The impact of the explosion was so powerful that the villa knocked off into the sky before crashing down, engulfed in blazing flames. By the time it dropped on the ground, every room was separated from another, broken into fragments.
The waterfall disappeared amidst the burning fragments, its source forever wiped out.
One of the fragments landed near Zed.
It was the bedroom where everything was charred black, disintegrating into ashes. Only the family portrait remained: Kiba holding Hope as Agatha looked at him.
The portrait caught fire, burning within red flames.
Zed looked at everything in despair.
Dream Rise House was the first thing he ever built. Its importance was far higher than everything he pursued as Kiba.
He had felt bad when the properties he owned as Kiba were destroyed, but not enough to sulk or feel sad.
But now, seeing his villa exploding in front of him, emotions erupted inside him.
Sadness, loneliness, and melancholy.
When he lived in the slums, he desired nothing more than a roof of his own.
A place where he could rest peacefully, without any worries.
A place which he could hall his home.
A drop of tear fell from his eye as the villa completely disappeared into ashes. If there was anything left, it was the smashed ground.
"My home!"
Rage pumped through his heart as he lifted his head and looked in the sky.
One Dracon fought Heather while the other floated freely, gazing at the ground with indifference. He felt Zed’s stare and he looked back at him with plain ridicule.
Does an ant dare to be angry at him?! What a joke!
If not for his mission, he would smash this ant to pieces for being so impudent.
Zed’s expression turned into that of the devil.
RUMBLE~~
High in the morning sky, the clouds turned stormy and dark. It happened for an instant, at a rate that one couldn’t even perceive the changes.
Dracon snapped his head up as he felt something. By the time his eyes looked at the sky, it was again clear and shiny, but his expression dramatically changed.
A bolt of lightning shot down at him!
Its speed was so fast that he failed to notice the lightning emanated a sinister gray radiance.
He was an Alpha so his very presence acted as a shield. Yet, the air around him cracked like a growing spider web and through it, the bolt of lightning slammed into him!
BOOOM
With an explosive sound, he smashed into the ground, creating a crater and sending waves of soil high in the air.
Heather and the Dracon fighting her were startled. They didn’t notice what happened, but they felt the impact from him smashing.
Dracon looked at his replica on the ground. His body was reduced to pulp!
"What was that bolt of lightning?! It was a surprise attack so I can understand why I got no time to defend, but how could it be so powerful?!"
Dracon wondered as his replica regenerated from its pulp-like state.
Since the replica was a part of him, he knew everything the replica did and vice-versa. They even shared their powers and stamina.
"!!"
Dracon shivered and coughed up blood. He didn’t know why but he felt something sinister channeling into him through the bond he shared with the replica.
"What the hell!?"
Dracon shot back a mile while scanning his body. He was sure something had entered his bloodstream and yet, no matter how he examined his body, there was nothing!
"Who the hell is here!? Show your face!"
Dracon shouted.
He saw Heather looking at him with a bewildered expression and then he noticed the kid named Zed. The latter was violently shaking as if he was going a seizure and then coughing up blood nonstop.
Dracon was confused.
That kid was obviously not responsible for what happened. Even if he wasn’t in the sorry state, he wouldn’t have such powers.
Heather was the same as Dracon knew her nature of powers.
Even if she had hidden abilities, she couldn’t create such damage as she was only peak Level VI, at the border of being an Alpha. The chasm that separated her from being an Alpha was as vast as the oceans!
So what happened?!
Was an Alpha hiding in the shadows?! Could he/she be a part of Rebecca’s preparations!?
"Xalion! It is even possible that bastard sent an Alpha to silence me!"
Dracon realized this possibility as well.
His replica arrived next to him, floating alongside. He confirmed there was nothing wrong in the replica so he felt perhaps, his earlier thoughts of something channeling into him were imagination.
Confirming it again, he tapped a hand into the chest of the replica.
Swish~!
The replica dissolved into a mass of blood and flesh, merging into his real body.
Dracon wanted to be in his best state to tackle any situation. So he prepared himself.
Heather was perplexed by Dracon’s actions. She knew he loved to toy with his opponents so she could understand why he didn’t defeat her in one go, and dragged the battle.
But his present actions puzzled her. Why has his expression changed so unsightly?! He was more than capable of killing everyone here!
And why did his replica smashed into the ground?! There was no one who could do that! Could he have turned crazy and attacked himself!?
On the ground, Zed continued to shake and cough blood. The rage had taken control of his senses and he summoned his powers without realizing. He might not have, but his body did as it paid the heavy price.
Dracon eyed Zed.
One part of his mission was yet to be fulfilled, and in case his possibility was wrong, he knew he would be going back on the deal if he didn’t complete the mission.
As he started rushing at Zed, he sensed a powerful force erupting far away. Through the layer of clouds, a streak of light swept forward, rushing here.
Heather noticed it as well. Her eyes brightened as she realized who it was.
"Lady Katherine! Sophia!"
She called out happily.
Sophia had her arms wrapped around her mother as they flew forward.
Katherine nodded before arriving next to Zed. She placed a finger on his head and a burst of energy swept into him, providing him vitality.
"Are you feeling better?" Sophia asked as she jumped from her mother’s back.
"Yes," Zed replied. He then turned towards Katherine and said, "Thank you for helping me. I won’t forget this favor."
Katherine’s lips curved up into a beautiful smile as she replied, "You have helped my daughter many times so you don’t owe me for this."
"No, what exists between her and me is friendship so we never owed each other. But I do owe you for helping me when I needed it."
Zed rose with Sophia’s support. Her eyes glittered as she thought of what he said.
With a cheerful smile, she turned towards her mother.
"Mom! You were right again!"
Sophia exclaimed with sparkling eyes.
"A great man never considers his help to others as anything worth mentioning! But he always remembers the help of others as acts of kindness and repay them!"
"................"
"Though I’m sure if that shameless scoundrel was in Zed’s place, he would say you are lucky to help him! He might even claim you owe him a favor for getting a chance to help him!"
"................"
Katherine was stunned.
She had often heard her daughter talking about the greatest villain out there and wondered just what type of man he was for Sophia to have such an opinion.