"She was living in an orphanage for twelve years of her life. The people who ran the place claimed they had just woken up one day and that she was on their doorstep. Until recently, they didn''t know she had powers or who her parents were." Sini muttered quietly. "I didn''t think you had it in you, Jackson."


    Full Monarch didn''t say anything. He simply stared past the glass window that was in front of him. He stood in a hallway, more specifically in a Hero Branch lab that was made for holding rowdy Supers. In a holding cell, a young twelve-year-old girl slept on a bed. Dozens of tubes ran along her form, all pumping in medication that forced her into a slumber. The room was filled with cracks and small craters, and the bed shook every now and then as her body rapidly fought off the substances in her system.


    Even unconscious, her hair almost looked like it was made of scarlet fire.


    "Jill Laision," Sini spoke up. "That''s her name. Some of our agents found her after she blew up part of her school in one punch. She hasn''t been very cooperative and has made dozens of attempts to escape. Normally, we''d throw her in one of our prisons, but I doubt they''d actually be able to hold her. She has strength that surpasses almost every Super on this planet. Only the Lords seem to be able to stand above her. I got suspicious, so I ran a few tests. Guess what I found?"


    "She''s my kid, right? That''s what you want to tell me." Full Monarch asked casually.


    "So, you already had an idea of this?"


    "One time. There was a single time that I ever found myself craving the need of another person. I can''t really recall her name. It had been at a bar. I was a little down after failing to stop an island from sinking and had gone in my human form. I never thought I''d see or hear back from that woman, but yet here we are now." The world’s strongest hero admitted, almost sounding a little ashamed.


    Sini sighed and shook his head. "Do you have any idea what this could cause? Supers already resent the Lords and how far above us you''ve become. My own son never showed an ounce of power close to this. Nier''s child, when she had been born, didn''t show signs of power on this level either. It''s possible she could have reached that level maybe one day, but... Anyways, it seems you''ve once again outdone us all, Jackson. You''ve had a child with a non-Super who is far beyond what any Super will likely ever be able to do. Seriously, are we even the same species?"


    Full Monarch placed his hand on the glass, staring at the young girl. "I never meant for something like this to happen."


    "Most parents are never ready."


    "It isn''t that." Full Monarch shook his head. "I never wanted to have a kid. She''s already so strong. What happens if she decides not to be good?"


    "Well, we have you to stop her."


    "And what if I''m gone?" Full Monarch questioned. "Or worse. What if I lose her? I saw what happened to Nier and how it broke him. What if something like that happens to me? What if I''m not strong enough to protect her and the world? It would have all been so easy if all I had to protect was nameless faces I''d never see again. Now... Now I have a weakness."


    "You shouldn''t think like that." Sini reached out and punched his friend in the shoulder. "She''ll be up soon. I think it''s best if you talk to her. You''re one of the only people who can get close to her safely."


    Full Monarch nodded and bowed his head as his friend began to walk away. "There''s just one thing that''s bugging me." He said quietly.


    "What''s that?" Sini asked.


    “Nevermind… I’m sure it’s nothing.”


    He didn''t say anything else and instead walked forward. The wall twisted and unfolded, forming a door for him, allowing him to step into the room where the sleeping girl rested. He arrived just in time, as her body had finally built up an immunity, and her eyes began to open slowly.


    Then she began to thrash around. Wires were ripped out of her, and the bed cracked and shook as she shot up. Her hair glowed brighter, and she glared up at the person who was in her room. Her mind hadn''t fully woken up yet, and she didn''t even process the fact he was wearing a hero costume. "Who the hell are you!" She demanded. “Where am I!”


    Full Monarch folded his arms up and did his best to put on one of his trademark smiles he was becoming well known for. "Turns out I''m your father."


    "Huh!" Instantly, all that anger and fear vanished from Ruby as the girl collapsed back in shock. It was replaced with confusion, and she finally noticed the symbol of a butterfly that was placed on the man''s chest. This man was Full Monarch. "T- That''s not a funny joke!"


    The man looked her up and down. "Something has been bugging me though."


    "Bugging you! I''m the one freaking out here! What do you mean you’re my dad!”


    He rubbed his chin as his eyes roamed over her face. "Why are you twelve?"


    "Because that''s how old I am?"


    "I guess that makes sense." He hummed and shrugged. "That just confuses me, is all."


    "Why?"


    "Because... The only woman I''ve ever slept with, the only possible night it could be, that happened fifteen years ago."


    After that, the media went wild. It was all over the news for days. The newest sidekick to the number one hero, Ruby Admiral. They even made a costume for her, which she never ended up wearing, and a fake commercial of her flying through the sky with her father when she couldn''t actually fly... Less than a year later, all mentions of a Ruby Admiral vanished when she was never seen alongside the number one hero. There were rumors, however, that a new villain had suddenly appeared who was using the name, though most agreed she was harmless.


    Now, nearly eight years later, that young girl stood before a threat that might one day rival her father. The Emperor''s red eyes roamed over Ruby''s face, studying her. She had a sly smirk on her face and a hand on her hip, pointing up at him with the other.


    Behind her, on the other side of the alleyway, Mermaid, Young Dog, Max, and Avalon were all frozen in place. The strength that rolled off of Ruby Admiral and the Emperor had left them all stunned, unable to get their bodies to move for fear of what would happen. It was like being between two massive storms that, for some reason, wanted to box each other.


    "Are you not going to say anything?" Ruby called out. She began to walk up the crater toward the warrior in black armor. "That''s okay. You don''t have to talk. I like the sound of my voice too much to give you any lines, so this works out. I''m just going to hit you as hard as I can and see if I can shatter that stupid helmet you''re wearing. Maybe once I have cool spiky armor like you, people will take me being the number one villain seriously."


    "What a failure you turned out to be." The Emperor''s voice managed to freeze the young girl in her tracks as it echoed around the alleyway and stabbed into her.


    Her smirk faded, and she gritted her teeth, balling her hand into a fist. She stepped forward, appearing in front of the villain with blinding speed, and she twisted her body, putting all of her weight and force into the strike. The punch ripped through the air and came out hard and fast. The Emperor didn''t bother to block or attempt to dodge it. He didn''t need to. He had his faithful hound with him, after all.


    The force of Ruby''s strike suddenly stopped, and her eyes went wide as it collided with something that appeared in front of the Emperor''s head. It was a metal mace, twisted and jagged. Someone stood next to the Emperor now. They knelt next to the man and had raised their weapon up just in time to use it as a shield. They wore blood-red armor that took the shape of some type of wolf and, with ease, had stopped Ruby''s best attack.


    Ruby made a face and pulled her hand back, clutching at it. "Ow, ow, ow!" She whined. That mace had nearly broken her hand, and in the process of punching it, the spikes had dug into her knuckles. "What is that thing made of! That actually hurt-"


    Hell Hound spun the mace around and slammed the butt of it directly into the stomach of Ruby Admiral. It didn''t hit hard, not nearly as hard as some of the things Ruby had gone through, but somehow it hurt more than anything else she had been hit by. The force of it was enough to drop her down to her knees, clutching at her gut and gasping. She looked up just in time to see the Emperor''s hand glowing and crackling with energy as it went to grab her face and use his power.


    Before he could make contact with her, though, she flicked the ground, exploding it with all of her strength and causing a crater to form that dropped her down. She rolled back and got back up just in time to raise her arms up and use them as a shield. Hell Hound''s mace crashed out of the dust cloud as the villain in red armor swung it with everything she had. Hell Hound was strong, though not nearly on the same level as Ruby. It simply didn''t matter, though. Even with strength far weaker than her opponents, her mace once again dug into Ruby''s flesh, the spikes biting into it and ripping chunks out of it, nearly breaking one of the girl''s arms.


    Ruby gritted her teeth and fought through the pain, kicking out with her leg and ramming it into Hell Hound''s side. This time, the villain wasn''t able to negate the force and was sent crashing into the wall of the alleyway, shaking the entire building and smashing through it. Ruby jumped further back, gaining some distance from the two evildoers and landing back near her own team. She winced and rubbed her arm, trying to stop the bleeding.


    "Are you okay?" Mermaid asked in a panic.


    "Not really."


    Mermaid used her powers to wrap the limb up with water, doing her best to ease the pain for her friend. Young Dog managed to stand up and support Max with the help of Avalon. The older hero had a look on his face as he stared at the armored man who still hadn''t bothered to step after them. "That girl in red. She was like the villain you killed earlier. Her body was changed. I can''t shut her powers off."


    "Worse yet, I think she has an ability similar to yours," Ruby complained. “It’s negating my durability and strength when she hits me.”


    From the destroyed wall, Hell Hound ripped her way out, walking in front of her master and glaring at Ruby. At least she thought the villain was glaring at her. The woman was covered head to toe in armor, covering even her eyes. "Alpha started on the task you sent him on. With the help of Golden God, they should be reaching Mars by now." Hell Hound''s voice came out as a low growl and hissed through the air. "Do you have any other orders for us, Master?"


    Ruby picked up a rock and flicked it toward the woman, who easily blocked it with her mace. The force of the rock had been the same that she used in her battle with Water Prince, yet just like when she punched the mace, it all vanished and faded, the tiny pebble shattering to dust when it hit the metal. "You also have some pretty cool armor, you know." She called out. "You guys are clearly on a time limit, and since you just mentioned someone called Alpha, I''m guessing that there''s more of you bastards, right? So, what are you guys called?"


    "The Organization." Ruby jumped a bit when she heard Avalon speak up behind her. The scientist had a strange look on his face as he stared back at the Emperor. "Nier told me a bit about them. Sini and I had been looking into the group before Sini went and gave all our information to that Ward bastard, and he shut us down. What we were able to find out, though, was that they''re a new up-and-coming group. For the last year and a half, Supers have been disappearing. These guys have been responsible. His power does something to a person. It changes and alters them, I think. Those he can control, he''s taken, and those he can''t, he''s gotten rid of. Recently, it seems he''s even gained enough power to go after a Lord."


    "He killed a Lord?" Mermaid asked in shock.


    Young Dog felt his body shake a bit. "The only one I can think of is Wano." He glanced at the blonde kid next to him. "So, then you''re..."


    "I''m Wano''s son." Max hissed out. He glared at the armored man with pure hate. "That man killed my father! He knew he would never have the power to control a Lord, so he came to get rid of him. He might be a new villain, but if he isn''t stopped, he''ll become a threat to everyone."


    Ruby placed her hands on her hips and leaned forward toward the two bad guys. "So, you guys think you can just take my spot as the number one evil baddie? Sorry, but if anyone is going to take this planet over and put all the villains under their rule, it''ll be me." Her eyes locked onto Hell Hound. "I''ve already figured out how you work. You''re a little strong, I guess, but your real power comes from that mace. It can negate my enhanced durability and works as a shield, blocking my strikes. All I have to do, though, is hit around it and land a blow on you, and you''re toast. Think you''re ready for my blinding speed?"


    She was about to take off at top speed toward the two but stopped when the Emperor finally spoke once more. "Why are you claiming to be a villain? Why do you want to be a villain? Weren''t you raised by Jackson?"


    Ruby made a face and shook her head. "Are you kidding me? Why the hell would I ever want to be a superhero? Name one superhero that is happy?"Stolen story; please report.


    "I''m pretty happy..." Mermaid flinched when Ruby shot her an unconvinced look.


    "Heroes had their chance to make it look cool, and they didn''t excite me." Ruby stepped forward, cracking her knuckles as the Emperor stared her down. "It''s only natural that I''d pick a different side, right? Don''t go thinking that means we can team up or whatever, though. Villains can work alone, they don''t have to worry about failing and can do whatever they want. I''m claiming this city in the name of Ruby Admiral! So that means you need to leave and never come back!"


    "Very well."


    "Yeah, I knew you wouldn''t want to leave, so- Come again?" She froze and stared at the man as he turned his back on her. "Wait! I was kidding! You''re really just going to leave! You can''t do that! We need to have a badass fight!"


    The man began to walk down the alleyway, getting further away from them. She went to move after him, but Hell Hound blocked her way. The Emperor kept his arms folded behind his back and over his cape, as he felt his mind connect to someone else. "We''re done here, Alpha. Open it up."


    A loud crack echoed through the city around them. A swirling mass of blue suddenly spilled out. It was as if the air had come to life, charged with living lightning. It circled around itself, forming into a portal that shattered the space in front of the Emperor. A wormhole. Similar to means of teleportation but much worse.


    Max let out a loud scream of rage and threw himself forward, firing out a blast of wind toward the Emperor, which Hell Hound easily blocked. "Don''t let him get away!" He yelled. Ruby ran after him, moving past him and side-stepping a swing from Hell Hound. Mermaid struck out, creating a whip of water, which she launched while her father tossed one of his knives. Hell Hound blocked the water with her mace, and the knife simply bounced off of her armor. She went to chase after Ruby but was forced to block another strike from Max, who rammed his leg into her side. "Get the hell out of my way!" He screamed, hitting her with enough force to send her into the wall of the alleyway once again.


    Ruby reached the Emperor, who still had his back to her. She jumped into the air and came down hard, ramming her fist toward the back of his head. Her attack never reached, though. The space around him twisted and grew, expanding as the alleyway stretched out, becoming longer. Her attack completely missed, and she stumbled to the ground as someone else walked out of the portal. "Nice try." The figure mocked. "You won''t be touching our Master, though. Not while I’m around." It was a woman—one with green-looking skin and vines all over her body, which formed into her clothing. A pair of large bug wings stabbed out of her back, and her face was twisted into a sly smirk. The one and only Fairy Queen had arrived.


    "Have fun, you two." The Emperor stepped into the portal as Fairy Queen''s smile grew larger.


    "I know her." Avalon said in shock. He had stayed near the back with Mermaid and Young Dog since he couldn''t do much in the current situation. "She''s one of the Supers that went missing! She was a superhero named Lady Illusion! She used to not be so green, though."


    "Looks like her powers have changed just like the others." Young Dog spat out. “Whoever that armored guy is, he’s not just changing their bodies, he’s giving them new powers and abilities as well.”


    Ruby got back to her feet and threw out another punch, but once again, the space seemed to grow in size, getting longer as the distance was forced between her and Fairy Queen. The monster smirked as the strike was unable to reach her, and in an instant, the space shrunk back down and grew smaller, forcing Ruby''s face directly onto Fairy Queen''s outstretched fist. "You won''t be able to hurt me no matter how hard you try." The woman mocked. Her hand wrapped around Ruby''s face, and she smashed the girl down. "I can stretch or shrink space however I wish, creating as much distance as I want. Your silly attacks will never reach me. Unless, of course, you can somehow attack me from an infinite distance away, I’ll just forever expand and alter the fabric of space to make your attack out of reach from me."


    Lightning smashed down on the villain, but even that was unable to travel an infinite amount of distance as she expanded the space above her, still smirking. Max went to attack again but suddenly felt a mace smash into the back of his head as Hell Hound appeared behind him.


    Fairy Queen let go of Ruby''s face and stood back up, dusting herself off as Hell Hound walked over to them calmly. Mermaid and Young Dog stood frozen as the two women looked back at them. Fairy Queen gave a sickening grin and pointed at them about to attack, but her attack was deflected when Hell Hound grabbed her wrist and moved it up. "The Master doesn''t wish for them to be killed." Hell Hound stated in a blunt tone, staring her teammate down.


    "He just doesn''t want the Lord killed. The others are free game." Fairy Queen grunted.


    "I wasn''t talking about him."


    "Alpha?" Fairy Queen made a face and glared back at Hell Hound. "He ordered you not to kill them?"


    "He is the only Master I listen to. I''m ''his'' hound, after all. He gave me explicit orders to not let any of them die if it could be avoided. He wishes to face them in battle himself. If you wish to go against his orders, be my guest. But will your Master truly care enough to stop what mine does to you?"


    Fairy Queen bit down on her lip, spilling a stream of black blood. She finally turned away and marched over to the glowing blue portal that was still open. Hell Hound followed and lazily blocked one last strike Mermaid sent after her. Then, the two women simply stepped into the blue portal and vanished as it closed.


    Ruby angrily pushed herself up and made a face as silence echoed throughout the alleyway. "Did I seriously just lose a fight?"


    ***


    Max felt his eyes burn a bit as lights rained down on his face. Slowly, he opened his eyes and found himself staring up at a white roof. Normally, after a battle, he''d wake up to Nier patching him up. This was one of the first times he ever woke up in what he assumed was a hospital.


    The battle was still fresh in his mind, as were his wounds. The back of his head ached from where that villain''s mace had knocked him out. He had worked so hard for months of non-stop training to control his power just for an attempt to fight the man in the black armor, yet it didn''t matter. He hadn''t even been able to land a single hit on that monster. "I guess I lost again." He sighed.


    "Oh! You''re finally awake."


    Max sat up in the hospital bed he was in when he heard the voice. He looked around, finding himself in an almost pure white room. He was in a gown, and his blonde hair spilled down his back. In the bed next to him was a man in a suit, resting in a chair. The man had shaggy, reddish-brown hair and wore a pair of round glasses over his tired-looking eyes. He held a book that he had been reading. Some story about a King''s final stand against a Giant. The man instantly reminded him of the guy he had first met after his battle with Stab Face. Despite how long ago that had been, that particular person was still fresh in his mind. This guy looked shockingly similar to that man, though a little younger looking, and didn’t have the same creepy blue eyes.


    "Who are you?" Max winced and grabbed the back of his head, feeling a pounding sensation go through him. He really missed Nier''s healing in moments like these.


    "Try not to move around too much. You took quite the beating. We don''t have amazing healers. The bad guys always seem to get all the cool stuff like regeneration and teleportation, don''t they?" The man snickered. "Our side just has to make do with what we got, I suppose."


    "Side? Wait, you''re-"


    The man gave a small smile and placed his book down. He reached up, taking off his glasses, and suddenly, a golden light filled the room. Max was forced to shield his eyes, but even with them closed, it was still like looking directly into the sun. When it died down and he could see again, he found a man in a golden costume standing before him. One with long hair the color of the sun and burning red eyes that he swore stared directly into his soul. "My name is Jackson. Most people know me as Full Monarch, though." The man placed his hands on his hips and did his best to pose and smile. "Like you, I am also a Lord!"


    "So, I''ve been captured by the Hero Branch." Max responded flatly, instantly bringing the other man’s mood down.


    "Capture is a strong word..." Full Monarch said sheepishly. His body flickered for a moment as he cleared his throat. "I came to-" It flickered again. "-talk to you about-" Another flicker. "-something very important-"


    "What''s with the weird pauses? And why do you keep looking all blurry for a moment?" Max demanded. His dad had talked about Full Monarch a bit. Wano always said Full Monarch was a nice man, one who would do everything he could to save the planet. Nier, on the other hand, almost never talked about his former teammates.


    "Sorry." Full Monarch scratched the back of his head. "I keep hearing things, so I''m running off to check on them. Just stopped a car crash, a robbery, and a villain. Just ignore my pauses-" He flickered again before settling back down. "-it''s just me using my speed to leave and come back."


    "If you''re this strong, how are there any villains?"


    "The smart ones hide or stay silent. I still can''t be everywhere at once, even with speed like this."


    Max shook his head, ignoring more of the flickers that went through the man. "Where am I?" He demanded.


    "In a Hero Branch Super Station. We have one of the greatest Branch doctors, Alma, working on getting you better. With Doctor Blue, those two can solve any issue." The flicker man explained.


    Max nodded slowly. He looked around the room a bit more. Besides the bed, desk, and chair, there really wasn''t anything else. A door was on the other side, but the strongest and apparently fastest man on Earth stood between him and it. Even if he did somehow get past Full Monarch, he doubted he''d get far. The room he was in had no windows either. He could try to use the power he and Nier had discovered, the pocket realm one, but he wasn''t really sure how he could use that ability. He also knew he couldn''t take down Full Monarch if it came to a battle. If the Emperor was in another league of power, then Full Monarch was practically in another dimension of strength.


    His shoulders slumped a bit, and he sighed. "So, what do you want with me?" He had no means of escape, so he figured it would be for the best if he just played along with everything for the time being.


    Full Monarch folded his arms and let out a hum. "I think I told you already. I just had a few questions I wanted to ask you."


    "Go ahead."


    "You''re the son of Wano, aren''t you?"


    "Yeah." Max gritted his teeth and felt his fingers dig into the blanket as he glared down at the floor. "I''m guessing you know what happened to my dad since I''m a Lord."


    "That''s what I''m trying to find out-"


    "There''s nothing to find out!" Max yelled. "That bastard killed my father! He just showed up one day out of the blue! He challenged my father to a fight, and then my dad... He..." Max slammed his hand into the wall, cracking it as his eyes stung. "Don''t even think about trying to stop him. The Emperor is mine to kill, you got that!"


    Full Monarch''s look never changed. The golden man remained calm and collected as he studied Max. "Where does Nier play into all of this?"


    "He''s the guy that saved me. I would have been dead if not for him. He''s a Lord as well, but I guess you knew that, didn''t you? He was on your team, after all. He heals me after my fights and has been helping me get a hang on my power. Because of him, I’ve grown so strong so quickly."


    "When did this all start?"


    "The same day the Emperor took my father from me." Max spat out. “It happened about three months ago.”


    "Did Nier tell you anything important?"


    "We don''t really talk a lot. He usually sends me on a mission, patches me, and tells me how I can improve. I''ve been on my own for the past few weeks, if I''m being honest." The boy grunted.


    "Do you know where he is?"


    “Why do you care so much about Nier-”


    The door to the hospital room exploded open, and Full Monarch lazily raised his arm up, blocking a kick as Ruby Admiral came crashing in. "Sorry, papa, but I called dibs first!" She announced. She was covered in a few bandages and also just wore a hospital gown since she had gotten banged up in her fight as well. Despite that, though, she held a smirk on her face as she jumped onto Max''s bed, pinning him down and standing on his gut, causing him to let out a yelp of pain. "He''s my minion now!"


    "Get off me, you psycho!" Max yelled, throwing the mad red-haired girl off of him. "I took a shot to the lung! You''ll open my wounds doing stuff like that!"


    "A price that I''ll gladly let you pay, minion!" She stepped between her dad and Max, throwing her arms out to block her dad''s view. "Now leave, Dad!"


    "You know I can see your entire backside, right?" Max said flatly. “These gowns cover nothing. Wait, did you just say Full Monarch is your dad?"


    Full Monarch let out a tired sigh. "Sweetie, I''m not in the mood to play."


    "This isn''t play time! I am the great Ruby Admiral! Your ultimate rival! Your nemesis!"


    "Did Mermaid leave already? Go get her to play your game." Her father picked her up and easily moved her out of the way. He looked back down at Max as Ruby swung off of his arm. "Please forgive her. As I was saying. Do you know where Nier is?"


    "Wasn''t Nier one of your teammates?" Ruby asked slyly. "You called him your brother, right? So, he''s like my adopted uncle or something?"


    "Why do you want to know where Nier is?" Max questioned. "Shouldn''t you be more concerned with the Emperor? That''s what you wanted to ask me about, right? Come to think of it, why do you keep asking me about only Nier?"


    Full Monarch''s face still didn''t change. The man would have been an amazing poker player. "Isn''t it odd?" The hero asked quietly. "Nier showing up on the same day. The Emperor is a new villain who has just appeared. From what the Branch has been able to find, he''s been quickly rising to power by taking in weaker villain gangs over. The stronger gangs, though, are destroyed before he even gets to them. All by a lone figure with lightning powers. It''s convenient, isn''t it? All of your targets that Nier sends you after just so happen to benefit the Emperor-"


    "You''re wrong!" Max stood up and went to take a swipe at the man, but he was suddenly flipped over and slammed down as Ruby pinned him down. She pressed her knee to his back, and thanks to her enhanced strength, he wasn''t able to budge her off of him. Even his lightning didn''t seem to do much to her, the aura of energy bouncing off of her skin. He glared up at Full Monarch, who had taken a single step back and finally had a small frown on his face. "Don''t ever suggest something like that again! Nier has been helping me grow! He''s healed me and helped me take down villain scum that you heroes have missed! There''s no way he''s the Emperor! You''re wrong!"


    "Max..." Full Monarch made a motion to his daughter, and she slowly got off of the young man. "Wano was strong. He wouldn''t lose to just anyone. I just want to talk to Nier. I need to get to the bottom of this-"


    "He isn''t the Emperor!"


    "Do you know for sure?"


    "Yes!"


    "You do?" Shock finally filled Full Monarch''s face.


    Max gritted his teeth, and his shoulders slumped. "I know he can''t be the Emperor because... Because he was there. The night my father died, Nier had come to visit. The two of them fought him off together. I saw the whole thing. He''s the reason I''m alive in the first place. He saved me. Nier isn''t the Emperor because he was right there in the middle of the fight when that bastard showed up!"


    Full Monarch’s eyes were wide as he stared down at the boy. “Are you sure? You’re positive?”


    “Yes!” Max said through clenched teeth. “I saw both of them at the same time! There’s no way Nier was the one in the armor! I’m telling you, the Emperor is someone else!”


    Ruby frowned and folded her arms, letting out a soft hum. “So, if Nier really isn’t the Emperor, then who the hell is strong enough to beat a Lord in combat?”


    A look of unease appeared across Full Monarch’s face. “This has gotten a whole lot more confusing.”


    ***


    Ace Ward slowly closed his computer and leaned back in his chair, letting out a heavy sigh. He rubbed his eyes and fought off a yawn. He was in his office back home, finishing up the last of his paperwork before he got ready for bed. It was a large space with a heavy oak desk and the world''s most expensive computer. Several bookshelves scattered his office, all filled with ancient tomes, some of which were older than the Lords’ arrival.


    Most of his money came from siding with the right people at the right time. His grandfather had been on the side of the Monarch force led by the terrible Lucifer. Lucifer had some humans he allowed to keep thriving. A world of pure Supers wasn''t truly what that madman had desired after all. It was those same humans that now stood at the top of the food chain. The wealth and power that had belonged to them had allowed them to fund the new winning side, Full Monarch''s side, and create the Hero Branch.


    Humans were always able to keep on going no matter what the Supers threw at them, and now was no different. The Wards would be in charge for generations to come, he was sure of it. Even the mighty Full Monarch obeyed the Hero Branch after all.


    Humans still stood above the Supers, at the top of the food chain.


    "D- Daddy." The sound of his young son calling for him caused him to stand up. Dean Ward was only four years old, yet that boy would go on to do great things. He was sure of it. Like father, like son, after all. "I- I need your help."


    That caused a frown to come onto his face. He left his office and stepped out into the hallway of his large manor. "What is it, Dean-"


    His smile vanished instantly when he saw the deep, fiery blue eyes that glared into his. Dean was shaking and shivering, and standing next to him was a large figure in black twisted armor with a pair of devil-like horns stabbing out. The Emperor''s helmet gushed with his blue flame, his hand placed gently on Dean''s head.


    "Hello. I believe I have a task that you''d be perfect for, Mr. Ward."