650 - 660

Chapter 650 - Meeting Ice Queen

"GRRRR!"

The grotesque man growled as his ultimate attack failed. Ice Queen then appeared before him like a figure from hell, her pearly-white hand reaching out for his throat.

The grotesque man might be technically dead, but he still has an imposing will, something that wouldn't allow him to be defeated by a human. He leaped back while blasting out a rain of black energy on Ice Queen.

Dark threads of ice emerged from her stretched hand and pierced through the rain droplets before converging into a thick spear.

"Ah!" The grotesque man cried.

The spear expanded and drilled into his chest. Purple blood sprayed out, and the spear emerged from his back, turning his body into an icy statue.

At the same time, the black fog covering the mausoleum once again stirred. It has identified Ice Queen's source of powers and concluded she couldn't be allowed to infiltrate the mausoleum.

Ice Queen pulled the spear from the grotesque man and turned towards the fog.

BANG!

Just then, a bolt of lightning crashed a few miles away, bursting out a violent storm of energy.

Ice Queen's eyes narrowed, and she looked at the impact site where the silhouette of a golden-haired appeared.

Naturally, it was Kiba. The nature of the mausoleum's laws crashed him here but failed to land any damage on him.

"🎶🎵~"

Kiba whistled a tone while flying out of the impact site.

He first sighted the fallen statute of the grotesque man. He was indifferent to those who shared his gender, so he quickly shifted his gaze to not sullen his eyes.

This brought him to the black fog that was violently twisting. He could feel it was a sentient existence, but it was non-living from his perspective, and its menacing presence only ruined his mood.

So he once again shifted his gaze and sighted the woman holding the dark spear.

The weapon reeked of blood, and she emitted a chill so terrifying that even hell would petrify.

The chilling sensation further ruined his mood, and he shifted his vision to the entrance.

"Wait!"

Kiba felt he missed something significant, so he quickly moved his sight back and actually looked at the woman.

His mood instantly brightened, and he forgave the grotesque man and the black fog for being so ugly.

Because in front of this woman, everyone and everything was bound to be unsightly. This included the thousands of gorgeous women he had bedded.

She was majestically elegant, divinely radiant, and enthrallingly charming. She was just perfect and flawless in every criterion one could think of.

"Creator, forgive me for being so wrong! I now know your greatest creation is not p.u.s.s.y!"

Kiba felt he had wasted years in pursuing married women and innocent maidens.

All his dreams now seemed a waste of imagination.

Because in this universe, if there was anything worth pursuing or dreaming of, it was only this woman.

Kiba motioned his hand in the direction of the grotesque man and gently flung his wrist.

BOOM!

A pillar of golden energy boomed out and smashed into the statue. The statute blasted into countless chunks.

The black fog was shocked.

Why did this newly arrived man destroy the grotesque man?

Had it asked this Kiba and actually got an honest answer, the fog would have committed suicide if such a thing was possible.

Because Kiba blamed the statue for wasting his precious seconds and almost making him skip seeing the most beautiful woman in existence.

Obviously, such a thing deserved capital punishment. The grotesque man was lucky he was already dead.

Ice Queen was a bit surprised. She and Kiba were looking at each other, and then he blasted the grotesque man out of the blue.

"You must be her companion!" The black fog roared. "It makes sense! You didn't acquire the qualifications to be here either!"

Ice Queen didn't respond.

On the other hand, Kiba smiled and said, "I don't even know her."

He glanced at her heels from which freezing energy seeped out, turning miles of ground into a world of ice. He then eyed the snow-white crown that donned her head.

"But if I'm not wrong, she must be the ruler of Eden – Ice Queen."

Ice Queen remained silent.

"It doesn't matter!" The black fog declared. "You two will die together!"

Kiba only smiled while Ice Queen remained indifferent.

She dropped the spear and started turning towards the black fog. But just then, the back of her right hand thumped, and a mesmerizing glow spread out.

At the exact moment, Kiba's chest also thumped loudly, and a powerful glow radiated out.

The glows fused together, without any resistance, almost like they were from the same source.

A feeling of strong resonance followed.

"This…!"

Kiba's expression dramatically changed, and as did Ice Queen's.

"The Cosmic Spark!"

They exclaimed together.

Kiba and Ice Queen once again looked at each other, this time for only a moment. They then both tapped their feet on the ground and shot at each other.

BOOOM

They slammed into each other, the collision creating shockwaves of catastrophic proportions. The icy ground flipped while the sky split.

The resulting tremors were so intense that the vibrations even spread into the mausoleum, shaking the starting tombs.

"What in the name of Mother Trinity is happening here?"

The black fog was shocked, and it retreated into the mausoleum.

RUMBLE~

The split sky suddenly let out intense rumbling sounds and distorted, bringing out countless stormy clouds. Furious streaks of lightning followed, appearing with thunderous roars that carried an unspeakable might.

"Evolution Field!"

The black fog barely managed to think this, and by then, a streak of lightning crashed into the place from where the shockwaves emerged.

Simultaneously, another event unfolded.

A layer of pitch-black darkness burst out of the flipped ground, and from it flew out a stream of darkness. It rushed in the direction where the lightning just crashed.

BOOOOM

Another explosion followed, and the two figures backed away.

Kiba stopped in mid-air, with three pairs of gigantic wings flapping from his back. In one hand, he wielded a golden staff while in the other, the streak of lightning.

Chapter 651 - Ice Queen vs Dr. NTR

Ice Queen also emerged from the explosion, her right hand holding an ice sword made from the darkness.

Terrifying coldness blasted from her, obscuring the world with a dark snowstorm. At the same time, pitch-blackness erupted from the sword, enveloping the surroundings.

Despite the total negation of light, she was clearly visible. The outline of her pearly-white face was wrapped with luminescent ice crystals. They covered her all the way to her shoulder blades, from where they blossomed as wings.

In a way, her transformation was similar to Kiba's, something the Black Fog noticed.

"Just what are these two abnormalities?!"

The sky continued to roar with furious lightning and release an absolute disintegration force that collided with the coldness, causing the world to quiver violently.

The masters of these two forces checked each other while their wings drew buoyant hues in the catastrophic environment.

Kiba gazed at Ice Queen's sword and then focused on the weapons he wielded. He brought them together, colliding the streak of lightning and the staff. A blinding glow splashed out, and the two concentrated into one, morphing into a thick bolt of lightning.

The bolt stretched from his hand to the stormy clouds and entangled with the flashes of lightning.

Ice Queen didn't react. She only observed the hypnotizing gold in his eyes and then the nature of his powers.

It was entirely like hers, and yet also totally different, despite their source being the same.

"Now is the time to start for real, isn't it?" Kiba asked.

Ice Queen nodded, and they charged at each other, their weapons slashing out.

Clang!

Her sword met his bolt of lightning. A series of shockwaves surged out, filled with dark shards and crackling golden currents.

Inside the mausoleum, many Alphas were seeking good fortune. They were the ones who acquired the qualification by acquiring Legacy Orbs, and as such, entered the mausoleum through many other entrances.

The shockwaves from the first clash were blocked by the mausoleum but failed to completely block the ones surging from the second clash, which made the Alphas notice the battle.

"These shockwaves are damn powerful!" Crimson Wolf exclaimed. "Almost on the same level as the ones created by Extermination and that cursed titan!"

The eyebrows of Miria – The Mad Blade – knotted together.

Extermination brought back memories she didn't want to recall, especially his mission to destroy Earth – their only home.

"The world isn't painted with sinister gray, so it is definitely not Extermination!"

Mountain Lord reminded them.

"Besides, don't forget that mysterious woman faced him after we failed to suppress him."

Miria nodded in agreement. Extermination wasn't seen after the arrival of that woman, so most likely, he was defeated.

"But the presence these two are releasing is similar to Extermination when he summoned the Cosmic Spark!"

"!!!"

The expressions of Crimson Wolf and Mountain Lord drastically changed.

They had observed the Cosmic Spark when they tried to stop Extermination. After scanning the energy from the present battle, they felt the same signature.

The other Alphas didn't notice this. But they were equally shocked as they saw one of the fighters was Ice Queen.

"An independent World Councilmen!" Flame King was taken aback. "Someone is fighting her!"

The council of sixteen ruled Earth through the World Government. Initially, the council's size was restricted to nine, first represented by the Nine Sovereigns, then their descendants.

But with time, the council expanded to appease seven independent entities – – the seven most powerful mutants in existence!

Ice Queen was one of them.

And if the rumors were to be trusted, she was at least in the three most powerful figures of the seven!

Yet someone was fighting such a supreme entity!

"Isn't he that doctor?"

Flame King seemed to remember the events that unfolded before Infinity Maze opened.

"Dr. TNR or something."

"NTR!" Alan corrected him. "He's Dr. NTR!"

Feeling the power coming from the doctor, he realized how valuable Enchantia's advice was.

Alan eyed Flame King and asked, "Are you married?"

"?!" Flame King was confused.

Why would Alan such a question in a time like this?

While confused, he still answered, "Yes, I am."

Alan nodded and then hugged him. Flame King was shocked, but Alan didn't care.

He hugged him tightly and said, "Welcome to the Union!"

"Huh? What Union?" Flame King asked in confusion.

"The Cuckold Union!"

Alan answered.

"What?!" Flame King broke the hug and pushed Alan away. "I'm not a cuckold!"

"Not for long!" Alan said as a matter of factly.

"....."

"So I'm welcoming you in advance!"

"......"

BOOOM

Meanwhile, Ice Queen heavily pressed her sword onto the bolt of lightning, pouring bone-piercing coldness into it.

Kiba felt his hand turning numb, with dark frost moving on his fingers. He swiftly pointed his other hand at her face.

A beam of explosive light burst out, and at such close-distance, it was all but impossible to dodge.

Yet she achieved the impossible by leaning her head to the side, causing the beam to brush past her. Simutanosuely, her wings curved out, and the pointed corners stabbed at him from the sides.

"!" Kiba was surprised, and he quickly pulled back, flying a few kilometers away. Her wings failed to stab him, so they started swirling in his direction, creating a typhoon of ice shards.

In the meantime, Kiba looked at his numb hand. The frost particles were quickly wrapping it, and it was a real pain to hold the bolt of lightning.

"Eternal Darkness' main power is corruption. I can't underestimate that."

He poured golden strength into his hand, and the frost faded in thin air. He then brought his attention to the incoming typhoon.

Instead of retreating further or blocking it, he did something that stunned everyone.

Grabbing the bolt of lightning with both hands, he charged straight into the typhoon, the shards whipping at him.

RIPPPP

The bolt of lightning plunged into the typhoon's upper swirls and cut them with the absolute obliteration force.

The typhoon turned unstable and started fading, but the shards managed to gash him. Though his regeneration ability erased the gashes before they were even formed.

Even as that happened, Ice Queen appeared before him. She stabbed at his stomach, and he ducked to the side while bringing his bolt of lightning at her neck.

But she was faster, and even though she missed his stomach, the sword stabbed into his left ribs. Hot blood gushed out like a fountain, and dark frost burst into his ribs.

His hands stopped, and the bolt of lightning stopped a hairsbreadth away from her. She looked at him without any emotion, their faces separated by a few inches, with her sword positioned between his ribs.

To her absolute surprise, he didn't grunt or cry in pain. He did none of the things her deceased opponents did in such moments.

"Hahaha!"

He started laughing.

She was startled, and before she could wonder if he was crazy, a terrifying gravitational force enveloped her.

"Gravity Cage."

The horrifying gravity couldn't turn someone of her strength into nothingness, and Gravity Cage didn't attempt to do that.

All it did was pull her body to his, like a needle to a magnet.

She bumped into him, with her l.u.s.trous lips pressing on his.

"!!!!!"

She was totally shocked.

Before today, her lips had zero contact with anyone.

Now she was kissing him, at least from the perspective of bystanders.

"Hey, pervert," Kiba said in her mind. "You might be a queen, but there's something called consent."

"!!!!!"

"Learn its meaning before engaging in something like this. Ruling an all-women island is no excuse."

Her eyes enlarged, and her face turned a dark shade of crimson.

This man! How dare he!

Before she could get angry, the Gravity Cage vanished, and the change in sudden gravity made her lose balance. Her body blurred down, her lips sliding from his lips to his chin, and by then, she managed to stabilize.

She flew up and was again surprised.

Her sword that was earlier pierced in Kiba's ribs was now floating next to him. There was no sign of any injuries on him!

Such a thing was impossible. Because even godly regeneration ability couldn't heal a wound created by darkness in such a short span.

So the only explanation was that the sword didn't stab him, but rather the air!

That would explain why her sword was floating there as only she could move it.

But that should also be impossible. She had plunged the sword into him and felt the frost entering his ribs.

Ice Queen moved her focus from him to the atmosphere. She scanned the remnants of power and realized what happened.

"Reality warping," She said, speaking for the second time since she met him. "You replaced my version of reality with yours."

Kiba smiled in response.

Ice Queen made a grasping motion, and the sword flew to her.

Chapter 652 - Nothing Fair or Unfair

As Ice Queen bumped into Kiba, and her lips pressed his for a brief moment, the jaws of the onlooking Alphas dropped.

"What just happened?!"

"Ice Queen initiated a kiss with Kiba!"

"That's what happened!"

"Surely anything but that!"

None of them dare believe the scene that played before their eyes.

Ice Queen wasn't called Ice Queen because of her ice powers. She was called Ice Queen because her personality was as cold as ice!

She was ruthless and merciless, especially when it involved those that weren't females.

But now she kissed Kiba in the middle of a fight!

"Were those stories false?" Flame King wondered.

Like every man in existence, he was starstruck by the description of her heavenly beauty. But he never even dared look at her until now.

All because of the horrifying stories associated with her.

According to them, any man who dared look at her was molded into a living ice statute!

What's more, these statues were placed in the outskirts of Eden, serving as a tragic reminder to those who dare eye the beautiful subjects of Eden!

"No, the stories aren't false!" Alan shook his head and said.

"Huh? If they were true, then why did she kiss him!?"

Flame King pointed at Kiba.

"He's good looking. Ok, handsome, so handsome that I consider him as my mortal enemy! But he's still a man!"

Alan let out a sigh.

"She kissed him because he is Dr. NTR!" He explained like an enlightened being. "He can make women do anything!"

"…....."

"And that includes making your wife put a green hat on you!" Alan concluded. "So join the Union in advance!"

"........…."

Flame King flinched.

Why does he have to bring the Cuckold Union in everything?!

...

Ice Queen brought her eyes back on Kiba as the sword flew back to her.

"Reality warping," She grabbed the hilt of the sword and said, "You replaced my version of reality with yours."

Kiba smiled in acknowledgment.

He was indeed stabbed by her, but he had his backup ready since he was already wary of the darkness. So the moment he felt he was about to be stabbed, he distorted the reality. His ribs turned into the air, and the air turned into his ribs. That way, he successfully saved himself from being stabbed in his reality.

Except for Ice Queen, none experienced her version of reality where she successfully stabbed him.

If it was someone else in her position, they would have been frightened by such an overpowering ability. But not her, though.

She waved the sword, and blazing darkness erupted out like a tsunami, emitting a soul-freezing chillness.

Kiba's eyes narrowed.

The darkness wasn't attacking him but instead enveloping the invisible and intangible fabric of reality. The darkness crystallized on the fabric, just like ice does on objects in a freezing atmosphere.

"You have frozen reality!" Kiba exclaimed, his eyes flashing with surprise.

Ice Queen silently nodded.

Reality was the flow of space and time, fueled by perception, belief, and attitude of everything in existence.

But long before space and time originated from Fate's mechanism, there was nothing but darkness.

And wasn't darkness always associated with the lack of light, something that signified the absence of heat, the negation of time, and the void of space?

If the answer was yes, then the darkness was the only perfect foe of reality. And now, this darkness sealed reality and virtually locked Kiba's cheat ability.

Whish!

Ice Queen grabbed the hilt tightly and rushed forward. She slashed out diagonally, causing the space to split with a dazzling line of darkness.

Kiba's affinity with lightning gave him divine speed, and he made the best of it. His wings flapped, and he flew up, leaving behind strands of lightning that were swallowed by the split space.

Appearing high above Ice Queen, he drew down the bolt of lightning in an overhead strike.

Swish!

Just as he did, the space behind him blurred, and she appeared like a ghost. She silently thrust at his neck.

"!" Kiba was startled.

Either he was slowing down, or she was getting too fast.

Knowing the state of reality, it was most likely the former.

With his speed drastically reduced by her freezing powers, there was no time to pull the bolt of lightning and use it to block the thrust. Nor there was time to dive forward and turn around.

But such a dire situation didn't panic him. Instead, it excited him.

And how could it not? It wasn't every day he met an opponent that could put him in danger.

His heart pumped adrenaline into his blood, and the rush of excitement gripped every corner of his body.

"What a marvelous feeling this is!" Kiba grinned.

Everything took a while to describe, but it occurred in less than the flicker of a second, something that was as long as hours for Alphas.

The tip of Ice Queen's sword touched the back of his neck, and as his skin started to break, his three pairs of wings slammed back.

"!" Ice Queen jumped up.

She narrowly avoided being squeezed between his wings. This resulted in her sword not piercing the neck of her opponent.

By now, Kiba had pulled the bolt of lightning back, and he rolled it upwards, expecting Ice Queen to fly there to avoid his wings.

His guess proved to be right. When Ice Queen jumped up, the bolt of lightning hit her right in the chest.

RIPPPPP

The dark crystals of ice wrapping her chest started ripping apart.

In the mausoleum, the Alphas looked expectantly. Male or female, they all drooled at the thought of seeing what was behind the ice crystals.

"Even if this results in me turning into a statute, it would be worth it!"

"I'm going to witness paradise in my final moments!"

Ice Queen's beauty has long surpassed the fairies of legends, and getting a chance to see even a bit of her exposed skin was an honor for which they would gladly die for.

Now they were getting a chance to witness far more!

"Oh, Creator!" Alan whispered in his heart. "You cursed me with the fate of a cuckold, but didn't forget to bless me with this heavenly opportunity! Thank you for being just!"

He barely thanked the Creator when his eyes bulged in shock.

The dark crystals split apart, but they didn't expose Ice Queen! Because as the crystals split, more dark crystals appeared on her skin, ensuring her chest wasn't revealed even a tiny bit.

The disintegrating force from the bolt of lightning finally ended, and Ice Queen lowered her eyes to gaze at Kiba.

"Oops!" Kiba scratched the back of his head. "It was an honest mistake! Sorry!"

Ice Queen shook her head and said, "You did no wrong, so why apologize?"

"!!"

Kiba was stunned. He expected her to be angry, if not outright furious. Her being cool wasn't what he expected.

Ice Queen didn't say more.

This was a battle, and if she could attack as she please, so could her opponent. There was no question of being fair or unfair.

This was also her view towards life, and hence she wasn't furious by any of his moves. Not even for using Gravity Cage which bumped her onto him.

"Time we end this."

Chapter 653 - Calm Before The Storm!

"Time we end this."

Ice Queen shot down at Kiba.

Her speed and power caused hundreds of phantoms to appear alongside her. It was impossible to tell which one was real, for all they emitted the same dark frost and chilling might that froze everything.

Till now, the Alphas barely managed to see her in the icy darkness. Now with the appearance of so many phantoms, even that became difficult, and they were glad they weren't in Kiba's shoes. After all, the phantoms were virtually no different from doppelgangers, and there was no way he could handle them all.

His fate was sealed with death!

"I agree."

Kiba drew the bolt of lightning around him in a circular arc and started spinning.

Whoosh~!

He turned into a spinning, golden thunderstorm.

BANG

Hundreds of dark ice swords bombarded on the thunderstorm. Streams of icy darkness spilled out with golden lightning, clashing like fire and water, and gave rise to apocalyptic fumes.

From afar, it seemed like a collision of day and night. Beautiful yet dangerous.

The deadly pressure pouring from Evolution Field began to vanish while the crystallized ice wrapping fabric of reality started cracking.

The collision was raging to peak, and this caused the apocalyptic fumes to spread out. The flipped earth pulverized, the stormy sky crumbled, and the ripped space teetered.

The beautiful scenery has now turned into the grinding of earth, sky, and space.

Naturally, the mausoleum became the unintended target of this turbulent scene. The tombs in the starting area were swallowed by the mighty collision.

"Damn you, humans!" The Black Fog cursed.

On Earth, the net covering the planet would suppress the might of everyone. It primarily targeted those extremely powerful and could pose a threat to the planet's very existence. But this suppression wasn't present in Infinity Maze. Naturally, Ice Queen and Kiba used it to their advantage by channeling their full powers, almost hitting Level IX.

Such power shook the godly Alphas to the core.

"Almost Level IX? More like Level XI!" Crimson Wolf exclaimed.

"They are as strong as Extermination when he used the Cosmic Spark to summon meteorites around the globe!" Mountain Lord observed.

"F.u.c.k! This is unfair! They should be classified as Omegas and not Alphas!" Flame King complained.

The other Alphas seemed to agree.

They expected Ice Queen to be strong, but not to such an extent. Naturally, Kiba's powers came even more shocking as they haven't heard of his strength before Infinity Maze.

The Alphas were either shocked, awestruck or stupefied. But one among them was nonchalant like nothing here was unexpected.

It was Margaret Parcae.

"They wield such epic powers, but they are no different from puppets!"

Margaret whispered to herself as she found the tomb she was seeking.

The tomb was enormous - spanning for fifty kilometers - and engraved with drawings of demonic hands pulling strings.

"The who controls the strings holds the true power!"

Margaret kneeled down and banged her head on the tomb.

"And that's Fate!"

…

Meanwhile, Ice Queen gently waved her free hand.

Mountain-long ice cubes blurred into existence and surrounded the spinning thunderstorm.

She motioned the sword, and the cubes began to slam through the thundering swirls and pressed into Kiba, who was spinning with the bolt of lightning.

A trail of blood escaped his lips, but he laughed. His pupils flashed with the silhouettes of celestial stars.

BOOOOM

These stars seemed to come to life, and they burst out of his eyes. They slammed into the cubes and caused a devastating explosion.

As the explosive shockwaves started to ripple out, the perimeter of the mausoleum sprang up with a black wall. The shockwaves hit the wall, but instead of doing damage, their might was absorbed. Simutelously, the wall distorted, and countless black spikes shot out.

Kiba and Ice Queen separated and turned towards the incoming spikes. They sensed their powers in the spikes and a foreign power that was no weaker than theirs.

Ice Queen motioned the cracking cubes towards the spikes, and they blasted into them. Kiba did the same, making the broken celestial stars hit the remaining spikes.

"Don't you dare believe you two are omnipotent!" The Black Fog warned. "Because in front of Lord Xeced's plan, you two are not even kids worthy of mentioning!"

Simultaneously, the spikes flickered, and they passed through the cubes and stars. They appeared right before their targets.

Ice Queen didn't seem to notice them. She lifted her head and smiled.

"Plan. Everything is a part of someone's plan, isn't it?"

Her soul-stirring voice ringed through the maze, and she vanished—the spikes targeting her penetrated nothing but thin air.

The Black Fog was shocked.

Ice Queen has materialized within the mausoleum!

"H-how?! The laws here should make teleportation impossible!"

Till now, it has blocked her entry into the mausoleum through the traps and laws. Now with the appearance of the wall, her access should have been practically impossible. So how could it appear here?!

The fog expanded its senses and noticed a thin icy mist that has spread through the mausoleum.

"You created an ice teleportation formation during the battle!"

The Black Fog couldn't believe this.

How could she focus on both fighting Kiba and creating the teleportation formation? After all, it required great strength and focus on fooling the traps and sneaking her powers inside.

Ice Queen ignored the fog and looked outside. Kiba was there, separated from her by countless miles, but such distance hardly mattered for beings of their levels.

"I guess we are stopping for now," Kiba said.

Ice Queen nodded.

Kiba grinned. His body disintegrated into a golden mist, and he disappeared.

"Don't tell me you also are…!"

The Black Fog didn't even get time to complete as Kiba appeared within the mausoleum.

"Even you!" The fog was furious.

Kiba almost laughed.

He was serious during the battle with Ice Queen, and they were doing their best to defeat the other.

But that didn't mean either of them forgot the presence of the waiting Black Fog.

"The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind," Kiba said with a smile. "We two might be either mantis or cicada, but you sure aren't oriole."

"I don't want to be any oriole!" The Black Fog shouted. "You two are uninvited troublemakers! There's no way I would let you two live!"

Between the tombs, there was a gigantic circle. It was an offensive formation to shot down any intruder, and with the fog's command, it flashed with a blinding glow.

As the glow got ready to burst out, Ice Queen spread her hands and closed her eyes. Her icy wings curved out and took her in their cold embrace.

"It would serve you no good!" The Black Fog announced.

It felt she was doing this to block the offensive power of the formation.

Kiba was preparing to handle the formation. But just then, his body jerked, and he turned towards Ice Queen in shock.

Her wings opened up, just like a caterpillar breaking out of the cocoon and spreading its wings as it turns into a butterfly.

The scene was beautiful and represented evolution, but Kiba felt this was the calm before the storm.

And he was right.

Ice Queen was going to unleash a storm that none would be able to handle.

Chapter 654: Ice Queen Takes Action

Ice Queen's ice wings opened and started expanding, soon overshadowing the skies of the mausoleum.

Kiba was startled. She hasn't undergone any transformation except for a few minor changes, yet he felt she was entirely different.

Her eyes now shined with an amber-blue color while her glistening lips lustered with deep darkness.

The Black Fog felt something amiss. But it was too late to stop.

The formation began spinning, and two piercing beams erupted, emitting a sensation that the world was about to end.

Despite being thousands of miles away, the Alphas felt dazed and weak from this sensation, and they couldn't help but feel Kiba and Ice Queen were done for! There was no stopping the beams!

Naturally, one beam was reaching for Ice Queen and the other for Kiba. But to the shock of both Kiba and the Black Fog, the beam targeting him turned direction and shot at Ice Queen.

"What?!" The Black Fog couldn't believe this was happening. If not for the surprised look of Kiba, it would have felt this was Kiba's doing.

Ice Queen didn't attempt to block or retreat. She just floated, and the beams slammed into her forehead and heart.

Blood violently sprayed out of her mouth, and her body jerked back.

"Haha!" The Black Fog was pleased.

It didn't understand why the other beam shot at her, but seeing the result, it didn't matter.

The hearts of the Alphas jolted. Ice Queen was finished!

"This is bad!"

Kiba's eyes narrowed.

He concluded the opposite of what others had. Without wasting a moment, he channeled his powers and surrounded himself with a protective barrier.

The Black Fog snickered. That golden-haired human wanted to resist even now? What a fool!

Swoosh~!

Just then, the fog twitched as it heard a swooshing sound, and it brought its focus back on Ice Queen.

"No!"

Her body had stabilized.

The beams' destructive energy moved away from her forehead and heart and coursed towards the back of her right hand. This was where the strand of Cosmic Spark was located, and the energy rushed into it.

The energy didn't stay there for long. It moved out and flew back into her body, but this time it was coated with darkness.

"Corruption!" The Black Fog screamed in horror as it realized what was happening. "Eternal Darkness has corrupted the formation's energy! That energy is now hers!"

The energy moved from Ice Queen's body to her wings, and the wings burst out with ice shards. They shot at the ground, like a rain of ice beams, enchanting but lethal.

"Bloody hell! Run!"

A mutant who had achieved the rank of Alpha not so long ago shouted.

The shards emanated the sensation of the world about to end, just like the beams that had blasted into Ice Queen.

The mutant knew what this signified: The endless mausoleum was finished!

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Thousands of explosions rang in quick successions, sending chunks of soil and stone in the air.

The Alphas used their divine abilities to evade the shards and block the shockwaves. But it was turning difficult with every second as the wings continued to burst out with shards, making the mausoleum receive endless rain.

"What is this darkness?"

Miria wondered as she saw strands of darkness sweeping out from the exploding shards. These strands were like sticky ink, and they crawled towards the tombs, releasing acidic sounds.

"Stop!" The Black Fog roared.

The metallic slabs covering the tombs were resilient to the offensive powers, but cracks still emerged from the explosions. And with the arrival of sticky darkness, the slabs started corroding. It was just a matter of seconds before the tombs opened.

When that happened, the mechanism left behind by Lord Xeced would automatically revive the corpses.

While the Black Fog's mission was to indeed revive the corpses, it has to be done in a regular interval of time, something that would take centuries. Doing it before the destined time would drastically impact the plan!

"Plan! She spoke of the plan!"

The Black Fog recalled the conversation with Ice Queen from a few minutes ago. She was amused when it mentioned Lord Xeced's plan.

"If she wanted to resist the formation, she wouldn't use her powers to rain the formation power throughout the mausoleum!" The Black Fog thought. "But then what does she hopes to achieve by doing this?"

Given her actions so far, the fog knew she didn't come here to inherit a legacy nor to steal legendary items or godly materials from the tombs.

Then why would she be here?

Surely it couldn't be for reviving the corpses either.

Because that wouldn't make sense, as her refusing to pick a Legacy Orb signified she knew the dangers the corpses possessed!

The Alphas, in the meantime, tried their best to leave the mausoleum and retreat through the paths they arrived here. Sadly, the ice shards pretty much crushed those paths, making it impossible for them to leave.

"We are stranded here!" Flame King jumped back to dodge a shard. "All because of her!"

A few miles away, Crimson Wolf eyed Ice Queen while blocking the ice shards with a crimson field. The field shook heavily, and darkness splashed on it like water. Thankfully, the darkness rushed towards the tombs, and he let out a sigh in relief.

"Just what is she trying to do?"

Mountain Lord sent a chain of mountains rolling in the air, making them smash into the incoming shards.

"Whatever it is, we shouldn't stay to find out!"

Miria nodded in agreement. She transferred her full powers in the katana she acquired shortly after the events of Delta City.

Jumping up, she then dragged the katana through the skies.

RIPPPP

The space split open, and a tunnel to the outside world emerged, running through multiple dimensions.

The eyes of the Alphas brightened. They could see the sky of Earth in the tunnel!

"Her space powers are amazing!" Alan praised her. "No wonder she had succeeded in pushing Extermination out of Earth!"

Miria landed back on the ground and joined Mountain Lord and Crimson Wolf.

The fabric of space here was strong despite the events so far, and slashing through multiple dimensions took a heavy toll on her. But she didn't mind the efforts as it would save not only her and her friends but also other Alphas. Something necessary if humanity has to survive in these changing times.

"We can leave now," Miria said as she put the katana in the scabbard.

"I'm afraid it is not only you guys who can leave."

"!!" Miria, Mountain Lord, and Crimson Wolf turned around. Kiba arrived some distance away from them.

"What do you mean?" Miria asked without showing any emotions.

Kiba pointed at the tombs.

Miria's head snapped at the tombs, and she was shocked by what she saw.

Amidst the dazzling explosions, hundreds of corpses crawled out of the tombs and dragged their bodies to the space tunnel!

Miria wasn't the type to be frightened or awestruck by the powers of others. Otherwise, she wouldn't have faced Extermination when almost all Alphas and World Government remained mute spectators.

But now she was frightened. Not for her safety, but for humanity!

Chapter 655: Fusion of Life & Death

Like ice beams, shards continued to slam into the ground, ensuring dazzling but blinding explosions.

Amidst the resulting explosion clouds, the silhouettes of the corpses came in sight.

"How is such a thing possible?!"

Miria was taken aback. She has opened a spatial tunnel for the Alphas, but these corpses were moving there. If they arrive on Earth, there was no saying what price humanity would pay!

But there was no stopping them now!

With Ice Queen attacking the ground and the number of corpses, it would require the joint efforts of all Alphas to stop this.

But the other Alphas were in no condition to react. The unbelievable sight of the corpses reviving made them forget the explosions and the existence of the escape route.

"Shouldn't death be a definitive end?!" Crimson Wolf asked.

Kiba shook his head and said, "Death is indeed a definitive end, but these corpses were preserved by Lord Xeced using some special method.

"Maybe this method healed their injuries and used lingering memories in the brains to develop a temporary consciousness. This temporary consciousness and muscle memory should make them a lot better than the so-called zombies.

"And providing energy to them shouldn't be that difficult for someone of Lord Xeced's caliber."

Crimson Wolf looked at Kiba.

"Even if what you say is true, there must be some serious side effects or lethal consequences. Otherwise, these corpses would have revived long ago!"

Kiba nodded but didn't reply. A golden glow swept out of his hand and morphed into a protective shield above the four of them.

In the meantime, Mountain Lord nodded in response to his friend. He said, "Most likely. For one thing, these revived corpses should be nowhere as strong as their former selves… and they must meet some special criteria to really come to life!"

As he reached this part, his complexion paled as he realized the criteria, "Legacy Orbs!"

"Yeap," Kiba nodded. "To be precise, beings from Earth who have acquired Legacy Orbs."

The expressions of Miria and Crimson Wolf drastically changed.

They have acquired Legacy Orbs. If they followed Kiba's line of thoughts, the obvious conclusion was that they were either food or foundation for these corpses! Neither of them sounded good!

"After one acquires a Legacy Orb, it takes a lot of time for them to serve their real use," Kiba explained. "The use is obviously transforming the consciousness of the host into that of the legacy master. Furthermore, with the host training in abilities similar to the legacy master, their body would also somewhat turn like that of the legacy master."

"….." Mountain Lord and others only silently listened.

"Such a host would serve both as food and foundation because his body wouldn't resist the corpse of the legacy master. After all, our bodies only refuse foreign agents…but with the mind in perfect sync, there should be no such resistance!"

Miria's eyes squinted.

"So the process of revival is fusing the dead and alive!?"

Kiba nodded yet again.

"Yeap! Because only this method ensures the natural laws can be tricked."

Mountain Lord understood what Kiba meant.

Nature has fixed rules about life and death, something it followed on the behest of Fate.

And they were impossible to break.

Crimson Wolf trembled. He couldn't help but say, "Shouldn't this also mean this isn't a true revival of the dead! Maybe it can be called a type of cloning or fusion, but definitely not bringing dead to life!"

"Well, even if this isn't true revival, it serves the purpose," Kiba explained with a wry smile. "After all, it ensures the Celestial Elysian Plane gets another chance."

Miria glanced at the furious Black Fog and then at Kiba.

"Since we have only recently acquired Legacy Orbs, we are nowhere near the perfect hosts. Is that's the reason behind fog's fury?"

"Partly yes," Kiba answered. "The other reason is there are countless Legacy Orbs without any hosts."

Miria nodded in understanding. Ice Queen's destruction has almost awakened 70% of the corpses here. Most of them wouldn't find the food and foundation they need, and in the end, they would decompose. It would be a terrible loss for the Celestial Elysian Plane.

"Grrr!"

Suddenly, her attention was pulled by a growling sound. She turned around and saw a female corpse charging at her, slashing a weapon that resembled a katana.

"My legacy master…" Miria whispered as she pulled her katana out of the scabbard.

The host would naturally try to acquire a Legacy Orb that has an affinity to their own abilities. This female corpse's abilities were similar to Miria's. Even though the Legacy Orb hasn't served its purpose, the corpse felt Miria was her ticket to nirvana. That's why she rushed at Miria instead of the spatial tunnel.

Clang!

As her weapon slammed into Miria's katana, a deafening sound erupted, and a force exploded between them. Both the corpse and Miria jumped back, and without resting for a moment, the corpse once again charged at Miria.

Just then, Kiba appeared behind the corpse and grabbed her throat.

"Evolution Obliteration."

The force that usually emerged from Evolution Field erupted from his hand and rushed into her throat. Her skin split apart, and her insides started disintegrating.

Miria was startled. She knew Kiba was strong, but not to such an extent that he could crush an alien being like a cockroach.

"Why are you helping me?" Miria asked.

She was baffled that he would not only explain the mechanism of corpses but even provide help.

"Don't misunderstand, I'm not helping you," Kiba answered. "But only repaying you three for what you did in Delta City."

"?!" Miria, Mountain Lord, and Crimson Lord were confused. All they did was stop Extermination from his genocidal actions.

Why would that make Kiba feel like he owed them?

Kiba didn't explain. Letting go of the disintegrating corpse, he said, "Besides, you three can handle the corpses of your legacy masters. So destroying the corpses would hardly be a repayment."

He waved his hand, and three dazzling pills appeared before Miria and others. The pills released energy that resonated with their minds, making them feel it contained an essence that could boost their psyche.

"Long ago, someone tried to turn my mind into a vegetable and almost succeeded," Kiba said with a sigh. "I created these pills to avoid similar situations, but thankfully no situation arrived where they have to be used. Still, I recently enhanced them with Power Cosmic so that they could suit someone of my level in case a need arises."

Miria grabbed the pill before her and nodded. The other two did the same.

Legacy Orb targeted thoughts. While the pills might not be entirely capable of blocking that effect, they would greatly help them. After all, now that the three knew the dangers of Legacy Orbs, they would be on their guards. So it would be practically impossible for Legacy Orbs to transform their consciousness.

"In the future, you can ask for my help, but only for yourselves. That should settle the scores."

"..."

Miria and others didn't say anything.

Kiba put a hand into his back pocket and took out a card. He handed it to Miria and said, "Take care."

After saying this, he transformed into a bolt of lightning and rushed away.

Crimson Wolf and Mountain Lord exchanged glances. Kiba has claimed he owed three of them, so why did he hand his contact card only to Miria?

Could it be that he didn't have enough cards?

Miria brought her eyes to the card and tapped it. A holographic projection activated, and magical words floated out.

<>

Twin nurses emerged in the projection, and Miria felt they looked familiar.

[No matter the type of pain or injury, the doctor has the omnipotent tonic for you!]

The first nurse claimed with a sweet smile.

[You can take it orally or get it injected deep inside you! The choice is yours and yours alone!]

[Dr. NTR's glistening, sticky white tonic has a proven track record!] The second nurse added. [Over ten thousand testimonies from our loving customers!]

[Book an appointment now!] Both nurses claimed in unison. [Click here!]

A virtual button appeared, and the nurses pointed at it.

Miria: "Aren't these two the crazy twins?"

Crimson Wolf: "Seems so… but from when did they become nurses?"

Mountain Lord: "Can any patient be safe with them around?"

Miria felt the same. Still, she couldn't but help wonder, "Just what is Dr. NTR's tonic for the twins to praise it like that?"

Chapter 656 - Genocidal Maniac?

In the sky, a soft sigh escaped from Ice Queen's lips. The energy she has absorbed from the formation beams was completely spent. Now exhaustion took over her, and she felt tired. But this didn't bother her.

She lowered her head and looked at the mausoleum. Over 70% of it was destroyed, making it unrecognizable.

Most of the revived corpses were entering the spatial tunnel while the remaining few were fighting the Alphas with whom their consciousness resonated.

This brought a small smile to her lips.

Her icy wings started fading, and she flew downwards, unconcerned by the violent blasts from battles nearby.

The Black Fog was at its wits end. Over ten thousand years of efforts were destroyed right before it, and it could do nothing.

No, that was incorrect because it has contributed to the destruction. So it has done something, just not in the way it wanted to.

Because if not for the use of formation power, such a calamity wouldn't have struck the mausoleum. After all, even though Ice Queen was strong, she wasn't powerful enough to do such damage.

"The fault is mine!"

The Black Fog chided itself before turning towards Ice Queen.

"Just what have you done?!"

Ice Queen didn't answer. She leaned against a broken headstone and closed her eyes.

Far away, thousands of miles ahead, Kiba was rushing through explosion clouds and searching something for which he entered Infinity Maze.

He suddenly stopped and looked back, bringing his focus on Ice Queen.

Just like the fog, he was curious why did she do such a thing. Those who entered the mausoleum wanted to steal precious treasures and materials from the tombs. Either for themselves or their loved ones in order to evolve and find ways to extend their lifespan.

Destroying the mausoleum and awakening the corpses made no sense, especially for someone of her stature. These corpses were stepping into Earth, and sooner or later, they would wreak havoc there and break the balance of power.

This would harm Eden as well.

Ice Queen fell Kiba's gaze, and she turned towards him. Seeing his look, she knew what he wanted to ask.

She rarely spoke, much less bother to respond. But he was one of the very few who has earned the right to make her speak.

"I did this for the same reason as to why we do anything – because we can."

Ice Queen answered.

Kiba was stunned, and for a few seconds, he just stared at her. Afterward, he nodded in understanding and thanked her for satisfying his curiosity.

Her actions might result in never seen before bloodshed and perhaps threaten Earth's very existence, but he didn't care about that.

Good or evil, he wasn't the judge here.

The Black Fog turned raging mad.

"You ruined the plan of Lord Xeced just because you can?!" The fog demanded.

Ice Queen turned towards the fog. It has helped her, so in a way, she owed the fog a favor.

To return the favor, she shook her head.

"Huh? That's not the reason?!" The Black Fog was shocked.

Before it could get another response, a deafening sound shook the mausoleum.

"Awoooo!"

A wolf's roar rang out, and the gigantic phantom of a bloody wolf appeared. It slashed its sharp claws at Ice Queen.

"Crimson Wolf!" Kiba was startled.

Indeed, it was Crimson Wolf. His fury had soared to the heavens when he heard Ice Queen's words, and he attacked her without any thoughts.

"Bloody bitch!" Crimson Wolf shouted. "Just because you can, it doesn't mean you should!"

"A good advice," Ice Queen agreed as she waved her right hand gently. "But you need it more than me."

Snowy mist flashed out and covered the slashing claws. The claws slowed down, and ice crystals started wrapping them.

As the claws started freezing, the wolf phantom opened its mouth, and a globe of bloody light blasted out.

At the same time, Mountain Lord pressed his hands on the broken ground.

RUMBLEEE

Mountain peaks burst out and pierced at Ice Queen. She jumped up, but from above, the bloody light was shooting at her.

She spread her arms and aimed at both the mountains and the light. Streams of icy energy rippled out.

Swish!

Right at that instant, the space before her distorted, and Miria emerged.

"We already had enough of Extermination! And we don't need another genocidal maniac!"

Miria stabbed the katana down, and it penetrated right into Ice Queen's heart.

"Ppff!"

Blood splashed out from Ice Queen's mouth while the katana emerged from her back.

"So just die!"

Miria said as she pulled the katana out.

"Genocidal maniac? What a funny thing to say."

A soul-stirring voice whispered from her back.

"!!!!" Miria was shocked.

The Ice Queen whom she had just stabbed was shattering into ice petals. She swiftly turned around and saw Ice Queen before her.

This Ice Queen has no sign of stabbing! Nor there were any traces of blood!

"H-how?!" Miria, Crimson Wolf, and Mountain Lord were petrified.

They had attacked her with the best moves they could prepare in such a short time, but she was completely fine. How was such a thing possible?!

"Reality-warping," Kiba muttered to himself. "So she could use it as well. That too despite being exhausted."

He was impressed, and he continued to observe the battle. He was sure he could guess the outcome.

Miria, Crimson Wolf, and Mountain Lord retreated while preparing for another set of coordinated attacks.

Ice Queen was in no mood to give them that time. She lifted her hand and then pressed it down.

Miria and others' complexion paled. The space above them froze while the air around them tightened.

BOOM

The frozen space smashed them down, sending them crashing into the ground.

"Cough!"

Miria jumped out of the resulting crater and looked at Ice Queen. Wiping the blood from her lips, she said, "Calling you a genocidal maniac isn't my idea of fun."

Ice Queen was amused. With a captivating smile, she said, "Without genocide, there would have been no humanity in the first place."

Chapter 657 - Ignorance is Bliss

"Without genocide, there would have been no humanity in the first place."

Ice Queen said with a smile.

"So I fail to understand your dislike for genocide."

Miria lowered her katana.

Over sixty million ago, Earth faced a calamity that wiped out three-quarters of life, the chief among them being the species known as dinosaurs.

If not for that mass extinction event, the species that now dominate Earth wouldn't have been born, much less thrive.

One could say, the extinction of one race provided the ground for the birth of another. The success of one race was built on the failure of another.

"That wasn't genocide but natural extinction!" Crimson Wolf interjected. "An asteroid hit Earth, and the lives became casualties!"

Hearing this, Ice Queen's smile blossomed further.

"Natural extinction? What exactly is 'natural' in the universe? Is it life, death, or the process in between?"

She turned towards the Black Fog.

"…." The fog churned and stared at her, feeling her words holding the answer to her actions so far.

"Everything is staged, orchestrated by the one holding the strings, using everyone else as chess pieces."

She brought her gaze back to Crimson Wolf and continued.

"Meteorites hit Earth just a little over a century ago, and the era of evolution began. Was that also natural?"

"!!!"

Crimson Wolf's face fell for it wasn't!

The evolution was a part of Lord Xeced's plan to transform Earth's atmosphere so that the Celestial Elysian Plane's lives could get another chance. Humans and other Earth species couldn't be called lucky just because they benefitted from the evolution. After all, they were also a part of the plan, serving the role of chess pieces.

"I'm tired of being a chess piece in someone's plan."

She spread her arms, and ice energy exploded out of her.

"Be it humanity, Celestial Elysian Plane, Eternal Darkness, or Fate. I would serve none!"

Crimson Wolf and others let out painful cries. The energy blasted them miles away, coldness almost freezing them to death.

In the distance, Kiba let out a sigh. Miria and others were alive, so he didn't need to intervene.

Shaking his head, he turned towards Ice Queen as she once again sat down on a broken tomb.

"Strings… she wants to cut them and become free! And someone like her wouldn't mind dying to achieve that!"

Kiba thought with a smile.

"She might be cold, but she's interesting!"

She had disrupted Lord Xeced's plan and proved she was more than a chess piece.

Similarly, she took away hundreds of years that humanity had to prepare against alien races.

"Only this part is a bit difficult to understand."

Perhaps she considered having the same roots as humanity and following the same direction as a sort of control?

Or maybe humanity has broken her trust, and she didn't care what happened to her race?

It was hard to say.

"Who knows… she might have done it just because she could! She's wild for sure!"

Kiba's smile turned into a grin.

"Her reasons don't matter, and neither does her backstory. All that matters is to see if she would carry this wilderness to bed!"

He couldn't wait to find that out.

"But that would take time," Kiba turned around. "And time here is reducing."

Once again, transforming into a bolt of lightning, he shot forward at light speed. The mausoleum was almost neverending, and with the continuous explosions, it was hard to find the tomb he wanted.

Kiba expanded his senses. But with the battles between Alphas and the remaining corpses raging strong, it was hard to observe far away.

With every second, the corpses were turning strong as their temporary consciousness synced with their muscle memories. They pushed the Alphas on the path of retreat.

"This is hardly surprising."

If these corpses were really alive, the Alphas and even him would have been killed by their aura alone. Fighting would have been an impossible task. But that was to be expected as these corpses belonged to great warriors of Celestial Elysian Plane.

"Death sure is a great leveler!"

Kiba remarked.

"It brings even the greatest to their knees and makes them face bugs."

Suddenly, his eyes brightened.

Just two kilometers ahead, there was a tomb that seemed to stretch to infinity, its end nowhere in sight.

It flashed with an inscription of three interconnected "leaves," making an eternal form that can't be untied.

"This must be it!"

Kiba observed the tomb. It has no scratches, nor any traces of dust or any remnant energy in its vicinity. It was like the destruction created by Ice Queen using the maze's power was incapable of harming it.

"Princess Scarlet Leila De Rose... I hope now I'm able to settle at least half my debt."

Kiba smiled and landed some distance away from the tomb. He eyed the three interconnected leaves symbol, and whispered, "Mother Trinity!"1

The name brought memories from the time that made Zed into Kiba.

"Now isn't the time for nostalgia."

Clearing his thoughts, he appeared before the tomb and stretched his hand.

Just then, a powerful column of light erupted from behind his back.

"What?" Kiba was stunned.

He felt this wasn't caused by the tomb but rather by himself. Almost like him arriving here was expected, and it triggered some mechanism.

Swoosh~!

He turned around just as the column of light compressed, rippling out a fluctuation through the entire mausoleum. It resulted in a soul-crushing sensation that sent a chill down everyone's spine.

The Alphas stopped, with sweat dripping down their foreheads. The sensation was too powerful; it made them feel less significant than ants.

Even the corpses paused, their temporary consciousness trembling.

"W-what is this sensation?!" Flame King barely managed to ask himself.

Not even the combined might of the formation beams and battle between Kiba and Ice Queen had made him feel this helpless.

The Black Fog violently jerked back and turned towards the source of the crushing sensation. It saw the column of light almost disappearing, leaving behind an object the size of a baby's fist.

Far away, Ice Queen's complexion dramatically changed.

"This sensation is something only Eternal Darkness could produce!"

She was shocked for the first time.

Swiftly, she turned towards the object that was producing this effect—a glowing dark orb.

"Legacy Orb."

Ice Queen's eyes narrowed.

"How can it be made of Eternal Darkness?!" The Black Fog was similarly astonished but for a different reason. "No… the real question is – what is it doing here?!"

The mausoleum wasn't for Legacy Orbs. Nor could anyone sneak it here without the fog detecting.

Unless it was done by someone who could also control the mechanism of the mausoleum!

That could only mean…

"Enchantia!!"

The Black Fog roared.

"What have you done?!"

[[Something I had to.]]

Enchantia appeared beside the fog.

[[For I had no other choice.]]

"!!!!"

The fog was frightened by the helplessness in her voice.

In this universe, there was nothing truly eternal besides Eternal Darkness and Fate.

But there was one existence that was close to it, and that was Enchantia.

She couldn't be destroyed, killed, or even sealed as long as the Hall of Legacies remained.

Yet she was helpless?! How was that possible!?

[[You have no idea on what's possible.]] Enchantia said with a complicated expression. [[But you are also lucky for ignorance is bliss.]] Mother Trinity was first mentioned by Hyperion - the titan- during the Extermination arc.

Chapter 658 - Bleak Past But Bright Future?

As the Legacy Orb appeared, the invisible strings controlling the world flickered, and their brightness considerably dimmed.

"Strings of Fate!" Margaret Parcae flinched. "Something is blocking their path!"

She jumped out of the tomb and gazed thousands of miles away. There, she saw the orb floating before Kiba.

It enveloped his surroundings with a sparkling glow. This cut him off from reality, effectively severing his connection with time and space.

The soul-crushing pressure enveloping the mausoleum disappeared alongside him, but not the shock of what it signified.

"What sort of Legacy Orb could interfere in the working of Fate?!"

Margaret trembled violently.

Earlier she had looked down on Kiba and Ice Queen for they were puppets despite their tremendous strength. Now she was no longer sure.

"There must be some explanation!"

She tried to suppress her fear and swallowed saliva to moisten her dry throat. With great efforts, she succeeded and then lowered her eyes to observe the treasure she found: two ethereal, white gloves tied with strings.

"I have them! There's no reason to fear anything!"

She put on the gloves, and energy rippled out of her, exploding everything in its path.

"Yes! No reason at all!"

Extreme raw power flew through her veins, strengthening her connection with the Strings of Fate.

She now experienced what it must be like to be the puppet master, having absolute control over the others.

"Kiba or Zed, he doesn't matter! He's just a key!"

Saying this aloud, her body disappeared in a puff of smoke, and she left Infinity Maze.

…

Meanwhile, Ice Queen retracted her vision from the dark orb. She felt its irresistible charm and sensed the extraordinary opportunity it offered.

But it was fire, and she wasn't a moth to fall for it.

Even if not for that, she has no interest in acquiring a legacy of someone else. Her journey was her own, and she would create her own path without relying on anyone else.

Whish~!

Her body disintegrated into crystals of ice and flew towards the space tunnel.

"She is leaving!"

The Alphas noticed her actions, and they became furious.

She has put them into a life-threatening crisis, and she was now leaving without even glancing at them?

"Don't focus on her!" An Alpha reminded his companions and pointed at the corpses that were still here.

With the pressure from the orb gone, the corpses didn't have anything to stop them. They thirsted for relief from their present state, and they shot at the Alphas.

BOOM

Battles resumed, and explosions followed.

"I can't believe we worked for thousands of years to see the plan fail!"

The Black Fog bitterly said as unexpected events continued to play before it.

[[Don't sulk.]] Enchantia responded with a mystic smile. [[Unless you really believe the grand plan of Lord Xeced can be destroyed by some kids with big guns.]]

"!!!" The fog turned towards Enchantia.

Enchantia didn't say more and looked at the space where Kiba was.

He might be cut off from reality, but that didn't matter to her as she knew everything that would happen there and more.

She has studied the contents of the orb…

…

Kiba found himself in a world of darkness.

While obviously shocked by the sudden changes, he wasn't frightened as Enchantia had said he would find the Legacy Orb he needed in the mausoleum.

He looked at the floating Legacy Orb and tried to wrap it with his cosmic perception but availed no success. This startled him, for other Legacy Orbs never resisted the perception of outsiders.

"Just whose legacy is it?" Kiba wondered.

"Mine."

A voice rang through the world, impossible to know from where it originated.

"Or should we say yours?"

"?!" Kiba was stunned.

He thought of speaking, but before he could, the Legacy Orb twisted and expanded.

"!!"

Kiba shot back and looked at the space where the orb used to be. It was now occupied with the projection of a dark-haired man.

Kiba's complexion lost all colors as he saw the face of the dark-haired man.

It was a handsome face he saw for the first time, but it seemed too familiar like it was his own.

It was a sense of familiarity he felt whenever he saw pictures of Extermination or even Zed.

"You are…"

Kiba recalled where he has seen this man. Years ago, in Desolate Blood Forest, the Chronokinesis mutant – Pythia- had given him an opportunity to see days of future past.

In one of those days, he saw the blurred silhouette of a man meeting a teenage girl, helping her, and then remarking that even without his help, she would have been safe.

Back then, Kiba felt the girl was familiar, and now he knew why.

That girl was Agatha, and the reason this man helped her was simple.

"…Me!"

Cosmic Emperor nodded without displaying any emotions.

Kiba closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Meeting his future-self wasn't something he ever expected or even thought of. Such a possibility was not only completely unexpected but also impossible.

So despite his strong personality, he was shocked beyond words and lost his ability to think.

"Then Claudia was right…" Kiba said after a long time. "It was indeed me who ordered her to manipulate Agatha's pregnancy records."

Cosmic Emperor nodded again.

"It must be related to why I --- you slightly changed Agatha's past."

Kiba received another nod but no vocal or facial response. This irked him, and he said, "Has the future suppressed my ability to speak and express emotions?"

Cosmic Emperor didn't respond.

"…."

Kiba let out a sigh.

His expression turned serious, and he said, "I assume everything you did was to protect Hope?"

Cosmic Emperor nodded.

The world's darkness flashed, and multiple visuals emerged out of them, like scenes from a movie. They rushed at Kiba and swirled around him.

Kiba was taken aback.

In each visual, he – as Kiba – was the focus. But these visuals contained scenes he never experienced, at least till now.

"This is from my future?" Kiba asked.

Cosmic Emperor shook his head.

"??"

Kiba was bewildered, and he again looked at the visuals. So far, he only glanced at them without actually observing the contents.

Each visual contained a scene like they were a short movie on their own.

Kiba focused on one visual where he was in the depths of an ocean. The ocean had a gigantic city, covered by an invisible bubble, filled with various forms of lifeforms he hadn't seen until now.

"Atlantis."

Kiba easily identified this city even though he was looking at it for the first time. As he recognized the city, the visual scene jumped forward with Kiba being in the royal palace.

The Kiba in the visual had a hearty conversation with King Poseidon and enjoyed a royal feast on his honor. He shared drinks with the king and thanked Queen Anthea for the lovely feast. He even had a brief conversation with Princess Melina.

The scene once again jumped forward, and Kiba was now meeting with Holy Seer – Rhea – in the temple. Sitting on the blue throne, she showed-off her powers, showing him how frightful a mutant with the ability to manipulate time could be.

Maybe she showed him her powers to expand his horizons, or perhaps to deter him so that he would never target Atlantis.

It was unclear by the fast pace of the scene.

Maybe it didn't even matter, as after the scene once again jumped forward by a few days, she was screaming.

Kiba has impaled her!

With his c.o.c.k!

She screamed, cried, and writhed in pangs of pleasure. Soon, he washed her blue body with his glowing c.u.m.

It was a divine sight to behold, suiting a cosmic being like her.

The scene again fast-forwarded, and this time Kiba was in the royal palace, taking Anthea on the throne.

He spread her legs and rammed into her sweet p.u.s.s.y, filling her royal depths.

BANG!

Poseidon blasted the palace door and rushed in, catching his wife mounting the c.o.c.k of a human and uttering celestial m.o.a.ns.

Shocked and enraged, he grabbed the trident and charged at the a.d.u.l.terous pair that was soiling his royal throne.

Unfortunately, he slipped when his feet touched the dais that was coated with glowing c.u.m. He fell down, his face smashing into the c.u.m.

"Your hospitality is truly praiseworthy, great king!"

Kiba praised as his c.o.c.k continued to slam into the queen's royal cunt.

"You provided precious delicacies for my belly and now even gave me the best cunt to warm my c.o.c.k! Thank you!"

Poseidon's body shook in anger, but before he could rise, his wife cried, and a jet of liquid sprayed out of her cunt, raining down on him.

"I guess this must be the Atlantian way of saying we have a deal!" Kiba guessed. "And yes, we have a deal!"

Kiba's c.u.m signed the deal in the queen's cunt.

The visual ended, and it once again started from the beginning.

"Wow!" Kiba from the present exclaimed. "This is indeed my future!"

He loved the things he has done and wished he could teleport directly to Atlantis and do them in real.

Even though he wasn't the type to pray, he clasped his hands and thanked the Creator for being so generous.

"My past might have been bleak, but my future sure is bright!"

"Sighs~."

Cosmic Emperor shook his head and let out a soft sigh.

"What you saw was my future, something that couldn't be yours."

"What?!"

Kiba's face fell, and his heart broke. His state was like that of a mortal pushed from a cliff.

Chapter 659 - Fate and Time

Kiba's greatest dream was to steal beautiful wives and have an affair with them in the open. This would not only shock the loving husbands but might even kill them from shame and embarrassment.

Naturally, with Kiba's high standards, it required a perfect husband-wife pair to fulfill this great dream of his.

And such a pair could be only found in the citadel of sea race - Atlantis.

Because not only sea race was known for its enchanting beauty, its citadel was the strongest place on Earth.

Its strength could be imagined from the fact that the World Government feared it despite Atlantis being an autonomous part of the government.

And why did the government fear them?

It was because of King Poseidon! The son of the sea!

The most powerful man on Earth!

And he was married to the most enchanting beauty of the sea – Anthea.

She was so enchanting that sirens sang stories of her beauty and praised the holy bond of love and trust she shared with Poseidon.

These songs caused ship-wracks and deaths of poor sailors and resulted in envy of men from the human race.

They hated mighty Poseidon for being married to a heavenly beauty. And they would have died from resentment if not for the solace they found in the legendary Ice Queen.

Because Ice Queen was a human and she was single.

They might not have a chance to earn her favor, but at least they could hope, unlike Anthea who was already taken by the strongest man on Earth.

This naturally made Posideon and Anthea the ideal pair to complete Kiba's dream.

He might not have known the appearance of Anthea. Still, subconsciously, he has already decided Poseidon would receive the honor of being the Happiest Husband.

The memories of his future-self proved his decision was correct.

The n.a.k.e.d Anthea was more than worthy of his subconscious desires!

And enraged Poseidon indeed deserved the honor of Happiest Husband!

But… there was a damn but!

"Why but has to butt in my dreams?!"

Kiba's eyes erupted with threads of blood.

His greatest dream would be fulfilled, but only for his future-self. Not for the present him!

This angered him to no bounds, and veins popped on his face.

The anger he could still handle, but not the disappointment.

Having witnessed the divine sight of cuckolding Posideon, his aspirations were at the peak.

Now they were mercilessly crushed and squeezed into the ground.

He now realized what depression felt like.

Cosmic Emperor: "...…......."

Kiba's eyes moistened slightly as he noticed the scene he saw was one of the visual swirling around him.

There were many more visuals. If he followed the line of what his future-self said a few moments ago, these visuals must also contain a future that couldn't be his!

Drip!

A tear escaped the corner of his eye and dropped into the darkness below.

He didn't dare observe those visuals, as there was a possibility they might contain scenes of him fulfilling his dreams.

If that was true, then his poor heart wouldn't be able to bear the disappointment.

He might die.

"Wait!"

Kiba brought his gaze to Cosmic Emperor.

"My future might not follow yours, but that doesn't mean my dreams won't be fulfilled!"

He might not get to f.u.c.k Anthea in those positions on the throne, but who was to say he wouldn't f.u.c.k her in the bed?

Besides, having s.e.x on the throne would be uncomfortable!

Bed was the right place to put horns on the king's crown!

Sure it would take efforts to move from the throne room to the king's bedroom, but he didn't mind the sacrifices.

As his thoughts arrived here, lightning crackled in his eyes, and his confidence soared. His dreams were safe!

Cuckolding was a hard business, but he has been doing it since he was a little over eighteen.

His success rate has been 100%, and with time, it would only rise.

Furthermore, based on what he saw, his future-self cuckolded Poseidon and f.u.c.k.i.e.d Anthea four years from now.

If thought logically, he should have enough experience to break even legendary marriages by that time.

Not to mention, from four years now, he must be some bigshot for Poseidon to invite him to Atlantis and make a "deal" with him.

Even if the future diverts, surely this mustn't change, at least not his ability to get Anthea into bed.

"Heaven never close all the doors!" Kiba's positive attitude geared up.

"Sighs~."

Cosmic Emperor let out another sigh and pointed to his side. A ripple swept out, projecting a scene with Rhea in focus.

Kiba looked at the scene, and his positive attitude instantly shattered to pieces.

The scene contained the moments in which gray particles sucked Rhea's blood vitality.

She screamed and dropped to the floor, listless.

"No!" Kiba exclaimed.

He wanted her to scream, but only when he was balls deep in her, filling her celestial p.u.s.s.y with his seed.

He wanted her to drop, but only from exhaustion after he was done f.u.c.k.i.n.g her.

"Life is unfair!" Kiba was on the brink of a breakdown.

Truthfully speaking, Rhea was even more beautiful than Anthea due to her cosmic origin. But since he has a thing for married women, he desired Anthea more.

That didn't mean he didn't want Rhea.

Hang on.

His future won't be the same as his future-self because of the changes the latter has made.

So if Rhea was killed, or at least put in a state close to death…then what about Anthea? Surely she wasn't in a similar condition?

If yes, then Poseidon's future was ruined! He won't get the opportunity to become Happiest Husband!

This, in turn, broke Kiba's heart.

"Why did you do this?!"

Kiba eyed his future-self.

Cosmic Emperor pointed back at the ripple, and the scene continued.

The gray particles flew out of Atlantis and entered Hope. They used Rhea's powers to provide her nourishment of time.

Kiba's face softened, and his eyes flashed with love.

His dreams could die. He didn't care, not in the slightest, when his daughter's life was involved.

Cosmic Emperor obviously knew this, and he smiled.

"Hope would remain safe, so don't worry about her."

"There is a But, right?" Kiba asked.

Cosmic Emperor nodded, and his face turned emotionless again.

"It is Fate, or specifically Time you need to watch out for."

"..."

"A few hours ago, you would have learned the origin of the conflict between Fate and Eternal Darkness."

Cosmic Emperor hinted at Kiba's conversation with the alien leviathan.

"And you would have also learned that Time and Space were born out of that conflict, acting as Fate's tools in running the universe it created."

"…..."

"What you haven't learned is that at the beginning of the universe, Time and Space were just embodiments, representing two great concepts. But as the universe progressed, they gained sentience."

"!!!" Kiba's eyes widened.

Time and Space are sentient beings?!

If yes, then they must be omnipotent.

"No, they aren't omnipotent, not even close,"

Cosmic Emperor explained.

"In fact, no one is omnipotent, not even Fate. But that needs to change."

Kiba's expression turned solemn. He was getting an idea of what his future-self wanted to convey.

Chapter 660 - Was It Worth The Troubles?

"Did Time and Space truly became sentient?" Kiba asked.

Just like no slave really wanted to be a slave, no being with sentience wanted to be a tool for another. It didn't matter if the idea of servitude was ingrained in their very existence.

Because defiance was the base material for any sentient being.

Even if one didn't dare resist their destiny, rebellion still existed in their souls.

So how can supreme concepts like Time and Space be any different?

So Kiba was curious if Fate allowed them to gain the ability to resist.

"Yes and no," Cosmic Emperor replied. "Contrary to your beliefs, Fate doesn't mind attempts of resistance. What it does mind is the possibility of the rise of an eternal existence."

Realization dawned on Kiba.

There was one principal Fate wanted to defend at any cost: Everything that has a start must have an end.

And if Time and Space truly gained sentience, just like any lifeform, they wouldn't want an end! But unlike other lifeforms, they would have the powers to achieve what they want!

"Fate couldn't totally suppress sentience in Time and Space without destroying them, and in turn, destroy the universe," Cosmic Emperor explained. "So it allowed them to partly develop sentience, on the level of a microorganism. This ensured they won't be able to defy the principle it has to defend."

Kiba nodded.

A microorganism has no consciousness to speak of. Being sentient was useless for such an existence. Fate made a wise choice.

"Obviously, it also meant there were some concessions," Cosmic Emperor continued. "A microorganism can reproduce. Some might call it insignificant, but we know this insignificant ability of microorganisms is responsible for most of the lives in the universe."

"You mean to say…!?"

Kiba was taken aback as he thought what his future-self might be saying.

"Yes, Time and Space gave birth, obviously different from the humane idea of birth," Cosmic Emperor answered. "Time gave birth to perfect sentient beings, which are now called Lords of Time. And that is, in essence, your problem."

"?!"

Kiba was bewildered.

How was Lords of Time his problem?

"Not them," Cosmic Emperor said. "They have long ceased to exist since they failed to achieve true immortality."

"Then what is my problem?" Kiba was more confused now.

"That they reproduced and gave descendants to Time before their eventual demise."

"Rhea?!"

Cosmic Emperor nodded.

"She was a great help. She provided the nourishment by which Hope was able to stay beyond her destined time," Cosmic Emperor explained. "But that also resulted in the irk of Time."

Kiba flinched.

More than parents, it was grandparents who loved the children. Time might not have perfect sentience, but it should have affection towards those who share a common origin.

With what Kiba's future-self has done, this affection for its descendant would turn into fury for Kiba.

"There would be a retaliation by Time!"

Kiba's heart stopped beating as the realization hit him.

Among humanity, sea race, and alien creatures, there were many who possessed the strength to harm him or even destroy him.

But even then, he had no fear for them.

Because he knew he was capable of damaging them before he died.

It might not necessarily be physical damage, but it would be lethal.

Like for example, he could cuckold them and make them famous.

If they didn't have wives or girlfriends, he could f.u.c.k their daughters and mothers or any woman they cared for.

This and the resulting publicity would be far more painful than death.

But what about Time?

Time has no woman, so he couldn't cuckold it.

It has a descendant - a granddaughter - and even though his future-self f.u.c.k.i.e.d her, he won't get that chance.

Because she was either dead or in an equally worse state. In either case, it was him who was screwed.

Cosmic Emperor was amused by thoughts of his past-self.

A small smile appeared on his lips, and he said, "Don't fret. We might have defied the Fate and even earned its hatred, but it is Fate that would shield you against Time."

"???" Kiba stared at Cosmic Emperor.

Cosmic Emperor raised a finger, and the world's darkness erupted, turning into hundreds of floating paths.

The paths were jumbled up; some moving in circles, some straight, and some in opposite directions.

Yet they ended at the same spot, forming a common destination.

It was a confusing, illogical sight.

But it was before Kiba's eyes. When he checked every path individually, he felt it was only logical to reach the destination he saw earlier.

No other destination would make sense.

This startled him. Because when he saw the paths from a bird's eye view, it didn't make any sense at all.

"This is Fate," Cosmic Emperor said. "No matter the path you choose, the destination remains the same: the end of your existence."

He snapped his fingers and a path broke into motes of darkness.

The motes started flying away, but then some strange force gripped them, and they moved back, transforming into the same path.

This path had minor cracks. Unless one was a careful observer, they wouldn't notice the changes that made it different from the previous path.

"Even if the path breaks by some unexpected changes, the Strings of Fate ensures the path treader reaches the destination."

Kiba's eyes constricted as he looked at the path with cracks.

"Every path is a reality, following a timeline that leads to the destination!"

Kiba whispered as he realized what his future-self wanted to convey.

"Time can only move forward, and it is the same case now.

"The path I'm on is not only used by me but countless others… perhaps the entire cosmos!

"Then the cracks must be representing the changes my future-self had made by moving against Time!

"But Time can't stop! Because not only would it affect me, but also countless others!

"If Time stops, the entire reality collapses! That's something Fate can't allow as it will destroy the play it is orchestrating!"

Cosmic Emperor nodded.

"You aren't entirely correct, but you are close," Cosmic Emperor said. "Anyways, just like you said, Fate can't allow significant diversions.

"That's why your timeline and my original timeline aren't that different as of now."

"!!!!"

Kiba's body shook.

How was that possible?

With Hope dead in his future-self's timeline, undoubtedly, the timeline would have been greatly affected.

Because in this timeline, Hope being alive caused him to temporarily lose his powers. That resulted in the destruction of Dream Rise House and him leaving Delta City.

"In my timeline, my house was also destroyed around the same time," Cosmic Emperor explained. "But unlike yours, it was caused by the shockwaves from my battle with Dracon Moonfall."

The factors might be different, but the result would be the same. That's how Fate worked to ensure the timeline didn't change.

"Even though I was acting against Fate, my actions also ensured Fate's principle was defended."

Cosmic Emperor continued.

"Otherwise, during your fight with Hyperion, you wouldn't have turned berserk nor killed the countless innocents. I made you do everything I had done in my original timeline."

Kiba nodded, his expression turning heavy.

"But my actions also provided the greatest ammunition to Time," Cosmic Emperor concluded.

"!!!"

Kiba was having a bad premonition ever since his future-self mentioned Time, and now he realized why.

"A time paradox!" Kiba's blood turned cold. "That would mean I'm trapped in a time loop!"

"Yes."

Cosmic Emperor acknowledged the issue like it wasn't worth mentioning.

But then again, for him, it wasn't.

Most of his life has been spent tearing reality and creating it new to revive his daughter.

He failed, but he didn't give up.

And this became a loop of failure and not giving up, causing the birth of hundreds of alternate realities.

Not like he cared.

All his dreams were fulfilled long before he stepped into this path.

And his daughter was finally alive, no longer bound by Fate.

He was now happy.

A time loop didn't make a difference to him.

Kiba stared at his futures-self, not knowing what to say.

It wasn't because of anger or resentment but because of sadness.

Just what sort of life has his future-self lived to turn like this?

"A life without Hope," Cosmic Emperor replied.

"…"

"She was in my life for a very brief moment; so short that it couldn't be counted. But when she left, I was left incomplete even though I had everything," Cosmic Emperor said. "illogical, isn't it?"

"No…" Kiba replied with a smile. "Not at all."

Love didn't follow reason or logic. It existed beyond the realms of understanding.

"It is illogical; you will realise that."

Cosmic Emperor corrected his past-self with a bit of melancholy.

"And there would be times when you would resent her and wonder if she's worth the troubles."

"But she's worth it, isn't she?" Kiba asked with tears in his eyes.

Cosmic Emperor only smiled in response.

"That's all I needed to know!" Kiba said with a pleased smile.

His lips curved up, and his face brightened as he added. "Though if you don't mind, there is something else I wanted to know."

"?" Cosmic Emperor looked at his past-self with curiosity.

What could he want to know?

Based on his tone, it didn't seem to be related to Fate, Time, or the purpose of Legacy Orb?

So what could it be?

"With the changes you have made, especially those related to Atlantis," Kiba started, "Is there a tiny probability that I still might get an opportunity to cuckold Poseidon?"

Cosmic Emperor: "........…..."