"Has everything been going well?" Myth asked.


    "You know, you don''t have to check up on me every chance you get. Especially now." Sky brought her rake down, running it over the soil that she had helped create in the middle of the road.


    Her group had fully removed most of the debris around the stairway they called home, and with her powers, she had been able to get rid of the stone entirely. They now had large rows of soil that were growing crops, and she even used her ability to create new trees. She still wasn''t able to get them to create any food yet, but she was able to make their roots go all the way into the ground as far as they could, getting water for them. All the crops they were growing were natural and being taken care of by several of her people. Her hope was that by the time Hope and her family got back, it would be enough to sustain Oleander and help it out of the hellhole it was still in.


    It was slow, and it was painful, but with the help of all of her people, she was making the city better. They were all working hard.


    That was what she was currently doing. Like her people, she helped out in the small field she created while Myth quietly watched her from the side. "You shouldn''t be here right now," Sky stated, not bothering to look at the man. "I heard what happened to Kyle."


    "It wasn''t just Kyle." Myth''s shoulders slumped a bit, and the man almost looked as if he was about to fall over. It had only been a day, but he hadn''t slept that entire time. "Metal Ronin got taken as well."


    Sky flinched and closed her eyes, taking a moment to send a quick prayer to Rowan''s family. "I see. I''m sorry. It''s already been a day, so they''re likely..."


    "Yeah... Most likely." Myth gritted his teeth and punched the ground.


    "I''m really sorry, Myth..." Rowan was Kenny''s friend. She didn''t know the tech boy as well as she had known Sera and Kenny, but she knew him enough to where it hurt. Her sister would likely be sad as well when news of it got out. Whatever city the Murder Games took place in would be forever changed, and with what happened in those games, it was unlikely anyone would be walking out of it alive.


    "How''d you know the Murder Games were happening?" Myth asked quietly as he looked back up at Sky.


    Sky turned to look at the older man. "Oxide is downstairs. She showed up last night and broke down. She ended up telling me all about Kyle being taken away."


    "I see." Myth let out a heavy sigh and rubbed at his eyes. "I should have known. I came here looking for her. After what happened, I... I told everyone to take a break. Wasp Nest is having a breakdown now that his friends are gone, and Drake said he''d try to figure out what city the game was taking place in and took off flying. I guess I should have expected the same for Oxide, shouldn''t I?" Myth gave a weak chuckle before his smile faded. "It''s not fair."


    "No. It isn''t." Sky set the tool down and walked over to the other man, placing a hand on his shoulder. "It is never fair. That''s why I hate villains." She took a moment to look out at the city. Several of the knocked-over buildings were gone, making more room for the makeshift field she had been building, and all across it were hundreds of people all hard at work. Her eyes roamed over each of them. Her little group had grown quite large once it became clear Battery wasn''t coming back to Oleander. Most of the people that had been camped out near the bridge joined her group, led by Alice Ward. Alice currently was downstairs in the railroad area, working on dozens of cameras, trying to broadcast everything that was happening. "You know, you should take your own advice." She finally said, nudging Myth a little on the shoulder.


    "What do you mean?" The leader of Sub Enforcers shot her a tired glance.


    "You should take a break." Sky gave him a weak smile. "Remember my power set? It took me a single touch to see how much you''ve ruined yourself. Guys like the Victorian or Battery are freaks who can go months without sleep, but you''re not like them, Myth."


    "I''m not as strong as them, is what you mean?" Myth snorted.


    "I meant, you''re still human. You need a break." Sky turned back to look at her people. "And for the record, they might be stronger than you, but you''re kinder than them, so in my eyes, you''re the real hero."


    Myth managed to crack a half smile. "Thanks."


    "You don''t need to thank me. It''s the truth. You''re a good person, Myth." Sky gave the man another smile. "Why don''t we head downstairs? You can check on Oxide. I''m not really good with people, and she could use a hand."


    Myth gave a faint nod. "After you."


    Sky walked over to a makeshift fountain that they had and cleaned her hands off before leading Myth downstairs. Not a lot of time had passed since Hope had left, so much of the railroad was still the same, though a few walls had been knocked down, and more support beams made of trees had been set up. There were many more people than previously, and more tables and other makeshift furniture and tents had been set up. They had even gotten several TVs hooked up, thanks to Alice, who swiped some of Boy Genius''s drones, which were still flying around, even without the hero''s help.


    Alice was still working on a project of her own. The older woman was sitting at a table with her friend June and several other Hero Branch workers who had been stuck inside Oleander. They had one of Boy Genius''s drones on the table and were trying to fix it up and make it listen to them. Alice''s husband, Matthew Ward, was also present, though the man looked less than pleased. He was seated in a wheelchair, unable to walk anymore due to a leg injury he had suffered that resulted in his leg being taken off. He had been too stubborn to get the leg fixed at the time, and by now, it was too late, so there was nothing Paragon could do.


    Sky shot a nod to the older woman before leading Myth toward the back, where several large tents had been placed. Inside of one of them, Oxide was seated, no longer in her hero costume. The girl was curled up into a ball, and her eyes were red from crying, but she instantly wiped at them when she saw Myth.


    "M- Myth." Ashley stood up and did her best to compose herself. "Sorry for running off, sir."


    "No. You''re fine." Myth reached out, placing a hand on the girl''s shoulder. "Are you okay?"


    "Y- Yeah... No..." Ashley hung her head down, and her hand balled into a tight fist. "They''re dead, aren''t they..."


    "We don''t know that for sure-"


    "Be honest with me. Do you think they are dead?"


    Myth stared down at the girl in silence for several moments. "I do." His words caused Ashley''s hands to grow tighter into a ball. "It''s been over twenty-four hours by now since both of them were taken. The longest a Murder Game has ever gone on for was eighteen hours. That was when it took place in Max Lightning''s city. He and Team Cloud were the only ones able to fight and had done everything they could to protect the victims dragged into it, but in the end, it didn''t matter. It never does with Lucifer. Not even Full Monarch had been able to kill him for good." Myth shook his head sadly. "I''m sorry."


    "It isn''t over yet." Sky piped up. "Normally, we''d know what city the games took place in, but the public doesn''t even know the Murder Games are taking place."


    "They don''t?" Ashley turned to look at the other girl. "What do you mean? Is the Hero Branch hiding information again?"


    Myth shook his head. "Not this time. They can''t hide when a Murder Games starts because the barrier goes up. It makes it impossible for anyone to get in or out of the city, which is why it''s so hard to deal with the games. The Immortals rig it. This time, though, no city has asked for help, and Drake wasn''t able to find a barrier around any of them. There''s a chance that it could have taken place in a village this year instead. In which case, we likely won''t know what happened, and due to how much time passed, it''s likely over already."


    It was a sad fact to accept, but it was likely the truth. There was a good chance the other players would be dead by now since the Immortals always started hunting them around this point and always ended the game extremely fast.


    "Why is this game not taking place in any of the cities?" Ashley questioned. "It feels weird."


    "That''s because this game isn''t like any of the others." Ashley, Myth, and Sky all froze when they heard the voice. It was a familiar one, one they had all heard before. All the sound in the underground rail station seemed to cut out as if it had suddenly emptied out. "Did you miss me, Myth?"


    Myth was the first to spin around and see her. "L- Lois?"


    "The one and only!" Lightning Empress struck a pose.


    "Whisper!" Both Sky and Oxide said, taken aback. That was when Sky noticed two things. The first, the station hadn''t emptied. People were still sitting around and talking, but they couldn''t hear them, and they didn''t seem to be able to hear her group either. The second thing she noticed was how Lightning Empress suddenly appeared in front of them. It was through a glowing blue portal. "Uh oh."


    The portal opened wider, and two more people stepped out behind Lightning Empress. Battery held a faint smirk on his lips, both his eyes shining with their mixed colors. Next to him was someone new. A younger girl. One who wore a white business suit, the same as members of Zoo, but the girl also had on a white wolf''s mask. It was obviously White Lamb, but it seemed the girl changed her style up a bit and was with Battery for some reason.


    "Yo." Battery nodded toward Myth. "It''s been a while, Thaddeus."


    "Jack!" Myth''s eyes were wide as he stared at the other man. "Why are you here?" Myth shook his head and turned to look back at Lois, a hurt look on his face. "And why are you with him?"


    Lois didn''t have the chance to say anything. Sky moved fast, her white hair flying wildly as she drew her sword and slashed out at Battery. He didn''t even bother taking his hands out of his coat, and in an instant, large black arms appeared around him and White Lamb, blocking the sword. Sky''s eyes were filled with rage as she glared at Battery.


    "You! You''re not welcome here! Get the hell out of my-"


    "White Wolf, shut her up." Battery sighed.


    "Sure thing, boss." White Wolf snapped, and all of the sound that came out of Sky''s mouth was gone. The Lord was still talking, and she looked even more pissed than she had a few moments ago, but no more noise was coming out of her. "Better?"


    "Better." Battery nodded and patted White Wolf on the head. Then he turned to look back at Myth. "As for your question. I''m only here because she asked me to." He pointed a thumb toward Lightning Empress.


    Lightning Empress stepped past the annoyed Sky and looked at Myth, giving the man a faint smile. "Hey."


    Myth stared back at her, sadness present in his eyes. "Hey."


    "I guess you''re mad at me?"


    Myth shook his head. "Not mad. Just hurt."


    "Oh. Sorry. I didn''t see that coming." Lightning Empress winced slightly. "What if I told you I did what I did for a good reason?"


    "You left my team without warning; you joined the Enforcers without warning; you didn''t respond to any of my calls; you ignored me and wouldn''t let me visit you, all because you became a Lord, and you did it at a time when I thought I lost every member of my team and was recovering from my battle with the Beast, struggling to lead Money Tree''s team, which had been forcefully shoved onto my shoulders without warning." Myth stared into her eyes. "I''d say I''m still pretty hurt, even if it was for a good reason. But I guess you knew that all, didn''t you?"


    Lightning Empress gave the man a sad smile. "I didn''t actually. You''re the hero, Myth. The guy that destroys fate. Every time I see you, all I see is your death at the hands of the Beast, yet once again, you''ve managed to break destiny. You''re the one person I just can''t seem to read."


    "Well, I can read you." Myth stepped forward and placed his hands on Lois''s shoulders, looking down at the other girl. "I might not be able to see the future like you can, but we''ve fought alongside each other and talked so much I can tell what''s going through your head. I know that whatever this is, whatever you''re doing right now, it''s eating away at you. You don''t want to be doing this. Do you?"


    Lois shook her head and stepped away from the man. "Sorry. I have to, though."


    "You don''t."


    "I do. Because I want to." She turned back and looked at the man, a fake smile back on her lips. "I just want to see a happy ending for everyone I care about. Even if it means I get a bad one."


    "Lois!"


    Lois ignored Myth and walked back to Battery''s side. "Alrighty then." Lois casually placed her hands behind her head. "I told you where Paragon was, so go ahead and grab her."


    Sky''s eyes went wide, and the girl went to dodge, but before she could, a hand appeared around. It was forged out of that same crackling black energy and wrapped all the way around her, floating off of the ground. Sky made a gasping sound and began to yell some more, though it went unheard.


    "You can let her speak now." Battery said simply. White Wolf nodded.


    "-and then when I''m done doing that to you, I''ll get the duck and do it all over again, Battery!" Sky yelled, her sound suddenly coming back. "Let me go!"


    Myth growled and transformed into his lion form, and Oxide formed her metal dress, creating a sword. Lightning Empress turned back to them and waved her hands. "Hang on, guys! No need for us to fight. Battery''s here to help."


    "That''s right." Battery nodded before glancing back toward Myth. "See, unlike your team, my ''Pantheon'' actually gets shit done. I find myself in need of Paragon''s assistance, so I came to get her. Now that I have her, I''ll be taking my leave."


    "Like hell, you will!" Myth roared out, and he charged forward, striking out with his claws. Oxide attacked as well, the girl sending out large metal blades, but before either of them could reach Battery or White Wolf, Lightning Empress appeared in front of them, massive clouds twisting out of her hands, which somehow formed together into a solid wall. Myth tried to claw through it, but both his and Oxide''s attacks simply bounced off. "Lois! What are you doing!" He growled out in anger.


    Lightning Empress gave another sad smile and casually flipped her gray hair. "Sorry, but I sort of need Battery. Believe it or not, he''s kind of important to the story."


    "Let me go!" Sky thrashed around, trying to break out of the hand that held her, but it just grew tighter and floated to its master''s side. "I''ll seriously kill you!"


    "Sky." Battery looked up at the Lord. "Stop."


    "Why should I!" Sky hissed out.


    "Because if you piss me off anymore, I''m not going to let you help me save Cinder."


    That caused Myth''s group to instantly go silent. Both Myth and Oxide''s eyes went wide. Sky''s face turned a little pale, and she glanced down at Battery. "N- No. It''s not true. S- She didn''t- T- Then again, it is something she''d end up getting involved with, isn''t it?"


    Battery simply nodded. "Cinder is in the Murder Games." His words caused all their hearts to sink. "She''s not dead, though. Not yet. None of the players are." Battery turned to look back at Myth as the cloud wall vanished. "So, if you guys would just stay out of my way, I''m going to go ahead with my plan and save everyone."


    "What plan?" Myth questioned, staying in his lion form, still debating if he should attack or not.


    "I''m not explaining it twice; if you want to hear it, then just come on already." Battery rolled his eyes and turned back to the portal he had created. It had stayed up the entire time. "I''m going to be telling the others about it as well."


    "Others?" Oxide asked.


    White Lamb, or rather White Wolf now, slightly lifted up her wolf mask, showing off a sly smirk. "You''ll see." And with those words, Battery and White Wolf stepped through the portal, the hand dragging Sky in as well.


    Lightning Empress approached the portal and was about to enter, but she turned back to Myth and grinned. "Well? What are you waiting for? Come on. Fable''s waiting on you."


    "Fable! What do you mean my brother is-" Lois vanished through the portal, cutting Myth off. The man stood there for several seconds, staring at it before he took a step toward it. Oxide followed behind him, and they both stood in front of it, staring at it. "Should we?"


    "I dunno. This is freaking weird, man." Oxide sighed. "Why couldn''t I just be a normal superpowered individual? It feels like my life''s gone sideways ever since I met you all."Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    Myth reached up about to touch the portal but hesitated slightly. He was about to try again when Lois''s head suddenly poked out of it, an annoyed look on the girl''s face. "Oh, will you two just get in here already!" She grabbed them both and dragged them into the portal.


    Myth and Oxide stumbled out of it and crashed down onto a hard stone floor. "Myth!" A voice called out.


    "F- Fable?" Myth winced and looked up, his eyes going wide at what he saw. He had been to this place a few times back when his dad was alive. It was the Enforcers Tower. Fable ran over to him and helped him and Oxide up. "What''s going on?" Myth questioned, looking around.


    Fable sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled weakly. "To be honest, I''m not really sure. We''ve all been sort of waiting on Battery to explain himself."


    Myth nodded slightly and looked around the room. It was still mostly destroyed from the time Battery challenged all the Enforcers, but the table was still fine. Several people were seated at it. He wasn''t shocked to see Lady Time, Wyvern, Beta, Pretty Face, or Mister Man, but he was taken aback when he noticed Poseidon. Sky had also noticed the other Lord and stared down with wide eyes. Also at the table was Purrfect, and more shockingly, three humans. Jack''s roommate Alma, the man who had taken over Avalon Industries, was present, as was Ms. Laps, the woman who used to run Oleander''s Hero Branch. Also present was Jane Lauren, of all people. The raven-haired woman just looked sad and tired, slumped down on the table.


    White Wolf took a seat next to Purrfect, and the two wasted no time gossiping with each other as if they were old friends. Laps and Alma, both whispered to each other about some plan while Mister Man and Lady Time were already bickering. Wyvern was busy praying for it all to end while Pretty Face checked himself out in a mirror. That left Beta, who looked around the room, recording everyone. It was strange seeing the machine without Boy Genius around. At least Myth thought so.


    Myth flinched slightly when his brother clapped him hard on the back. "Well, big brother, welcome to Battery''s team!"


    "Come again?"


    "I don''t get it either."


    Myth wanted to say more, but the hand holding Sky phased out and vanished. The girl dropped to the ground, and instantly, she was at her sister''s side. The two of them hugged for a moment and stayed in each other''s arms for several moments. "Are you okay?" Lily whispered to her sister. "Are you taking care of yourself? Eating as much as you should? Bathing regularly?"


    "I am." Sky hugged her older sister tighter. "And you?"


    "Yeah. I''m doing fine. I changed my hero name. I''m the Tallest Wave now."


    "Oh, Lily..." Sky said sadly.


    "Don''t. I picked it myself."


    "Did you? Or did Battery make you?" Sky hissed.


    Lily pulled away from her sister and stared down at the other girl. "Sky. I decided to join his team, and I changed my name. I picked it because I''m not going to let it control me. I''m going to control it. Hope did something like that in the battle with the Beast. You saw it. Those Lord forms, whatever they are, they can be controlled. Battery has helped me a lot. His Imaginary energy has helped me suppress it. It''s like it was built for this or something. I joined him myself because I heard his plan."


    "Why do you trust him?" Sky grumbled.


    "Because Mom did."


    Sky stayed silent and didn''t respond to that. She wanted to comment about what Battery did to her. How he threatened her, slapped her, and belittled her, all at the same time, but she stayed silent. She didn''t want to ruin the look in her sister''s eyes. She could tell Lily was putting all her trust in Battery. Because that''s what Ocean Empress had done. Because that''s what their mother did. River Sini had loved Jack Larison. It might have been a short-lived fling, brought on only because they were both broken souls who had lost people close to them, but it had still been a type of love.


    Sky turned away from her sister and shook her head. "I''m sorry. I just can''t look at him the same way you or Mom did. Hope looks at him the same way as well. You all see some man who has done bad things but can come back from it, but I keep seeing a man who keeps blowing all his chances. How many second attempts to right the wrongs has he been given? Too many, I think."


    "Just sit and listen, okay?" Lily said quietly. "Just do that for me. Please?"


    Sky gave a weak nod and took a seat at the round table next to her sister. Myth watched the entire thing before he also took a seat, sitting next to his brother Fable. Oxide sat down next to him as well. That finally left Battery as the only guy left standing. He didn''t take a seat. Instead, he moved to a part of the table that made everyone have to look at him. It was a round table, and yet Battery had still managed to put himself at the front of it. He stood there silently, looking at everyone, not saying a word.


    "Well, go on then." Mister Man grunted out. "You went and forced us all to come here. Tell us what''s going on."


    "Also, where is the Victorian?" Lady Time questioned. "You said you needed her for your plan, but I don''t see Jill anywhere. Did you not grab her yet?"


    "Will you finally explain yourself?" Wyvern demand. "You and Lightning Empress are getting on my nerves. If we''re all some big team, why is it that the two of you always hide stuff from us?"


    "I don''t suppose everyone would be fine with suddenly jumping him?" Pretty Face asked, setting his mirror down. "I mean, there''s three Lords in this room. You know we could beat him if we all attacked at the same time."


    "Can you knock that off, Pretty Face?" Fable grumbled. "I hate Battery as much as you do, but the fact is we need him right now. He said he has a way to save the players."


    "And you believed him?" Oxide asked, raising an eyebrow. "The Murder Games have never been beaten, you know. It can''t be done. Even a monster like Battery can''t change that."


    "I just want my daughter and husband back." Jane slumped further down onto the table.


    Sky''s eyes went wide. "Mr. Lauren was taken along with Hope?"


    "That is correct." Beta finally spoke up. "I have hacked into every database and have been able to report that eight people have vanished. Alexander Lauren, the hero Cinder, Evan Ros, the hero Phoenix, Kyle Brenner, the hero Metal Ronin, Irene Milas, and finally, the hero Claymore. That''s five humans and three Supers."


    "Kevin is also in the games, so that makes four Supers!" Lois said casually.


    Oxide''s eyes went wide. "K- Kevin? L- Like my Kevin?"


    "Oh yeah! I forgot the two of you dated at one point, right?" Lois giggled. "Yeah, he''s in there. I totally pulled a power move by having Battery blast him so hard he''d respawn in the border of the games. Man, am I awesome or what?"


    Wyvern sighed, her tail flicking back and forth. "We were so shocked when we saw Battery do that. If you hadn''t explained yourself on the spot, we would have tried jumping him all over again, even if the outcome would have resulted in us losing."


    "Speak for yourself." Pretty Face went back to looking at himself in the mirror. "Once a coward, always a coward. I would have run away."


    "Why are you an Enforcer?" Mister Man asked flatly.


    "Because it made me more famous." Pretty Face smiled. "...Also because I sucked Ward''s-"


    "That''s enough of that." White Wolf flicked her finger out, silencing the pretty man.


    "Why is she even here?" Myth grumbled. "Isn''t she a villain?"


    "She''s useful." Purrfect grinned. "And cute!" The cat-themed hero patted White Wolf on the head.


    Luna Laps clasped her hands together and leaned forward on the table, looking toward Battery. "That''s enough with the silence, Battery. Begin."


    Battery nodded and let out a sigh before finally talking. "I''ll just cut to the chase since I don''t really like looking at any of you. How have your cities been?"


    Mister Man slammed his hand down onto the table and let out a loud growl. "Motherfucker, how do you think! You still haven''t removed your stupid fucking Giants, have you!"


    Battery didn''t even flinch at the outburst. "Your cities have all been fine. I''ll admit that crime is still happening. That''s one of the reasons I left the other teams in there. My Giants can''t stop everything, but they''ve done enough. It''s been weeks, and yet every city that has one of my Giants within it has remained standing. Crime hasn''t been able to take them over. Do you know what that means?"


    "Let me guess." Lady Time rolled her eyes. "You want us all to get on our hands and knees and say how great you are? Well, newsflash, dick, if we had been in each of those cities, and if you would have just teamed up with us, we''d have been able to wipe out crime entirely."


    Battery glanced to the other girl. "You''re likely right. It would have been better, and in the city''s best interest, if I had worked with each of you. We likely would have been able to shut down crime entirely. One Enforcer patrols the underground with their team, while my Giants patrol the aboveground with that city''s Sub Enforcers. It would have been almost perfect."


    "So you admit it!" Wyvern narrowed her eyes.


    "No." Battery shook his head. "Because saving each city wasn''t my goal."


    "Shocker there," Sky muttered.


    "Eventually, sure, I''ll save them, just as I''ll save this world." Battery nodded. "But before that happens, I need to wipe out the threat of the Rulers. That''s why I did what I did. I needed to show the world that without its Enforcers, the cities wouldn''t instantly get destroyed."


    Fable gave a small frown. "What do you mean by that?"


    "Think about it." Lightning Empress said casually. "Neither the Victorian nor the Boy Genius can break a barrier. When the last Murder Games happened, Avalon was still pretending to work for him, and yet somehow, the three best people in the world teamed up and couldn''t stop it. My father was alive back then. As a Lord of the Sky, he could manipulate space and time to an extent. He should be above any barrier."


    "Are you trying to say that we could have gotten into a Murder Games at any time?" Mister Man asked with narrowed eyes.


    Lois shrugged. "Honestly, I really don''t know, but I doubt a barrier could hold for that long against my father and mother. The real reason they never tried is because of the risk."


    "What risk?" Lady Time questioned.


    "The Immortals are strong." Beta explained. "It would take several Enforcers working together to take one down. Lucifer can also be considered a Pseudo-Calamity-level threat. It would likely take all Enforcers working together to win, and the battle would be hard-fought. Maybe even as hard as this year''s Beast fight was." That caused everyone to flinch slightly. "It also would not have been quick. A battle like that could take several hours to finish, or even days, considering the Immortals are... well, immortal. Not to mention the endless soldiers Lucifer can summon; during that time, while each Enforcer was away, all of the cities would be left in grave danger. It was feared that someone like the Emperor would return, or a revolt from all the villains would happen, and each city would be attacked and overwhelmed while the Enforcers were busy dealing with the Immortals. In the end, it was decided it was best to stop wasting resources and trying to stop the Murder Games and instead just protect the people trapped inside of the city. As sad as it might seem, it was safer. After all, the Immortals are only really targeting five people at a time and will hunt them till they finish. A city can be fixed after a Murder Game. That''s more than you claim for Oleander."


    Battery nodded slightly. "When I first kicked you all out, crime spiked through the roof. It was as Beta just stated. Every major villain group tried to take over the city, yet with my portal powers and my Giant soldiers, I was able to flash between each city and stop it. Was it perfect? No. But it did show that the villains can''t just win. That was important to do because my plan involved all the Enforcers. I''m going to smuggle as many as I can into the Murder Games, and the moment the villains discover that the world is lacking all of its protectors, they''re likely going to try and attack all the cities again. During that time, my Giants will stay behind and defend."


    Wyvern rolled her eyes and folded her arms. "Let me get this straight. So, the reason you were a jackass is because you needed to show that you could keep a city safe without its Enforcer? Seriously?"


    "Yes." Battery said flatly. "And I did it. It might have been messy, but each city is still standing, right? Without any of you. So, while we''re all busy fighting in the Murder Games, you won''t have to worry about your city, and the people won''t have to worry either. Because I''ll still be keeping it safe."


    "I think you''re missing a point." Oxide said flatly. "You said you helped keep each city safe alongside your Giants. You won''t be here this time to do it. Do you really think your Giants on their own can stop all crime? Especially one as big as what you''re suggesting?"


    "Lightning Empress." Battery huffed out. "Explain it."


    Lightning Empress gave a small grin. "Several villains have had their Paths vanish. Basically, that means I can''t look at their stories anymore. For that to have happened, it would mean they either suddenly died or have been placed somewhere I can''t see. As I mentioned, I saw the start of the Murder Games and can see the trillions of ways it could end, but I can''t see the middle. All the villains would have had to be placed into the Murder Games for something like that to happen. So many twisted Paths from strong people. While it''s true that Battery won''t be here to stop all the villains, almost every heavy hitter from across the world won''t be there to counter his Giants either because they''re all in the games. Not to mention, not all of you will be going. Some of you will be left behind and will work with the Giants to help keep the cities safe. Now that he''s shown off how strong his Giants are and the weakened state the villains are in, they''ll likely think twice about taking once the several Enforcer members return."


    Pretty Face gave a faint nod. "I see. So you nerfed each city by taking its Enforcer away and then got the villains used to just the Giants, and now you''re going to give the Enforcers back. Since the villains are weaker now and failed once already to take over a city while the Enforcers were gone, they''ll likely think twice about doing it now that we''re back. Basically, ending the fight before it could even begin?"


    "Exactly."


    Myth raised an eyebrow slightly. "What did you mean by some will be left behind?"


    Battery lifted his hand and created a shimmering blue portal. "It''ll take a lot out of me to transport us all into the Murder Games. I can basically only take twelve of us, and that''s counting me. After that, I''ll need to recover my strength. The reason the Enforcers never bothered to attack the Immortals was because the Victorian knew it would take way too long, and the chances to win weren''t high. This time, however, Paragon, Tallest Wave, and Lightning Empress will be coming with us. That''s three Lords. Each Lord is worth about four Enforcers, maybe more, so that''s basically like I''m taking twelve of you guys with me. Then there will be eight more of you, plus myself, to back them up. Our odds of winning are greater."


    "Much greater." Beta chimed in.


    "I don''t like it still." Mister Man spat out. "It still wasn''t right what you did. You should have told us all in advance." He glared at Battery and Lightning Empress. "Both of you."


    Lightning Empress shrugged. "I''m not going to say sorry. What''s done is done. Battery has his own reasons, and I have mine. We''re playing smart."


    "You''re playing like a machine," Fable stated plainly. "Sure, on paper, it sounded reasonable, but neither of you bothered to think how it would make any of us feel. There''s no heart in your plan. It''s all just the math."


    "If it works, it works." Battery growled. "And it will work. I''m sure. We''ll take out every Ruler with it."


    "There''s that stupid ass term again." Mister Man groaned. "Ruler. What do you mean we''ll be taking them all out?"


    "Rulers are what the Emperor and Lucifer are." Battery explained. "Think of them as a reverse Lord. I don''t know everything, but I know that they can come back from the dead."


    "Doesn''t that make you a Ruler as well?" Lady Time asked, raising an eyebrow.


    "Sort of." Battery shrugged, which didn''t put everyone at ease. "I''m still in control. When we die, our power devours part of us. Think of it as our soul shattering more and more. I''m still me. The other Rulers, however, have twisted and changed. The Emperor officially became one after he died at the hands of Full Monarch. The Lord of the Land and Life, which had been inside of him, had been fighting its influence off, but after that death, he lost that title, and it fully ate him."


    "The Emperor and Lucifer are both going to be present for this game." Lois said casually.


    "You''re fucking kidding me. No way we can win then." Mister Man bashed his head on the table.


    "Oh, it gets so much worse!" Lois said happily. "Legend is also there! He''s the third Ruler!"


    "Dad!" Myth''s and Fable''s eyes both went wide when they heard their father''s name. Myth shuddered for a moment, remembering the shambling corpse that had taken over his father. He always knew he''d eventually have to deal with it, but for it to come back like this... "Wait." Myth frowned suddenly. "That would mean that this year''s Murder Games is taking place in- Oh god dammit! That''s why we haven''t noticed any cities being attacked!"


    "Chrysanthemum?" Lady Time groaned out. "Seriously? Just fucking great. Yep. We already lost. You know that, right?" She shot a dirty look toward Battery. "That''s too much for us to handle. Oh, or are we also going to be fighting the Beast?"


    "Not yet, sadly." Battery said, shaking his head.


    "Sadly?"


    "The Beast will be after we deal with the Emperor, Legend, and Lucifer." Battery shrugged.


    "You make it sound so easy." Wyvern snorted.


    "Because it is." Battery grunted. "Listen. We don''t have to beat all of them at the same time. Just one. I can take on a single one of them on my own and win. So can the Victorian. That leaves the four Lords to team up and take down the last member of that trio while the rest of the group deals with the fodder. It doesn''t matter if you hate me; you all saw me go toe-to-toe with the Beast. I''m strong. None of those guys are anywhere near as dangerous as the Beast. We. Can. Win. At least I will win. When all the Lords are together, they experience explosive growth. Max Lightning was from the wrong generation and was holding them all back. Now that we have Paragon and Lightning Empress, if they work with Cinder and the Tallest Wave, it''ll cause them to all leap in power. A Lord is stronger than a Ruler. I''m pretty sure at least."


    "Okay, but we can''t actually kill them, can we?" Pretty Face commented. "You said it yourself; they come back."


    "The Victorian has a piece of her father''s power, which was able to turn Lucifer to dust for over fifty years." Battery shrugged. "Not to mention, I have my own method for putting one down. When it comes to fighting them, we can kill them or at least make it take so long to regenerate that we''ll be able to plan and develop more heroes and tech for when they do return."


    "That''s assuming I help," Sky said bitterly.


    "You will." Lois grinned. "Hope needs you after all."


    "Yeah. I guess I will. I won''t like it, though." Sky sighed.


    Jane looked around at all the heroes. The mood in the room had changed slightly. The doubt everyone had was still there, but also something new. A sense of hope. One that hadn''t existed in a while. Hate him or like him, if what Battery said was true, taking all three of the greatest threats out like this would change the world for the better. "You make it actually sound possible."


    "Because it is." Battery gave a faint grin. "You might not like me, but I''m going to be the man who saves the world. I''m the number one hero, and I''m going to show why that title belongs to me."


    Wyvern gave a faint nod. "You said you can only take twelve?"


    Battery nodded back, and the tension in the room seemed to fade more. They were all actually considering this. Praying that it would work. That this would be the fix to it all. "Yeah, I can only take twelve of us in, and once in, I won''t be able to get us out. I''ll be making three teams, each team having four members. I''ll be in charge of team one. Team two will be led by the Victorian. And team three will be-"


    "Myth!" Lois announced suddenly, catching everyone off guard. Myth''s eyes were wide, and he suddenly felt Lois behind him as the girl hugged him and pointed at Battery. "Also, I''m on team three."


    Battery frowned slightly. "I didn''t agree to that. Team three was going to be led by Boy Genius, who I was going to go grab."


    "Nah." Lightning Empress shook her head. "Leave him. He can''t play. Yet. Team three will be led by Myth, and I''m on his team, and he can pick the last two members of his team himself."


    Battery''s frown grew. "Fine. Whatever. You''re using your powers for me, though. You''re the trump card, Whisper."


    "Lightning Empress."


    "Whatever."


    "Do I get a say in this?" Myth asked.


    "I agree with my brother," Fable grunted. "I don''t want him going into these games. It''s too dangerous."


    "Now hang on." Myth shook his head. "I didn''t say that. I want to come; I just don''t know if I should be the leader of a team. Cinder''s in trouble, so I''m going to help her."


    "When Whisper decides something, it''s just best to do it." Battery shrugged. "Part of her story. You''re the team leader. Pick whoever you want on your squad. Each team will also get one Lord. Since you have Whisper and I have Tallest Wave, that means you''re on team two, Paragon."


    "Great." Paragon sighed. "Now, when I save Hope, I''ll have to watch her fangirl over the Victorian."


    "Speaking of the Victorian, you haven''t gotten her yet, have you?" Lady Time questioned.


    "I was waiting for her to be in a specific spot," Battery replied. "She moves around too fast for me to open a portal near her, so I had to wait until Whisper gave me the go-ahead, which she said would be after this meeting. Speaking of which," Battery turned and opened a portal up. "I''ll be right back." He stepped through and vanished, leaving the room in an awkward silence.


    "I- Is this actually happening?" Pretty Face. "Like, you guys aren''t actually considering this, are you? The dude is clearly batshit insane."


    "We''re all insane." Mister Man grunted out and played with his gun. "We wouldn''t be heroes if we had all our screws."


    "I hate him, but I hate the Emperor more." Lady Time nodded. "If I have the chance, I''ll take it. Even if it means working with a devil like Battery."


    Lois looked down at Myth and grinned. "So, Myth. Who are you going to put on your team? You got two slots right?"


    "I wanna come!" Oxide leaned forward, her eyes wide. "Kevin''s there!"


    Myth looked like he was about to argue but stopped. "It''d be kind of hypocritical of me to say no since it''s dangerous. It is, though, Oxide, and you''re not an Enforcer."


    "Neither are you."


    "Yeah, but I''m still strong." Myth snorted.


    "So am I! I''m coming, okay? Kevin... I... I just want to see Kevin." Oxide''s shoulders slumped. "Sorry."


    Myth''s look softened. "I''ll think about it, okay. As for the last person I want. I have someone in mind. I might need your help to find him, though, Lois."


    Lightning Empress grinned. "Don''t worry; I already know where he is and what his answer will be."


    Meanwhile, outside of Earth, on the surface of the moon, the Victorian stared down at the glass coffin that held her father. Her face was blank. She didn''t even react as a blue portal appeared behind her.


    "Did you move my dad?" She asked in a dangerous tone.


    Battery shrugged. "I needed to borrow him for a moment-" In a flash, he was on his back, the world''s strongest woman glaring down at him. She threw a punch at his face, but he caught it, his dual-colored eyes staring into her golden ones. "Ruby. It''s time."


    The Victorian''s look of rage faded for only a moment. "What do you mean?"


    "You know what I mean." Battery reached up and placed his hand on the woman''s cheek. "You''re my sword. It''s time I aim you at my enemies. Let''s kill them all. Let''s reach the end of our story."