Kiba lowered his hand as everything returned to normal; as normal as one could expect given what just trespassed a moment ago.
He sealed his aura and stepped forward. The path ahead of him was devoid of life.
There were no trees, grass, or even insects. If there was something, it was warm blood that dyed the ground into crimson.
The entire area was a scene from hell.
This was especially true when Kiba walked ahead, the blood parted to create a path for him. On either side of him, the blood curled up like waves, bowing down.
Only after he left did blood splashed back on the ground.
A few minutes later.
Kiba stepped on a forest road. He started walking on it without using any of his abilities.
Meanwhile, half a kilometer behind on the same road, a jeep was running at full speed. It has mutants who were interested in capturing Kiba for same reasons as the teams before.
Among the wild trees, a group of mutants was leaping forward to find Kiba. Pet beasts accompanied them for the task.
The necks of the beasts were wrapped in slave collars. These collars had an electronic mechanism that was linked with the nervous system. If a beast tries to have any intent that was against the commands of its master, the slave collar would offer punishment, in the worse case, even death. As such, these collars were a sure shot method to have a pet beast.
At the same time, high in sky, two helicopters were soaring. They were military helicopters inside which a team of mutants was sitting.
The sudden darkness and golden streak of light have stunned them temporarily but the greed was not something that could be suppressed. Not to mention, they were not aware of Kiba’s role in what happened some time ago.
A few minutes later, the three teams discovered Kiba at the same time. They had a basic profile of him so they knew he was the target.
"Another group of termites," Kiba stopped in the middle of road. Raising his head towards the sky, he sighted the helicopters.
After his battle with Anamarie, his field of vision has completely changed. Now, he saw everything tainted with crimson. It was like the world was painted with blood as far as he was concerned.
"Kill."
"Murder."
"Slaughter."
"Destroy."
These words enveloped his consciousness. Every cell in his body thirsted for blood. It was a demand made by his very instincts.
"Destroy," Kiba muttered with a devilish smile on his face.
The three teams were about to take action, but before they could, their pupils constricted in horror. The helicopters in the sky were suddenly pulled to the ground.
"What the hell?!" The pilots tried to get controls back without any success.
The sides of the two helicopters collided into each other, creating sparks. A heavy screeching sound reverberated as the helicopters continued to drop.
At the same time, the group in the jeep was terrified. The jeep was sent flying high in the air as if it was kicked by a giant, leaving scratch marks on the road.
The groups inside the helicopters cried tragically as they saw the jeep shooting towards them.
Two helicopters and a jeep smashed into each other in midair.
There was such a strong power wrapping them that people inside didn’t even get an opportunity to jump out. Cockpit and windshield shattered into pieces while the people inside the vehicles slammed out of their seats. All they could do was release a tragic cry as a shocking explosion boomed out from collision.
BOOM
Everyone was instantly engulfed in the explosion, dying in no time. Shockwaves swept out that destroyed vegetation nearby.
The remaining team, which was standing between trees, was shocked out of their wits. They were still trying to make any sense of things when the beasts accompanying them roared.
ROAR
The slave collars on their necks instantly shattered, freeing them.
"What?!" The team was dumbfounded.
The eyes of the beasts were bloodshot as they eyed their former masters, as if eyeing food, they drooled with desire and pounced on their former masters.
"What happened to them?!"
"Calm down!" The humans tried to control their beasts but alas without any success. The beasts have a sudden craving for human flesh.
A fight broke between humans and mutated beasts. The humans were startled but they started pushing the beasts back. If these humans weren’t powerful, they wouldn’t have been able to make the beasts as their pets.
Sadly, their joy was rather short-lived. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a golden force enveloped the beasts like a coating.
GRRRR
The beasts showcased their canine teeth which grew at a rate visible to the naked eye. The same went for their claws. Even their bodies started buffing up.
Their strength amplified to limits!
The humans didn’t even get a chance to fight back in this round. The more powerful and agile beasts tore through their bodies...
Some distance away, Kiba smiled in delight. The smell of blood satisfied his body’s hunger to a small extent.
It was like his body was starved for far too long, and killing a hundred was nowhere near enough.
Kiba looked ahead.
His pupils flashed and his vision passed through trees and various obstacles before coming on a group of mutants.
"The sensors are detecting he is in that direction," One of the mutants pointed out. He has a digital tablet on his hand which was showing the map of the forest.
"That’s the direction from where smoke is coming," Another mutant muttered. "Others must be trying to capture him."
"This is bad then," A dejected member said.
"Actually no," The group leader disagreed with his group’s assessment. His eyes flashed with slyness as he looked towards the direction of smoke.
"Huh?" The others looked at the group leader.
"The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind," The group leader said, "Maybe we can be the oriole and profit greatly from the conflict."
"Great! We can win without doing much!" The team was excited.
They started running towards their target at full speed while ensuring their preparations were complete.
Far away, Kiba smiled in contempt
"Hehe, profit."
At the same time, the team of mutants suddenly jolted as if a current passed through them. They stopped in their path as a pain raged in their chest.
BA DUMP
The team leader’s face fell. His heart was beating violently and so loudly that he could hear the heartbeat.
The others in the team were feeling the same as well. They put a hand over their chests, trying to determine what was going on, but the next moment, their heart imploded.
Pieces of heart shout of their chests and the team died instantly. The team didn’t even know how they died as their corpses collapsed on the ground.
Kiba sensed more people nearby; people who desired to hunt him. There was just no end to them.
"So many ants."
Kiba raised a hand towards the side. A radiant glow enveloped his palm and the space started distorting.
"Space Extinguish... Urgh!"
Suddenly, a piercing pain jolted through his nervous system before impaling his mind. It was far worse than a severe headache, and the resulting pain affected his vision.
The crimson field disappeared from his eyes and he saw everything with normal colors.
"Damn! Claudia!"
Kiba bit his lips and brought his eyes on his right wrist. Covered by a white sleeve, it was hiding a silver bracelet. The bracelet was buzzing with bolts of current that sipped into his skin as vibrations.
This stopped him at the crucial moment just when he wanted to summon another powerful attack.
"The present bloodlust is different than before," Kiba tried to fight his craving for blood.
Kiba was indeed right. The previous two times, he lost control due to the gray particle (Genesis Matter) in his mind.
But now, Genesis Matter was sealed and as such, it couldn’t affect him.
This time, his sudden desire for blood was rather natural and his own. It wasn’t forced.
As a being powered by Cosmic Spark, he was different from humans. His aura was of an emperor, and naturally, from his body’s perspective, the humanoid ants were polluting his dominion. They didn’t deserve to live.
It was similar to how humans couldn’t handle the presence of cockroaches or other insects in their houses.
There was complete indifference to life. Something perfectly natural as a higher form of life.
Normally, he could stop this bloodlust on his own by his determination and will. But not this time.
"It must be the side effects... I have been in the present form for far too long."
Kiba reasoned as every cell once again erupted with demand for blood.
It was the first time he was facing such an issue, but honestly speaking, he was not shocked. The city life shielded him from side effects but he knew they existed.
Kiba usually avoided his hunger for killing from reaching such a level by not being Kiba. Every time he turned Kiba, his thirst for blood would have to jump from zero. This was why such an incident never took place in the city.
There was also a minor factor which was amplifying his desire to destroy.
He has been holding back to not kill people he usually would have, without batting an eye. This naturally amplified his thirst as he was going against his very principle of not sparing an enemy.
"Damn, I’m not sparing anyone... I’m just letting them live for plan to work... for Felicity."
Kiba didn’t get much time to think. His face turned red and veins bulged out of his neck as his lust for blood strengthened.
The bracelet and other mechanisms weren’t made to stop his natural thirst.
This didn’t mean neither Claudia nor Kiba didn’t prepare for this. Claudia has rather made enough preparations. She showed him those preparations just before he arrived in the forest.
Kiba let out a heavy sigh.
Even he knew such a situation might arrive, but he didn’t get time to take the precautions he has planned. After all, he was always in company, either with Ruby or Ashlyn or with others. He could not take the preventive measures during his rest time as it might put him into risk.
"There are people around..."
As Kiba tried to fight his bloodlust, he sensed more mutants catching up.
A few of them have rocket launchers and other modern weapons while the rest were mutants with power of elements. He sensed their greed and desire to hunt him, and this made his lips curl up in a mocking smile.
"There are so many people in this forest... killing a few shouldn’t make a difference," Kiba made an excuse for himself.
The group jumped right in action without saying any words. They reasoned he has a spatial device so even if his body was destroyed, the spatial device would remain due to its high durability. They have seen the wreckages of vehicles and the corpses, so they didn’t dare hold back.
Some of them leaped towards him like ferocious beasts with their weapons aimed at him. The rest launched elemental attacks.
"Oh well..."
As two rockets fired off and streams of elemental power surged at him, Kiba fickled a finger.
The attacks reversed direction and shot back. The group of mutants was terrified beyond words; caught completely off-guard.
The rockets blasted on the elemental mutants while the elemental attacks slammed into those holding weapons.
BOOM
A terrifying explosion rippled out along with heart-wrenching screams. The other explosives the group carried also exploded in a chain reaction; increasing the might of explosion.
The area was engulfed in a chaotic explosion cloud.
The land violently rumbled while hundreds of trees were instantly burned to ashes. Beasts nearby frantically ran for their lives. Many mutants stopped in their tracks, not daring to step towards the direction of explosion.
"Phew~" Kiba felt a little better.
With another flick, the explosion cloud disappeared and the wildfire vanished.
Kiba retrieved a spatial ring from his storage dimension.
It was something he took from one of the unlucky peoples he encountered. The storage space in the ring was rather good, and he put half of the items Claudia prepared for him inside this ring.
Kiba gripped the ring before putting it on a finger of his right hand. He wore it on the same finger as the one where he has a white ring.
The white ring was given to him by Claudia. Its functions were somewhat similar to the bracelet though with varying effects.
Kiba didn’t pay any attention to the white ring. He adjusted the spatial ring before lowering his hand.
"Hopefully I wouldn’t have to rely on it."
Kiba closed his eyes and took a deep breath of air. Even though he hasn’t gone berserk and kill without reasons, he hated his current state. He wanted to be the one in control and not his bloodlust.
His bloodlust was only turning stronger, and showing no sign of calming down. He knew this would only turn worse if he sensed more living beings.
Swoosh~!
Streams of golden light wrapped him from head to toe; enveloping him in a golden glow.
Cracking sounds came out of his body and his height decreased. From 6’, he reached 5’8". The golden color from his hair rapidly faded and was replaced with black, his hair shortening as well.
His face morphed and twisted, and in a few seconds, his facial features completely changed just like the rest of his body.
Sss
The clothes were made from nanoparticles and they were internally filled with commands. As they sensed his changes, they transformed into a new design. He was now in a T-shirt and jeans; another casual look much to his disappointment.
He was no longer Kiba but rather Zed!
"Haah~" Zed breath out in relief.
Th1s chapter is updated by n)ovel/\bin/\
He felt fresh and liberated as his body no longer thirsted for blood. This form was nowhere near strong as Kiba, nor extraordinary power coursed through his veins, but nevertheless, it felt just as good.
For him, Kiba was more about ideology and pursuit of particular dreams rather than power. This was why he could be the man he was.
He brought his right hand before his chest and looked at the bracelet. The engravings on it were faint short circuits that carried hundreds of complex formations. One of the formations helped him in waking from his bedeviled state.
"What would I do without you, Claudia?"
Zed thought about her with a smile.
"A few hours should be enough."
Zed didn’t want to be in this form for too long. After all, there was no reason to be Zed, unlike in the city.
He took a step ahead, but just then, he heard the sound of heavy breathing from behind.
Startled, he turned around. He was stunned after his eyes registered the scene.
Some hundred meters ahead, a familiar figure was standing, huffing for breath.
Ashlyn.
After defeating Mendel, she left The Fair.
She and Kiba have decided to either meet outside The Fair or in the village.
Naturally, Ashlyn first tried to find him outside. She just reached this place after chasing the fluctuations from earlier battles.
The moment she arrived, she sighted a black-haired man who seemed to be in the early twenties, just like her. He couldn’t be any different from the man she was seeking.
Ashlyn was surprised to see this new person but she didn’t care much. There were just far too many humans in the forest.
She moved her eyes from him when something caught her attention. Surprised, her cold eyes focused on his right wrist where she saw a silver bracelet.
Ashlyn wouldn’t forget the engravings on the bracelet. She was far too familiar with it as Mirage Thief tried to steal the bracelet. It was due to this that Kiba and Ashylyn came in conflict with The Dark Stars.
Ashlyn didn’t know the functions or the use of the bracelet. But she knew it was far too precious otherwise powerful figures would not have tried to steal it.
It only took her a short moment to confirm the engravings on the bracelet. This bracelet was the same as the one clad on Kiba’s wrist!
"This!"
Ashlyn took a short breath to calm herself.
She first looked at what remained of unidentifiable corpses, the wreckage of helicopters and then recalled how she felt Kiba’s aura from this area.
Finally, she locked her eyes on Zed. The very fact that he has a bracelet owned by Kiba and that too in this place, this left no doubts on what it implied.
BANG
Ashlyn’s aura exploded out like a fierce storm. Blue currents enveloped her suit, and the discs flew out of her wrists and came into her hands.
CHRRR
The discs started rotating and blue ripples surged out, flashing with murderous radiance.
Her poker face showed an expression she has rarely shown - anger. Even her cold eyes glinted with killing intent.