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Chapter 374 - Soaring High Together To Admire A View Below
The canyon was vast, covered with red texture. Kiba and Ashlyn were standing in a narrow steep surrounded by tall cliffs.
Kiba opened his eyes and his pupils flashed with a golden glow. The glow in his eyes rushed out like streams of light, piercing right through gigantic cliffs.
He was using supervision to observe the area and find out things which normal eyesight couldn't. He saw things at a microscopic level along with the spectrum of electromagnetic radiation.
As his vision arrived inside a cliff with a depth of two thousand meters, he noticed carcass and skeletons of beings that have long ceased to exist.
These creatures resembled a mixture of reptiles and dinosaurs with nine legs and two heads. Based on the withering and decay, he felt they died over a thousand years ago.
He didn't speak, and the glow in his eyes rushed further, passing through rock fragments that were far stronger than titanium. These fragments couldn't even be crushed into pieces by a Gamma-rank mutant.
For him, they were of no interest but he noticed a few mutants rejoicing at finding these fragments. They knew the preciousness of rock particles and their use in creating earth-element based armors and mech designs.
Nearby, attlesnakes were boring in their holes, as if taking cover at the arrival of a strange species known as humanity.
Shua~
After his vision passed a distance of five miles, it suddenly stopped. Kiba's eyes knitted as he saw what obstructed his ability.
Statues.
Two statutes to be precise.
The statues were carved out of the cliffs into the shape of fierce warriors. They both wielded a spear, and the spears were crossed into each other into 'X.'
It was like they were guards stopping invaders. A metallic glint flashed on the rock spears as they obstructed a foreign vision.
"How unsurprising."
Kiba retraced back his sight.
He was now in the core region but it was vast and almost boundless; something that no one could judge from the size of meteorite.
From what he could guess, the core region was divided into several regions. The canyon was just one of the smallest areas with no real opportunity for mutants.
Everyone who touched the ripples on the entrance of the core region, they were teleported to these several regions. The teleportations were random with no real logic.
In the canyon, there were at least a hundred people from what Kiba has observed just now. He couldn't see further due to the statues.
According to what he judged based on information he got from Emily and the map he stole from Count Viper, the place he needed to find was around a mutated land where enormous pieces of alien relics existed.
"Let's leave," Kiba turned to Ashlyn and said.
Ashlyn nodded and placed a hand over his arm.
They were enveloped with streams of white light and sucked into a teleportation portal.
CRASH
The next moment, they crashed back into the same place. Kiba was surprised but not shocked at the failure of teleportation.
"This is just like BSE79... Teleportation is restricted."
Kiba let out a sigh. The space inside the meteorite was a world of own; completely isolated and different from Earth. The laws here restricted all forms of spatial travel.
"There is a way to overpower this restriction but..."
Kiba didn't want to resort to using his full powers. If he did, while he could easily break through the restrictions of the space, but the strength of his powers would lead to a calamity. The effects would be similar to what happened in the wasteland outside Delta City.
Kiba took Ashyln's hand in his, and rose high into the air. The spatial travel restriction was not on flight but only on methods that involved manipulation of space.
Technically, teleportation was opening a tunnel through spatial membrane, and instantly bypassing distance in physical form.
Kiba and Ashlyn moved further up into the air, and intense air streams brushed past them. Kiba and Ashlyn floated high above the cliffs, and stopped in the mid-air.
Ashlyn wasn't interested in scenary or take a liking to flying, and as such, wanted to tell him to continue the journey, but then she stopped.
She recalled what Denisa said about enjoying life. And then she combined those statements with that of Kiba's philosophy.
You only get to live once... Live without having any regrets. Spend every moment as if it is your last.
Ashlyn didn't fully understand neither of their philosophies about life. But she knew spending a few minutes without any purpose was not really wasting life.
Would it really be a waste to soar in the sky and look below?
She then lowered her head to check the view below. From this distance, everything appeared to be small and point-like, and yet it was absolutely stunning.
The spiral rock arches were bathed by the smog painted in the sky, forming breathtaking hues of red and orange. The rocky texture of the land formed a beautiful contrast with the open space between two cliffs.
She looked in the distance and noticed a stream of river passing by.
The stream was on verge of drying up and yet, it continued to flow, obstructed by rocks protruded in between.
It didn't even seem the stream was a non-living existence as one observed its flow. It was like the stream didn't want to admit defeat and continue its journey as long as even a single drop of water remained.
On the surface of the cliffs, endangered plant lives grew up. It was hard to tell how long it took for plant roots to pierce the hard layers of rocks, and grow in the way they did now.
This was a dangerous land, almost baren, and yet, it was as tenacious as a forest.
Ashlyn turned her head towards Kiba and was surprised to see he was looking at her. She then thought of why he stopped them this high instead of flying into a distance.
She brought her eyes back on the canyon and a faint smile appeared on her lips.
"This is beautiful."
Chapter 375 - Strange Fist & Black Liquid
The canyons were grand and inspiring; offering a breathtaking view. High above the cliffs, Kiba and Ashlyn floated in the midair.
Ashlyn has a hand joined with Kiba's as she appreciated the astonishing view of geological sculpting.
"This is beautiful."
Her cold voice was sweet and melodic.
Kiba observed her face and as he saw the faint smile on her rosy lips, his heart thumped.
Her smile was like sun melting in winter. There were tranquility and peace that could only come from within.
Kiba was experienced with countless women and have bedded over a hundred, and yet, just a faint smile on her cold face was enough to put him into a trance.
Compared to the view below, she was far more beautiful and stunning.
No, nothing even deserved comparison to her.
Her beauty was perfect and flawless.
If she was just some random woman, Kiba would have responded to her statement about the beauty of canyon, with something like:
Unlike you, the canyons are lackluster.
If you want to see something truly beautiful, then see it in my eyes... check the reflection of the most stunning view in the entire world.
But Kiba wouldn't use these cheesy and over the top remarks. No, he wouldn't use any flirty words at all.
The reason was simple.
She was different than most women. She was borderline naive and didn't really know much about relationships.
Then there was her background.
He didn't know much, but from the limited details he was aware of, she was born a cursed one. Due to this, she was discarded and brought up in an orphanage before being adopted.
He didn't know why, but these adopted parents didn't really sound like loving parents to him.
Otherwise, what type of parents would raise their children like Ashlyn?
She was just existing, doing things she must. But not living or enjoying basic pleasures of life.
It was almost like she was brainwashed.
Ashlyn, on the other hand, has strong love for her parents, at least that's what he thought. Based on Shawn and Amy's conversation, she was basically here to prove her love.
Kiba shook his head and cleaned unwarranted thoughts. He was doing his bit to change her, to make her live in the moment.
Maybe those who know him wouldn't believe this, but he was doing it with no hidden intent...
Ashlyn looked at the hiking trails through the enigmatic domes formations and sharp cliffs. She checked condors flying between the cliffs, as if searching for food.
From high above, it was an awesome sight.
A minute later, Ashlyn lifted her head up.
Winds swept past her face and her hair. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as she said, "Thank you."
Kiba smiled at her words. He gripped her hand, and then like a bolt of lightning, they both flew away.
From the ground, they were like two dots of light flying above the cliffs. Many humans who have just arrived in this region noticed them and were surprised.
But then they decided to mind their business. It was none of their concern if a couple wanted to waste their strength in flying.
As Kiba and Ashlyn crossed half a mile distance, on the ground below, there were over ten humans. Just then, without any forewarning, the rocky texture on the land bumped up.
Heavy rumbling sounds reverberated, and red stones split apart, as a fist made of rocks shot out from the ground below.
The mutants on the ground were shocked. This happened just too quickly. The fluctuations of earthquake only radiated out when it was already far too late.
The fist has only three fingers, and its knuckles were sharp rock cones. There was a metallic glint shining on them as if they contained more than just rocks.
Most of the mutants were smashed by the knuckles, and their bodies instantly split into pieces of gore.
Only a few mutants - who were on guards and didn't dare to be careless from the very start - were barely able to dodge. Despite this, there was nothing for them to be happy about.
They realized with great horror, as the fist rushed into the sky, it brought an eruption of black liquid in the open ground below.
"What is this liquid and that rock fist?!"
The black liquid was like oil and it spread widely on the red surface. A male mutant was far too late as he submerged into the black liquid.
His pupils dilated in terror and he opened his mouth to let out a terrifying scream, but alas, he never got the chance to actually scream. The moment the liquid bumped into him, his body corroded and completely submerged into the liquid.
There were no remains of his body, not even a drop of blood.
A female mutant was shocked as she witnessed the way her companion was corroded. She was scared witless for she knew her companion has strong physical body, and vibrant blood mass that could help him regenerate even his limbs from scratch, and yet, he was completely destroyed in less than a second.
"Just what's going on?!"
She didn't think much. She quickly transformed her body into snowflakes and soared along with the wind.
Her eyes turned wide into utter terror as she saw the liquid rising up like chains of sticky mass. Gritting her teeth, she created a solid snow barrier, trying to block the black liquid.
With no surprise, the liquid passed through the barrier, destroying it, and pierced through the woman like torrential rain.
It took a long while to describe but everything so far happened only in a second. The black liquid was far more corrosive than strongest known acid on Earth.
High in the sky, Kiba's eyes flashed with a cold light. The rock fist was punching towards him and Ashlyn.
With his free hand, he aimed at the incoming fist. Surges of golden energy swept out of his arm, and from his fist, a golden column of light boomed out.
A stifling aura of suppression enveloped the sky as the rock fist crashed into the golden column of light.
BANG
Ripples of destructive force visible to the naked eye surged outwards.
Fissures cracked on the knuckles of the fist but they were filled at a rate that couldn't even be detected, and the fist broke through the golden column of light.
Kiba retreated with Ashlyn further high into the sky, his eyes filled with slight surprise. His attack wasn't weak.
In fact, he has acted on the strength he felt from the fist, but at the final moment, the fist's strength amplified.
"Behind!"
Ashlyn suddenly warned. She couldn't fly so she has to take his support, and given the distance from the ground, if she jumped down, she would face serious injuries.
Kiba didn't need her warning. Even without looking, he detected waves of black liquid sweeping towards them.
"This liquid must be responsible for the corroded skeletons and carcasses I noticed earlier."
With his supervision, inside enormous cliffs, he has seen skeletons of beings that resembled a mixture of reptiles and dinosaurs.
Unlike humans, those beings have a strong foundation and body, and as such, the effect of black liquid was weaker. This was why they could still have some traces remaining.
Chapter 376 - Titanic Statues
Above the canyons, high in the sky, Kiba's shirt fluttered in the wind. He looked at the incoming gigantic fist made of rock, shining with a strange metallic glint.
The spike-like knuckles on the fist shrouded everything else, ready to tear him to pieces. Compared to the enormous fist, both he and Ashlyn looked nothing more than bugs.
Behind, black liquid surged up like waves, moving forward to envelop him and Ashlyn. At this altitude, Ashlyn couldn't fight, and presently she was floating in mid-air thanks to him.
As Ashlyn finished warning him about the black liquid, he waved his free hand. Mist-like energy swept out from his palm that began to swirl around them.
With a whooshing sound, the mist-like energy concentrated into a force field. From a distance, it appeared as if Kiba and Ashlyn were inside a golden bubble.
BANG
Just as the force field appeared, from behind, the corrosive black liquid crashed on the force field. Acidic sounds ringed out and corrosive ripples splashed throughout the force field.
Ashlyn left his other hand and stood on the surface provided by the force field. As long as the force field remained, she didn't have to rely on his direct support to float.
At the same time, the enormous fist rumbled forward. Piercing winds swept out as the fist directly slammed into the force field.
Vibrations that were visible to the naked eye swept inside.
Kiba's furrowed his eyebrows as he saw cracks appearing on the force field. Golden glow splashed out and the black liquid gushed inside.
"Why the hell does this core region love corrosion so much?"
Kiba has only entered the core region barely half an hour ago. But he has met many poisonous or corrosive elements that originated from the core region.
The gigantic snake that appeared to save Count Viper, the alien serpent who wanted to absorb Kiba, the nanites (which harmed Felicity), White Phantom Snakes- one of them bitting Verna whom Zed saved and now this black liquid.
In one way or another, they were related to elements of corrosion and toxicity.
The blue nanites which harmed Felicity were different as they were explosive which relied on genetic material, but even they had some corrosive element in it.
Kiba was interested in reason but he knew now was not the best time to think about.
As the black liquid moved towards Kiba, and the enormous fist moved back to strike again; Kiba took Ashlyn's hand in his, and abruptly, shot down.
The force field faded and the droplets of black liquid splattered like rain.
The rock fist seemed to be excited as it saw Kiba and Ashlyn falling down. It once again punched straight at them.
"You know this is not the type of welcome I had in mind," Kiba remarked as his aura burst out.
Whirlwinds of golden energy exploded like the ocean waves. The intensity of his energy was such that Ashlyn was forced to cover her eyes with a hand as they continued to move downwards.
Swoosh~!
A terrifying pressure enveloped the entire area. The red smog - that existed in place of sky - was silhouetted by golden energy waves.
The enormous fist stopped in its path, shocked by raging aura. Cracks riffed out on its surface, and the core inside supplied with more explosive strength.
Yet, much to its surprise, more cracks riffed throughout the fist.
One of the shocking ability of this fist was that it could abruptly increase its power and recover.
Earlier, when Kiba attacked it the first time, the fist has increased its power many folds and destroyed through his attack.
Kiba was in no mood to play with this fist or the corrosive black liquid.
It wasn't like his opponent was some man whom he could mock with some mocking remarks, or an alluring woman whom he could flirt with, or the best type of opponent - a husband whom he could cuckold.
The enemy was just a rocky fist and black liquid. There was just no fun in wasting time.
This was why he surged out his aura that was at peak of Beta.
He stopped in mid-air along with Ashlyn, looking down at the fist. His eyes were filled with disdain as if daring the fist to smash at him.
The black liquid which was falling as rain droplets froze in mid-air. This was out of its own violation.
It was like the aura below was volcanic like the great sun, and an innate fear rippled through the corrosive liquid, making it stop.
Just then, the golden energy around Kiba focused together into an illusory lotus with seven petals. The phantom was of a lotus in full bloom; its petals suffused with strong vitality.
The volume of black liquid was enough to make a lake, but as the golden lotus appeared, the liquid wished it was just a droplet.
Thanks to a mutation that lasted for thousands of years, the black liquid which originally existed thousands of feet underground - similar to lava in Earth's crust- the liquid mass gained sentience.
With time, it gained a hunger, a need to satisfy its craving of living beings. It fused with a portion of canyon landmass that was actually the enormous fist.
As the geo-energy was strong, it could summon as much energy as it needed. This ensured that it was never defeated, no matter how strong the opponent.
The carcasses of primeval lifeforms inside the cliffs were the best proof. (It has to be mentioned that those living beings were already on verge of dying from lack of energy so they weren't really strong enough to resist).
Now, as the liquid mass perceived the illusory rose, every drop in it was feeling a crisis. It was like how a small snake feel at the sight of a gigantic snake.
There was a strong urge to kneel down.
The golden rose was emitting strong vitality, but only the black liquid realized a peculiarity. The petals were filled with corrosive energy!
Ssss
The black liquid retraced back in the form of waves. It didn't dare test out the phenomenon of fighting corrosion with corrosion.
The flower phantom sensed black liquid moving towards the hole in the ground, to enter back into its habitat, the illusory lotus acted.
The petals of the lotus opened further and then shot at the black liquid. Lotus was small and incorporeal, and yet when it appeared next to the corrosive liquid, it ensconced the entire liquid mass.
The rocks on the ground - which couldn't even be destroyed by a Belta- when they made contact with the illusory flower, they wilted and corroded. In an instant, the rocks disappeared.
The lotus petals closed the black liquid from all directions and then glued together. The moment the petal touched the liquid mass, strong seething sounds reverberated out.
On the macromolecular level, two types of corrosive energies were fighting against each other. It was a matter of domination, and the result couldn't have been any obvious.
Terrifying energy of corrosion from the lotus ripped through black liquid mass, and the sheen on its petals intensified.
Its vitality increased as if it has satisfied its craving...
"How boring," Kiba sighed as he floated high in the sky and destroyed the enormous fist with an arc of golden energy.
He already has an answer on liquid's origin, and as he thought of its sentience, he couldn't help but marvel at the miracles of world.
"Life doesn't necessarily have to originate from life..."
Kiba then thought of the types of immortalities. His eyes flashed brightly as he concluded something striking about life and immortality.
"Oh well, it doesn't interest me but Pythia would love it."
Kiba thought of the mutant with time abilities whom he met in The Fair. The one who gave him a virtual tour of the future, and showed him Dr. Kiba's adventure.
He recalled her shining olive skin, dirty blonde hair, and the mouth-watering slender figure.
As he thought of the loose yellow robe she has covered her body with, he couldn't help gulp down. His mind flashed with the images of the swells of her breasts.
"Haah~ Why am I thinking like some pervert?"
Kiba wondered as he found himself envying the rotating hourglass figure that was tucked between Pythia's cleavage.
He smiled as he thought of how Claudia would respond if she ever came to know about this.
[[Master, you are so dedicated to your cause that in the middle of nowhere, you have time to think about a woman.]]
Kiba was sure her remark would be far more sarcastic but he toned it down.
Ashlyn looked at him and blinked her emerald eyes. She noticed a strange look on his face and wondered what he was thinking after defeating black liquid.
"He must be feeling disappointed," Ashlyn thought.
She has seen how he loved to toy with his opponents and take a sadistic pleasure, but just now, he got none of his usual fun.
As she thought of this, she remembered his complete opposite - his younger brother.
She poked Kiba, and as he turned around, in a cold voice, she said, "A shameless man like you have no right to be strict."
"?!"
Without saying anything further, she left his hand and jumped. At this altitude, she could land safely without hurting herself.
In mid-air, Kiba wanted to weep but has no tears to shed.
How come his other self was making trouble for him even now?
Helpless, he shot down at the ground to join her.
...
Kiba and Ashlyn walked together without saying anything. She obviously couldn't forgive him for being strict on a kind man like Zed. Of course, she couldn't either tell him that she was referring to Zed as she promised to not disclose about him being present in the forest.
A smile bloomed on Kiba's lips as he thought of her dilemma. Her thinking was a bit naive but cute nevertheless.
Twenty minutes later.
They appeared before the titanic statues carved out of the cliffs. The statues seemed to be of two brave warriors with their spears intervened in X.
Compared to the two grand statues, Ashlyn and Kiba weren't worth mentioning at all. They were even smaller than ants.
Ashlyn gazed at the humongous spears above her before walking forward. The distance below the spears was no less than a city wall, and hundreds of people could easily pass by.
Kiba followed from behind but just as he took a step below the intersection of the spears, a heavy rumbling sound enveloped every sound in the world.
Ahead, Ashlyn's eyes flickered with shock and she hastily lifted her head up. Stones and rocks were falling from the cliffs that joined the statues.
Both statues were shaking, and a cyan glow splashed in their eyes, almost as if coming to life after a very long sleep.
Ashlyn was surprised at the development.
Barely an hour ago, when she was in the sky admiring the canyons, she has noticed a few people passing through the entrance below the spears. Back then, there was no such action.
In fact, as per the data she had, the statues never acted in such a manner when the core region opened up before. Her adopted parents have given her information about the core region, and in that information, the statues were only mentioned in passing.
According to the details she has, similar statues existed in almost all starting points of the core region. In other parts, where the geography was different, the statues were carved out of other things. Some out of mountains, ice, lava, and so on. The composition depended on the environment.
No one really believed the statues served any purpose except for the end of starting points.
Ashlyn was still processing this when a spear pierced on the ground below with ear-piercing sound. The ground trembled as if an avalanche was coming.
Red dust exploded out along with terrifying shockwaves that surged in all directions.
Ashlyn leaped back to avoid the shockwaves. She looked ahead, and noticed the spear has landed right before Kiba.
"Kiba?"
Ashlyn obviously realized she was not the factor for this development.
Chapter 377 - You Shall Not Pass!
Kiba himself was surprised as a humongous spear landed in front of him, stopping him from moving forward.
He raised his head and looked at the two humanoid statues that were slowly making movements.
An hour ago, just after he entered the core region, he has used supervision to scout the area, and ultimately, the presence of the statues hindered his vision.
While he knew they weren't ordinary, he didn't think they would come to life just as he tried to leave the starting area.
RUMBLINGGGGG
The bodies of the statues left the cliffs they were joined with. Dust and rock fragments continued to fall down along with what little vegetation grew around.
Cracks appeared on the ground as the statues lifted their feet. Red smog splashed out, making the area enveloped into a dust cloud.
The next moment, as the feet landed back on the ground, the dust cloud dissipated just as quickly as it was formed.
One of the statues that have sent the spear down, grabbed it back. The statue looked at Kiba, and its smooth mouth surface parted.
In a voice that was like the screeching of nails, the statue said, "Ae nhoelderos auf rhouneeub khonsmius esthallnnoet onteub."
Kiba looked blankly at the statute. He knew a few alien languages but Celestial Elysian Plane has countless languages. It was impossible for him to understand every language.
The other statue opened its rocky lips and said, "ƬΉΣЩIΣᄂDΣЯƧӨF PӨЩΣЯᄃӨƧMIᄃƧΉΛᄂᄂПӨƬΣПƬΣЯ."
Kiba's eyes constricted in shock. This time it was rather easy for him to know what was said.
"The wielders of power Cosmic shall not enter."
He didn't think it anything shocking for a mechanism of the core region to detect the nature of his power.
The statues looked at him; the cyan glow in their eyes rotating like a vortex.
Kiba didn't reply. Instead, he took a step ahead, and moved forward.
A spear came down with smothering pressure. Kiba responded with his aura erupting like a volcano that sent out strands of explosive energy.
He moved his hand up, and an enormous energy column cascaded out, crashing into the spear.
Sparks flew up, and much to his surprise, an attack that could easily destroy even a level V mutant was ripped apart by the incoming spear.
BANG
As the spear impaled the ground, the smooth surface exploded and rock fragments were sent spinning out. The rock fragments approaching Kiba instantly turned into dust.
In the meantime, Ashlyn felt the fine hairs on her back standing up. Her pupils dilated as she felt strong destructive energy closing on to her.
Without any delay, she leaped high in the air, and just then, a spear light slashed at the ground, parting it into two. Instantly, the borderline exploded into chunks.
Even though she has dodged the attack, and jumped behind the borderline, the shockwaves swept against her. The blood inside her roiled in a chaotic manner, and she sprayed out a mouthful of fresh blood.
She was stunned. This level of power, and that too at the start of core region was more than shocking.
Why would these statues have such power?
She has heard nothing about this sort of power, and that too from some statues.
Kiba's gaze turned serious. The second statue has created a borderline, and sent Ashlyn out. Most likely, the aim was not really about Ashlyn but just making the boundary for him. Ashlyn was harmed as a bystander without any intent on their part.
His vision passed through the big chunks of rocks and came on Ashlyn. She has opened her left palm upon which seven colorful seals were floating. Each seal represented colors of rainbows, and presently, she brought a finger from the right hand above the blue seal.
"Don't do it," Kiba said with a soft sigh. "I will handle them."
Ashlyn stopped just as she was about to break a seal. She gave a slight nod.
Kiba didn't say anything to her further, and then brought his eyes back on the statues. His expression was filled with shock and bewilderment as he felt the intent from them.
They were not radiating any killing intent. If anything, the intent was more of protection. If not, they wouldn't have simply just used the spears for warning.
While confused, he didn't care about their intent. He has to leave the starting area and move to the other areas to fulfill his mission.
Golden waves exploded under his feet, and terrifying airwaves boomed out of his body. Cracking sounds rang out as boulders and cliff surface crumbled to pieces.
The earth below the feet of the statues buckled and fissures split open. The entire canyons seemed to be on verge of collapse as they started shaking heavily.
Kiba's hair danced in the air as his aura as an Alpha burst forward.
Chapter 378 - Royal Will
The two gigantic statues looked at Kiba as his aura as an Alpha existence exploded. With a bang sound, the entire land started trembling with violent fluctuations but the statues continued to remain in their place. They weren't least bit affected by his aura.
Kiba's body blurred and he rushed forward in a series of afterimages. He just wanted to leave the starting area, and if possible, without any complications. So he exploded with the speed of an Alpha and rushed towards Ashlyn.
His movements were twisted and impossible to perceive, and yet, just as he took the third step, one of the statues wielded the spear like a god of war and thrust the spearhead down.
Even though it was one simple strike, the entire land was shrouded with the spearhead. Time seemed to come at a standstill, and vibrating energy particles imploded in the air as the spearhead sliced forward.
The spear action was slow and unhurried, and yet, its speed was as fast as that of light. Whistling sound filled the air as the spear light closed into Kiba.
"It is impossible to avoid complications."
Kiba swiftly stretched a hand in upward direction.
CLANG
A screeching sound reverberated and the ground in thousand meters exploded. Far away, Ashlyn crossed her arms as shockwaves reached her. Filaments of blue current enveloped her full-body black suit, and she leaped backward.
As she landed on the ground, she lowered her arms and looked ahead. The enormous spearhead was stopped by a small hand.
Sparks were bursting at the contact point between the palm and spearhead.
"Can't you just let me go without being discriminatory?" Kiba asked while lowering his hand.
The statue didn't reply, or perhaps it was incapable of replying. All it did was raise the spear in the air and then stuck it out again.
The strike was far more powerful than before, and as it approached Kiba, the entire area was engulfed in darkness.
Far away, Ashlyn shockingly discovered the strike contained an aura that was no weaker than Kiba's.
"You got no chills."
Kiba's expression turned stern and he pressed a foot on the ground, and shot upwards. The spear changed its direction in mid-air, and turned upwards, moving towards Kiba.
" Gravity Cage ."
Kiba said the two words in a chilling voice.
Instantly, the area covering the two statues and Kiba was surrounded by a formless, twisted concept of gravity.
The entire gravitational field was changed with new rules; caging the entire area into an incorporeal prison of gravity.
A terrifying gravitational pull came from the ground, and the spear that was moving upward, bent down.
It crashed down, but there was no sound. There was absolute silence, and in fact, there was no ground to speak of, for the spear to make any sound with.
The moment Gravity Cage was summoned, the canyons in the area slammed downwards, caving further and further into a crater that was depthless.
Much less rock fragments, there were not even dust particles in the air as Gravity Cage enveloped the area.
The two humanoid statues began falling into the crater filled with nothingness. Under such overbearing gravitational force, if it was anyone else, they would have compressed into atoms and disappeared.
Yet, the two statues were completely fine with not even a slightest crack. Both statues gripped their spears, and stopped themselves from falling further, and yet, they couldn't completely stop themselves under the pull from below.
At the same time, outside Gravity Cage, suddenly, five glowing circles filled with mystic runes appeared.
Without making any sound, at lightning speed, they flew towards five surfaces of Gravity Cage.
High in the air, Kiba's eyes flickered with shock as he sensed the magic circles sticking on Gravity Cage from five sides.
"Impossible! They contain power Cosmic!"
Just as the five circles glued to Gravity Cage, from the center of circles, chains made of cosmic energy shot out. The end of the chains impaled the red smog that formed the sky, and then they started pulling the surface of Gravity Cage.
From five sides, Gravity Cage was pulled, and the incorporeal surfaces showed signs of rifts.
Everything so far has taken place in less than ten seconds, at a speed that Ashlyn couldn't even detect the developments.
Meanwhile, inside Gravity Cage, as the gravitational pull was affected, the two statues stuck out the spears towards Kiba.
"What the hell is going on here?"
Kiba has expected many things in the core region, but not this, at least just not after entering. It was like the entire strength of this world was trying to stop him from moving forward.
What truly bewildered him was that there was no killing intent or any movement to cause him real harm. The only intent was to make him leave...
As the spears approached him, he gritted his teeth in annoyance. He lifted a finger and abruptly brought it down.
The spearheads trembled, and cracks imploded on the surface, and the very next moment, they were sent tumbling downwards.
But by then, Gravity Cage - an ability at the level of an Alpha- was ripped apart. Kiba didn't even get a chance to show its true potential.
The magical circles moved towards the sky and turned into a plethora of rings. Then they compressed together to transform into a strange wall of text.
As Kiba glanced at the alien language, he got another shock.
"Royal Will of the World!"
In human terms, this text was similar to Constitution. Before the formation of World Government, most countries, even those with a monarch system, has Consitution.
Constitution was the supreme rule book for every country. Even for appearance sake, no one, not even the king, could defy the laws of Consitution. After all, it defined the rights, laws, limitations, and duties of every institution.
Royal Will of the World was the supreme rule book of the core region. But unlike the human Constitution, the Royal Will of the World was strictly enforced.
This was because it has sentience. It was akin to artificial intelligence that must enforce the instructions within.
This Royal Will of the World covered the entire core region. As such, it could borrow energy from the entire core region.
Technically, that made it omnipotent since its energy was a world fragment from Celestial Elysian Plane.
Kiba read the first line of the texts. It was in a language he could understand, and as he read, a bitter feeling swelled in his heart.
'The wielders of power Cosmic shall not step in.'
"But why?"
Kiba recalled one of Princess Scarlet Leila De Rose's slave beasts staying inside the core region. He was sure that the giant snake also has power Cosmic.
"The statues or those magic circles... they didn't have any killing intent...if anything...it was protection... They are trying to protect me by not allowing me to leave the starting point!
"No, most likely Royal Will of the World believes I'm a native of Celestial Elysian Plane..."
As he thought of this, his heart thumped.
"Royal Will of the World doesn't stop humans as they exploit the core region... something that no sane system would truly allow. After all, from its perspective, humans should be no less than foreign invaders taking away resources. If it can hinder me with such powers... why in every two years, humans and beasts from Earth step in?"
He then remembered his time in BSE79. His mind flashed with memories of Castor Damon and the moments before he became the man he was.
Nothing ever comes for free...
"Truly sinister."
Kiba flew down as he concluded something he wished he didn't. He landed outside the enormous crater and looked at the statues before bringing his eyes on the wall of strange text.
"You can rest assured I'm not stepping forward."
His words were rather silent, but the moment he spoke, the wall of text faded into thin air. It wasn't like he has actually gone all out and summoned his true powers.
If he did, perhaps he has a chance but then it would result in mutual destruction. Something he didn't want given what was at stake for him.
No matter what, he couldn't let the core region destroyed...
"Ashlyn."
He turned towards her who was far away, divided by a borderline that was more like a rift. She stared at him, silently.
Her cold, poker face was filled with an emotion that struck a notch with him.
"Don't look at me like that," Kiba said with a smile. "Remember what I said about my luck?"
Ashlyn observed him for a long time before nodding her head.
"And do you recall the hints I gave you for that puzzle?"
She gave another nod.
"Then trust me, I would find a way to step in... we would definitely meet."
Ashlyn didn't say a word but she gave a nod of acknowledgment. She turned around, and streams of blue current exploded under her feet, and in a moment, she shot in the distance.
Kiba continued to smile as he looked on as she disappeared far away. He was aware of her personality, and while others might think she was cold by her reaction, he knew the truth.
Her actions so far have proved her character. She didn't need unnecessary words or dragged goodbye to prove her heart...
Shua~
Kiba shot high into the sky, and like a bolt of lightning, flew towards a cliff. After making sure there was no one in the area, he stepped on the cliff.
"Cosmic Spark."
Kiba placed a hand over the center of his chest and felt the source of his powers. An artifact so alluring that no could resist the urge to possess it.
Its mere existence was tempting for it was a chance to acquire infinite power and an unending lifespan.
Yet, for him, Cosmic Spark was never about the power or the lifespan it could supposedly offer.
All he desired was the simple pleasures of life.
A blissful sleep in the arms of seductive women... Was that too much to ask?
He wasn't greedy or possessive like most humans in the world.
This was why he only wanted to cuckold every man with a beautiful wife... His purpose was never separating the husbands from their wives.
All he wanted was to make them Good Husbands by keeping their wives happy...
Could any man be so selfless?
"Haah~ Yet Royal Will of the World isn't allowing me to step in."
Kiba felt really bad at the development.
A man with a Holy Mission was stopped.
Can anything be eviler than this?
"Sighs~" Kiba shook his head at the unfairness of the world. All he ever did was for the good of the world, and yet, he was treated in such a manner.
Kiba waved a hand and white radiance swept out of his palm.
The radiance materialized into the form of a futuristic hovercraft with two turbo boosts at the rear. The hovercraft spanned for a little more than ten meters, and its design was exquisite and grand.
It was something he acquired from Antique Stone Garden at The Fair. 1
"Claudia also prepared an alternative but this option is far better."
Kiba thought as he arrived before the hovercraft. It has no door or any entrance to speak of.
Kiba tapped a finger on the surface of the hovercraft. With a flash, a virtual screen appeared on the surface.
The screen displayed alien texts and projected an energy signal detector. It was a form of authentication unique to Celestial Elysian Plane.
Every living being has a unique energy signal, it was something different from aura. In a way, it was a mix of aura and genetic matter.
Since the hovercraft was derived from a spatial stone, its previous owner was obviously from Celestial Elysian Plane, and as such, there was no way for the authentication to complete.
At least, that's what should have happened in normal circumstances.
Kiba's perception enveloped the hovercraft. It took him a few minutes to pass the sensitive defense mechanism to observe the energy signals stored inside.
His lips slightly curled up and he placed a hand over the detector. His cosmic energy camouflaged to the energy signals he sensed earlier, and the next moment, a beep sound ringed out.
Authentication Complete.
The surface opened up like a vortex and Kiba stepped inside. The hovercraft was spacious enough with space for four people including the pilot.
The entire hovercraft was filled with a soft red glow that enhanced mental stimulation and increased clarity. Just staying inside would enhance body functions.
Kiba sat in the pilot chair. He opened the settings panel and customized based on his own preferences.
Swoosh~!
Streams of golden light enveloped him from head to toe like a cocoon. As the streams swirled around him, his facial features morphed and changed.
In a few seconds, he transformed into Zed. The nanofibers changed his cloth design accordingly, and as his clothes morphed, Zed wore a storage ring in his right hand.
"Claudia did say I might have to rely on Zed, but I'm sure even she didn't think of this scenario..."
To temporarily pass the starting point, he has to rely on Zed. After all, unlike Kiba, Zed has no trace of power Cosmic.
He was as human as others who have already entered. This also made sure Royal Will of the World wouldn't interfere.
He retrieved a plastic box inside which orange capsules were stored. Each capsule was hard-shelled, and it was impossible to observe the powdered ingredients or miniature pellets inside.
The capsules neither emitted any energy nor any fragrance. They looked rather normal if not for the glistening surface.
Yet, they were the most precious pills he has in his possession. Something that made many people bankrupt in Delta City.
"I must get used to them..."
Zed didn't really want to use these capsules. The side effects were not something that his body could handle. But now he had no choice.
"Hopefully, at the right time, they would actually help me transform back..."
These capsules were created by him and Claudia after the events that took place in the wasteland... Mainly because of the device used by Lisa Ray to overpower Kiba. 1
Zed could only trust in his and Claudia's skills.
"For Felicity..."
He grabbed a capsule and consumed it.
Afterwards, he changed the authentication settings of the hovercraft so that it can be operated by him.
The hovercraft rose into the sky, and left...
Chapter 300
Chapter 27
Chapter 379 - Take Inspiration from Good!
Between the sky full of red smog and ground full of red textured canyons, a hovercraft sped forward. Its surface was enveloped with a transparent energy coating, and as the hovercraft rushed forward, the clash of airstreams against the energy coating made the surface glitter.
Inside the hovercraft, Zed sat on the pilot's seat, his attention on a set of five virtual screens. The hovercraft's control was fully virtual, with not a single traditional button or joystick. Whether it was elevation, direction management, or the entire control wheel, everything was virtually managed.
After making sure everything was to his preference, Zed focused on the live feed from the hovercraft. The live feed was in the form of a holographic projection of 360° - that pretty much showcased everything from outside with crystal-clear clarity.
Presently, his focus was on the projection of two statues. As the hovercraft neared, the statues became more grandeur with an awe-inspiring feeling.
"If I'm right, the Royal Will of the World's domain began from the statues... This would explain why every starting area has similar statues."
At the other extreme corner of the canyons, there was only a ripple-like screen that spanned throughout, like a never-ending wall.
It was the exit from the meteorite.
Just like the statues, such screens also existed in every starting point. The moment one touches the screen, they would be teleported back in the forest.
Zed focused on the statues and was surprised to see their surroundings were the same before Kiba fought with them. There was no crater or missing cliffs.
Even the spears were back in their original forms with no signs of any destruction. If one sees the statues now, they would seem completely lifeless but standing like two brave warriors.
Zed lowered the hovercraft and made it pass below the intersection of two spears. He was confident that no one could detect Cosmic Spark inside him, but still, he was a bit nervous.
After all, all his hopes on a possible cure for Felicity were relying on this.
If he failed, he would have no choice but to return to Delta City, and use a method he didn't want to resort to: Section IV of Dream Rise House...
The hovercraft passed below the spears without any difficulty. The statues didn't come to life nor there was any warning.
"Phew~"
Zed couldn't help but berate himself for being so nervous.
Unlike the dangers he faced before he gained Cosmic Spark, the statues were nothing. They carried no risk for him given their nature, and yet, passing through them made him sigh in relief as if he has avoided a disaster.
"I must be acting like a normal human for once."
Zed mused while lying comfortably in the chair. He stretched his legs out and raised his head.
"Fear for loved ones can make a man act against his nature."
Before he entered the core region, he was fully relaxed, but as he stepped in, and started moving towards his goal for real, his heart was filled with a few negative emotions.
The hovercraft headed straight and the air buzzed with sonic vibrations...
After one passed the range of statues, one would step into what appeared to be a hot desert. This desert wasn't just connected with canyons but other starting points as well.
Presently, a few miles into the distance there were dunes upon which about ten people were standing. They were separated into two groups.
On one side were two females: Sophia and her middle-aged servant Aileen!
On the other side, there was a group of six mercenaries who were eying the two females. This area was closer to the starting point, and as such, relatively safer than the zones that were ahead.
The group was more of bandits than mercenaries. They were the types who never participated in the trials that one must face in the main zones... So why did they stepped here?
It was simple.
They have heard about a golden-haired thief who stood outside a cave while others risked their lives to gain resources inside... Later on, when those exhausted people stepped outside, he robbed them clean.
He earned everything with the least bit of effort.
The group wanted to achieve the same success, and this was why they entered the core region.
But since they didn't know much, and weren't particularly smart about planning, they simply decided to just rob on what others brought with them. After all, people would enter the core region with treasures of their own. Stealing those treasures was also worth a fortune.
In a way, their initial plan changed since they lacked patience.
"Hand over everything you own and we can let you go," The leader said with a twisted smirk. "Otherwise, don't blame us for being cruel."
Sophia responded with a smile and her fists crackled with energy currents.
"Bring it on," Sophia wanted to vent, and she was happy to see these guys giving her an opportunity.
In the morning, when she was in the village, she was pleased to find an opportunity to taunt that shameless villain. Alas, much to her dismay, she realized his luck was rather good and he was saved due to the arrival of Myiesha.
As such, she was happy to see this group of robbers. And as she looked at their clumsy style, she couldn't help but remember that shameless villain again. It was like they were trying to imitate that scoundrel but without any success.
"As expected! People always try to imitate evil! And that villain is the personification of evil!"
Sophia's body turned illusory and she appeared right in front of the leader. The leader was shocked but before he could do anything, she gripped his head with her hands. She pushed his head down, and her right knee moved upwards.
BANG
Her knee crashed into his face, and he was instantly knocked out. The people nearby were terrified, shocked by her explosive speed and strength.
Sophia looked at them, and said, "Mom always said people should take inspiration from good, not evil!"
As she thought of good, she couldn't help but remember a black-haired man. He was so kind-hearted that he even defended people with whom he had antagonistic relationships.
"If only he was in the core region."
At the same time, as she moved to teach other robbers a lesson, some distance ahead, the dune broke apart.
Aileen's eyes flickered as she saw sand splashing around, and the next moment, she detected a large shadow shooting out.
A humongous scorpion.
"Purple Shelled Scorpion!" Aileen called out in alarm. This scorpion was a predatory arachnid unique to the core region, and chances of meeting it were almost zero.
Aileen observed its venomous stinger and she let out a deep breath of hot air. The stinger was bulged out like an enormous canal, and based on the degree of mutation, she knew it was a Beta rank!
"How could it appear here?" Aileen couldn't believe it. But then she thought of the incident with Demonic White Phantom Snakes outside the core region, and her heart thumped loudly.
Sophia too stopped in her path and turned around. Her pupils constricted in shock as she noticed more scorpions leaping out.
The robbers, on the other hand, were scared witless. They were internally crying and they gazed at their unconscious leaders with envy.
At least, he was knocked out, and as such, ignorant of his tragic fate.
But for them?!
"Save us!"
Chapter 380 - Get In!
A total of five Purple Shelled Scorpions leaped out of the dunes. Only one of them was a Beta-rank, and this slightly came as a relief to Aileen. Yet, she didn't dare rejoice.
Just like White Phantom Snakes, these scorpions carried dangerous toxic which has no cure. Not to mention, in the desert-like setting, the scorpions were at a natural advantage.
Aileen glanced at her young miss - Sophia - who has knocked out the leader of a low-level mercenary group. The other mercenaries were terrified and had expressions of pure horror, but Aileen didn't care about them.
All she wanted to do was protect her miss. But the hot desert environment made her feel it would be a tough job.
They didn't have any vehicles so it would be rather hard to avoid the scorpions once the chase starts.
Bringing vehicles inside the core region, whether it was an aircraft or a car, was next to impossible. After all, before arriving here, they would need to carry the same vehicle through Desolate Blood Forest. There were countless dangers involved and the chances of vehicle getting destroyed were high.
It wasn't like they could carry them in some spatial storage device. It has to be known that storage items were rare, and the space inside most of these devices wasn't enough to store a vehicle.
This was why only a few vehicles approached the core region, and even they were outside the entrance.
"Young miss, I will hold them off," Aileen said resolutely. "You have to leave now!"
"No, we would leave together," Sophia disagreed.
"Miss! This is no time to argue!" Aileen shouted but just then, the Beta-rank scorpion whipped its tail forward.
Aileen's pupils flashed and she stretched her hands out. Ripples of water energy surged out, and as the tail slammed forward, the ripples transformed into waves of water.
The waves carried a momentum of an ocean, and a clashing sound ringed out as they crashed on the scorpion tail.
The tail was pushed back, but Aileen's eyes constricted. The poisonous stinger shot out of the tail just as the water waves disappeared.
The stinger's speed and movements were like a bullet. Poisonous fluctuations enveloped the air, and the sand rose up as the stinger rushed forward.
Aileen retaliated with a water blast to ward off the bullet, and without looking at the result, she jumped up.
Below, the stinger cut through the water blast but much to her surprise, it twisted its direction and turned towards her. The Beta-rank scorpion pounced in the air as well.
Aileen's expression turned serious and she covered her hands with orbs of water...
At the same time, Sophia fought a level II scorpion. Streams of energy enveloped her fist as she slammed it on the body of scorpion, and cracks appeared on its shell, but before she could kill it, the scorpion rushed into the sand, disappearing.
Another scorpion jumped on her from behind, and she turned around and punched out like a typhoon. Sand blasted out, and the scorpion released a tragic cry as it was sent flying.
Sophia's young eyes flickered with killing intent as she sensed more scorpions approaching her. She arched her back and snapped her head up as two stingers shot past her, barely missing her.
She has just dodged the two attacks when the sand below her feet parted. A tail pierced towards her feet, and the stinger glinted with a purple toxin.
Sophia knew the danger the toxin carried. It was not something that she has an antidote of.
Not only her, but even the elders in her family were the same. After all, these scorpions were rare existence that one might encounter in the central zone of the core region, and that too only if luck was too bad.
No one has met them just after leaving the starting point. This made it difficult to acquire toxins for research purposes.
"Get lost!"
Sophia snapped her beautiful teeth in annoyance. The pendant on her chest flashed, and the next moment, a red flash shot out.
The red flash slammed into the stinger just as it was about to pierce her. The scorpion wailed as it sensed its stinger ripping to pieces.
Followed by the stinger, its entire tail imploded.
From above, using the distraction of the tragic scorpion, another scorpion pounced on her. Its pincers opened up to crush her into a bloody paste.
Swoosh~!
Sophia didn't show any fear and she jumped up as the scorpion rushed at her.
Under the disbelief eyes of the scorpion, Sophia twirled her lean and slender body through the slight gap between the pincers, and then shoved an elbow on the hard shell of the scorpion.
BANG
Violent fluctuations rammed out and the scorpion blasted into pieces. As Sophia landed back on the sand, there was no relief on her face.
Instead, her face fell.
The dune was filled with corpses of the mercenary group. Not a single one of them survived. But this wasn't what made her mood sour.
The reason was scorpions.
She has just killed a few, and yet as far as her eyes could see, there were over a dozen more!
"How is this even possible?" Sophia was shocked.
Some distance away, Aileen has just defeated the Beta-rank scorpion, and just like Sophia, her face was filled with shock.
"These scorpions are supposed to be rare!"
She couldn't believe her and Sophia's luck could be this bad.
Aileen felt a chill down her spine as she read the aura reading on her watch. There were three scorpions which were on Level IV!
"Three Betas?!"
For Aileen, this was no less than an earth-shattering event.
Alphas were no less than an endangered species, and as such, Betas were considered as the most powerful.
They were equally rare and few, and yet, three Betas have come out of nowhere.
How were they supposed to handle so many?! Then there were the other Gamma-rank scorpions!
Aileen got no time to think further as two scorpions dived at her. Sophia was equally surrounded, and unlike before, she was facing ten scorpions, out of which one was Beta!
"Damn!"
Sophia gritted her teeth as she saw so many scorpions lunging on her. The stingers and pincers were rushing at her like scythes of death ripper.
The pendant she carried was a protective charm created from nanotechnology. While it has terrifying powers, she didn't want to use it freely as its energy was limited.
"There is only one choice," Sophia thought of summoning Life & Death Gate. But this option was also something she didn't want to use.
Ever since she fought Kiba and the words he spoke about her ability, she felt his warning about Life & Death Gate were not just empty words.
While she didn't entirely trust him, but as a precaution, she didn't plan to use this ability until she reached the central zone.
But now looking at the countless scorpions closing into her, she knew she had no choice.
She raised her hands up, and streams of black and white energy surged out. Just as they transformed into two fishes, Sophia heard something.
Not only her but even the scorpions were the same. There was intense vibrating sound coming from the sky, but as they were already pouncing on Sophia, and thus in mid-air, they couldn't turn around and check what was causing the sound.
Whoosh~!
Sound of air sliced apart reverberated as ten black beams burst through the sky. Through the slight gap between the pouncing scorpions, Sophia could make out the black beams.
The black beams were absolutely dazzling and almost blinding to the eye. Sophia noticed that instead of light particles, the beams were made of a viscous, glistening liquid!
Even before she could make out what those beams were, they landed on the scorpions. They were instantly absorbed by the scorpions without any trace.
This bewildered Sophia, but the scorpions, on the other hand, were terrified. The blood mass inside them was rapidly contracting and expanding.
In less than a second, under Sophia's shocked gaze, the scorpions imploded. But instead of flesh and blood, there was only a glistening black liquid. As the liquid splashed down, it evaporated into black vapors even before it could stain Sophia or the sand around her.
"What?!"
Aileen was dumbfounded.
She has seen Sophia surrounded, and so without caring about her own safety, she has rushed towards her.
In the process, she gained a few wounds from the Beta-rank scorpions. Luckily none of them were life-threatening and nothing which she couldn't recover from as long as she has some time.
Just as she closed in to help, she saw the scorpions around Sophia imploding. At the same time, the two Beta-rank mutants also caught up with Aileen, but just like her, they were struck on the spot in total disbelief.
For a moment, they forgot their job of slicing Aileen and Sophia. All their attention was on the black vapors which were the only traces of the over ten scorpions' existence.
"Just what happened now?" Aileen felt her throat turning dry. Even if she went all out, she couldn't destroy so many scorpions with such ease.
Sure, the scorpions were caught off-guard by the black beams, but still... this was too much! They were instantly wiped out of existence!
Sophia was also thinking on similar lines. She raised her head towards the sky to see the source of black beams.
Far away, a black hovercraft was racing towards them.
Even before she could blink, the hovercraft has already arrived next to her, floating just a few meters above the sand.
"Get in!"
Sophia felt a familiar voice coming out of the hovercraft.