Crimson Wolf transformed into a beam of light and shot at Extermination. As he closed in, he drew a massive circle in the sky and poured a vast quantity of crimson energy into it.
RUMBLE~
The circle turned into a crimson moon, glittering enticingly.
"Judgement of the Moon!"
Crimson Wolf was a peak Level VII Alpha, and this was one of the strongest moves he had. It was something he didn’t wish to use as it would further harm this damaged land, but he had no choice.
He lowered his claw and aimed it at Extermination.
Whistle!
The crimson moon bombarded down, surging with the power of murder and judgment. It broke through the grayish aura and smashed on Extermination.
BOOOM
A shocking crimson explosion filled the air, rumbling through the destroyed space.
At the same time, miles above the ground, Miria’s katana diced the grayish energy soaring to the skies, breaking its contact from the outer space dust.
Ssss~!
Acidic fumes swept out of the katana as its surface corroded completely. Before her eyes, it exploded into gray shards and merged with the grayish mist.
Miria let out a bitter sigh at the loss of weapon that has accompanied her since her birth.
Some distance away from her, Maldonado broke the strands of grayish energy with mountain peaks and created a layer of white mountains around them.
"Seems like we succeded in stopping him!"
Miria barely made this statement when her eyes constricted. Maldonado’s face fell as well and he reinforced the mountains around them with another layer.
Down below, in just a fraction of second, the explosion cloud turned absolute gray.
"!"
Crimson Wolf’s heart skipped a beat.
He didn’t expect his attack to kill Extermination, but did hope to exhaust him further, and force him on backfoot.
Now...
Seeing the worst-case scenario, he turned into a puff of crimson smoke and retreated. Even as he did, an illusory gray palm cut through the explosion cloud and charged at him.
His pupils dilated with terror as the palm shrouded his field of vision.
"I have failed!"
He wasn’t afraid of death. If he was, he wouldn’t have come here to stop Extermination, knowing the possibility of death when facing a Level VIII mutant.
Still, he wanted to live and protect this world from Extermination.
No matter how bad this world was, it didn’t deserve to be wiped out!
High above, Miria and Maldonado snapped their teeth. It was impossible for them to save him as everything occurred at lightning speed.
Crimson Wolf closed his eyes. The illusory palm was on him, ready to absorb him into the chaos.
"Sighs~"
Like the rustling of autumn wind, a soft sigh ringed out. It was impossible to say where this sigh came from, much less from who, but as it came, the time seemed to stop.
Extermination’s expression changed for the first time. He lifted his head towards the boundless, gray sky.
Violet petals rained down, emitting intense glow. The grayness that terrified even Hyperion jerked back.
Swoosh~!
Between these petals, the figure of a woman emerged.
She was ethereal and transparent, dressed in royal red attire. Her face was covered with a thin veil, making it impossible to see her facial features.
Extermination didn’t need to see her face to know her identity.
"Princess Scarlet Leila De Rose!"
The violet petals danced around her, bursting with frightening power.
"!!"
Maldonado and Miria felt intense dread, countless times greater than they felt from Extermination. This dread stabbed into their minds, causing their bodies to shake violently.
The layers of majestic mountains around them just vanished, as if they never existed.
Crimson Wolf’s breathing turned heavy. The illusory palm had vanished, but he felt an incredibly strong pressure squirming through his body.
In Earth’s orbit, the advanced military-grade satellites that had arrived to capture visuals similarly vanished. There was no explosion, no crack, nothing. It was like they were directly erased from existence.
Around the globe, the councilmen and important figures trembled. There were no more visuals nor readings, but what little visuals and readings they saw before satellites disappearing was enough to scare them out of wits.
"Those readings must be false....!!"
Lord Harley muttered to himself.
The energy readings had increased explosively before returning to zero. In normal cases, zero would signify an ordinary human. But that definitely didn’t apply here given what they saw!
So the only possible explanation was that the satellites were incapable of reading the new energy signals!
"For such a thing to happen... her powers must surpass the limitations of Alpha!"
Lord Harley’s eyes widened and ears buzzed at this thought.
"That would mean she’s....!!!"
*****
Princess Scarlet Leila De Rose came down from the sky. She glanced in the direction of Maldonado, Miria, and Crimson Wolf, and before they could feel her glance, they disappeared.
When they appeared, they found themselves far away from Delta City, in another city.
"She teleported us away?! I didn’t feel any fluctuation!" Maldonado muttered in disbelief.
"Who was she?!" Miria wondered aloud.
"No idea! But whoever she was... she saved our lives!" Crimson Wolf replied.
*****
Princess Scarlet Leila De Rose landed some distance away from Extermination. She slowly stepped towards him and said, "Dream Seeker... It seems you have ignored my warning[1]."
Extermination gripped the Cosmic Spark tightly as he replied, "I’m not Dream Seeker!"
A gentle breeze passed by him, carrying violet petals. By the time they flew past, Princess Scarlet Leila De Rose was in front of him, her left hand on his face.
Extermination was startled and as he borrowed power from the Cosmic Spark to make up for his exhaustion, she smiled behind the veil.
"Changing the outer shell or appearance doesn’t change what you are."
The power flowing from the Cosmic Spark stopped, suppressed by her. He has pushed his body beyond limit, and tapping more of its power was lethal, and perhaps that was the reason she stopped him.
Extermination didn’t reply as he struggled to overcome the suppression on the Cosmic Spark.
With another sigh, she traced her hand gently on his face before stopping on his forehead. A burst of violet energy flooded into his mind.
"Argh!"
He let go of the Cosmic Spark and grabbed his head. He felt a pounding headache like never before, forcing him to shut his eyes and concentrate on his consciousness.
The consciousness of every living being was no different than an independent realm. Everything in it was based on thoughts, emotions, and imagination.
In this realm of consciousness, Princess Scarlet Leila De Rose appeared. Everything here was gray with no land or sky.
She arrived at the core of the realm where she saw Kiba, wrapped in the webs of anger and hatred. Since she was in his consciousness, his every thought and emotion was open to her.
Kill!
Destroy!
Exterminate!
A world without Hope doesn’t deserve to exist!
Wipe it out!
"Is that what you all want?" Princess Scarlet Leila De Rose asked. "And does this world really not deserve to exist?"
Strands of violet energy rippled out of her and pulled him from the webs of anger and hatred.
Kiba nodded in response to her questions.
’How can the world deserve to exist without my daughter?! Destroying it is all I want!’
The webs of anger and hatred seethed excitedly. They stretched out and wrapped him again, and just as it seemed they have succeeded, the violent energy simulated his memories.
The realm flashed with images of Elissa. How she smiled at him when she requested him to pray for her. How she promised to rescue him from the slums and kill the caretaker if she succeeded in her life.[2]
As he remembered her, he started struggling inside the webs of anger and hatred.
Elissa deserves a world to live in! To thrive! To succeed!
But was she alive?
Before his thoughts could turn negative, the realm flashed with scenes of Ashlyn.
How she always had a cold, poker face, and how rarely would a smile greet her lips. How she used his motto of "Work smart, not hard!" to create the most terrifying art known to men - Nutcracking!
Kiba tore through the webs and jumped out.
Yes, Ashlyn deserves a world to not only exist but live! She had earned that right and her status as a Cursed One didn’t matter!
She has to live happily! Free from the conditioning of her adopted parents!
The webs refused to let him go. They entangled his feet and just then, the realm flashed with visuals of Eva. How she always helped him... and how she sported the shy and kind woman persona in front of others.
Kiba pushed the webs back.
Yes! Eva deserved a world where she could work on the feelings they had developed for each other!
The world then flashed with projections of Agatha. How she was always there for him, without any expectation. How even before she gave him the greatest gift, she only wanted the best for him.
As he thought of her, and what she was feeling now, he knew what he has to do. He destroyed the webs around him and shouted.
Agatha deserves happiness... and his support! The world needed to exist for her! Not only the world, but he also has to be there for her, now more than ever!
"Destroying the world is not all I want! Many those I care about are alive, and for them, this world has to exist!"
Swoosh~!
A dazzling golden glow blasted out of him. It smashed into the grayness, starting a fight for supremacy over this realm.
A series of rumbling explosions followed...
Princess Scarlet Leila De Rose’s lips curled up into a beautiful smile.
The violet energy continued to simulate his memories and thoughts to motivate him further.
The rumbling realm flickered with illusory scenes of Claudia. She might be an AI, but for him, she was no less than a living person.
How could he ever forget about her? Her retorts, sharp comments... and her mission to support him.
He hasn’t yet a created body for her! She deserved much more than a body, she deserved a world she could explore on her own!
....
He then remembered Sophia. How she always spoke of her mother’s teachings in every matter. How she wrongly labeled Kiba as a shameless villain... and how rightly she found Zed as a figure worthy of respect!
She (and her mom) deserved a world!
He then remembered Felicity and Jessica. They deserved a world to live and succeed with him!
Amidst the rumblings, the images of customers who benefitted from his non-profit ventures (Wife Pleasuring Service Ltd, Maiden Love Circle, Mistress Massage Center, etc) appeared.
Suzane, Sarah, and countless other wives deserved a world where they could gain the ultimate happiness! The same applied to the maidens and girlfriends!
Then there was Olly. He was at a marriageable age and the world has to exist for his future wife to gain happiness!
And lastly, there was Erone! The loyal follower deserved a world where he can establish the church for his Lord!
Kiba: "........"
Princess Scarlet Leila De Rose: "........."
[1] "Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupt absolutely." It was her warning in Chapter 262 which he heard through a virtual recording.
[2] Chapter 105. She was introduced in a flashback.