From a saltwater pond, Kintsugi called out to his pet globefish, whom he named Gobu.
When Gobu heard his master's voice, he swam up from the depths to the surface. Gobu was amphibious and could even fly. He loved being tickled by Kintsugi, and in return, he'd cuddle him.
"You used to be just a tiny goby, but now you've grown into a beautiful globefish," Kintsugi said, fondling Gobu. "I've been busy, so I haven't visited you here in a while, but don't be upset – I brought you a gift.
Kintsugi opened his panel and tapped a gift box icon, which popped up, and the size of the box would make you wonder what was inside.
"Close your eyes first," Kintsugi instructed the excited Gobu, who obliged.
Kintsugi untied the gift wrapping tape tied around the large box, and when he opened it, the normal forms of the Arachnids were revealed. From superheroes in costumes, they were now in civilian attire.
"You can open your eyes now, Gobu," Kintsugi said warmly. Gobu leaped into the air with joy.
Black Widowman, or Andrew Gilberth in his civilian form, was indignant towards Kintsugi. He was a renowned businessman who became an Arachnid after being bitten by an Antonium Spider, along with Brown Recluse, or Thomas Spencer. Thomas, on the other hand, was the leader of an infamous motorcycle gang, while Wolf Spiderkid, or Brent Englewood, was a high school student.
Now, they're going to become Kintsugi's pet's food. They were lying face down on the grass, and no matter what they tried to do, they couldn't escape because the chains binding them were strong. Kintsugi deliberately removed the duct tape from Andrew's mouth.
"Monster!"
That was the first word he heard.
"What else? That's not the only word that describes me."
"You have no heart!"
"Enough with your trash talk. Say goodbye to your two companions because you're the first one I'll feed to Gobu."
Andrew, holding back tears, faced his fellow Arachnids who were in the same situation.
"Forgive me for putting your lives in danger, but as your leader, I'm proud of you, especially for the growth you've shown in our group. I've never regretted becoming a savior, and at the time of my death, I'll take with me the memories of being with you. I'll still proudly raise our flag high."
Kintsugi yawned at the length of Andrew's speech.
"Are you done?"
"Hey psycho! Just go ahead and feed me to your pet globefish already!"
Kintsugi lifted Andrew like a dumbbell, but before he could do so, Andrew spat in his face and hurled foul and insensitive words at him. Kintsugi didn't even flinch. Gobu, on the other hand, preferred to eat his snack underwater.
Kintsugi then tossed Andrew into the pond. As Andrew's body plunged into the water, Kintsugi wiped his face, which was wet with saliva.
Kintsugi opened his panel and withdrew two vials containing orange liquid and a syringe. As Thomas and Brent lay on the grass, Kintsugi injected them.
"Because of the liquid I'm injecting, your bodies and minds will numb. You won't be able to use your special abilities against me," Kintsugi said as he removed their chains. "It's best you follow my commands."
Though freed, Thomas and Brent seemed like puppets.
"Follow me," Kintsugi ordered.
They headed towards a mansion. This Renaissance-style mansion stood atop a hill.
Kintsugi knew the two were getting hungry, and since he had no servants in the mansion, they would have to serve themselves and prepare their own food.
Kintsugi then grabbed a decanter of whiskey and a Glencairn glass before heading back to the pond to check on Gobu's situation.
He found Gobu swimming around.
"Did you enjoy the snack I gave you?" The globefish nodded before continuing to swim.
It looked full, and indeed it was, but it still hadn't evolved. To proceed to the next stage of evolution, the supernatural being Kintsugi fed it was insufficient. Andrew wasn't enough to evolve Gobu.
Kintsugi sat down and savored the taste of the whiskey. As he gazed at the beautiful scenery, he remembered Sophie and Dalton from Earth 4512.
He had successfully saved their lives.
"There's a pang of envy and melancholy that I detect as you think of Dalton and Sophie. According to my database, there are hundreds of thousands of Sophie Lancelots you could engage in a relationship with," Monaco told him.
"The Sophie I loved can't be replaced."
"Sophie had a huge impact on your life. Because of her arrival in your life, you developed moral codes. Add to that your daily exposure to her planet. Earlier, it seemed like you were just forcing yourself to do a hideous act."
"Andrew is a heroic figure in his planet, but in my view, he's just a good snack for my pet, along with the two other heroes."
Kintsugi opened his panel and pressed the surveillance camera icon.
As he savored the whiskey under the sun, he saw Thomas and Brent cooking pancakes in the kitchen.
He turned up the volume to hear their conversation.
"For now, let's just follow that deranged man," Thomas suggested to Brent as he flipped the pancake with a spatula. Despite his reservations, Brent still obeyed Kintsugi's orders. "That son of a bitch!"
"Do you think we'll still be able to escape from here?" Brent asked uncertainly. "Maybe he'll feed us to the globefish like he did to Mr. Gliberth."
"Expect the worst, Brent. But like I said, let's just follow him for now." Thomas had other plans, and Kintsugi had some ideas about what those might be.
For now, he'd just drink his liquor.
Kintsugi's panel popped up.
•••
MISSION
- Head to planet Twigrus 900 and eliminate all lifeforms there.
•••
Kintsugi stretched after reading his mission.
Before heading to the Upper Echelon, he personally checked on the situation of the two.
He saw them eating listlessly at the dining table.
"Are you here to feed one of us to your pet fish?" Thomas asked.
"When I get back, I'll feed you to Gobu."
Thomas stopped mid-bite and attempted to grab Kintsugi with his fork, but he fell to the floor instead.
"You're more devilish than the devil himself," Thomas said as he crawled on the floor. "You're the type who wouldn't care if you burned in hell, but I still like the thought of you burning in blazing flames!" Kintsugi just smirked.
"In my mansion, you can do whatever you want: eat, sleep, steal, or even kill each other, and I'll let you. I'll be gone for a while, and I expect you both to think of a way to escape this mansion."
•••
Planet: Twigrus 900
Year: 41 APT (After the Death of Prophet Twelphoro)
Time: 14:28 (2:28 PM) (Earth 690-based timezone)
Location: Telirium Statue Park
Twigrus is home to the Slender People. Despite their extremely thin appearance, you'd think they don't eat, but that's just their natural build. The planet is rich in various types of wood, and its inhabitants are skilled sculptors, which explains the numerous wood figurative statues standing tall.
•••
For the diligent Slender People, this day is typical for doing their job - sculpting.
Holding various sculpting tools, they're bathed under the sun's rays. Meanwhile, Kintsugi floats in the sky.
Erasing all lifeforms on a planet isn't an easy task. For other Larkansas, it takes weeks to accomplish this type of mission, but Kintsugi managed to cleanse Planet Twigrus in two days by channeling his Humech Form.
"Phew, I'm finally done."
As he panted from exhaustion, he heard voices - not just any voices, but those of innocent citizens he had deprived of life and privilege. They cried out for justice. He covered his ears.
"Shut up!" he snarled at the voices, but he couldn't help but laugh at the cruel fate. His stomach hurt from laughing until he finally fell silent and turned serious.
It was already night, and Thomas and Brent were in the living room of the large, exquisite mansion when the door opened, revealing Kintsugi's drunken and rain-soaked face.
Kintsugi stumbled as he walked and wondered why Thomas and Brent were still in his house. He thought they would have escaped by now, but even if they did, they wouldn't have anywhere else to go.
"Give me water," he requested. Thomas volunteered to get it and was told to bring the water to Kintsugi's room on the third floor.
Kintsugi immediately lay down on his bed, burying his face in the pillow.
Kintsugi had come from planet Zellion 215, where a massive liquor festival was held. He had a blast, got drunk, and participated in an orgy. Minutes later, Thomas found Kintsugi's room, bringing a glass of water and secretly carrying a rifle behind his back. Meanwhile, Brent had a hatchet.
Due to the serum injected into their bodies, their abilities were nullified, so they needed an alternative plan to kill Kintsugi. They managed to trespass into Kintsugi's arsenal room, and among all the weapons there, they snatched a rifle and a hatchet.
"He's too drunk to notice us," Thomas said to Brent.
They peeked into the room and slowly opened the door. They tiptoed inside until Thomas poked Kintsugi's shoulder to check if he was really asleep.
A sinister grin spread across Thomas's face as he grabbed his rifle and shot Kintsugi repeatedly, aiming at various parts of his body.
"Taste every bullet! Savor it! This is for all the cruelty you've inflicted on us, you idiot!" Thomas seemed to be hysterical, becoming berserk. The white bedsheet was covered in blood, and Kintsugi's back was ravaged, especially his cartilage.
"Cut off his head," Thomas ordered Brent.
"Wha-what?" Brent stuttered, looking shaken and unaccustomed to killing.
"I said cut off his head! My goodness, kid, don't be a coward. Follow my orders so you can contribute."
Trembling, Brent obeyed Thomas's command.
After executing their plan, they worked together to lift the corpse outside, where they would bury it. Thomas and Brent collaborated on digging a hole, and once it was deep enough, they tossed Kintsugi's body in. Afterward, they covered it with soil. Exhausted, they sat down on the grass and lit up cigarettes.
"The pest is gone, we can finally breathe a sigh of relief," Thomas said, relieved. "You want to drink, Kid? If so, let's celebrate."
Despite being underage, Brent was persuaded to drink liquor. The two of them drank and danced to music playing on a record player. They even rummaged through Kintsugi's designer clothes and lavish accessories. Using a baseball bat, they smashed Kintsugi's beloved liquor bottle collection.
Unbeknownst to them, Kintsugi was calmly monitoring them from a large room filled with screens and monitors.
"I'm entertained," Kintsugi said, setting down his glass of liquor and standing up.
It was midnight snack time for Gobu, and he needed to feed Thomas.