Chapter 215 - Rock-scaled Lizards
(A/N: The ss cost of Chapter 214 and 215 was swapped due to my mistake. Not like it makes any difference since you basically paid the same. Just in a different order :) )
Atlantis.
The members of the sea race went on their daily activities. Some of the high-ranking officials passed through the palaces and stopped as they looked at a temple made of crystals.
The temple was beautiful and mesmerizing to the soul. It was the temple of the god of Atlantis!
"Holy Seer, please take care," The officials bowed and left the area.
Inside.
Rhea was sitting on the blue crystal throne. She was asleep, her head resting on her right hand.
After passing the responsibilities to Poseidon, she has made a tonic for herself to recover from the damage she has taken previously.
Suddenly, her body trembled and she opened her eyes.
"What's going on?!" Rhea felt the gray matter inside her seething with excitement.
She was afraid the gray matter would stop being dormant and suck on her bloodline just like the previous time. (Chapter 108)
She waited and waited, but nothing happened.
"This time it is excitement and not hatred," Rhea thought, her eyes filled with worry. "Last time the gray matter was offended by something but now it seems pleased. Just why?!"
This pleasant sensation from the gray matter frightened her more than the anger last time. She was sure whatever the gray matter has in plan for her was definitely not pleasant...
----
Dream Rise House, Delta City.
Outside Section IV.
The violet waves viciously collided with the force field on the corridor.
Under continuous onslaught, the force field started showing sign of cracks just like a mirror. Through the faint cracks, the violet energy struck the metallic walls.
[[A minute more and the damage will be irrevocable.]]
The sensors in the underground facilities were incapable of sensing things inside Section IV. So Claudia didn't know what was going on.
The corridor continued to shake as energy waves fiercely clashed against the walls.
Just as Claudia felt the energy waves overpowering the lab, she detected movements of Cosmic Emperor at the entrance of Section IV.
He walked out with Agatha in his arms.
"You can close it," Cosmic Emperor said.
For the first time, Claudia willingly and readily agreed on his proposal. The sliding doors struck out from the walls and joined together to seal off the entrance.
Sss
The red force field appeared around Section IV while the force field from other locations faded into oblivion.
Zzz
The electricity once again returned to the villa and the other sections. The appliances and gadgets once again started functioning while the droids began their works like normal.
[[What have you done to her?]]
Claudia asked now that her one concern was dealt with. She activated the sensors on the wall to check Agatha but found no difference at all.
"Something you shouldn't know," Cosmic Emperor answered her question for the first answer. "Neither should your master."
Claudia disagreed. The first thing she would do is have a detailed scan of Agatha and do her best to establish contact with Kiba no matter how.
"This time you should erase everything you have recorded," Cosmic Emperor said as Agatha disappeared from his arms and teleported to a bedroom. Two droids from the living room similar teleported to the room.
[[What do you mean?]] Claudia was startled by his choice words.
Before she could contemplate further, she felt her core being affected again. The memory inside her was being replaced with new pieces, pieces which felt real and not false.
It was like her memory was continuing from the time she commanded the droids to take Agatha to the bedroom.
For as less as a second, she lost contact with her core. When she regained clarity, her focus was on one of the bedrooms.
Agatha was resting on the bed.
[[Cover her with a blanket.]] Claudia commanded the droids
The droids did as asked and left the room.
[[Good night, Lady Agatha.]]
Claudia switched off the lights.
------
Desolate Blood Forest.
Outside a cave.
Kiba, Ashlyn, Ruby, Amir, Mina, Gill, Alexia, Nellie, and Monroe were hiding behind foliage, trying their best to not let their presence known.
They observed the activities in the cave to decide their next course of action. The cave was the habitat of Rock-scaled lizards.
From their initial scouting, they detected ten lizards. The worrisome part was that they felt there were more but they couldn't notice them.
The rock-scaled lizards have the ability to camouflage themselves to blend in with the cave. Not only camouflage, but they were also blessed with powerful defense thanks to their scales.
Ordinary scanners and drones couldn't capture their energy signals or movement during camouflage.
Of course, for Kiba, none of this was truly a problem. Without even trying, his senses automatically detected the existence of thirty-six lizards in total.
"Knowing everything in advanced is so boring," Kiba sighed internally.
He didn't like how his senses told him of everything even though he didn't want to know.
"We will try to bring them out," Amir said after some time. "We don't want to destroy the herbs inside."
"Understood," Gill nodded and brought out a metallic ball from his coat. He threw the ball some distance away from the entrance.
BOOM
The ball exploded out into a surge of destructive force. The stones and trees nearby were engulfed in the explosion while the cave shook heavily as if an earthquake has arrived.
Inside the cave.
Small stones and debris fell from the wall while the ground below trembled. The young lizards were startled by the onslaught of strong vibrations as they rushed to the adult, full-grown lizards.
The full-grown lizards have tails thicker than a trunk of a tree. Their scales were as sharp as blades while their teeth were like a saw with a hard toothed edge.
Just from appearance alone, one could see the teeth and scales could cut through anything.
Ten of the adult lizards went out to investigate the cause of the sudden disturbance after camouflaging with the surrounding. Their bodies were heavy but their movements were not at all slow.
"Ten of them are here," Alexia has her eyes closed as her senses covered the surrounding. She felt the disturbance in the wind and the vibrations on the ground to discover the lizards.
Chapter 216 - Nice Fellow
The lizards rushed out of the cave, their bodies almost invisible to others thanks to camouflage. Their movements were quick, but silent as they tried to investigate what or who was responsible for the explosion.
Behind the grass foliage, Alexia informed others her findings.
"Ten lizards," Amir thought for a second before saying. "They should be adults."
"Yeap," Alexia nodded. She felt the movements were unlike small lizards so them being adult made sense.
"Kiba, Ruby," Amir turned towards them. "You will be going inside to collect the herbs. Alexia, Mina, and Monroe would accompany you."
"Sure," Kiba agreed on the proposal.
Collecting herbs were fine rather than collecting the organs of lizards. The latter required more hard work as it meant dissecting a corpse and taking out important organs and storing them in a container.
"Ashyln, you will be helping Nellie, Gill, and me to stop the coming lizards," Amir looked at Ashlyn and said.
Ashlyn didn't say anything but just nodded her head in agreement.
"We will handle them," Amir said as they leaped out from the foliage. "Use the chance to acquire as many herbs as you can."
Kiba and others similarly rushed out.
The lizards were camouflaged and not invisible. But as long as one can discover them once and know their pattern, it wasn't impossible to adapt to their tricks.
Amir transformed into a rubber hammer and struck on the ground as per Alexia's instructions.
BANG
The ground shattered but a rock-like figure pounced through the air, slowly its body becoming clear. A rock-scaled lizard came out in the picture, its tail waving towards Amir.
"Let's stop you all from camouflaging!" Gill shouted.
He took out a gun and the barrel flashed, releasing out a column of liquid color that spread on the ground in no time. He was a weapon expert, carrying guns of various types, serving both destructive and miscellaneous needs.
The lizards groaned in anger, their bodies stained with color. Their chances of using camouflage successfully reducing.
"Ashlyn!" Amir called out as he fought against a lizard when another attacked him from behind.
Ashlyn raised her arms. The blue discs clad on her wrist flew out and floated in front of her.
She took the discs in her hands and then threw them out one after another. The discs started rotating in a chopping manner, its sharp edges glinting, as they rushed ahead.
A lizard viciously whipped out its tail at Amir. Just as the tail was about to strike, a disc passed through it, slicing it apart.
Blood gushed out from the tail and the lizard roared furiously. Before it could target Ashyln, another disc pierced through its neck.
Its powerful and deadly scales offered no resistance to the disc as its head fell off.
THUD
The lizard's body fell on the ground with a loud thud sound. The other lizards were stunned by the development.
Three lizards opened their mouths and moved towards Ashyln now that the deadly discs were no longer in her hands.
Ashyln's expression remained the same as ever.
As a lizard pounced on her with its mouth wide open, a loud screeching sound came from behind.
Shocked, the lizard turned around and in its eyes there was disbelief. The two discs which have gone ahead made a circle around.
They returned back with more speed than before and cut through the lizard even before it could blink.
The others were equally startled as they saw the discs making strange trajectories without any action from Ashyln. She was just standing there while the discs curved through the air to kill lizards around her like they were staw bags instead of terrifying reptiles.
"Ashyln, don't destroy them fully," Amir reasoned. "We could sell their scales and internal organs during the auction."
Ashlyn just shrugged her shoulders as she continued to face more lizards.
"Impressive for sure," Kiba thought as he entered the cave now that lizards were distracted.
Alexia was behind Kiba while he was running along with Ruby, Mina, and Monroe.
"Watch out!" Alexia warned.
Kiba darted to the side, and the next second, a giant hole was smashed in the place he was just a moment ago.
Maybe others didn't see but his eyes could make out a tail retracing back.
He just didn't want to expose his powers so he blindly rushed ahead, waiting for Alexia to sense the lizard's presence. And she didn't disappoint him even if it was at last second.
"There should be a lizard ahead," Mina muttered. She positioned her hands and shoot out two columns of sandy liquid.
Growl.
A lizard growled as its body was stuck in the sandy liquid and it solidified.
"So far so good," Monroe said as they continued ahead.
"Let's see if you can say it again," Kiba thought as his lips slightly curved up.
RIPPP
The next moment, the sound of flesh being ripped apart sounded in the cave.
"AHHH!" Monroe cried out. He looked at his right leg with absolute horror on his face.
A lizard was clamping down its jaw on his leg, flesh and blood sputtered out. He didn't even realize how the lizard came next to him, undetected by everyone till the final moment.
Alexia was petrified. She didn't detect any movement in the air or ground to feel its presence.
"Shit!" Monroe cursed as his mouth spat out black mist. The mist mingled with the air and moved towards the lizard's head.
But the lizard wasn't least bit worried. It swept its tail towards the coming mist.
Sss
The mist corroded the tail like a powerful acid.
Before Monroe could be pleased, he saw the corroded flesh being closed up with new flesh. The tail was recovered in almost no time.
Even ordinary lizards have regenerative abilities much less mutated ones. When Ashlyn killed the lizard's tail outside, the reason it wasn't able to regenerate was that its head was severed the next moment, thus killing it.
As long as head and heart weren't damaged or connection to them wasn't severed, the lizard could simply recover from its wounds and fight without any worries.
"Help me!" Monroe fell on the ground, his hands on his injured leg. The lizard chewed the flesh and devoured it in one go.
As the lizard stepped forward, its eyes flickered with anger. It raised its head and opened its mouth wide to eat a sneaky assaulter.
"I'm not really tasty," Kiba was somersaulting through the air with his fist aimed at the neck of lizard. "So please shut your mouth."
The lizard roared as the fist came close to its neck. It felt a strong force from the attack and didn't wish to take it directly on its neck.
The neck was covered with scales, but it sensed an invisible gauntlet-like covering on the hand of the attacker. The lizard reasoned that the human has suppressed the surrounding air to form a defense around his hand.
Its tail whipped out, to prevent the attack. Kiba just twisted his body in mid-air to dodge the tail while landing his fist on the neck.
Snap.
The sound of bone being snapped into two came out of the neck. The lizard's eyes were filled with unwillingness and fury as it closed its eyes for the final time.
"Take this," Mina took out a regenerative pill from her pocket and stuffed it in Monroe's mouth.
Monroe gulped down the pill while wiping the sweat from his face. He felt his luck was terrible. In just a single day, he was attacked twice. First by the giant beast and now by this lizard.
They didn't stand for long and continued their journey with more caution.
"Let's see if there are herbs which I need," Kiba thought. "If not, I will need to discover them on my own."
"Thanks," Monroe said to Kiba after some time. If not for him, he felt he was gone.
He felt gratitude towards Kiba while hatred for his other companions who were rooted on spot during the attack.
"Please don't mention it," Kiba said with a kind smile. "We exist to help each other during the journey."
"You are a nice fellow," Monroe added.
"You are overpraising me," Kiba scratched the back of his head.
Of course, he didn't mention how he knew the lizard was coming for Monroe from start, and yet didn't take any action till it was too late... he was truly a nice fellow.
Chapter 217 - Closeness
Inside the cave.
Kiba and others took each step with care. Monroe was especially on guard after the recent attack by Rock-scaled Lizard.
He has brought a flare to help them see better inside the cave, though not everyone agreed it was a good decision.
As they walked ahead, from a wall on left said, a lizard's mouth suddenly popped out. The lizard was camouflaged so it was almost impossible to mark out its presence unless one looks very carefully.
"Watch out!" Alexia shouted to warn Ruby and others, albeit a bit late. She believed the cave was made from special materials which reduced her senses.
"What?!" Ruby was on the extreme left and she was completely caught off-guard. The lizard was already above her shoulder and she has no time to back off.
As the mouth clamped its sharp jaws around her shoulder, the eyes of the lizard suddenly turned stiff before it could chew the flesh.
It opened its mouth and backed off, releasing helpless sounds.
"Huh?" Ruby looked ahead and noticed the lizard's neck being grasped by Kiba. She understood the lizard didn't back off its own, it was forced to.
The lizard tried to struggle with its tail whipping towards him, but Kiba just moved his other hand to block the tail.
"Not good manners to force yourself on a lady," Kiba said as he applied pressure on its windpipe. "Especially in front of the lady's lover."
With a final grunt of helplessness and anger, the lizard's eyes turned listless. Kiba threw its corpse on the floor like it was some chicken.
Alexia, Mina, and Monroe were stunned by the ease which he defeated the lizard. They have witnessed his powers before but didn't realize he could do it so easily.
The one who was most astonished was Monroe. He wanted to cry since Kiba could save Ruby before lizard could bite her, so why didn't he showed the same activeness when he was attacked?
Kiba ignored their reactions and brought his eyes on Ruby.
She was looking at him, her cheeks slightly flushed given the words he used when he killed the lizard. She obviously knew he was teasing her while fooling others, but as a young girl, he still got the best out of her.
"Are you fine?" Kiba asked with a faint smile.
"Yes," Ruby answered.
She knew the times he has this specific smile, and it made her tremble with excitement and nervousness. Her senses were tingling as if a bolt of lightning was coursing throughout her body.
"That's good to know," Kiba placed an arm around her shoulders.
Alexia and others glanced at them as they resumed the journey.
"Such a devoted boyfriend," Mina thought with slight envy in her heart. "He is definitely more passionate than Amir."
"Protecting his girlfriend and thinking of her safety all the time...definitely a good boyfriend material," Alexia mused as she observed the closeness between the couple. "He is walking alongside her to defend her against any unforeseen danger.
If Ruby came to know her thoughts, she would disagree and say he was anything but a boyfriend material!
Only she knew why he was walking alongside her with such closeness.
While everyone noticed his arm over her shoulders, what they didn't notice was how the end of his hand was wandering over her left breast. He would grope her breast and then rub her nipple in a teasing manner.
Ruby was sure this 'closeness' was definitely not related to her safety.
"Ah!" Ruby let out a moan as he pinched her nipple between his fingers.
"What's wrong?" Kiba asked with a straight face, his fingers pinching her nipple more tightly.
"Nothing..." Ruby stammered in between.
Her mind was a complete mess with the teasing he was doing in front of everyone while they remained oblivious to his real motives. The light from flare was not enough for everyone to observe his actions in the dark, and not to mention, he was in front so it further helped him.
"Is everything all right?" Alexia who was behind also enquired. She felt something amiss from her voice.
"Ah...yes," Ruby answered, her voice shaking and filled with embarrassment.
Kiba didn't stop in the slightest as she spoke, giving her no time to relax.
"But your voice doesn't sound right," Alexia said. "Maybe you were affected by some poison or something when the lizard tried to attack you."
"You are right," Kiba said as he stepped in front of Ruby, his hand on her forehead. "I will check."
"N-no need," Ruby didn't trust his words in the slightest.
"Your body temperature is high," Kiba said in a heavy voice. "Are you sure everything is fine?"
"Yes," Ruby felt helpless. He was making her feel hot with all the teasing, and yet, he was being so shameless in front of everyone.
"The lizard tried to clamp on her shoulder so maybe..." Alexia reasoned from behind.
"Ah! You are right," Kiba's hands moved on Ruby's shoulder to check her well being.
Ruby gulped down as she observed the expression on his face. She felt his face was like that of a wolf at the sight of a helpless sheep...
Chapter 218 - Compassionate
The light from the flare was low so others could not see Kiba's face as he proceeded to check Ruby's shoulders.
Even if they could, they would find his expression as harmless and saintly. Ruby though knew it better than to think he was anything but sagely.
With everything she has witnessed so far, including the deaths of her comrades and the way he killed those trying to capture them, she knew his honest expression meant he was having dishonest thoughts.
For better or worse, Ruby was right in her assessment. His one hand checked over her shoulder while his other hand wandered over her breasts.
His fingers brushed over nipple through her green sweater, sending an electric current in her body.
"Have you found anything?" Alexia enquired.
"I think so," Kiba answered as he took Ruby's nipple between his thumb and index finger.
"What is it?" Alexia hurriedly asked.
"I have to check further to know for sure," Kiba said as his face closed in with Ruby's breasts.
From behind, he looked like he was closing in the front of her shoulder, but Ruby felt his lips touching her breast through the green sweater. His hand moved to tuck the sweater gently, exposing a bit of her cleavage.
Like a hungry man at the sight of a feast, Kiba's lips closed on her cleavage, kissing it slowly. He took her skin between his lips, sucking on it, tantalizing Ruby's senses.
"Oh god," Ruby muttered, her head leaned back as she tried hard to not moan loudly.
She didn't want to admit, but doing this in open and in front of everyone, while they remained oblivious to their true actions, was a turn on for her. The prospect of being caught in this dangerous habitant of beasts made her further excited.
"So what is it?" Alexia asked, her eyes filled with slight worry.
She has heard the faint sounds muttered by Ruby and this made her feel something amiss. She wondered just what sort of danger she was affected by for her voice to be this weak.
"Well, everything is fine for now," Kiba said as his lips parted from Ruby's cleavage. "We will have a detailed examination later on."
He adjusted her sweater properly and then stepped beside her. Ruby wanted to curse for stopping at such a crucial moment.
"Ok," Alexia said, confused by his answer.
She felt now was not the time to waste given how more lizards were present here and other members of her team, including Ashyln, were facing mature lizards outside.
Once again they resumed their journey. They meet a few more lizards, but this time they have learned from past experience and defeated the lizards before severe damage could be landed on them.
After five minutes, they arrived at the end of the cave. The ending portion was rather exposed to the outside.
Sunlight fell on the floor which was not made of rocks but soil. On the soil, herbs emitting medical fragrance were visible. The herbs were hundreds in numbers of various types.
"Wow, so many herbs," Mina was stunned.
She didn't think a cave habitat by lizards would have such quantity of herbs. It has to be known that growing herbs not only require a suitable soil and environment, but they also need proper care such as changing the soil and providing fertilizers.
For lizards, to be experts in such stuff was definitely not expected.
"They must have a high-level lizard for guidance," Ruby said after some contemplation. "But it shouldn't be here otherwise we would have been defeated by now."
Just like humans, beasts also have a sense of kinship. They would leave appropriate safeguards and treasures for the well being of their kin.
Monroe was about to speak when he noticed a rock-white herb with brown spots on its leaves. This herb was small in size but it was releasing a powerful vitality.
"A level IV Rock Essence Herb," Monroe said in disbelief.
He now realized why the camouflage ability of the beasts here was so strong. This herb has the ability to enhance physical abilities of any organism especially if it was a defense.
In lizard's case, it was both camouflage and strong physical body. If a human consumed it as a genetic pill, his physical endurance would increase countless times. It was one of the rare items, at least in this part of the forest.
The meteorite, which formed the core region, was obviously a strong exception.
"We are rich," Monroe shouted in joy. The eyes of others lit up as well.
Kiba, on the other hand, has a look of pity on his face as he observed the herb. His senses have enveloped the cave and he realized the importance of this herb.
The herb's roots were extended throughout the cave. It relied on the cave to grow since the rock inside was its source of vitality.
Different herbs need different types of environment to grow, and this cave was the environment needed for this herb to evolve.
The problem now was how the roots have taken root in the cave. If the herb was plucked out, the roots would decompose and the cave would collapse.
He hypothesized it was intentionally done by the high-level beast who planted the herb so that its younger generation doesn't become greedy and pluck the herb in haste. Instead, it most likely wanted the herb to survive for generations.
Every year, the lizards could use some of its leaves while ensuring it was treated properly. The high-level beast would have believed none of its posterity would dare risk the life of every lizard in this cave for this herb.
While greed was a flaw in every species, there was also a sense of honor and shame.
"Kiba," Mina called out. "You should guard us here while we collect the herbs."
"Sure," Kiba nodded.
He looked on as they proceeded ahead to collect the herbs in special equipment they have brought.
"Haah," Kiba released a low sigh. "This is the way of world. The greed of a few risks the lives of many."
He closed his eyes and felt the presence of young lizards hiding in a corner far away. Their eyes were filled with sadness as they observed the actions of humans. They were small and helpless so all they could do was put their trust on the adult lizards.
Most of the adult lizards have rushed out of the cave after not hearing from the lizards who went out earlier.
The few who remained alive were defeated by Mina and others. There were two adult lizards left, growling in anger and confusion on what to do. They had no confidence in taking on Kiba and others but they knew they have to do something otherwise every one of them would die.
Even if they survived, how would they fare in this dangerous forest without a home of their own? It was hard to survive without the comfort of herbs and habitat.
"What the hell is going on with me?" Kiba felt himself getting affected by their negative mood.
He has hardly felt such pity before, and if he did, it was usually for slum dwellers since it reminded him of his youth as Zed. Now, he felt the same pity for the lizards despite killing a few of them earlier.
"I must be turning insane if I'm thinking what I'm thinking," Kiba brought the back of his hand on his forehead to check his condition. "I have killed innocent humans under the influence of my power but now I want to help other inferior species?"
He felt his body fine so he observed the bracelet and ring on his hand. They were there to ensure that he doesn't give in to what his powers and start a killing spree.
"No reaction from them so why?" Kiba felt a severe headache.
He could understand if he felt an urge to exterminate everyone but defending lizards? This was definitely the last thing he expected from himself.
"Fiona did say I have a soft spot for mothers but there are no mothers here!" Kiba wanted to cry but no tears would come out. "There is no mother tigress or a female human!"
The urge in him to do take action was turning stronger. The only thing he was sure there was no one using psychic force on him to make him feel this urge.
"Damn," Kiba gritted his teeth. "I understand why...Hope!"
During his confrontation with Akshobhya, the reason why he went all out was due to the monk stating his plans of dissecting his unborn child to study the nature of his powers.
He obviously felt guilty for risking her life, and later on, he swore to kill everyone who was responsible for that incident. (Chapter 112).
As for how this was connected to his present urge, it was simple.
Children!
"I must have been influenced by Agatha's concept of karma and kindness," Kiba thought with a bitter smile.
She has earlier spared the lives of Daniel and Sarah due to her belief that if in the future Kiba was in danger, someone would similarly spare him. (Chapter 76). This was rather a common belief of kindness in the society, even though most never realize it.
Similarly, the main reason why people do charity and help others was karma. An unconscious belief that selfless actions of today would be rewarded in the future or in next life.
He believed he understood why he felt pity and a desire to help the young lizards. This was a mix of his guilt for Hope and the influence of Agatha.
This urge wanted him to believe if he protected the young lizards now, then the karma would benefit his daughter in the future.
But there was another important reason he wasn't aware of. In fact, it was the only reason and he simply misunderstood the factors behind his urge!
The reason was was his own powers!
Inside his brain.
In a corner, the gray particle was confined by the golden lightning. The gray particle resembled a body cell while the golden lightning has transformed into a cage-like structure.
Seeing no scope of freeing itself, the gray particle decided to do the complete opposite of what golden lightning would expect it to.
Instead of urging Kiba to exterminate the annoying species, the gray particle wanted him to save the insignificant living beings.
The golden lightning has sealed its ability to incite Kiba in order to carry out violence, but now, it was igniting the compassion inside him.
A completely opposite emotion.
Obviously, for a person to feel compassion, pity or any other emotion, it depends on the personality and heart of a person.
Emotions could not be artificially planted out of anywhere.
After all, it is the events in one's life which decide the personality and heart of a person, and in turn, this results in various emotions of different levels.
So it wouldn't be wrong to say the events, in the form of memories, were the ultimate factors responsible for emotions of varying depths.
It has to be remembered that it was Kiba's memories of despair and hatred that freed the gray particle from Cosmic Spark.
When Akshobhya brought his memories of the days he hated the world and the times he almost died of starvation and cold, the gray particle got the opportunity to mix with his bloodstream and take residence in his brain.
Now, the gray particle used Kiba's memories concerning Hope and Agatha to make him feel compassion for the young lizards. After all, there were very few people in this world which could make him sympathetic to the plight of others much less beasts.
The golden lightning was caught off guard by the actions of the gray particle. From times unknown, the golden lighting and gray particle were in conflict. They didn't have free will of their own or thinking process, but they hated each other and knew each other's nature.
The golden lightning was sure of one thing...the gray particle didn't have anything good in the plan if it was making Kiba feel sympathy at such an odd time.
The golden lightning was also aware that this would have serious consequences if Kiba accepted the urge as his own and take action.
Sadly, it got no chance to stop the gray particle as, by the time it got ready, the chemical activities in the brain were already to the gray particle's liking.
The bracelet and ring created by Claudia were factored to stop him when his anger and violence crossed the limit of his normal self.
Claudia would obviously not stop him from being caring and sensitive to the plight of others. Not to mention, Claudia would never think it is possible for his powers to make him care about others when they always make him feel everyone is an ant which needs to be stepped on.
Both Claudia and the golden lightning only factored extreme negative emotions. Never the danger of extreme positive emotions.
In the real world, Kiba's senses observed Monroe and others as they removed the soil around Rock Essence Herb. They have already collected the other important herbs and now their full focus was on this special herb.
It was just a matter of a minute or so before they uproot the herb. The young lizards in the corner were feeling their hearts churn by despair as they waited for their habitat to be destroyed.
"I obviously care about my daughter and want her to be safe, but surely I can't be accepting Agatha's beliefs as my own so suddenly... This feeling of compassion is definitely forced!"
Kiba clutched his head with both his hands. He then took a deep breath to calm himself.
"Oh man, this is just crazy. I need to inject those relaxation serums to stop this useless urge otherwise I would royally screw up."
Just then, he opened his eyes and they were filled strange radiance. In his pupils, a gray glint was visible...
Chapter 219 - Unseal
At the end of the cave.
The young lizards along with the two adult lizards hid in a corner, camouflaged. Their presence was fully concealed as they witnessed the scene in the most important location of the cave, the herb garden.
In the garden, Mina opened a silver box. The box was capable of ensuring a herb inside it doesn't decay or lose its vitality in the slightest.
She placed the box beside Rock Essence Herb. Monroe was carefully removing the soil around the herb so that he could pluck the herb without any damage.
Ruby and Alexia stood behind Monroe, waiting for him to collect this treasured herb. Alexia was excited but Ruby just wanted to get over this as soon as possible.
She knew the herb was precious but when she thought of the herbs Kiba wanted to collect, she felt Rock Essence Herb was just some road-side cabbage.
"When would he start to find those herbs?" Ruby wondered in her heart.
"The roots are strange," Monroe said all of a sudden, awakening Ruby from her thoughts. "They are extended inside the walls of the cave."
"Oh?" Alexia was startled as she heard more details.
"It doesn't matter," Mina said in a cold tone. "Just pluck it out and let's leave this place as soon as possible."
Mina or others wouldn't obviously care about the damage. They were sure by the time the cave collapses, they would be outside.
As for the loss of lizards, they didn't think a bit about it. After all, the forest followed the law of the jungle.
The strong prey on the weak.
As humans, why should they care about the lives of some insignificant lizards?
"I'm taking it out then," Monroe said as he brought a knife to cut the roots.
RUMBLEEEE
Just then, the cave started shaking. A horrifying force enveloped everything and everyone within.
"Wh-what?!" Monroe and others were rooted on spot, unable to make a single movement. They couldn't believe the sudden attack of such a powerful force without any warning.
Some distance away from them, Kiba opened his eyes. In his half-blue and half-gold eyes, a hint of gray appeared.
"For future..." Kiba muttered, his voice confused and distant.
The gray particle in his brain seethed with excitement. The golden lightning has confined it once again for good, but the gray particle's exhilaration showed no signs of stopping.
If anything, the gray particle was anticipating the consequences of its action.
For the last few weeks, it has stayed dormant due to the golden lightning and the safety measures taken by Claudia, but now it has finally succeeded by using Kiba's memories at a time when he least expected it.
Unlike past times, this time it didn't make Kiba desire to kill annoying humans and other inferior species.
No, this time it only made him feel compassion and sympathetic to lower species!
An extreme positive emotion.
From the perspective of others, people with positive emotions & feelings are a boon to the world. They can change the society for better and fight for the upliftment of weaker sections.
Alas, what most don't understand is how positive emotions are just as dangerous as negative ones.
Everything in this world is balanced. Fair trade is applicable to everything including emotions.
Rich resources for one section means poor resources for another. Security for one is often at the cost of danger for another...
Mina and others were trembling, their bodies sweating. The pressure made them feel like a mountain was placed on their shoulders.
Kiba lifted his right air in the air and curled his index finger.
"AHHH!" Monroe who was near the herb released a heart-wrenching scream.
The others beside him were terrified at his condition. His entire body was caving inside, like the mass of a book suppressed into a paper.
In just a moment, his body was as thin as a piece of frail glass.
"What's going on?" Ruby was shaking.
Just looking at Monroe's body made her feel sick. He no longer resembled a human at all.
Thud.
The next moment, Monroe fell on the ground in an 'X' shape, his body no longer able to adapt to the changes.
Under the disbelief gazes of everyone, he shattered into fragments just like glass. '
But unlike glass, the pieces were made of blood and gore.
"No!" Alexia cried out, still rooted in her position. She dreaded what was about to come to her.
"Is this some safety measure left by the ancestor beast who planted this herb?" Mina thought, her heart filled with regret.
In the corner, the lizards were bewildered by the developments. Mina and others could not see or sense what was truly going on due to their location and the pressure, but the lizards could.
They observed how a terrifying surge of energy came out of the golden-haired man and enveloped the cave. They knew who killed the human without making the least bit of efforts.
Such frightening power shocked them out of their wits.
It was especially true for adult lizards. They felt Kiba was like a sun in the midst of fireflies.
There was no comparison between others and Kiba.
"Why is he killing his team members?" One of the adult lizards asked.
"No idea," The other lizard answered.
If it was another human, the lizard would have thought it was a conspiracy to steal resources, but the lizard didn't dare make such a guess with Kiba.
For such a strong man who can exterminate others with just a movement of his finger, why would he go to such extent? This wouldn't make a sense.
Kiba turned his head and his vision passed right through the cave wall.
Outside, Amir and others were facing around ten adult lizards.
Gill aimed a gun at a lizard and from the barrel, a stream of red laser light flew past. Amir covered a lizard with his rubber-like body.
Nellie covered his body with spikes and attacked a lizard head-on, unafraid of its defensive capabilities.
Ashlyn was surrounded by three lizards. She flicked her wrist and the discs from far away flew back in her hands.
She jumped high in the air as a lizard whipped its tail towards her. The blades in her hands started rotating and she threw them out.
The discs rushed ahead, leaving behind a trail of the blue blaze, but just then the air ahead suddenly twisted.
Ashyln's expression changed for the first time. She landed on the ground, her eyes containing some surprise.
The lizards, who thought they would die from the sharp discs, were stunned. The air around them has compressed into an invisible wall.
The discs struck the wall, creating a loud screeching sound.
Ashlyn made a grasping motion. The discs curved up and flew back towards her.
"Urgh!"
Ashyln's attention wavered for a second as she heard a sound. She looked towards her right and saw Gill on the ground, his stomach with a hole.
Based on the size of the hole and his burnt clothing, she determined it was done by a laser shot.
"The laser bounced back on him?" Ashlyn said, her voice the same as ever. She brought her eyes to a further distance and noticed Amir struck on the ground.
"Ahhhh!" Amir cried in pain. His limbs were stretching to the furthest corner. While his body could stretch freely, it has a limit. Now, his limbs were being stretched by a formless force.
Nellie, on the other hand, flew past like a kite with its strings cut and collided against a tree.
Swoosh.
"Hmm?" Ashlyn raised her head.
In the sky, a blood-red blade appeared from out of nowhere. The blade was hundreds of meters in size, its edges sharp like a true blade.
As soon as the blade appeared, Amir, Gill, and Nellie felt their blood flow turning chaotic. Blood dripped out of their orifices, turning into beads of blood and flowing towards the blade.
If Ruby was here, she would instantly identify it as the blade which killed the two Iron-scaled Fish a few days ago. The scene of how the corpses turned dry like a rotten mummy was still fresh in Ruby's mind.
Even the slum dwellers in Delta City would remember this blade. It was the same blade which killed thousands of slum overlord and their subordinates.
Ashlyn's eyes narrowed as she looked at the blade and then her own body.
She was clad in a tight black suit, the fabric of her suit covering every part of her body from neck to feet. In the suit, thin lines of glowing blue passed through.
(Reference image for Ashlyn: http://coolvibe.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Sci-Fi-Art-crow-god-Chaos-Drive-992x1322.jpg )
She didn't feel anything strange in her blood flow but she sensed a devouring force from the blade. The force tried to enter her body but dissipated before it could even touch her skin.
Shua.
The blood-red blade swept downwards at Ashyln like the scythe of a grim reaper.
Ashlyn opened her hands and the discs moved to her side on their own. She ignored the incoming blade and focused on her left palm.
Sss
Seven runic seals materialized on her palm, each seal pertaining to a color of the rainbow. Out of the seven seals, the blue seal has a slight crack in between.
Ashlyn closed her eyes before letting out a soft sigh from her lips.
"Unseal."
The crack in the blue seal started expanding. In less than a second, it stretched from the top to the bottom.
Like a gate being opened up, the seal split into two, emitting streams of blue light which enveloped her body...
Chapter 220 - Suppressing the Urge
In the sky, the blood-red blade sliced through the air as it descended downwards like a blade of execution. A flurry of dust and smoke flew behind.
Ashlyn opened her eyes as one of the seven runic seals broke off. Blue streams of light covered her black suit while her emerald eyes radiated blue currents of energy.
Some distance away from her, Amir and others had their hearts filled with dread. They believed the mission was easy for they only have to face lizards and collect the herbs.
But now, out of nowhere, without any warning, a foreign power was attacking them. They neither knew the identity of the attacker or the reason.
Amir, Joel, and Nellie experienced piercing pain in their very soul as the blade swept forward. They were not the target, and yet their blood veins started ripping apart. Blood gurgled out of their bodies like streams of water.
Ashlyn gripped the discs in her hands and leaped hundreds of meters in the air just as the blade was about to slice her, missing the attack by hair's breadth.
The might of the blade was terrifying as it landed on the ground. A hundred feet wide ravine appeared from the slash, splitting the ground into almost two.
The blood-red blade remained intact, its corners emanating heart-wrenching wails like ghosts.
In the air, Ashlyn threw the discs towards the blade. The discs slid vertically down, emanating a dreadful force.
A screeching sound followed blue sparks as the discs flew downwards. Blue ripples coursed ahead as the discs rushed at the blade.
BANG
Terrifying energy waves swept outwards as the discs struck at the hundred-meter-long blade. Two powerful forces collided in the air, one emanating a blood-chilling power while the another releasing a soul-cutting power.
Under the shocked eyes of everyone in the area, the discs penetrated through the blade. Compared to the length & width of the blade, the discs were negligible in dimensions.
Yet as the discs pierced through the blade, the energy from the blue ripples coursed through the blade, slicing it into two.
From the broken pieces of the blade, blood dripped out like a fountain, transforming the ground into crimson.
"She destroyed that blade?" Nellie was pleasantly surprised by the outcome.
He didn't think Ashyln was this powerful to slice a blade whose very presence made their blood flow turn chaotic.
"Seems so," Amir muttered, shocked and also slightly worried.
He has accepted Ashyln in the group as a temporary member for collaboration, but having a member far powerful than the team was dangerous. He set a reminder for himself to plan a way to tackle her along with Kiba.
"We survived!" Joel didn't care the least bit about Ashyln's power. He was happy to live after facing such a terrifying ability.
"Don't celebrate yet," Ashyln's cold voice cut through the chatter. She landed back on the ground, her eyes filled with coldness as she observed the broken blade.
"Impossible," Joel was terrified.
The blood-red blade was incorporeal now and its broken portion joined together like threads of blood. In no time, the blade was fixed, though its aura was weaker than before.
Ashlyn raised her hands and the discs flew back towards her.
Meanwhile, in the cave.
The adult lizards took advantage of the disturbance to return inside. They didn't know what was happening but they were happy. They wanted to defeat the invaders who were inside.
At the end of the cave.
Ruby and others were still stuck on the garden, unable to make a single movement. In front of them, there were frail pieces of blood and gore. It was hard to believe this was what remained of Monroe's corpse.
Behind.
Kiba's eyes were filled with confusion and chaos as he continued to emanate the horrifying force in the air.
He raised his hand in a slicing motion but then he stopped in between. Outside, the blade was slashing towards Ashyln but stopped, following Kiba's motion.
Ashlyn was startled. She didn't think much and used the opportunity to destroy the blade again.
"Ugh, stop messing with my mind," Kiba clutched his head with both his hands. "You think I don't understand what you want to achieve by making me protect the reptiles?"
The 'you' in his address was directed to his own powers. He didn't know about the existence of the gray particle in his mind.
"I already made it clear...No one gets to decide whether I would kill or protect. That's a decision mine to make, and mine alone."
The gray particle was bewildered by Kiba's response. It was sure a killing spree would follow as Kiba would try to protect the lizards.
So how could he overpower his urge despite the chemical reactions in the brain?!
The golden lightning, on the other hand, used the shock state of the gray particle to its own advantage. It transformed into a cocoon and enveloped the gray particle, sealing its power to influence Kiba.
The gray particle seethed in fury, trying to break the golden cocoon.
In the real world, Kiba took a deep breath. His face was soaked with sweat as his urge to protect the beasts faded.
Only he knew how hard it was to kill an urge.
Urges are seductive and they seem like the heart's desires. The more one wishes to not follow the urge, the stronger the urge becomes.
This was especially true if an urge was powered by emotions.
What Kiba did was remind himself of his own desires. He knew what he wanted.
Claudia has made sure of this the last time he lost control.
He was also more than aware he would never accept Agatha's unconscious belief of kindness and karma as his own.
When the urge to protect the lizards took over him, he used every bit of his mental will to not given in, though in the process he killed Monroe. Not like he truly cared about Monroe or any other members of the team.
"That monk, I should have tortured him more," Kiba grumbled as he retraced the pressure in the cave.
If there was one person he really wanted to kill countless times, then it was Akshobhya. He blamed Akshobhya for his current situation.
After all, he only started having such situations after Akshobhya used psychic attacks on him.
"No wonder I felt life and death crisis back then," Kiba thought as he sat on the floor.
Months ago, just minutes before Akshobhya attacked him, he has sensed an intense crisis.
While defeating Akshobhya was hard and he has to go outside Earth's orbit to transfer his powers to Akshobhya through a satellite, he didn't feel it was life and death crisis.
Yes, his body was in a terrible state and he could barely even move after he defeated Akshobhya, but he was sure that was not what his innate ability warned him about.
Later on, he and Claudia have a long discussion over this but they didn't reach any fruitful conclusion.
Now, after facing this sudden urge, he understood what exactly his senses were warning him.
The crisis was never about Akshobhya but the damage his mental attack has created through the psychic invasion.
What Kiba didn't know was that he was only partly right in his assessment. Akshobhya has only given an opportunity to the gray particle to free itself from Cosmic Spark.
The real reason the gray particle could free itself in the first place was Kiba himself.
To be precise, it was the events which he experienced in his life before he got Cosmic Spark.
The events which were filled with pain, anger, hatred, and despair. These events from his slum life were of distant past, but they forever lived in him as memories.
While Kiba was different from Zed in both personality and the life he leads, Zed was still the base for what he was as Kiba.
If not for his life as a slum dweller, he wouldn't be what he was now. This was what the gray particle used to free itself and then influence him.
"This situation shouldn't repeat for a long time," Kiba thought as he wiped the sweat from his face.
He was sure his powers wouldn't be able to influence him now through this unique way of using positive emotions. As for negative emotions, there were the precautions taken by Claudia.
"I just want to enjoy my life...why the hell can't I just have fun without any complications?" Kiba bitterly mused before shaking his head to clear his thoughts.
He now decided to focus his attention on his real mission instead of wasting time.
"I can't find the cure for nanites for few weeks but I can collect the herbs I need in the meantime," Kiba thought as he raised his head and looked ahead.
Some distance away, Mina and others finally breathed in relief as the pressure faded. They no longer cared about Rock Essence Herb and dashed out of the garden.
"We have to leave before that force arrives again," Alexia shouted as she saw Kiba. "We have no time to waste."
"That force must be left by the ancestor beast so hurry up before it revives again," Mina said as she offered support to Kiba.
"Oh," Kiba was amused.
They were giving the ancestor of lizards the credit for his actions.
"More lizards are coming," Alexia said as she sensed the presence of adult lizards.
"Damn," Ruby complained of hardship.
She noticed even Kiba was soaking with sweat so she was sure this was a severe crisis. The others were also exhausted after facing the pressure from before.
Just then, around ten adult lizards came in sight. They opened their mouths and looked at the humans with fury.
"We are going to die," Alexia's eyes were filled with tears.
As the newly arrived lizards moved towards them, the young lizards and two adult lizards rushed out of their hiding spot.
"Grrr..." The two adult lizard communicated something to the other adult lizards.
The newly arrived lizard's eyes were filled with fear as they listened to their fellow members. They then thought about what transpired outwards, and they were terrified.
The lizards no longer rushed towards the humans, or to be precise, towards the golden-haired man.
"What's going on?" Ruby was bewildered.
"Now is not the time to contemplate," Mina spoke out loudly.
"Ah...yes," Ruby nodded.
Soon, they rushed out of the cave, using every bit of strength in their bodies.
----------
An hour later.
The entire team including Amir and others were a mile away from the cave. They shared the details of what transpired today.
"We have bad luck," Amir concluded.
"Yeah," Kiba agreed as he rested his back against a tree. Inwardly, he thought otherwise: "Your luck is rather good. If it was bad, you would be my first victim and not Monroe."
As they discussed, Ashlyn was resting some distance away. She was alone, sitting in a grassy field.
Her face was slightly pale with blood dripping down from her lips.
Kiba observed her from distance with a faint smile on his face. As he recalled how she was the first person to ever neutralise his blood blade ability, he couldn't help but marvel.
"She is different," Kiba mused with a smirk.
The thoughts of getting in her pants were no longer active in his mind. He genuinely wanted to know her better...
Chapter 221 - Levels & Ranks
Under a large tree, Kiba closed his eyes and rested his back against the trunk of the tree. He hasn't used much power but he was mentally drained after overcoming the urge created by his powers.
If it was other time, he would have tried to play with his slave - Ruby- but now he was dozing off. Ruby was sitting next to him, her head resting on his shoulder.
They both looked like a couple who were in love despite the dangerous environment.
Behind the tree, Amir and others were resting while Ashlyn was sitting some distance away from them, cold and aloof.
After they ran from the habitat of lizards, she didn't say a single word to any one of them.
Seeing traces of blood on Ashyln's lips, Mina walked to her to offer her a recovery pill, but Ashlyn refused without stating any word.
Mina was surprised but not startled. From the days she has known her, Ashlyn has never accepted any medicinal pill from anyone.
It was either she didn't need medicine or she didn't trust anyone of them when it comes to drugs. The second seemed to be an obvious scenario, and Mina understood this so she backed off and returned to Amir.
"She is a strange one," Mina said before falling asleep.
"Yeah," Amir nodded as he observed Ashyln and recalled the battle between her and the blood blade a few hours ago.
While he was obviously happy to see the blood blade being extinguished by her, it also worried him as the leader of Blue Cliff Group.
For any leader, the most frightening possibility was having an extremely talented and powerful member with the ability to surpass him. This was especially true in a place like Desolate Blood Forest where the hearts of everyone filled with greed.
Ashlyn was a temporary member just like Kiba and Ruby in the group. Amir didn't think either of the three envied his leadership position.
That wasn't what worried him. He was worried the temporary members would betray him at a crucial moment. This seemed especially true for Ashyln who has shown far superior skills in battle.
So far, Ashyln has followed his suggestions as per the agreement, and has shown no signs of rebellion, but who was to say this behavior would continue in the future?
"Just what level of a mutant is she?" Amir wondered in his heart.
Mutant.
A simple word referring to any creature having extranormal powers and abilities.
Superhuman, extraordinaire, metahuman, freak, quirk, blessed one, and so on. There were around hundreds of names to refer to such superior beings with powers.
No matter the title, the common factor among people sharing such titles was the existence of a special gene, also known as the divine gene.
The gene was called divine due to the alien genetic matter which brought the age of evolution on Earth - Divine Particles.
These supreme particles created a mystic biological phenomenon throughout the world by acting as a catalyst for evolution.
While even the top scientists couldn't truly explain the workings of the phenomenon, there was one thing which everyone agreed on: The particles stuck on the genetic data of an individual to create divine gene.
From one generation to another, the reproductive cycle continued to ensure the existence of this gene.
A gene whose very existence made one different from an ordinary person. A gene which gives one the right to be special and look over the world as long as one can tap in its infinite power.
Just the existence of the gene was nothing extraordinary though, given more than half the population on Earth were mutants.
What makes one stand out amongst the others was the nature of the abilities and the mastery.
Flight, energy projection, accelerated healing, enhanced physical strength, and agility were the abilities which most population was blessed with. This didn't mean such abilities were supposed to be looked down just because they were not rare.
The worth of a mutant depended on the extent by which one can use his or her abilities.
This was even true for those with rare abilities such as telekinesis, telepathy, foresight, elemental control, teleportation, plant manipulation, shapeshifting, and so on.
But there were mutants whose worth never depended on their mastery. They might be noobs with no sense of their powers, and yet, they were considered truly special and extraordinary.
Such mutants were the rarest of rare, and it would be hard to find one even among million mutants.
Why?
Because these mutants were blessed with abilities which could theoretically defy the rules of the world and pose a risk to the planet's existence.
Reality warping, metaphysics manipulation, time and space, superior psionic abilities, control over the matter and energy, and so on.
Mutants with such abilities were the ones with the most powerful genetic potential. Their very existence could lead to deaths of thousands if their powers were not checked.
Thus, given the complications of varying abilities and mastery, it was rather difficult to classify mutants into one broad category.
Yet a global standard was needed. To meet this need, the world government introduced classifications which were accepted even by top organizations and revolutionaries.
The classification was on levels I to IX. The levels, in turn, depended on the nature of ability and control.
A mutant who has just awakened his ability, with no superior power, was not even considered to be level I. Such people were called mutants to denote their difference from an ordinary person, but otherwise, they were at the bottom of the rankings, no place at all.
A mutant with reasonable control and plenty of power to defend or harm was considered a level I. From level II onwards, the control and the power needed to be amplified.
Obviously, it wasn't easy to judge the level of a person just by looking at his or her ability in action. After all, one can always hide the true extent of powers.
To overcome this complication, scientists have created machines capable of reading the aura of a person and judge the level.
Of course, such machines were very costly. Not to mention, their sales were limited and only those with influence could purchase them.
If Amir had such a machine, he obviously wouldn't be in a dilemma about the powers of Ashyln.
He might not know Ashyln, but he was aware of the general powers of beasts here.
Like Crazy Rampage King, the giant beast, who made the entire team of Blue Cliff Mountain dread in fear was a level IV existence. Such types of beasts were a strong opponent even in the core region of Desolate Blood Forest.
To further help the classification, the world government has considered a batch of three levels as a rank. This was strictly to warn of the power and the threat.
Generally speaking, a mutant from Level I to III was considered as a Gamma rank mutant. Such mutants were strong but not strong enough to pose a risk to the general mutant population.
People from Level IV to VI were considered as Beta mutants who have the power of harming a sizable population.
Then there were Level VII to IX, called Alpha mutants. They were dangerous lots with the power to destroy even cities.
"The legends say there is another rank to classify those who have the power to exterminate the world - Omega!"
Amir thought of the rumors he has heard during his lifetime as an adventurer.
"But they must be just rumors, a product of someone's vivid imagination. Otherwise, how can the world be still safe and ruled by the government?"
Amir believed for existence as sacred as Omega, nothing could be more humiliating than be ruled by a bunch of old fools through the government. Such a supreme being should obviously establish a governing system of his own in which he would be the ruler!
"So Omega is just a legend! It is not real!"
If Rhea - Holy Seer of Atlantis - was asked about this legendary rank mutant, then she would definitely agree that such mutant existed.
She has seen one such person in her visions of the future! (Chapter 55)
In her prophecy, Delta City has lost all its colors. Everywhere there was nothing but an ominous gray.
In such an environment, her phantom from the past witnessed the movements of a man whose every step resulted in the deaths of thousands.
The steps of this man were slow as he walked towards a mystic giant existence.
Rhea has felt a familiar aura from the giant existence, and she believed it was someone from the world which has long ceased to exist.
Yet, the gray man invoked such fear in this giant being that it was fleeing for its life!
And just then the enigmatic man looked at Rhea, defying the very rules of time and space, and made her very soul tremble.
When the man locked his eyes on her and attacked her with a vortex of gray matter, she believed he has the power to exterminate the world...
Amir shook his head and chided himself for thinking about such legendary ranks when all he has to think about Ashyln.
"At most, Ashyln should be a level IV mutant - a Beta, otherwise, she would have fought Crazy Rampage King," Amir contemplated based on his limited knowledge of hers. "Her face is pale but it wasn't when she destroyed that blade, so there must be some side effects of using heavy powers."
Amir then turned sideways and brought his eyes on Kiba and Ruby.
Currently, Ruby's head was resting on Kiba's lap while his right hand was on her chest. If Amir wasn't sure that Kiba was asleep, he would have assumed Kiba was a deviant.
But from the breathing pattern, Amir was 100% sure that both Kiba and Ruby were in deep sleep. So he believed that most likely Kiba's action of placing a hand on Ruby's breasts was involuntary and unintentional.
"Kiba should be a level III mutant," Amir thought.
He judged everything based on what he has seen and heard from his other teammates who went to the cave of lizards.
"And he is a fool who is deeply in love with a fellow adventurer!" Amir's lips curved up in a sly smirk. "He should definitely be easy to manipulate and control!"