Charlos didn't dare utter a word of protest. The moment he heard it, he turned and hurried off to inform Lizville.
A short while later, a grotesquely obese female Celestial Dragon, belly protruding and face glistening with greasy fat, waddled in with several black-clad attendants. This was Lizville.
The instant her eyes fell on Kaito, they lit up with a wolfish green gleam. She muttered under her breath again and again,
"Not bad, not bad! Absolutely perfect for my tastes!"
Shalria curled her lip in disgust. Though they were both Celestial Dragons, she had never liked this woman. Now, her revulsion was at its peak.
Lizville ignored Shalria entirely, her mountainous bulk swaying as she moved up to Kaito—hand already reaching out to touch his face.
Smack!
A crisp slap rang out. Lizville spun in the air like a top, twirling several times before crashing heavily to the ground.
Seeing this all-too-familiar sight, Shalria instinctively touched her own cheek—she too had once been treated the exact same way by Kaito.
But Shalria's mind worked in strange ways. As she recalled that day, a touch of sweetness rose in her heart, even savoring the memory of Kaito's slap.
In her view, without that slap, their relationship might never have turned into what it was now.
Lizville, however, felt no sweetness—only the sensation of almost dying on the spot.
Fortunately, her face was padded with enough fat to keep her barely conscious.
Her attendants froze in place, terrified. A few with quicker reflexes hurried forward to help her up.
With the combined effort of several black-clad men, Lizville was lifted to her feet. Her face was now swollen like a pig's head, but she forced open her eyes—thinner than her eyebrows—and glared venomously at Kaito.
"You lowly commoner! How dare you lay a hand on me! I'll have you killed!"
She turned to her attendants and barked,
"What are you useless fools waiting for!? Get him!"
But the black-clad men, usually obedient to Celestial Dragons, hesitated.
They knew this man was not someone they could provoke. Charging at him would be nothing more than throwing their lives away.
Shalria's face darkened. This ugly woman dared to have her men seize Kaito in her territory—that had crossed her bottom line.
She clapped her hands, and another squad of black-clad men appeared, facing Lizville's attendants head-on.
"Take them down!"
Unlike Lizville's side, Shalria's men acted without hesitation. At her order, they charged immediately.
It was no joke—Shalria's palace not only had her backing but also the protection of Fleet Admiral Shikiryū.
And who was Fleet Admiral Shikiryū? The one who could singlehandedly knock down all Four Emperors!
With someone like that supporting them, what was there to fear? Lizville? Never heard of her!
The two sides clashed. Normally, Celestial Dragon guards were about equal in skill, but Shalria's men fought with no restraint—and with Kaito as their morale booster, they fought with twice their strength.
Lizville's men, on the other hand, were torn between fighting and holding back. In such a mindset, it didn't take long for them to be subdued. Within minutes, they were all disarmed, hands cuffed, and forced to their knees.
Lizville was livid, screaming,
"Trash! All of you! Shalria, you dare side with a commoner against a Celestial Dragon?! I'll report you to the Five Elders! Just wait—you'll be stripped of your title!"
Shalria scoffed, voice dripping with mockery.
"You were the one pawing at Kaito first and causing trouble in my territory. What I did is perfectly reasonable!"
She turned, throwing herself into Kaito's arms, gazing up at him with a coquettish voice,
"Kaito~ don't you think I'm right?"
Kaito crossed his arms, thoroughly entertained by the show, and smiled.
"Absolutely. I like it."
"Hehe~ As long as you like it."
Watching Shalria nestled in Kaito's arms, Lizville's face twisted as if she'd swallowed a fly. She spat,
"Shameless! You're a disgrace to Celestial Dragons!"
Before Shalria could respond, Kaito raised his hand and unleashed a Universal Pull. Lizville was yanked toward him instantly.
He caught her by the neck fat, lifting her up to eye level.
Lizville shrieked in pain. Two more sharp slaps from Kaito knocked every tooth out of her mouth, silencing her completely.
Shalria watched with delight, feeling no sympathy whatsoever.
Her mind again wandered to the slap she herself had once received from Kaito.
Same slap—yet now she could lean in his embrace while Lizville was dangling helplessly in midair. To her, that meant she was destiny's chosen woman!
A transparent ripple gleamed in Kaito's eyes. Lizville's head suddenly separated from her body, hovering in the air before dropping onto her own backside.
She stared in terror at her heels, wanting to scream—but only a faint hissing sound escaped her lips.
Shalria didn't feel fear. In fact, she found it amusing. She gave Lizville's head a little kick, grinning at Kaito.
"Kaito, is this another new ability of yours? It looks so fun!"
Kaito just smiled without answering. With a casual wave, a black coffin enveloped Lizville and then drifted into the space beyond the door he'd opened.
He planned to gift this one to Hancock—she'd definitely love it.
The black-clad men on their knees could only watch in despair as Lizville vanished.
Even if Kaito let them go now, they wouldn't live long. Lizville's family would never forgive them.
Shalria glanced at them and asked,
"Kaito, what do you want to do with these people? Should I just have them executed?"
Her angelic face made the words sound even more chilling to the kneeling men, who trembled uncontrollably.
Kaito shook his head and walked up to them. His voice was calm.
"Go back and tell your masters—Lizville was taken by Uchiha Kaito. If they've got a problem, they can come to me."
A black vortex opened beneath their knees, swallowing them up. By the time they regained their senses, they were already outside the palace gates.
With that done, Kaito stretched lazily, turned to Shalria, and wrapped an arm around her.
"Let's go. I'll stay here tonight. That alright with you?"
"Eh!? Slurp—o-of course it is!"