As Kiba emerged from nothingness, boundless energy surged out of him. The elements prostrated, and the essence of the cosmos swirled.
"I have succeeded!"
Kiba clenched his fists and felt an infinite power flowing through his veins.
Usually, such sensation would fill him when he summoned Evolution Field, but now it was without that.
He achieved it by successfully tapping more powers from the Cosmic Spark. They gave him this domineering Holy Form.
Now more than ever, he felt he could do as he pleases and use his powers to achieve any effect he wanted.
It was like he has taken another step towards the omnipotent ability known as Cosmic Manipulation.
He closed his eyes and heard the whispers from the essence of space, time, reality. They revealed the secrets of the cosmos and the magical abilities he could use by using their essence.
It was just a matter of days before he gained enough understanding to use them.
Fifty thousand kilometers away, Ksitigarbha suppressed the urge to bow and looked at Kiba’s Holy Form.
The three pairs of wings and the staff made from golden lightning...
Feeling the vast power emanating out of them, his expression twisted with bitterness and frustration.
"This is so unfair!"
Even without any confrontation, he knew he has lost. Only death awaited him. Perhaps if he was on Earth, such a fate could have been avoided but not here.
"Why does a man who only cares for fulfilling his selfish desires get such almighty power!?"
Ksitigarbha roared with bloodshot eyes.
He stared at the dark recess of space, almost as if he was looking in the direction of The Creator.
"Just why do you have to be so unfair?! Why bless the wicked?!"
Far away, Kiba opened his eyes. Learning new abilities could wait; first he has to deal with this noisy monk.
"Selfish and wicked!" Kiba’s lips curved up. "No doubt I’m what you called, but isn’t it hypocritical for you to label me as such?"
Ksitigarbha has murdered his family and friends to use their deaths as a foundation for his rise as an Alpha. Then there were the many Cursed Ones he sacrificed in pursuit of creating Anti-Evolution Radiance Pillar.
"You know nothing of my reasons!" Ksitigarbha shouted, his eyes burning with righteous indignation. "I did what I did to help the cause of Dharma! To protect Earth and its natives!"
"Wow! So not only you’re a hypocrite, but you also have hero complex?" Kiba was amused.
"Demon! In pursuit of lust and vanity, you failed to notice the world is on the brink of collapse!" Ksitigarbha responded. "The seals covering World Fragments are breaking! It is just a matter of time that those who don’t belong to Earth would be free!"
Kiba’s eyes narrowed.
Months ago – as Zed – he explored Desolate Blood Forest with Sophia, Verna, and others. Back then, Demonic White Phantom Snakes has shockingly attacked them. (Chapter 361).
Their attack was shocking as the snakes belonged to the core region, and until then, they were never seen outside.
Later on, when he entered the core region, he found the living environment of alien species rapidly deteriorating. This resulted in migration and gave him an idea of why the snakes might have possibly left.
Now, after hearing Ksitigarbha’s words, he understood the "how."
As the seals started breaking, the mechanism left behind by Lord Xeced turned the living environment inside World Fragments uninhabitable.
It forced the alien species to leave and seek for new shelters. This might also explain why the rivers and streams in the forest were drying up.
"What do you think will happen after they emerge on Earth?!" Ksitigarbha thundered. "Innocents will die, blood would soak the Earth and dye the sky!
"It will not happen because the beings of Celestial Elysian Plane are strong!
"It will happen because we humans aren’t united!
"We have World Government which supposedly governs the entire world!
"But you must know about the revolutionaries and even the independent forces within the government! Eden, Atlantis, and many more!
"As long as such a structure exists, humanity is bound to fail! That’s why Dharma Chakra and I stepped in! To unite the world under the banner of Dharma!"
This was why they used Anti-Evolution Radiance Pillar to temporarily suppress the mutant powers around the globe. With the capabilities of others suppressed, the forces of Dharma Chakra and their affiliates could overpower the government and other organizations and bring a new order.
But Dharma Chakra has failed! Because the pillar collapsed in a matter of hours!
"You ruined everything!"
Ksitigarbha roared, his face twisting from rage as he pointed at Kiba.
"To protect one human girl, you wiped out decades of efforts and put the entire planet on risk!"
He might be outside Earth, but he knew that the government and other organizations were now retaliating against Dharma Chakra.
Perhaps only when the three great sages step in, would Dharma Chakra survive, and that too at compromises that would break their foundation.
None of this would have happened had Kiba not interfered!
"So, not only I’m wicked and selfish, but I’m also responsible for everything wrong in this world!"
Kiba lifted his head and broke out in laughter.
"Hahaha! Oh, man, this is so funny!"
Not even the reactions of husbands he has cuckolded made him laugh like this.
"Demon! This isn’t some joke!"
Ksitigarbha raged, his aura exploding out.
"The path of Dharma had existed long before kingdoms and empires flourished on Earth!
"It was Dharma that guided humanity through kings and emperors! And for you to laugh at the destruction of those brought prosperity to the world, you are shaming the glorious culture!"
Kiba’s laughter only turned intense.
After he fought Akshobhya, he was always curious how a powerful organization like Dharma Chakra could exist, right under the nose of the World Government, that too by the patronage of Nine Great Families.
Now he knew why!
"What you meant to say is – that before the era of evolution started, you ruled the world!"
Kiba said amidst his laughter.
"There might be kings and emperors, but the power was within your hands! Because you provided them legitimacy! But the era of evolution and the rise of science robbed you of that power! And you were trying to get it back!"
"!!" Ksitigarbha was shocked.
"If I’m not wrong, Dharma Chakra is made of those who lost power due to a new world order!"
Kiba’s figure blurred, and he appeared before shocked Ksitigarbha.
"Which could only mean – religious leaders, the ones who got power over others through superstition and blind faith!"
Ksitigarbha shot back to retreat.
Being the good guy, Kiba decided to provide him some help.
His left hand viciously struck Ksitigarbha on the face!
BANG
In an instant, Ksitigarbha shot back ten thousand kilometers, coughing up blood and teeth as his face turned unrecognizable.
"So powerful!"
He knew Kiba would be strong in this new form, but never to such an extent. Just a slap was far more powerful than hundreds of hammer strikes.
"I do feel for you guys! You had ruled the world for thousands of years through shadows!"
Kiba said as he materialized behind Ksitigarbha. The latter rapidly swirled around only to get slapped.
Blood violently sprayed out along with pieces of flesh.
He has wrapped himself with protective energy of peak Level VIII powers, but in front of a simple motion of slap, it didn’t serve any use.
"You might be divided by religion and sects, but you had one goal just like kings and emperors! Power! But then meteorites arrived in the year 1900 and boom! Everything changed! Hard to control masses when supernatural powers and science flourished, something that puts doubt to what you have preached for so long!"
Ksitigarbha’s body shot towards Mars like a falling star. Kiba appeared above him, and his eyes squinted.
"Ahhhh!"
He cried just as a boot ruthlessly stomped on his face. His face caved in, and the back of his head arched out.
The impact changed his direction of fall, and he flew towards Earth.
"A catastrophic situation is always good for religions and sects! If used wisely, the situation could be used to turn the masses into fanatics! The perfect soldiers!"
Kiba said as he pulled his foot back.
"Yet you guys only lost influence! Let me guess again - The Nine Sovereigns didn’t want to share power! They wanted a new world order where they didn’t need legitimacy!"
Kiba chuckled at the irony. The World Government’s legitimacy was its image, its propaganda.
"Obviously, they too failed as faith was something impossible to kill! It can decline and wane, but never wholly die! So, the Sovereigns compromised, and that only helped them in keeping a good image of themselves!
"You guys, on the other hand, were on the decline. All mediums of communication were under the control of the World Government, and your means were limited to regain your lost influence!"
Kiba stomped again on dazed Ksitigarbha. The pain hurt him, but so did Kiba’s words as they were true!
Brutal, unfiltered truth!
They shook his mind as he continued to shot towards Earth.
"So, you all gathered together, and as often happens, the strong devoured the weak! With the new structure, you feasted on the desires of those in the Nine Great Families who didn’t enjoy that much power! And slowly, you rose to power, achieving what Nine Sovereigns feared!"
Kiba laughed again. This time it was maddening laughter.
"While I’m curious why you picked Dharma Chakra as your organization name and how you gained such abilities..." Kiba raised his hand, holding the staff. "Now is the time we end this!"
Ksitigarbha’s bloodstained constricted, and his heartbeat echoed like drums.
"NOOOOO!"
With a shrill keening sound, the staff flew through space, instantly crossing thousands of kilometers and pierced into his chest.