As Kiba arrived, the pressure spreading from him turned the atmosphere suffocating.
Simultaneously, the prostrating servants and kneeling young masters grabbed their throats; as if to break some invisible shackles. They weren’t able to breathe any longer.
In the mansion, Xalion’s eyes erupted with angry flames.
"To suffocate pure blood aristocracy! He sure has guts!"
Xalion jumped to his feet and instantly appeared in the outskirts.
The entire region might be referred to as the House of Hestia. Still, its area was large enough to be qualified as a city. In fact, what was called a "mansion" actually occupied some twenty sq.km, and the outskirts were located a few hundred kilometers away from the mansion.
Covering such distance was nothing for Xalion as he came face-to-face with Kiba.
He didn’t beat around the bush by asking questions or commanding Kiba to seal his aura. He believed in taking action.
He unleashed his aura, and it blasted out like a curtain of spiraling flames.
BOOM
The flames smashed into the blazing golden glow in a deafening crash. Flames and golden light whizzed in and out, turning into a cl.u.s.ter of storms.
The resulting energy winds made Kiba’s hair dance in the air, and he looked at Xalion with a confused expression. This startled Xalion as he either expected cautiousness or seriousness from Kiba, not confusion.
As he wondered why, the clashing flames and golden glow violently erupted with shockwaves.
"UWAAAAA!"
"AHHHHHHH!"
"NOOOOO!"
One after another, tragic screams followed.
Xalion’s expression dramatically changed, and he looked in the distance.
The screams were from the young masters and servants! They had been brutally hit by the shockwaves his clash created!
Thanks to their innate strength, they could survive without breathing for a few minutes. But shockwaves from the clash of Alphas was a different matter.
"Excuse me, but you seem to belong to Hestia Family," Kiba started with the same confused expression. "So why would you hurt your family members?"
"...!!" Xalion’s face turned ugly.
This man!
He even has the guts to pass the blame to him!
"Is this due to some property feud?"
Kiba asked as he looked at the bleeding young masters.
They were barely clinging to their miserable lives, and he muttered prayers for them.
"You!" Xalion was furious.
Swoosh~!
Just then, a warm layer of fire covered the young masters, and their injuries disappeared. Their complexion regained the healthy color.
"Hmm?"
Kiba lifted his head and looked in the sky. Lord Harley was floating there, his powers negating the effects of his and Xalion’s aura collision.
"You must be Kiba," Lord Harley said as he flew down.
"Yes," Kiba replied.
"I’m Harley Hestia," Lord Harley introduced himself as he landed before Kiba. "As the family head, I apologize for my brother’s rudeness."
Xalion was alarmed.
Why was Lord Harley apologizing instead of punishing Kiba for daring to make such a scene?
"Most Flame Wielders are prone to rash decisions. I hope you can forgive my brother for that," Lord Harley requested.
"Please, there’s no need," Kiba replied with a smile. "It is I who should apologize for not containing my aura."
Lord Harley looked at Kiba.
"Though in my defense, I was under the impression that aristocrats are immune to some light pressure," Kiba politely explained.
Lord Harley smiled with amus.e.m.e.nt and said, "I’m afraid your impression was created by useless aristocrats who are only good at boasting."
"Ah!" Kiba nodded in understanding.
Xalion was dumbstruck.
It was apparent Lord Harley and Kiba were meeting for the first time! So why were they speaking like acquaintances, and that too in such a friendly manner?
"You guys have a lovely property."
Kiba moved his attention to the beautiful mansion and the equally beautiful surroundings.
"It would be such a pity if it was razed to the ground."
Xalion’s expression turned unsightly, while Lord Harley’s remained unchanged.
"Indeed, it would be a pity," Lord Harley agreed. "Thankfully, we have no enemies, so such a thing wouldn’t happen."
"That’s good to hear," Kiba focused back on Lord Harley. "Though you would be surprised that even people with no enmity do such things, or at least try to."
Lord Harley’s expression remained the same, but in his eyes, there was a ripple.
He was now sure Kiba knew who was responsible for Dracon Moonfall’s recent actions.
"How surprising!" Lord Harley exclaimed in his heart. "The mechanism that I left in Dracon’s brain should make exposing any secret impossible!"
He didn’t know that Dracon didn’t reveal any of his secrets – neither about the recent attack on the tower nor the destruction of Dream Rise House
But Kiba knew who was responsible.
Years ago, in Delta City, he had fought Goten Whiteskins. But Gotens died by a poison hidden in his brain when he tried to answer a question regarding Zed’s birth.1
The poison was made of alien nanoparticles that couldn’t be detected even by an Alpha’s senses. Not even Kiba, as otherwise, he would have been ready when it activated within Goten’s brains.
While he failed to prevent Goten from dying, he learned of the mind poison technology. Based on what he knew, he deduced Lord Harley was responsible.
Yesterday, when Claudia captured Dracon, she obviously wanted to know why he attacked the tower and tried to capture Hope. But when she examined him, she noticed the hidden poison mechanism, something Kiba has taught her about.
This was enough for her to conclude Lord Harley was connected to Dracon.
"In that case, I can only hope no one does such a thing," Lord Harley replied. "Enmity which serves no purpose should die before it envelops everyone with flames of destruction."
"A wise philosophy," Kiba was impressed.
Lord Harley was sure Kiba would see reason.
He had sent Dracon only to test Kiba’s background and strength. And since there was no damage done, there was no reason for there to be enmity.
Alas, he was unaware that enmity was already set due to his actions against Zed...
"What are you doing here?" Xalion asked. He had enough of the nonsense conversation between Kiba and Lord Harley.
"Actually, I was invited here," Kiba replied with a smile. "A brother of yours requested, and I couldn’t say no."
"??" Xalion and even Lord Harley were surprised. Lord Harley was under the impression Kiba arrived due to Dracon.
Suddenly, a pillar of flame whizzed into existence, and through it, Flame King stepped out.
"Ah! Here is he!" Kiba pointed at Flame King.
"Craig?" Xalion was startled.
"Xalion," Flame King, aka Craig, nodded and stepped before Kiba. "Dr. NTR is here on my invitation."
Flame King was just a title, and his real name was Craig. But most people didn’t know that, so they always addressed him by his title.
"Why?" Xalion asked.
"He has a request for me," Kiba answered before Flame King could. "You could say he took advantage of my oath as a doctor and made a great deal for himself."
Flame King’s complexion turned pale.
How is allowing you to f.u.c.k my wife a great deal for me?!
Flame King was weeping inside.
If not for the people present here, he would have broken down.
He had made no request and definitely didn’t took advantage of Dr. NTR!
But he couldn’t say that!
"Request?" Even Lord Harley was amazed.
He guessed Kiba and Flame King met yesterday in the Infinity Maze. So they both would have been unaware of his actions. This meant the request and their connection was unrelated to him.
"What request?" Lord Harley asked to satisfy his curiosity.
Flame King’s body froze. He couldn’t answer that, but then he saw Kiba opening his lips to speak!
No!
Quickly, Flame King opened his own lips and shouted, "It is personal!"
This only stirred Lord Harley’s curiosity. He glanced at Kiba, and the latter replied, "As he said, it is a personal request... in fact, very personal!"
Flame King flinched.
....
Meanwhile, in Kirstie’s room.
"Mom!" From the bed, Kirstie glanced at her mother and said. "I want to see what caused those rumbling sounds!"
Rebecca let out a soft sigh and nodded.
With her powers, she could have easily perceived what happened outside, but she didn’t. When she was with her daughter, she never allowed her attention to be diverted, no matter the situation.
She took Kirstie in her arms and gently placed her in the wheelchair. The wheelchair moved on its own and stopped after arriving before the window.
Rebbeca placed a finger on the back of Kirstie’s head and channeled her powers out.
"Ah!"
Kirstie felt her eyes enhance, and her vision zoomed in to hundreds of kilometers ahead.
She saw the young masters forcing themselves to rise. She shifted her gaze from them and brought it to the place where she saw Lord Harley and others.
"Who is that golden-haired man?" Kirstie asked her mom. "He seems to the cause of those dark clouds."
Rebecca looked at Kiba.
Her eyes narrowed, and a frown appeared on her face.
This was not caused by his facial features, but by a sensation that left her baffled.
"I don’t know who he is," Rebecca replied honestly. "But he emits a sensation that strangely seems familiar."
"Familiar?" Kirstie observed Kiba in detail.
"Yes," Rebecca answered. "Like I know him, but also don’t know him."
"Oh!" Kirstie’s eyes sparkled.
She moved her gaze from Kiba and brought it to Leyla.1
Leyla was her personal maid, who was now changing the bedsheets.
"Leyla! Come here!" Kirstie said excitedly. "There’s a man out there!"
Leyla squirmed.
She has a feeling that whatever the young miss was going to say, it would shatter her image.
"He’s far more handsome than the men in magazines you stare at!" Kirstie animatedly added.
Leyla recoiled and stumbled on the floor.
"Well, he does seem to the type you say can make women fall!"
Kirstie remarked with a confused look.
"But you didn’t even see him! So why are you already on the floor?"
Leyla pulled the sheets and hid behind them.
Young miss!
Please stop sharing such details in front of your mother!
You are going to get me killed! In Chapter 508, Goten died when he said the assassination attempt was done on behalf of the head of the Hestia family.Chapter 502 - Leyla is the same maid who taught Kirstie that very "physically-active" people become parents at a young age. A detail Kirstie used to conclude Zed was very good at "sports" when she learned he has a child