The Sinful Life of The Emperor

The treasure box returned in the storage ring while Viper firmly grasped the black flute. The surface of the flute was engraved with dark, menacing runes of snakes.

The two surviving subordinates of Viper looked at him in confusion. They could not understand why Viper would associate some ancient flute as a part of desperate measures against an enemy like Kiba.

The two were in the middle of thinking when they noticed Kiba's face. They were startled by his heavy expression.

Kiba furrowed his bows deeply. He was sure he was not mistaken with the presence he was feeling from the flute. There was no way he could forget the aura of Princess Scarlet Leila De Rose who was resting in a coffin below his house.

"There is only one reason why that flute could have her presence," Kiba's eyes flickered as he thought of something.

He recalled the alien serpent he has faced a few days earlier and then Viper who carried the faint bloodline of the reptile family. The serpent was living in a cave formed from a small asteroid that has broken from the meteorite that formed the core region of this forest.

After looking at the engraving on the flute and remembering the above details, he has a pretty good idea on the core region.

"Haah."

Viper brought the flute to his lips. He blew a stream of air across the sharp end. A soft, ethereal and melodious sound came from the flute. The musical notes carried a graceful tune as they penetrated through the night sky and resounded throughout the forest.

Everyone, whether human or beast, stopped every activity. Those who were asleep woke up with a happy expression while those awake entered into a peaceful trance.

Ashlyn - who was rushing towards the explosion site - stopped in her path as the first note entered her ears. She forgot every bad memory about her cursed existence and felt happy like never before. Her cold expression relaxed and a joyful smile formed on her lips.

Similar scenes happened throughout every part of the forest. No matter whether it was an ordinary human or a powerful mutant, they all fell under the charm of the melody in the air.

Kiba was the only person to be not affected. It was not due to his evolved psychic powers or willpower. Instead, it was thanks to the golden lightning coursing through his body which was responsible for his current form.

Viper was rather startled by Kiba's clear state. He gritted his teeth and blew out more air in the flute.

"No choice but to..."

The melody turned heavy and everyone who heard it suddenly felt weaker. Their expressions were still peaceful and happy as strength left their bodies.

Their powers transformed into threads of energy that shot in the sky with explosive speed. With a loud sound, out of nowhere, a thin crack appeared in the sky. It was like the sky was a mirror and someone was ripping through it.

CRACK

The crack expanded and a claw came in sight. The claw was enormous and slowly it broke through the crack, expanding it further.

In no time, the sky ripped apart into a gigantic space gate. Dark chaotic mass was visible in the background and a humongous mouth of a snake appeared through the gate.

The snake carried an air of vicissitude. Its body was incorporeal and transparent as if it didn't exist in this space. Yet, just its mere presence resulted in pressure so strong that the entire forest caved in a few meters.

The beasts and humans alike continued to be in trance despite the earth-shattering presence of the snake and the space gate.

On the ground, Viper was trembling from exhaustion but he continued to play the flute. He was given the flute by the elders, not because of his strength. After all, there were hundreds of revolutionaries far more powerful than him. Rather, he was given the flute due to his compatibility and also due to his absolute loyalty.

"Who dares disturb my rest?" The snake's angry voice broke like thunder through the peaceful night.

"Reverend," Viper communicated through the flute. "My apologies but I need help."

The snake's pupils observed Viper with contempt but when it noticed the flute, its gaze turned soft.

Some distance away from Viper, Kiba was observing every reaction of the snake.

"Seems like that snake is truly one of those ten," Kiba felt a severe headache as he confirmed his suspicions. "The slave beasts of Scarlet Leila De Rose."

He just wanted to kill Viper but now the things were turning far too complex for his own liking.

"Oh well, its aura is filled with death so at least that's a slight relief," Kiba mused in his heart.

In the sky, the enormous mouth of the snake broke through the gate.

"I shall help you," The snake communicated to Viper before releasing a small breath of air.

The breath carried green mist and it shot towards Kiba. The air melted into a hazy mass of chaotic energy as the mist coursed through it.

Kiba turned into a bolt of lightning and rushed towards the sky to evade the deadly mist. Not to his surprise, the mist changed directions and followed him. The ground below, in the meantime, melted in a matter of seconds.

"Old snake, you are barely clinging to your life," Kiba said coldly as he bolted through the sky. "So why involve yourself in some unwanted conflicts instead of having last bit of fun with some old lovers?"

"Impudent! How dare you speak like that?"

The air in front of Kiba exploded in waves of destructive force while the green mist caught up from behind. The air was filled with destructive waves so teleportation was out of options.

"Why not?" Kiba asked in return.

He raised his right hand towards the green mist. Streams of energy concentrated on his palm and shot at the mist.

The energy streams transformed into a golden whirlpool that sucked the mist like a hungry beast. Yet, much to his surprise, the whirlpool disintegrated, and the green mist shot out.

Kiba took a deep breath and released a chilling mass of air towards the green mist. Like water freezing into ice, the mist solidified into an enormous green block.

The green block collapsed heavily on the ground, creating a large crater. Beasts and humans nearby instantly melted into green vapor from the shockwaves.

In the sky, the snake eyed the human for the first time. Instantly, its pupils dilated as it sensed a powerful but familiar presence from him.

Its vision passed through him and stopped in the middle of his chest. The snake was sure the human's power was originating from his chest but even with its strength, it could not sense the power source.

The snake's vision then moved on his forehead and entered his mind. There, it saw a cocoon made of golden lightning, inside which a sinister gray particle was confined.

As soon as it saw the gray particle, the snake started trembling. It was ancient and powerful, but just the sight of the gray particle made it age hundreds of years in an instant.

"Genesis Matter!"