Many mutants left the seating zone and followed the rushing guards, mercenaries and other powerful figures. They didn’t have confidence in taking the treasure from Kiba, but they reasoned given the mayhem, there would be opportunities to benefit in other ways.
Chaos always brings chances...
Back in the seating zone, there were only a few hundred people left. Among them, Madison and Lillian sat in premium seats.
"Oh my! Daddy is so brazen and bold even outside bed!" Madison exclaimed with her hands on either side of her face.
"As expected of our handsome daddy!" Lillian jumped from her seat. "He is really fierce!"
The twins covered their lips and giggled like happy teenagers.
"Let’s join daddy!" Lillian suggested and her twin nodded. They both rushed out...
The people nearby were dumbfounded by their actions. They couldn’t believe the words they have heard from the twins.
"Daddy?!"
"Brazen and bold EVEN outside bed?! Does that mean?!"
"Fuck! He is damn lucky!!"
"Why does a guy like him get everything?!"
"He came here with stunning beauty, had a short fight with another cute girl, showed-off wealth in the auction..."
"Then, in front of experts, openly robbed the most precious item! And now, you are telling me, he is even fucking the sexiest twins out there?!"
"Does this world have no concept of equality and justice!? We are dying single here!"
"God, open your eyes and see the injustice committed under your nose!"
"Do your job and struck him with lightning!"
"Yes! Such a man does not deserve to live!"
"Agree! I have always liked the twins, but that guy took their innocence!"
"What type of daddy does that?!" An old man commented and stopped the demand for justice from the heavens.
"Don’t take it literally, old fool! The daddy they spoke about is different from biological fathers!! The world is changing, and you haven’t adapted to new terminologies!" A forty-something man berated him loudly.
"Then that’s good! It means I can also become their daddy!!" A young man chimed in. His eyes were sparkling as drool came out from the corners of his mouth.
The seated people looked at him as if he was an idiot. They obviously knew the reason why he wanted to be daddy but even then, it was asking for impossible!
"Do you truly want to be the daddy of the crazy twins?! Have you not heard the stories about them?!"
"Besides, have you seen your face! Even a dog won’t call you daddy!"
"Just how dumb are you for you to think you have the ability to become twins’ daddy?!"
...
Ten minutes ago.
Outside auditorium.
The auditorium could only host around two thousand people at a time. Then there was a sizeable entrance fee. These two factors made it impossible for thousands of peoples to experience the auction.
So most people could only stand outside the auditorium. They would try to use the outside premises as a venue for informal exchange of resources.
Presently, around a thousand mutants were standing outside the enormous metallic door that served as the main exit of seating zones.
An elderly man was standing with his back some thirty meters away from the door. He was addressing the people in front of him; trying to sell an emerald green Cherryrose.
"Cherryrose is good for nourishing blood and reinforcing tendons," The elderly-man informed in a matter-of-factly voice. "It would enhance your chances to face the savage beasts and acquire quality resources. You can have it for only $1000!"
The people in front of him didn’t seemed to be interested. They continued to chatter with each other or being aloof.
The elderly-man was dejected. He was in urgent need of funds to visit a famous brothel and yet, no one was showing any interest in helping a poor man.
Just as he lowered his head, suddenly, he sensed thousands of eyes on him. He was startled but also presently surprised as he saw everyone looking at him.
’God has heard my prayer!’
His eyes brightened and he made a slight coughing sound before saying, "Trust me, you wouldn’t get a better deal. Buying Cherryrose for $1000 is the best stroke of luck you can ever get!"
The elderly-man was giving a passionate speech when he felt something amiss. He noticed the onlookers weren’t exactly looking at him.
He turned around to see what exactly they were seeing. Just as he turned, he heard loud cracking sounds coming from inside the auditorium.
He was startled and tried to make sense of things, but then his eyes bulged.
The reinforced metallic door - which was fifty centimeters thick - was shaking.
What the hell?!
Fissures sprang out of the middle and under everyone’s anxious eyes, began to rapidly spread throughout the door.
With a loud bang sound, the door crumbled into countless pieces that exploded out like a hailstorm.
Even before eyes could register this scene, a beam of golden light shot out. This golden beam charged forward, moving faster and faster.
A few mutants with strong perception abilities noticed a figure in the beam, but his face was blurry due to intense speed.
The elderly-man was trying to make a sense of this beam when he heard an intense trembling sound from behind.
As he once again turned around, his eyes widened and his mouth gaped open. Over five hundred people rushed out of the auditorium. Every single one of them was running after the golden beam.
A frenzied mob was chasing an individual!
"What the fuck is going on?!"
The scene was both stunning and imposing...
Anamarie and Mendel were the leading figures in the chasing crowd. Three braids twirled behind Anamarie like a motor fan and she twirled through the air.
"Kiba! Stop!" Mendel gnashed his teeth and used his greatest speed to pursue. Even in his wildest thoughts, he never imagined the present scenario.
Being defeated by Kiba in ’an unfair environment’ was something he could barely accept. But then, right under his and Anamarie’s eyes, Body Molding Ore was openly robbed.
Nothing like this has ever occurred in The Fair as far as Mendel could remember. Just this thought made his blood boil in anger.
He knew unless Kiba was punished in the severest way, there would be no scope for The Fair to get back its former glory and reputation.
The honor and fame of Dark Stars were at stake...
Kiba continued to dash forward, and as he did, cracks appeared on the street surface below his feet. It was like an earthquake was charging through the ground, destroying the street.
Kiba lifted his hand towards the sky. A white glow shot out of his palm and rushed into the sky.
The white glow soon transformed into an enormous misty cloud that shrouded an area of almost a mile.
"What is he doing?" Anamarie knitted her eyes. She suddenly has a bad feeling swelling up in her heart.
Under countless astonished eyes, the misty cloud exploded like a magnificent firework.
"Is this some sort of attack?" A fierce hunter wondered aloud.
"I don’t know but if it is an attack, why is its range surrounding such a long distance? Wouldn’t this reduce its might?" A middle-aged guardsman said.
Iron Blood Mercenary Corps’ Maddox wondered the same as he continued the hot pursuit.
He wanted to hunt Kiba and steal his treasures. While he understood that the crystalline ore was out of the question, he reasoned Kiba must have more treasures.
Otherwise, how else could Kiba bid precious vitality-boosting fruits without any discomfort?
He was in the middle of contemplation when his left pupil dilated. He raised his head and looked at the firework.
Dazzlingly bright lights started pouring down.
Maddox’ red pupil glinted like a star as his sight concentrated on one of the bright lights pouring down.
The light was shooting down like a falling star but it contained a Grade-I Echinacea.
Maddox was dumbfounded. His pupil zoomed into another falling light and he noticed Energy Gemstones. He still refused to believe what he saw so he focused on another beam and saw a money card worth $50000.
"Resources are pouring like rain?!" Maddox’s expression was one of astonishment and disbelief.
It wasn’t only him who was shocked. Practically everyone was shocked out of wits by the scene in the sky.
While a few hundred still chased after Kiba, the others made a sudden turn and rushed towards the falling lights. Their eyes blazed with naked greed as they leaped to grasp the falling treasures.
Even the bystanders on streets and those outside auction house charged at the falling lights.
There was only one reason why everyone was in Desolate Blood Forest.
Resources.
Some wanted to get rich while others wanted to evolve their strength to the next level. The Fair might be a safe zone free from bloodshed, but the rest of the forest was a warzone.
Many of them have lost comrades, friends and loved ones in this warzone. Everything so that they could get some resources. They have faced ferocious beasts, savage birds, bizarre flora, and evil men. Every single conflict was laced with a danger that they barely survived.
Now, the very reason they came to the forest was pouring from the sky. Unlike the warzone in the forest, there were no dangers here.
It was literally blessing pouring down from the heavens!
"Crimson Mist Mushroom! I have been trying to find it for ages!" A woman excitedly grabbed the mushroom in her hands. As she turned around, she found hundreds of mutants looking at her, like predators.
"Dustless Yarrow!" A young mutant caught the plant. He was grinning but then his grin turned stiff. He noticed dozens of eyes on him.
Outside the auditorium, the elderly-man from before stood with a downcast expression. He looked on as battles erupted out of nowhere. He sighed and put back Cherryrose into a wooden box when a light from above fell on him.
He was stunned as the light parted to reveal a money card worth $1000.
"My prayer has been heeded! There is a god in this world!"
The elderly-man quickly hide the money card.
"The god is truly generous!"
The elderly-man thought as he ran into the direction of his favorite brothel.
...
Meanwhile, Anamarie has a bad premonition as she saw resources crashing down. She could feel spatial currents from the falling lights, and as such, she reasoned they were arriving from some storage device.
But how can he have so many resources? Money cards, herbs, fruits, gemstones, and countless other rare items.
Anamarie was thinking this when her eyes caught sight of fruit falling down.
It was Life Boost Fruit! The same fruit Ashlyn gave to Kiba during the auction so that he could purchase an item!
Anamarie’s heart skipped a beat. She instantly realized what it implied.
"You!" Anamarie’s eyes were filled with threads of blood as she chased after Kiba. "You even stole auction house’ treasury?!"
"Stealing is such a heavy word," Kiba disagreed with her assessment. "I’m not a thief."
"Like hell you are not!"
Anamarie’s braids danced in the wind and they grew at a rate visible to the naked eye. The fierce energy enveloped around the braids made air emit an ear-piercing sound.
One of the braids whipped through the air like a crescent moon and it slammed down on Kiba.
Just as it was about to crush him with thunderous might, he leaned back and avoided it by a hairbreadth.
The braid smashed into the concrete pavement. With a bang sound, stones and rocks exploded out and a shock wave swept throughout the street. Many of the pursuers and bystanders collapsed down. The remnants of shock wave crashed into their bodies and their blood flow turned turbulent.
"So scary!" Kiba said with a smile. His speed amplified and he rushed ahead.
"Just you wait!" Anamarie gritted her teeth and increased her speed.
"Only a selected million from billions get to enjoy resources. You can say the world is infected with inequality," Kiba said in a grim tone. "The gap between rich and poor needs to decrease... and this is why I firmly believe in sharing my wealth."
Kiba’s eyes and voice were filled with melancholy as he looked at the falling light from the firework above.
For a moment, Anamarie was startled. She could not believe how he said what he said in such a convincing tone. But it was just a moment as fury replaced shock.
"Bastard! This is not your wealth!" Anamarie could hardly control the anger exploding inside her. "And you had no right to share it!"
"I guess so," Kiba nodded while running ahead. "By the way, your guards seem to be having fun."
"What?" Anamarie looked in the distance.
The streets were filled with miserable shrieks and stench of blood. Everywhere there was plain chaos as if a riot has broken out.
The greed which was barely restrained by the laws of The Fair was now out in full glory. Mutants were killing each other for resources.
Intense rumbling sounds, a shocking display of supernatural abilities and an unrestrained mob.
The ugly side of humanity was on full display.
Anamarie clenched her hands into tight fists. Her eyebrows creased as she saw the guardsmen openly participating in spreading the chaos.
They were using their specialized weapons and shield to carry out stealing.
"Damn!" Anamarie now fully realized what exactly Kiba has done.
"How could this be?!" Mendel’s pupils dilated in disbelief at the scene. Even though he knew about mob mentality and greedy nature, he still found the open display shocking.
"Mendel! I will clear the mess here!" Anamarie informed him as she turned around and dashed towards the crowd. "I will catch up with you in a few minutes!"
She wasn’t worried about Kiba escaping. Earlier, when she attacked him, her braid emitted her unique odorless scent that has seeped into Kiba. Besides that, she had other means to find him.
Most importantly, she knew that dozens of powerful mutants - who didn’t participate in the auction - would learn of him. It was just a matter of minutes before they will spring to action. So even if she was delayed, it was impossible for Kiba to escape.
For now, she wanted to bring back the discipline on the streets. She knew if she didn’t, then even if they got the treasure back from Kiba, The Fair would lose all its charm.
It was the strict implementation of laws that made The Fair a haven desired by masses...
"Don’t worry," Mendel nodded his head. He pressed a finger on the tattoo on his left cheek.
A flash of red current swept out and soared into the sky.
The air blurred with intense energy fluctuations and a dragon appeared. Unlike the auditorium, the entire red dragon was life-like. Whether it was its four legs or its enormous tail, everything was corporeal.
The red dragon roared loudly before smashing one of its claws down at Kiba.
"Well, let’s have... Hmm?" Kiba stopped as he sensed something.
As the claw was about to smash him, two blue streams of light whirled through the air. Chaotic winds surged outward as the streams of light shot towards the gigantic claw.
If one looked closely, they would see the streams were actually discs!
The edges of the discs were razor-sharp and they were rotating as they swept forward, leaving behind a trail of blue ripples.
Strands of blue current surged out of the edges, carrying blistering radiation.
The discs pierced through the claw. Tiny crack lines appeared, which less than a second, exploded into deep holes as the discs penetrated through them.
The claw was cleaved!
The discs made a curve in the air and shot back like bolts of lightning.
Mendel turned around and saw Ashlyn catching the discs. Her eyes were cold as she looked at him...
At the same time, some two hundred meters away.
A water-element mutant has just won Life Boost Fruit. He has defeated many people to get this precious fruit. Naturally, he was in a very joyous mood.
He took a step ahead but just then, the ground below him parted, and a stone dart flew out. Even before he could blink his eyes, the stone dart pierced through his neck. He collapsed on the ground...lifeless.
A few meters away, Maddox laughed merrily. He has secretly killed another contender in this area before he made an appearance.
"Nothing like the sweet taste of wealth!"
He crouched down and grabbed the fruit.
He retrieved a box from his storage ring and opened it. Inside, Vitality Enhancing Fruit was placed. Now, Maddox put Life Boost Fruit beside Vitality Enhancing Fruit.
"I have already taken both fruits!" Maddox was grinning from ear to ear. "The auction house wouldn’t know, and as such, they would have no choice but to compensate me. Hahaha!"
Maddox was in the middle of laughter when suddenly, out of nowhere, thin strands of golden current wrapped around the box.
He sensed an overbearing attractive force pulling the box. He gripped it more tightly and pressed it on the ground, but the force turned stronger.
"WHO?!"
Just as he shouted, the box escaped from his grip and flew away...