
Ellie was not surprised but her lips curled up in a smile. She has tried her best and that mattered to her the most. She has delayed him for a few seconds and that was a worthy contribution.
"The flames of revolution would melt the chains of slavery!" Ellie shouted as Kiba appeared in front of her. "The world would soon be freed from the greed of government!"
Kiba placed a finger on her forehead. She felt her eyes turning heavy as if sleep was overtaking her body. She collapsed on the ground and died without least bit of pain.
"Haah~" Kiba sighed loudly. He would not show mercy against his enemies but he didn’t mind being lenient and giving her a painless death.
The reason for this was perhaps what occurred over a four years ago when Castor Damon and revolutionaries collaborated to use slum dwellers to explore BSE79. He still remembered the emotion-heavy speech given by a man with short blonde hairs in the slums. That blonde man was a revolutionary who flared the emotions of slum dwellers by giving them hope of the future and explaining the importance of sacrifice. (Chapter 144).
The speech was such that Zed was both impressed and terrified. That day he learned how words could be used to manipulate the thoughts of others...