The battlefield merged with the leviathan’s body, illuminating everything with an eerie glow. Katherine looked around, her face turning pale. The surrounding was bloody, literally as if it was the body of the beast.
Everywhere there were vein-like tentacles, flowing with fluids that seemed to be a mix of blood, proteins, and nutrients.
A strange feeling gripped Katherine. She wanted to merge with the tentacles because the feeling claimed she was nothing but nutrients.
"This is bad!" Katherine tried to fight with the feeling.
As panic gripped her, Kiba remained indifferent. The place was literally exploding with a power that could wipe out a planet, but it only made him smile.
"Is this all you got?" Kiba was disappointed. "Guess you must be a low-rank species despite achieving your present level."
The leviathan was furious.
"You think you can continue to underestimate me even now?"
It started squeezing its internal space while imposing its will on Kiba and Katherine.
The veins started releasing sucking force, wanting to absorb them. Katherine flew towards it, ready to assimilate.
"I think I can."
Kiba’s eyes erupted with a golden glow.
BOOOOOM
Simultaneously, space vibrated, and the veins burst apart, spraying out a vast quantity of fluids that seemed acidic.
Katherine stopped, coldness gripping her. The fluid was about to splash on her.
Just then, a warm glow flooded out from space behind her and enveloped the entire battlefield. The acidic fluids faded, and the broken veins disappeared.
"What’s going on?!"
Shocked, both Katherine and the leviathan looked behind.
Kiba floated with three pairs of wings flapping from his back, wielding a divine staff.
A sacred glow – that seemed to erupt from the brightest stars – surrounded him, radiating a divine presence which no one could ever hope to rival.
"Holy fuck!"
Despite her noble upbringing, Katherine swore.
"How can the devil have such a form?"
Many mutants and beasts could transform into a higher form. Whenever she thought of Kiba’s possible transformation, it was him revealing his true form as the devil king.
Flames from hell would dance behind him, while the horns protruding out of his forehead will shine with an evil glow. His hands would be bloody claws that would pull out the insides of the enemies.
This was the only possible transformation.
So, how could she be so horribly wrong?
The Kiba in front of her was the most sacred angel.
Holy radiance emitted out of the white tunic that covered half of his imposing, well-defined body, making her feel she was in the presence of The God.
Her body started bending on its own, and she did, her eyes subconsciously feasted on his glorious body.
The muscular chest, lean shoulder, and ripped abs. Every part of him erupted a hot wetness between her thighs and made her heart thump loudly.
Kiba didn’t notice this. He lifted the golden staff and waved it.
RIPPPPP
A cut slashed through space, and burst out the leviathan’s body, severing it into two. This happened faster than lightning, catching everyone off-guard.
Bang!
Katherine and the severed beast fell on the floor.
The leviathan was shocked beyond words. In front of the staff’s simple motion, it wasn’t even able to struggle, much less clash with its abilities.
Just how strong was this human...No, The God?!
Kiba whirled the staff, and the glow radiating from his body swept into the two pieces of the leviathan.
"!"
To the leviathan’s shock, the pieces fused back, bringing its body back to its glorious state.
Just as it thought of rejoicing, the staff transformed into a golden hammer and shot at it.
"!!"
The hammer bashed into its face, crashing its body into the ceiling.
The hammer stopped in mid-air before following the leviathan and smashing into it again.
"..."
Katherine was so shocked that she couldn’t even react to a scene that should have been impossible.
She moved her eyes from the poor leviathan and back to Kiba.
"This form... it is just like the silhouette everyone saw when Dharma Chakra had acted! That would mean...!!!"
Her breathing turned heavy.
Kiba ignored her gaze and made a grasping motion. The hammer flew back to him, turning into the staff.
"Hmm?"
He then looked into the distance, and his smile turned into a grin.
Turning towards Katherine, he said, "Seems like your better-half remembered how precious you are."
"What?" Katherine was startled.
Kiba didn’t answer. He aimed the staff at the leviathan, and the latter literally vanished out of existence.
"Goodbye."
Kiba, too vanished, leaving dumbstruck Katherine behind.
"What happened here? Nothing makes sense!"
She whispered to herself just as the figure of her husband came in sight. Her expression twisted in anger.
Why did he appear now?
"Katherine... thank God you are safe! I’m sorry!"
Alan appeared before her and proceed to hug her.
"I was frightened for a moment...and when I thought of coming back, the explosion in reality shoved me far away."
"...."
Katherine didn’t reply nor stopped him from hugging her.
She hated him, but she also knew she couldn’t really blame him. He was a human, and escaping in the face of a life-threatening crisis was coded into the DNA.
But then there was Kiba.
Just as she thought of him, he appeared before her.
"Oh, right."
He was in his simple form, looking at her as she was hugged by her husband.
"There’s something I forgot."
Speaking telepathically, he brought his head face to face with hers, which rested on her husband’s shoulder.
Naturally, Alan was clueless as he was looking in a different direction and remained clueless when his wife asked.
"Forgot? What exactly?"
"Your reward for officially desiring to join the company... I feel I should give you a bit of it now. Don’t you agree?"
"?!....!!!!"
Katherine was confused, but only for a moment.
The next instant, her eyes turned wide, and her cheeks flushed.
Kiba kissed the left corner of her lips.
They were soft and warm, tasting like a delicious sweet waiting to be eaten.
Still kissing her, he whispered in her mind, "I will give you the next bit when we meet again. If you behave properly, I might even reward where you really want me to."
Before she could reply or respond, he turned into a golden fog and disappeared.
Katherine was left fuming.
Next bit... he wasn’t satisfied by stealing this kiss?
Wait... reward where I really want?
Could he mean...!?
Her wide eyes blinked, and her face turned apple-red.
Damn! He must have known how my body reacted when I saw his Holy Form!
"Shameless scoundrel!"
She shouted in anger, forgetting she was still hugged by her husband.
Her words turned into an earth-shaking soundwave that burst into her husband’s ears.
"AHHHH!"
Alan was sent rolling back, smashing into a wall.
He knew he has angered her with his cowardly actions. But surely there was no need to scream in her ears like this and call him names.
He has appeared as soon as he can. And she was safe, so her actions were really unfair.
"..."
Seeing the blood leaking from her husband’s ears, Katherine was strangely pacified.
Every time she wanted to attack that villain, her husband would become the victim.
It was an amusing coincidence.
"A planned coincide!"
She thought with an amused expression.
"No wonder husbands are conned when they bring their wives for treatment!"
....
Meanwhile, far away.
The leviathan’s body dropped in the corridor while the golden fog transformed into Kiba.
"There are things I wish to know."
The leviathan has just dropped, and before it could stabilize, a hammer ruthlessly pounded its head, smashing its body into the floor.
"Grrr!"
Amidst the debris, the leviathan wailed helplessly.
It would have answered any questions. So what was the need to attack it like this?
"Well, most often, beings in your place claim they would rather die than speak," Kiba explained with a smile. "It is especially true when they are old and powerful and have a glorious heritage like yours. So you can understand why I need to offer them incentives."
The leviathan shook its head. If a being was old, it would mean it was wise from experience. Such a being wouldn’t let pride corrode its mind and invite torture.
Besides, what was the use of glorious heritage or power in the face of death or worse? Only a fool would place them above life!
"Wow! Given your appearance, I was sure you would be far braver than those I met till now!" Kiba exclaimed. "Looks sure can be deceptive!"
"...."
The leviathan’s eyes dropped to the floor.
It has already submitted to this crazy being, so why was he taunting it again and again?
Or could it be that...he wanted it to resist so that he could get an excuse to thrash it?
As its line of thought turned in this direction, the leviathan’s body was gripped by an icy feeling, like it was dropped into the depths of a cold abyss.
No!
No matter what, it wouldn’t give any excuse to Kiba.
Quickly, it slipped to the floor, and brought its smashed head before Kiba and requested, "My Lord.... Your feet must be tired. Why don’t you sit on my crown and have rest while I answer your questions?"
"...." Kiba was caught off-guard by this move. He hasn’t even toyed with the leviathan, and yet it was behaving like this.
"If you insist, how can I refuse?"
With an expression denoting he was doing the leviathan a great favor, he stepped on its head and sat on a place without wounds.
"Tell me about Eternal Darkness, and its role in the destruction of the Celestial Elysian Plane is."